What is the difference between "whom" and "who"?

[Patrick]

English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #79 "Pronouns: who, whose, whom, which", question 2

My husband, ......... I love, sent me flowers at work last night.

(a) who
(b) whom
(c) which
(d) whose

English Grammar Tests, Elementary Level

ESL/EFL Test #79 "Pronouns: who, whose, whom, which", answer 2

My husband, whom I love, sent me flowers at work last night.

Correct answer: (b) whom

Your answer was: correct
_________________________

Can I use "who" instead of "whom"?

Patrick

[Alan]

Hi Patrick,

You need the object pronoun here - whom.

The sentence can be broken down into two:

My husband (subject) sent me (object) ...

I (subject) love my husband (object)

When you join the two sentences with a relative pronoun, you can see that you need whom:

My husband, whom I love, sent ....

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Conditionals

[Caroline]

Hi

Here's a way to help you how to tell the difference between "who" and "whom".