When choosing between “some of whom” and “some of who,” many English learners hesitate because both phrases seem to follow the same pattern. The confusion usually comes from the fact that who and whom both refer to people, but they perform different grammatical roles in a sentence. Knowing whether the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object makes the choice much easier.
The phrase “some of whom” is the standard grammatically correct form when you mean a portion of a group of people and the pronoun follows the preposition of. “Some of who” is generally considered incorrect in standard English. This guide explains why whom is required, how to use the expression naturally, and how to avoid common mistakes in formal and everyday writing.
Quick Answer
“Some of whom” is correct; “some of who” is generally incorrect in standard English. Use whom after the preposition of because it functions as the object of the preposition. Example: I invited several students, some of whom stayed late.
Why People Confuse It
The confusion happens because who and whom both refer to people.
- Who is normally used as a subject.
- Whom is used as an object.
- After of, the traditional grammatical form is whom.
For example:
I met several writers, some of whom were from Canada.
Here, whom is the object of of.
Compare that with:
The writers who attended the conference were experienced.
In this sentence, who is the subject of attended.
The key difference is grammatical function, not whether the sentence sounds formal.
Some of Whom
“Some of whom” means some members of a group of people.
It introduces a relative clause that provides additional information about people already mentioned.
Examples
- I interviewed ten candidates, some of whom had years of experience.
- We invited several teachers, some of whom traveled from abroad.
- She has three brothers, some of whom live overseas.
- The company hired many employees, some of whom work remotely.
- I met several students, some of whom were preparing for their exams.
In each case, whom refers back to people already identified in the sentence.
Basic Pattern
A useful structure is:
group of people + comma + some of whom + verb
For example:
We met several tourists, some of whom were from Australia.
The phrase tells us that only part of the group had the characteristic being described.
Some of Who
“Some of who” is generally not considered correct in standard English when you mean “some members of a group of people.”
For example:
❌ I invited several guests, some of who arrived early.
The standard form is:
✅ I invited several guests, some of whom arrived early.
Why? Because of is a preposition, and the pronoun following it traditionally takes the objective form whom, not the subjective form who.
Important Note
You may occasionally encounter “some of who” in informal, nonstandard, or poorly edited writing. Its appearance does not make it the preferred form for formal English.
If you’re writing an essay, article, professional email, academic paper, or other polished content, choose “some of whom.”
Some of Whom vs Some of Who: Comparison Table
| Expression | Standard English? | Grammatical Role | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Some of whom | ✅ Yes | Whom is object of “of” | Some of whom were teachers |
| Some of who | ❌ Generally no | Uses subject form after “of” | Some of who were teachers |
| Who | ✅ Yes | Usually subject | People who work here |
| Whom | ✅ Yes | Object | People whom I contacted |
The most important rule is simple: after “of,” use “whom” when referring to people.
When to Use Each
Use “Some of Whom”
Use some of whom when:
- You are referring to part of a group of people.
- The phrase follows of.
- You are writing in standard or formal English.
- You are adding a relative clause after a comma.
Example:
She knows several doctors, some of whom specialize in pediatrics.
Use “Who” in Other Structures
Use who when it functions as the subject of a clause.
I know several doctors who specialize in pediatrics.
Here, who performs the action of specialize, so who is appropriate.
Use “Whom” in Other Object Structures
Use whom when it functions as an object.
The doctors whom I contacted responded quickly.
Here, I is the subject and whom is the object of contacted.
Some of Whom: 12 Examples
- I met several authors, some of whom write children’s books.
- She invited twenty guests, some of whom arrived early.
- We interviewed five applicants, some of whom had impressive qualifications.
- He has many friends, some of whom live in London.
- The teacher recommended several books, some of which were quite difficult.
- They hired several consultants, some of whom had international experience.
- I spoke with several students, some of whom were studying grammar.
- The organization supports many volunteers, some of whom work overseas.
- We visited several museums, some of which were free.
- She knows many musicians, some of whom have performed internationally.
- The manager contacted several employees, some of whom were unavailable.
