Who else vs whom else

“Who else vs whom else” is a small grammar question many people ask. The choice between who else and whom else depends on subject and object use. 

Most of the time, who else is correct in everyday speech. Whom is the object form of the pronoun, and it is rarer in modern speech.

This article explains when to use each form with clear, simple rules. I give many short examples and show common mistakes to avoid. I also list parts of speech and check verbs and sentence shapes so your writing stays correct and simple.

Parts of speech analysis

• Nouns: question, choice, speech, form, pronoun, rules, examples, mistakes, parts, speech, verbs, shapes, writing.
• Verbs: is, ask, depends, is (again), explains, give, show, stays (present simple; verbs agree with their subjects).
• Adjectives: small, many, subject, object, modern, clear, simple, common.
• Adverbs: most, often (implied), also.
• Prepositions: between, on, for, with, so.
• Conjunctions: and, or, but.
• Pronouns: who, whom, it, you.

Grammar and structure check for the introduction

• Verb tense: present simple is used to state facts. This is correct for an introduction.
• Subject-verb agreement: correct (e.g., “The choice depends,” not “dependses”).
• Articles and prepositions: correct usage like “the object form,” “in everyday speech.”
• Sentence structure: sentences are complete and short. No run-ons or fragments. Tone is simple.

What who and whom mean (simple)

Basic idea

• Who is a subject pronoun. Use it when the pronoun does the action.
  • Example: Who called? (Who = subject of called.)
• Whom is an object pronoun. Use it when the pronoun receives the action.
  • Example: Whom did you call? (Whom = object of did call.)

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: idea, who, whom, subject, pronoun, action, example.
• Verbs: is, use, called, did call (present/past; correct use).
• Adjectives: basic, object, subject.
• Adverbs: when (used as conjunction).
• Prepositions: of, for.
• Conjunctions: and.
• Pronouns: who, whom, you.

Grammar and structure check

• Tenses: examples show present and past forms correctly.
• Agreement: subject and verb match in each example.

Why people say who else more often

Simple reason In spoken English, people prefer who because it sounds natural and clear. Whom sounds formal or old-fashioned to many listeners. When you ask Who else is coming? it is correct and normal. Using Whom else in the same sentence sounds odd to many ears.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: reason, English, people, who, whom, speech, sentence, ears.
• Verbs: say, prefer, sounds, is coming, sounds (present simple).
• Adjectives: simple, natural, formal, old-fashioned.
• Adverbs: often, more.
• Prepositions: in, to.
• Conjunctions: because.
• Pronouns: it, many.

Grammar and structure check

• Short sentences explain the social reason.
• No fragments or run-ons.

The rule in simple steps

Follow these steps when you choose between who else and whom else.

1. Find the verb. Look for the action word in the sentence.
2. Ask who does the action. If your pronoun does the action, use who.
3. Ask who receives the action. If your pronoun receives the action, use whom.
4. Use else as a modifier: else does not change subject or object role. It just means “in addition.”
   • Who else = subject + else.
   • Whom else = object + else (rare and formal).

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: steps, rule, verb, action word, sentence, pronoun, modifier.
• Verbs: follow, find, look, ask, does, use, receives, change, means (imperative/present).
• Adjectives: simple, rare, formal.
• Adverbs: just.
• Prepositions: between, for, in.
• Conjunctions: and, if.
• Pronouns: who, whom, it.

Grammar and structure check

• Imperative verbs used for instructions; correct.
• Each step is a short clear sentence.

Many short examples (subject vs object)

I give many short sentences. After each, I note whether who else or whom else is correct.

Subject uses (use who else):

• Who else is coming? — correct. (Who else = subject of is coming.)
• Who else knows the song? — correct. (Who else = subject of knows.)
• Who else will join the group? — correct. (Who else = subject of will join.)

Object uses (rare for whom else):

• Whom else did you invite? — formal. (Whom else = object of did invite.)
• To whom else should I send the letter? — formal and correct. (Here preposition to makes object case clear.)
• Whom else have they met? — formal. (Object of have met.)

