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Whoever or Whomever?

Whoever (just like he) is the subject of a verb. Whomever (just like him) is never the subject of a verb. It is an object. Still confused? Try the words he and him instead. If he sounds okay, use whoever. If him sounds okay, use whomever. (You may have to shuffle your word order about a bit to make this work.)

What Is the Difference Between Whoever and Whomever?

Writers are often unsure whether to use whoever or whomever. Here's the quick answer:

Whoever acts, but whomever is acted upon.

Don't be confused. They are just like he and him, which you no doubt use correctly without much thought.

He acts, but him is acted upon.

Examples of Whoever or Whomever

Here are some examples of sentences with whoever or whomever:

WHOMEVER IS NOT POSHER THAN WHOEVER

Don't use whomever because you think it makes you sound more educated. (You can only use whomever when it's an object, i.e., not the subject of a verb.)
WHOEVER IS THE SUBJECT OF A VERB. WHOMEVER IS AN OBJECT

Whoever is to he as whomever is to him.

Whoever and he are always the subjects of verbs, but whomever and him are always the objects of verbs or the objects of prepositions.

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See Also

What is an object? What is an object of a preposition? What are prepositions? What are verbs? What are pronouns? Who or whose? List of easily confused words