Archaic and literary forms: whom, whence, were he to
Reading the classics and formal prose: whom/whomever, whence/whither, thou/thee, were he to, methinks, albeit
I can read archaic and high-formal English and deploy the living survivors (whom, albeit) accurately.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
To whom it may concern: the bearer of this letter, whom we employed for a decade, leaves with our highest praise.
To whom it may concern: the bearer of this letter, whom we employed for a decade, leaves with our highest praise.
Were the library to close, whither would the readers go — and whence would new ones come?
Were the library to close, whither would the readers go — and whence would new ones come?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
The survival inventory:
| Form | Status | Example |
|---|---|---|
| whom | formal, alive after prepositions | to whom it may concern; the man whom we met (formal) |
| whence / whither | archaic/literary | whence = from where; whither = to where |
| thou/thee/thy | Shakespeare, prayers, dialect | thou art, thy will |
| were he to / had she but | high formal | Were he to resign, chaos would follow. |
| albeit / notwithstanding | formal, alive | a victory, albeit a costly one |
- whom as subject: *Whom shall I say is calling? → Who (subject!)
- thou with modern -s: thou art/hast/dost, not *thou is
- from whence is redundant — whence = from where
Common Error Patterns
whom in subject position
whom = object/after prepositions only
To whom it may concern: the bearer of this letter, whom we employed for a decade, leaves with our highest praise.
To whom it may concern: the bearer of this letter, whom we employed for a decade, leaves with our highest praise.
Living formal whom in a reference letter.
Were the library to close, whither would the readers go — and whence would new ones come?
Were the library to close, whither would the readers go — and whence would new ones come?
were-to inversion + whither/whence in elegy mode.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in C2 course exercises