This week beloved writer and educator, John Igo starts contributing grammar blog posts. Igo, 82, is a
San Antonio educator, writer, artist, photographer, producer, critic, and civic leader. A graduate of Trinity University, he has taught at Trinity, St. Mary’s Hall, San Antonio College, and the University of the Incarnate Word.
Igo has published 12 books on poetry, including the Third Temptation of St. John (National Society of Arts and Letters National Award), God of Gardens (Southwest Writers Conference Publication Award), and Alien (Poetry Society Foundation). In addition, he’s authored several books of prose and several produced plays.
He’s received many accolades throughout the years, including the Grothaus medallion for Distinguished Service to area libraries (the only non-librarian ever to receive it) in the 1980s, an Emmy in 1985 for his script Our Children: the Next Generation, being named Deputy Director General of the International Biographical Centre (Cambridge, England) in 1997, and having the distinct honor of being the speaker for the Advancing Equality for Women and Girls through Advocacy, Education, Philanthropy, and Research (AAUW) book review group each season for the past 54 years.
In 2007, the San Antonio Public Library honored Igo by naming a library branch after him. Since retiring from teaching grammar for 46 years and answering grammar-related questions on the radio for 20 years, Igo’s kept busy by working on a biography of Mendez A. Marks Jr, who attended Twain Junior High School and Jefferson High School, moved to New York, and joined the staff of the New Yorker.
Igo’s first post features the confusion with who and whom. Do you have a grammar query you’d like Igo to discuss? If so, submit your questions to communications@geminiink.org.
What’s the difference between who and whom? And, how can I tell which is right?
The who is always a subject. The whom is always an object. In order to do this correctly, start with the written form. The statement begins with written and moves to spoken forms.
The statement must be a statement, not a question. The clause takes precedence over the sentence.
If you could put a he into the sentence at that point the word you want is who. If you can put the word him into the sentence at that point the word you want is whom.
EXAMPLE: I don’t know who, or whom to trust.
WORK IT OUT: I don’t know to trust he, or to trust him.
ANSWER: I don’t know whom to trust.
EXAMPLE: Give it to whoever answers the door, or whomever answers the door.
Disregard the preposition to. The problem with who or whom is in the subject of the clause who opens the door, or whomever opens the door, or whoever opens the door. Since it’s he opens the door it has to be whoever.
If it’s a question it has to be turned around.
EXAMPLE: Who or whom did you say was here?
WORK IT OUT: You did say he was here? Or, you did say him was here?
ANSWER: You did say he was here.
