usage of the word "who"

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hereinchina
Posts: 119
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 1:47 pm

usage of the word "who"

Post by hereinchina » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:51 pm

Hello,
Can you use the word "who" to refer to "employers, universities, and the government"? In other words, is the following sentence grammatically correct?
"Who should we blame for the high unemployment rate among recent university graduates, the government, employers, universities or the students themselves?" (I'm worried this sentence is confusing. What I mean to say is should we blame the government, employers, etc. for the students inability to find a job.)

fluffyhamster
Posts: 3031
Joined: Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:57 pm
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again

Post by fluffyhamster » Mon Feb 07, 2011 4:29 am

The sentence isn't (shouldn't be) too confusing, rather it is merely suggesting some possibilities ("Is it A, [or] B, [or] C, or D?") for 'who'.

I imagine that if the question "simply" were 'Who should we blame for the high unemployment rate among recent university graduates?', then (your) students might have even less idea how to answer! :o :wink: :)

hereinchina
Posts: 119
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 1:47 pm

thanks for the answer

Post by hereinchina » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:19 pm

Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.,
Best wishes,

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