Who is which

For instance, the answer to the question above is Aretha Franklin. In the past, who was not used as an object, except in casual writing and speech. In recent years, who often replaces whom. Which can serve as the subject of a question, too. Many find it harder to use who or which as relative pronouns than as interrogative pronouns. Who is still restricted to people: The man who started the petition delivered it personally to the board. Johnson, who was my mathematics teacher in elementary school, finished first in the marathon.

My Persian carpet, that I bought in Qom , has been chewed by the dog. The boy who stole your bike is at the door. A "boy" is a person, so "who" is correct. The boy that stole your bike is at the door.

Using Commas with "Which" and "Who" You never need a comma before "that. For example: Philosophy is written in the universe, which stands continually open to our gaze. Philosopher Galileo The clause "which stands continually open to our gaze" is just additional information.

It does not define "the universe. Now look at this example: Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. Author Mark Twain The clause "which the deaf can hear and the blind can see" defines the word "language. A "which" without commas can be replaced with "that. Ready for the Test? A non-essential clause is one that gives secondary, non-essential information about a noun that is already fully identified.

A non-essential clause is separated from its noun with a comma:. The relative pronoun who may cause confusion because it has both a subject form who and an object form whom. The key to choosing between these forms is to see what the pronoun is doing in its own clause.

Use who if the pronoun is the subject of the verb in the dependent clause. Use whom if the pronoun is the object of the verb in the dependent clause. Use whom if the pronoun is the object of a preposition in the dependent clause. Then replace that pronoun with who or whom , using the following rule:. Skip to content Skip to institutional links. Contact Us. Search Canada. Important notice Good news! Search and Functionalities Area Search Canada. Who and whom are used mainly for people.

However, these pronouns can also be used to refer to animals that are mentioned by name and seen as persons. The musician who wrote this song is Canadian. The witnesses whom I interviewed gave conflicting evidence. The vacuum scared our cat Scooter, who was sleeping on the rug. Whose can be used for people, animals or things: The man whose daughter won the tournament is a tennis coach.

A dog whose owner lets it run loose may cause an accident. The tree whose branches shade my kitchen window is an oak.