Style Manual
Grammar and Specific Lafayette Usage Guide

A8. Relative Pronouns (who, whom, that, which)

a8.1. Use who and whom in reference to people or animals with names (the man who set the fire; Waldo, who was adorable). (N.B.: Whom, though still grammatically correct, is evolving out of the language. Use only in an objective case: I know of whom you speak; Puckett spoke to whomever he saw on the way.)

a8.2. Use that and which to refer to inanimate objects or animals without names (A poker chip, which was a major clue; the mynah bird that bit her). (N.B. That is acceptable, though not preferred, to refer to an unidentified person: The doctor that operated on him. Never, however, use to refer to an identified person.)


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