or adverbs. (See Sec.7.)

79. CASE AND NUMBER OF RELATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS. Failure
to use the proper case and number of the relative pronouns has
already been touched upon (see Sec.29), but a further mention of this
fault may well be made here.

The relative pronoun has other offices in the sentence than that
of connecting the dependent and principal clauses. It may serve
as a subject or an object in the clause. The sentence, _I wonder
WHOM will be chosen_, is wrong, because the relative here is the
subject of _will be chosen_, not the object of _wonder_, and should
have the nominative form _who_. Corrected, it reads, _I wonder
WHO will be chosen_. Examine the following sentences:

Wrong: We know _who_ we mean.

Right: We know _whom_ we mean.

Wrong: You may give it to _whoever_ you wish.

Right: You may give it to _whomever_ you wish.

Wrong: Do you know _whom_ it is?

Right: Do you know _who_ it is? (Attribute complement.)

Wrong: Everybody _who were_ there were disappointed. (Disagreement
in number.)

Right: Everybody _who was_ there was disappointed.

The relative pronoun takes the case required by the clause it
introduces, not the case required by any word preceding it. Thus,
the sentence, _He gave it to WHO had the clearest right_, is correct,
because _who_ is the subject of the verb _had_, and therefore in
the nominative case. _Give it to WHOMEVER they name_, is right,
because _whomever_ is the object of _they name_.

Errors in the use of interrogative pronouns are made in the same
way as in the use of the relatives. The interrogative pronoun has
other functions besides making an interrogation. It serves also as
the subject or object in the sentence. Care must be taken, then,
to use the proper case. Say, _Whom are you looking for?_ not, _Who
are you looking for?_

NOTE. Some writers justify the use of _who_ in sentences like the
last one on the ground that it is an idiom. When, as in this book,
the object is training in grammar, it is deemed better to adhere
to the strictly grammatical form.

EXERCISE 58

_In the following sentences, choose the proper forms from those
italicized:_

1. _Who whom_ do you wish to see?
2. You will please write out the name of _whoever whomever_ you want.
3. I saw _who whom_ was there.
4. _Who whom_ was it you saw?
5. _Who whom_ did you see?
6. John did not know _whom who_ to ask.
7. Why did he not ask _whomever whoever_ was there?