Colloquial alternatives (everyday speech often uses who else even as object):

• Who else did you invite? — common speech; accepted in casual talk.
• Who else have they met? — casual and normal.
• Who else should I send the letter to? — ending with preposition; casual and widely used.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: examples, subject, object, song, group, letter, preposition.
• Verbs: is coming, knows, will join, did invite, should send, have met (present/past/future forms used correctly).
• Adjectives: short, many, formal, casual.
• Adverbs: else (used as modifier meaning “in addition”).
• Prepositions: to, of (implied), with.
• Conjunctions: and.
• Pronouns: who, whom, you, they, I.

Grammar and structure check

• Tenses are correct for each example.
• Subject-verb agreement checked: who else is (singular), who else are would be wrong if subject singular. But note who else are coming? is sometimes heard when multiple people implied; still English treats who as singular/plural depending on referent — context matter but examples kept simple.

Grammar note: questions and word order

In a question, you often invert the auxiliary and subject. This inversion can hide the real subject. Use a test to find whether the pronoun is subject or object.

Test with a statement Turn the question into a statement with a name or noun.

• Question: Who else did Mary invite?
• Statement: Mary invited John. (Who = John, object.) So use whom else if you keep strict formal grammar: Whom else did Mary invite?

Test when preposition is used When a question uses a preposition before the pronoun, the pronoun is an object.

• To whom else did you speak? — preposition to + object pronoun → whom.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: question, auxiliary, subject, test, statement, name, noun, preposition.
• Verbs: invert, hide, use, find, turn, invited, speak (present/past; correct).
• Adjectives: real, formal.
• Adverbs: often.
• Prepositions: to, with, of.
• Conjunctions: when, so.
• Pronouns: who, whom, you, Mary, John.

Grammar and structure check

• Examples show inversion and statement transformation.
• Tense use is appropriate for examples.

Common mistakes and fixes

Listed below are some common mistakes and ways to fix them:

1: Saying whom else in casual speech

• Wrong (in casual talk, sounds odd): Whom else is coming?
• Fix: Who else is coming?

2: Using who else when object is clear in formal writing

• Casual: Who else did you invite? — fine.
• Formal: prefer Whom else did you invite? or better: Whom did you invite besides X?

3: Confusing else position

• Wrong: Else whom did you invite? — odd word order.
• Fix: Whom else did you invite? or Who else did you invite?

4: Not checking the verb

• Wrong: Who else have you seen? — this is fine when the implied subject is plural or general, but check agreement: Who else has arrived? vs Who else have arrived? Use the correct auxiliary to agree with the actual subject if known. In many cases, English uses plural forms with plural referents.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: mistakes, speech, writing, word order, verb, auxiliary, referents.
• Verbs: saying, sounds, invite, fix, confusing, did invite, seen, arrived (present/past; examples chosen).
• Adjectives: common, casual, formal, odd.
• Adverbs: else (modifier), often.
• Prepositions: in, with, besides.
• Conjunctions: and, or, but.
• Pronouns: who, whom, you, it.

Grammar and structure check

• Corrections show proper word order and case.
• Short examples keep clarity.

American vs British English (simple)

General idea Both American and British English know whom. British use in formal writing and some speech is similar to American. However, both varieties show a move away from whom in spoken language. People in both countries often say who elseeven when grammarians prefer whom else.

Practical note

• In formal writing: use whom where object case is required.
• In speech or casual writing: who is widely accepted.
• If you write for a formal audience, prefer whom in object positions.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: English, American, British, writing, speech, audience.
• Verbs: know, use, show, say, prefer (present simple).
• Adjectives: formal, casual, wide.
• Adverbs: often.
• Prepositions: in, for.
• Conjunctions: and, but.
• Pronouns: who, whom.

Grammar and structure check

• Simple comparison; tense and agreement correct.

Idiomatic uses and fixed phrases

Who else appears in common idioms and fixed phrases.

• Who else but X could do it? — rhetorical praise. Who else here is subject.
• Who else is there? — used to ask for more people or options.
• Who else but him? — casual, object pronoun used in sunk position; some may say Who else but he? in formal grammar.

Whom else rarely appears in idioms. When it does, it sounds formal or literary.

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: idioms, phrases, praise, people, options.
• Verbs: appears, could do, is, ask (present simple).
• Adjectives: common, fixed, rare, formal, literary.
• Adverbs: rarely.
• Prepositions: but.
• Conjunctions: and.
• Pronouns: who, whom, him, he.

Grammar and structure check

• Examples show real idioms; case choice influenced by style.

