Allison,

The list is a pretty public forum, but you show a fine sensitivity in asking permission.  For my own postings, I have no problem with you using them.

On your grammar question, this looks like one of many cases of hypercorrection.  If the wh- form comes after a verb or is the subject of a subordinate clause within the relative clause, people tend to use "whom" because they're not sure and they know that in some cases "whom" is correct.  You've analyzed the sentence correctly, and it should be "who".  The Latin analogy, as well-put as it is, doesn't apply.

In usage as well as in its historical development, "whom" has always been marginal in Modern English.  It is now used regularly only after a fronted preposition, as in the Hemingway title For whom the Bell Tolls. 

Herb 


-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of Allison Rose
Sent: Sat 3/18/2006 10:37 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Language Change
 
To all on the LIST,

I've been marking several of your comments that relate to my thesis topic of
how grammar affects meaning as seen by a writing center consultant; there's
so much great stuff here that I can't believe someone didn't direct me to
you guys before. Would any or all of you be willing to let me use some of
your comments to further develop my thesis? I think it would be really great
to have some quotes or ideas from minds currently teaching or theorizing in
the field of writing. This commentary is also helping me further develop my
views and practices as a writing center consultant; I'll probably be working
at my university center again next year as a grad student, and it's kind of
neat to look back on one's progress and the sequence and development of
ideas. It's also probably good that I'm learning how to better help my
clients (sorry for the split infinitive; I'm at war with them at the
moment).

I used the word "develop" way too often in that paragraph, but I hope you'll
forgive me; it just seemed to be the best word to use here.

As a pre-P.S., what would I do with the relative pronoun in this sentence:

She was whom I thought she was.

Should I leave the "whom" alone, as it plays the correct part as object in
the relative clause? Or should I change it to "who" since I have a form of
"to be" before it and since it's acting as a subject complement of sorts?
Isn't the rule with relative clauses and "who/whom" to give the relative
pronoun its case from its particular clause, but its gender and number from
the main clause, as in Latin?

Thanks all; please keep commenting so I can keep learning.

- Allison

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/