Who and whom confuse me :P
People over-trick this:
“Who” and “whom” are pronouns: “who” is for the subjective case (the subject of a verb); “whom” is for the objective case (the object of a verb or preposition).
Example: “Who hit whom?” [Subject pronoun] hit [object pronoun].
It is not complicated when it is a simple use of “who” or “whom”; the principal legitimate confusion lies in use of either one in a clause/phrase, especially with their variations, “whoever” or “whomever”:
The proper simple use is obvious:
Wrong: “Give it to whoever.”
Right: “Give it to whomever.”
Where the pronoun functions as part of a clause/phrase produces the possible complication:
Wrong: “Give it to whomever wrote that memo.”
Right: “Give it to whoever wrote that memo.”
If the pronoun functions as the subject of a clause, then the subjective pronoun is used! The entire phrase above is the object of the preposition: “whoever” functions as the subject in the phrase; “wrote” functions as the verb; “memo” functions as the object:
Give it to [WHOEVER WROTE THAT MEMO].
The phrase, “whoever wrote that memo,” can function as a stand-alone sentence. Substitute a proper name to verify that: “Roger wrote that memo.” (”Roger” is clearly the subject performing the action; “memo” is clearly the object receiving the action.)
The easiest way to sort out who vs. whom is to substitute “he” or “him”. You’ll know immediately which sounds right.
Those are a little tricky sometimes for me too