List of English Words With Disputed Usage - W

W

• whilst and while – Penguin Working Words recommends while only, and notes that whilst is old-fashioned. Cambridge Guide to English Usage and M-W's Webster's Guide to English Usage comment on its regional character, and note that it is rare in American usage. It is thus safer to use only while in international English. (See the article While for further sources deprecating the use of whilst, and cautioning about uses of while.) Both whilst and amongst are excrescent inflections of the more standard while and among, and could be classified as grammatically incorrect; however, other excrescent inflections are widely accepted in Modern English – against, amidst, midst, etc. Although against has no widely acceptable alternative, amidst can be written as the non-excrescent amid, while mid can be substituted for some uses of midst (the phrases in the midst of and in their/our midst remain common and have to be handled separately).

• who – Some prescriptivists argue that "who" should be used only as a subject pronoun, the corresponding object pronoun being "whom". Strictly speaking, using who instead of whom is substituting a subjective pronoun for an objective pronoun and hence is the same as using she instead of her (e.g., I talked to she today.). Most people never use whom in spoken English and instead use who for all cases. Those who use whom in everyday speech may recognize substitution of who as substandard. FOWLER has an extensive entry on who and whom including several quotes from major publications where whom is used incorrectly.
  • Undisputed usage: You are talking to whom?
  • Disputed usage: You are talking to who?
  • Undisputed usage: To whom are you talking?
  • Widely disputed usage: To who are you talking?
  • Disputed usage: "... far more hostile to Diana whom she believes betrayed the Prince of Wales" — Independent Magazine, 1993 (FOWLER)
  • Undisputed usage: "... far more hostile to Diana who she believes betrayed the Prince of Wales"
  • Disputed usage: "Whom do men say that I am?" (Mark 9:27, King James Version)

• whoever – This extension of who (see above) along with its object form whomever is attended by the same uncertainties as who along with whom, and is discussed in the same sources. (See the relevant section at Who.)
  • Undisputed usage: Give it to whoever wants it.
  • Undisputed usage: Give it to whoever you think should have it.
  • Undisputed usage: Give it to whomever you choose to give it.
  • Disputed usage: Give it to whoever you choose to give it to.
  • Disputed usage: Give it to whomever wants it.
  • Disputed usage: Give it to whomever you think should have it.