The Whomever Argument
TRANSCRIPT (in case you have youtube blocked at work like me, or are too lazy to play the youtube clip, or when the youtube clip inevitably gets removed because NBC doesn’t understand the nature of the internet)
Ryan: What I really want, honestly, Michael is for you to know it so
that you can communicate it to the people here, to your clients,
whomever.
Michael Scott: Oh okay.
Ryan: What?
Michael Scott: It’s whoever, not whomever.
Ryan: It’s whomever.
Michael Scott: No, whomever is never actually right.
Jim Halpert: Nope, sometimes it’s right.
Creed: Michael is right. It’s a made up word used to trick students-
Andy: No. Actually, whomever is the formal version of the word–
Oscar: Obviously it’s a real word- but I don’t know how to use it
correctly.
Michael Scott: [to camera] Not a native speaker.
Kevin: I know what’s right. But I’m not gonna say. Because you’re all
jerks who didn’t come see my band last night.
Ryan: Do you really know which one is correct?
Kevin: I don’t know.
Pam Beesly: It’s whom when it’s the object of the sentence and who
when as the subject.
Phyllis: That sounds right.
Michael Scott: Well it sounds right but is it?
Stanley: How did Ryan use it, as an object?
Ryan: As an object.
Kelly: Ryan used me as an object.
Oscar: Is he right about that–
Pam Beesly: How did he use it again?
Toby: It was, Ryan wanted Michael, the subject, to explain the
computer system, the object–
Michael Scott: Thank you!
Toby: …to whomever, meaning us, the indirect object. Which is the,
the correct usage of the word.
Michael Scott: No one, uh asked you anything ever so whomever’s name
is Toby, why don’t you take a letter opener and stick it in your
skull?

2 Comments // Comment or Ping
Brandon D.
“Ryan used me as an object.”
I spit water when she said that last Wednesday. Pure Genius.
12:46 am, Oct 23rd, 2007
Dustin Allen
I was beginning to wonder about this new season, what with the rabies 5K and all, until I saw that episode. I hope I can write something as good as what these guys are doing every day.
12:47 pm, Oct 23rd, 2007
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