Practical tips: quick guide you can use

1. When asking who performs the action, say who else.
   • Who else phoned?
2. When asking who receives the action and you write formally, say whom else.
   • Whom else did she call? or To whom else did she send the note?
3. If you speak casually, use who else in most cases.
   • Who else did you invite? is fine in speech.
4. To be safe in formal writing, rewrite the sentence to avoid tricky case.
   • Instead of Whom else did you invite? write Who did you invite besides John? or Please list other invitees.
5. Use the statement test. Turn the question into a statement to see the role. If it becomes “She invited Mary,” the pronoun is object → use whom in formal writing.
6. Watch prepositions. If a preposition comes before the pronoun, prefer whom in formal style: With whom else did you speak?

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: tips, action, case, sentence, list, invitees, statement test, prepositions.
• Verbs: say, asking, perform, receives, write, speak, rewrite, turn, becomes, watch (imperative/present).
• Adjectives: quick, tricky, safe, formal, casual.
• Adverbs: else (modifier), mostly.
• Prepositions: to, for, with, besides.
• Conjunctions: if, and.
• Pronouns: who, whom, she, you, it.

Grammar and structure check

• Steps and tips are short and clear.
• Use of imperative verbs for reminders is appropriate.

Rewritten, polished version (clearer and concise)

Now I rewrite the main ideas in tighter, clearer language. I keep it simple.

Polished Introduction (6 sentences) “Who else vs whom else” asks which form to use. Use who else when the person does the action. Use whom else when the person receives the action, and you write formally. In speech, people use who else most of the time. When in doubt, change the question into a statement to test the role. Or rewrite the sentence to avoid case trouble.

Polished Key Rules

• Subject → who else.
• Object → whom else (formal).
• Casual speech → who else is fine.
• Formal writing → use whom or rewrite.
• Use preposition + whom in formal cases (e.g., to whom).

Parts of speech analysis for this section

• Nouns: ideas, form, person, action, question, statement, rules, speech, writing, preposition.
• Verbs: asks, use, does, receives, write, change, rewrite (present simple).
• Adjectives: tight, clear, simple, formal, casual.
• Adverbs: most.
• Prepositions: into, to, for.
• Conjunctions: or.
• Pronouns: who, whom, it.

Grammar and structure check

• The polished text uses short sentences and clear commands.
• Verb tenses and subject-verb agreement are correct.

Conclusion

Summary in simple language

• Who else is for subjects.
• Whom else is for objects and is formal.
• People often say who else in speech.
• For formal writing, use whom else when the pronoun is an object, or rewrite to avoid it.
• Use the statement test and watch prepositions.

Parts of speech analysis for the conclusion

• Nouns: summary, language, who, whom, subjects, objects, speech, writing, test, prepositions.
• Verbs: is, are, use, say, rewrite, watch (present simple).
• Adjectives: simple, formal, clear.
• Prepositions: for, in, to.
• Conjunctions: and.
• Pronouns: who, whom, it.

Grammar and structure check

• Short sentences keep the conclusion clear.
• Tense and agreement are checked.

FAQs

1. Q: Is whom else wrong? A: Not wrong, but it is formal and rare in speech. Use whom else in formal writing when the pronoun is an object.
2. Q: Can I say Who else did you invite? A: Yes. This is common in speech and accepted in casual writing.
3. Q: How do I test which to use? A: Turn the question into a statement. If the name fits as object (e.g., She invited Mary), use whom in formal writing.
4. Q: Should I say To whom else did you speak? A: In formal writing, yes. In speech, people often say Who else did you speak to?
5. Q: Can I rewrite to avoid whom? A: Yes. Example: Who did you invite besides John? instead of Whom else did you invite?
6. Q: Is who else always plural or singular? A: Who can be singular or plural depending on referent. Use context to choose auxiliary verbs (is/are).
7. Q: Do Americans and Brits differ on this? A: Not much. Both follow the same grammar, though both often drop whom in speech.
8. Q: Is whom else have they met? correct? A: It is formal but correct if whom is the object of have met.
9. Q: Are there fixed phrases with who else? A: Yes, like Who else but X could do it? These use who for rhetorical effect.
10. Q: Best quick rule? A: Subject → who else. Object → whom else (formal). If unsure, rewrite the sentence.