To _____ did you speak?

Analyze the question The sentence is "To ____ did you speak?" We need the correct pronoun to fill the gap after the preposition "to".

Explain the concept

• Who is a subject pronoun (it does the action): Who spoke?
• Whom is an object pronoun (it receives the action or follows a preposition): To whom did you speak?
• Whose shows possession: Whose book is this?
• Which is used when choosing from a limited set of things or people: Which of the two boys?

A preposition such as to, for, with, by, from is followed by the object form, so after "to" we need whom.

Step-by-step solution

1. Look at the word before the gap: "To". This is a preposition.
2. Ask who is receiving the speaking. The answer would be "you spoke to him/her", and him/her is an object form, which matches whom.
3. Check the other options: • whose: shows ownership, which does not fit here. • who: subject form, which cannot follow a preposition in formal English. • which: refers to things or a chosen set, and there is no such choice implied here.

Answer "To whom did you speak?

Exam tip Try the him/who-m trick. If you can answer the question with him or her, use whom (both end in -m). If you can answer with he or she, use who. Also, whenever a preposition comes directly before the gap, think "whom".