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From: garret@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP (Trisha O'Tuama)
Newsgroups: net.jokes.d,net.flame
Subject: Re: I Don't Care *Who* This Offends
Message-ID: <304@oddjob.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 7-Jul-84 00:55:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: oddjob.304
Posted: Sat Jul  7 00:55:40 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 27-Jun-84 09:12:30 EDT
Organization: U. Chicago: Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lines: 25

*****

Here for those who are interested is the story of how I came to a bad 
end regarding the use of "who" and "whom":  eight years ago I asked my
friend Tim, who does comp lit at Princeton, to explain when to use "who" and
when to use "whom."  Well, says Tim, here's how to remember: prepositions are
used with "whom" (ie. at, with, etc.).  That was it--my whole entire lesson
from a man who speaks countless languages with ease and who plans to make his
living writing articles for "Comp Lit Today."  For eight long years I followed
this rule faithfully, blindly trusting good old Tim.  

To those people who pointed out my error in a nice way, thank you.  It is 
never to late to learn new things; to those who made unkind remarks: bad
cess to you.

For what it's worth, however, Tim's wife, Jessica (who makes her living
writing how-to-speak-and-write-English books for foreigners) suggests
that "I don't care *who* this offends" is actually correct, because this
is the way it would be phrased by most Americans; obviously, however, 
net.readers are only some Americans and not most Americans (credit to Jeff
also from Princeton).

Well, I hope we have all learned something from this experience -- never
trust anyone from Princeton. 
                                  Trish