Teacher Discussion Forums

He is the greatest man that has ever lived.
In this sentence can I also use who instead of that, like
He is the greatest man who has ever lived.

I've learned that I should use that , not who or whom when there's a superlative in the noun followed by relative pronoun.

But I can see the second sentence from time to time.

I've learned that I should use that , not who or whom when there's a superlative in the noun followed by relative pronoun.

If you learned that, I suggest unlearning it. It's wrong

Sorry.

do you mean that both the sentences above are correct?

Yes, both of the sentences are correct
but the rule is wrong.

She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

I saw this sentence posted on this homepage.

In this sentence I can say " She's the prettiest girl that I've ever seen"
Right?

But it's not correct to say She's the prettiest girl whom I've ever seen"
Right?

Or am I wrong again?

I'm confused....

"She is the prettiest girl THAT I have seen" sounds preferable to the sentence using "whom"; to me both sound correct, but the "whom" relative pronoun sounds awkward.
In English you can utter this statement without a pronoun. Thus, you have three options.

hyonji wrote:He is the greatest man that has ever lived.
In this sentence can I also use who instead of that, like
He is the greatest man who has ever lived.

I've learned that I should use that , not who or whom when there's a superlative in the noun followed by relative pronoun.

But I can see the second sentence from time to time.

'Who' or 'that' can both be used as the subject of an adjective clause where the substituted noun is a person.

1. He is the greatest man that has ever lived.
2. He is the greatest man who has ever lived.


The superlative doesn't affect the rule, it is a matter of whether the pronoun stands for a person or thing, and whether it is acting as a subject or object in the relative or adjective clause.

3. She is the prettiest girl that I have ever seen.
4. She is the prettiest girl whom I have ever seen.

In example 3 and 4, 'that' and 'whom' are objects of their clauses and so 'who' is not used.

This argument arose elswhere on the forum. It is correct to use either 'who' or 'that' in defining relative clauses, though more common in British English than in American English. 'Whom' appears to be falling into disuse in spoken English.