Friday Funnies: 'Doctor Whom'
Friday, 10 May 2013 23:36![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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"Doctor Who?" Doctor Who did what?
Mr. Watson of HijiNKS ENSUE gives a good lesson here about the difference between less and fewer, but the Grammar Dalek's last exclamation about "Doctor Whom" unfortunately misses the mark.
But before we explain why, let's quickly review the difference between who and whom (using examples from the Very Potter musicals):
Who and whom are both words that replace nouns (that refer to people). However, there is a distinct difference between them:
- Who is used when replacing a human subject. For example: It was Draco who let Voldemort and the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Who only reads books but cannot draw, even if she were reading a "how-to-draw" book? Hermione.
- Whom is used when replacing a human object. For example: Cedric found whom in the graveyard? Quirrell and Voldemort. To whom did Dumbledore leave Hogwarts and his chocolate factory? To Harry and Charlie, respectively.
As far as the comic goes, the first instance of "who versus whom" in the comic is correct; the problem with the Grammar Dalek's last exclamation is that this particular usage of "Doctor Who" is neither a subject nor an object, and therefore it does not need to be changed to "Doctor Whom" as the Grammar Dalek says it does.