Grammar Police Help Please

[Anonymous]

Which is correct:

The people whom I did not know previously

The people who I did not know previously


Thank you!

[Anonymous]

The first. But the phrase might be awkward in context; there might be a better way to phrase it.

[Anonymous]

Who.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first. But the phrase might be awkward in context; there might be a better way to phrase it.

This -- whom, because you'd say "I did not know them previously," but ideally rewrite, because whom always sounds at least a little stodgy, and here it sounds extremely so.

"The people I didn't know previously might work"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The first. But the phrase might be awkward in context; there might be a better way to phrase it.

+1

[Anonymous]

I'd probably say "The people I didn't know before," unless you mean it like "The people, whom I didn't know before, were very pleasant."

[Anonymous]

I think most people would say “the people I didn’t know previously.” Or “before,” as pp said.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't matter. Hasn't mattered for decades. English isn't Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't matter. Hasn't mattered for decades. English isn't Latin.

Are you kidding? It absolutely matters, as is evidenced by discussion here. Yes, you are judged when you make grammatical mistakes like this in emails and other written pieces.

[Anonymous]

The people I had previously not known...

[Anonymous]

Whom.