" (Mr. Dooley.)
_Q._ Is there good authority for saying, "He was given a hat," "He was
shown the door," etc.? _A._ The form is common, and therefore correct.
As, "The Senator _was paid_ twenty thousand dollars for voting against
the Governor"; "He _was offered_ a third term, but declined"; "The
coloured delegates _were handed_ a lemon." (From the contemporary
press.)
_Q._ The use of "who" and "whom" puzzles me. Must "who" always be used
in the nominative case and "whom" in the objective? _A._ Not
necessarily. Thus, "I told him who I wanted to see and that it wasn't
none of his business" (W. S. Devery); "That's the first guy whom he said
put him into the cooler." (Battery Dan Finn.)
_Q._ I am told that it is wrong to place a preposition at the end of a
sentence. Why can't I say, "Mr. Roosevelt is a man whom I should enjoy
talking _with_"? _A._ Your example is unfortunate. You should say, "Mr.
Roosevelt is a man whom I should enjoy talking _after_."
_Q._ Is it wrong to split infinitives? Is a phrase like "to seriously
complain" really objectionable? _A._ We hasten to most emphatically say
"Yes!"
_Q.
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