Dear world...

Dear World,

A noun is a part of speech, representing a person, place, or thing.  A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.  However, there are rules for how pronouns can be substituted for the noun.  Despite all evidence to the contrary, those rules STILL EXIST!

Please.
Please use them.

They are very, very, very simple rules.  If you are using a pronoun for a place or a thing, your two options are that and which.  The rule of thumb is to use that for restrictive information (clauses or phrases) and which for non-restrictive information (clauses or phrases).  Grammar Girl makes it simple.  If you can leave the information out without changing the meaning of the sentence, use which.

If you use which, then you use a comma before it (and one after if the which is a part of a phrase in the middle of a sentence.

However, that and which ARE NOT proper substitutes for a person or people.

NEVER is it appropriate to say, "The people that go to my church are the salt of the earth."  Instead, say, "The people who go to my church are the salt of the earth."

For the most part, the world, including professional writers, understand how and when to use first, second, and third person personal pronouns:  I, me, you, we, us, she, her, he, him, they, them, and it.  The possessives of these (my, mine, yours, his, hers, theirs, ours, and its) are also generally used properly.

However, it seems that the pronouns who and whom have been abandoned by those in the media, professional writers, and even educators.

Please.  Please bring them back.

They are your friends.  Use of them raises your perceived intelligence.  And figuring out which one of them to use is easy peasy:  you use whom if you could substitute him, otherwise use who.

Now, if you would like more lessons about pronouns, I'd be happy to oblige.  But this is less about pronoun rules and more about my utter commitment to never, ever, ever abandon who and whom, as has much of the rest of the world.

I hope you will join me.

Fervently,
Myrtle