What is who? Pronunciation and usage in English

Let's break down how to use the word "who" in English. It's a relative pronoun that's used to introduce relative clauses – clauses that provide extra information about a noun. Here's a comprehensive guide:

1. Basic Function: Introducing Relative Clauses

• What it does: "Who" is used to introduce a clause that describes people. It acts as a substitute for a noun in that clause.
• Structure: Who + [Clause]
• Example:
  • "The woman who lives next door is a doctor."
    • "Who" introduces the relative clause "who lives next door."
    • "Who" replaces "the woman" in that clause.
    • The clause gives us more information about the woman.

2. Relative Clauses – Types and Examples

• Restrictive (Essential) Clauses: These clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence. They narrow down or define the noun they're describing. They don't have commas.
  • “The book who’s cover is blue is mine.” (Incorrect - Should be ‘whose’)
  • “The students who study hard usually succeed.” (This clause defines which students we're talking about – those who study hard.)
• Non-Restrictive (Non-Essential) Clauses: These clauses add extra, non-essential information. They are set off by commas.
  • “My brother, who is a musician, plays the guitar.” (This clause adds information about my brother, but the sentence still makes sense without it.)

3. “Who” vs. “Whom”

This is a classic point of confusion!

• "Who" is used as the subject of the clause. Think: "Who is doing the action?"
  • “Who is going to the party?” (Who is the subject of the verb "is going")
• “Whom” is used as the object of the verb or preposition in the clause. Think: “Whom is receiving the action?” or “Whom are you referring to?”
  • “Whom did you invite to the party?” (Whom is the object of the verb "did invite")
  • “To whom did you send the email?” (Whom is the object of the preposition "to")

Important Tip: When in doubt, "who" is generally the safer choice because it's more commonly used in modern English, even when “whom” is technically correct.

4. Other Uses of "Who"

• Asking Questions: "Who" is a common interrogative pronoun – used to ask questions about people.
  • “Who is that?”
  • “Who wrote the book?”
• Referring to People:
  • "The person who called earlier wants to speak to you."
  • "I met a man who told me a funny story."

5. Common Mistakes and Corrections:

• Incorrect: “The man that lives next door…” (Use "who" for people)
• Correct: “The man who lives next door…”
• Incorrect: “The student who’s grade is high…” (Use ‘whose’ for possession)
• Correct: “The student whose grade is high…”

Resources for Further Learning:

• Grammarly Blog – Who vs. Whom: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/who-vs-whom/
• Purdue OWL – Relative Clauses: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/grammar/relative_clauses/index.html

To help me tailor my explanation even further, could you tell me:

• What specifically are you finding tricky about using “who”? (e.g., “who” vs. “whom,” relative clauses, using it in questions?)