The pronouns "who" and "whom" are used in different contexts based on their grammatical role in a sentence.
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Who: This is a subject pronoun, meaning it is used when referring to the subject of a verb. You would use "who" when you can replace it with "he" or "she."
- Example: "Who is going to the party?" (You could say "He is going to the party.")
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Whom: This is an object pronoun, meaning it is used when referring to the object of a verb or preposition. You would use "whom" when you can replace it with "him" or "her."
- Example: "Whom did you invite to the party?" (You could say "I invited him to the party.")
A good way to determine whether to use "who" or "whom" is to rephrase the question into a statement. If you can answer with "he" or "she," use "who." If you can answer with "him" or "her," use "whom."
It’s also worth noting that in informal speech, many people tend to use "who" in place of "whom," and this is generally accepted in everyday conversation. However, it's still good to know the distinction for formal writing and situations.