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I'm 16 and I am wondering if using "whom" in a conversation (with other people of my age, or even with an adult) or in a text isn't old fashioned for somebody of my age. I am asking myself this question because I read that "whom" is considered by many as something that won't be used anymore.

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  • I've edited the answer. Please reconsider.
    – Maulik V
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 5:43

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mea culpa!

I'm not sure about old fashioned but it's certainly not archaic. Google Ngram shows that the word has been used (in fact the usage has been increased in past few years) in books.

The pronoun whom has its specific purpose which is unlikely to be replaced by the other word. If you think that it has become old fashioned and who has replaced whom everywhere, be careful. Where whom goes, who may not.

All in all, 'whom' is used where it should be and it's not yet vanished! In fact, the word is used in the latest BBC news.

Whomsoever this letter is concerned to... -- Whosoever this letter... is not used.

I hope you know where to use what.

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  • Thanks that you appreciate and accept my answer but I recommend to wait for some time. That's how the site works. Others may come up with answers and after that you can choose the best among them.
    – Maulik V
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 17:42
  • Ok ! Also, I see that the comment section shouldn't be used to thank people for their answers, do you agree with it or does it feel rude if I don't do that ?
    – Pop Flamingo
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 17:44
  • @TrevörAnneDenise that's a big question. I certainly favor that if you want to thank (and you should, at least I deadly feel thanking someone) you should express it. However, the site says such comments are not allowed. That's because the comments are used to put some knowledge or information into the question. However, it's okay and people do thank adding some extra notes in their thank notes. That's fine and humanly!
    – Maulik V
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 17:50
  • @MaulikV -1 Your link really is the answer, the rest rather irrelevant. "Who" and "whom" have specific usages and you should follow this. Objective/prepositional phrase use is probably occurring less which is why the Ngram went that way. It has nothing to do with being old fashioned.
    – user3169
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 4:00
  • @user3169 you probably missed this line of mine - I won't say that it's old fashioned, but certainly, this seems to be less frequently used since past few years.
    – Maulik V
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 4:28

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