- I attended a conference with many speakers, some of whom were linguists.
Notice that “some of whom” is used for people, while “some of which” is normally used for things.
Common Mistakes
1. Using “Some of Who”
❌ I met several people, some of who were teachers.
✅ I met several people, some of whom were teachers.
2. Thinking “Who” Always Refers to People
The fact that the antecedent is a person does not automatically mean who is correct.
The grammatical role matters.
The people who attended the meeting…
But:
The people, some of whom attended the meeting…
3. Confusing “Whom” With “Who”
A quick substitution test can help.
If you could use him/her/them, whom is often appropriate.
I spoke to them.
Therefore:
I spoke to whom?
Similarly:
Some of them were teachers.
Therefore:
Some of whom were teachers.
4. Using “Some of Which” for People
❌ I met several teachers, some of which were experienced.
✅ I met several teachers, some of whom were experienced.
Use whom for people and which for things in this construction.
Memory Trick
Who = he/she
Whom = him/her
Now look at:
Some of them…
Since them is an object form, use:
Some of whom…
Another easy memory trick is:
“Of whom” sounds like “of them.”
So:
some of them → some of whom
This makes “some of whom” much easier to remember.
American vs British English
Both American and British English recognize “some of whom” as the standard grammatical construction.
The main difference is how frequently whom is used in everyday speech.
In both varieties, whom can sound formal or somewhat traditional in casual conversation. Many speakers prefer to restructure sentences to avoid it.
For example:
I met several people, some of whom were teachers.
is perfectly standard.
In casual speech, someone might instead say:
I met several people, and some of them were teachers.
The second version avoids the who/whom issue entirely.
Similar Words and Structures
Several related constructions follow the same grammatical principle.
Some of Whom
Used for part of a group of people:
I know several writers, some of whom are journalists.
Many of Whom
Used for a larger portion of a group:
She interviewed dozens of applicants, many of whom had relevant experience.
Most of Whom
Used for the majority:
We invited several experts, most of whom agreed with the proposal.
None of Whom
Used when no members of the group fit the description:
He contacted several managers, none of whom responded.
All of Whom
Used when referring to the entire group:
She introduced me to three professors, all of whom teach linguistics.
Some of Which
Used for things rather than people:
We visited several cities, some of which were very expensive.
FAQs
Is “some of whom” grammatically correct?
Yes. “Some of whom” is grammatically correct and standard English. It refers to some members of a previously mentioned group of people.
Is “some of who” ever correct?
In standard English, “some of who” is generally considered incorrect when it means “some members of a group of people.” Use “some of whom” instead.
Why do we use “whom” after “of”?
Of is a preposition, and the pronoun following it functions as its object. Whom is the traditional objective form of who.
Can I say “some of them” instead of “some of whom”?
Yes. “Some of them” is a natural alternative, especially in conversational English.
I met several students, some of them were tired.
However, be careful with punctuation and sentence structure. Often the clearest version is:
I met several students, and some of them were tired.
Is “some of whom” formal?
It can sound more formal than “some of them,” particularly in everyday conversation. However, it is completely natural in formal writing.
Should I use “some of whom” in academic writing?
Yes. “Some of whom” is appropriate in academic, professional, and formal writing when the grammar calls for it.
What is the difference between “some of whom” and “some of which”?
Use “some of whom” for people and “some of which” for things.
Several students, some of whom were absent.
Several books, some of which were expensive.
Remember This
✅ Some of whom = correct
❌ Some of who = generally incorrectPeople → some of whom
Things → some of which
Example: I interviewed ten candidates, some of whom had previous experience.
Conclusion
Choosing between “some of whom” and “some of who” becomes straightforward once you understand the difference between who and whom. When of introduces the pronoun and you’re referring to people, whom is the standard grammatical choice. That is why we write “some of whom,” not “some of who.”
Although whom can sound formal in casual conversation, it remains useful and correct in polished English. If you want a more conversational alternative, you can often rewrite the sentence using “some of them.” For formal writing, however, “some of whom” is a clear, precise, and reliable choice.
