Noun Modifiers - Omission of that or whom

Question

Hey Guys,

Need some help in understand in understanding the following.

According to Manhattan GMAT SC Guide -

1. The security guard  WHOM we met  was nice - RIGHT
2. The movie  THAT we watched  last friday was scary - WRONG
3. The movie  we watched  last friday was scary - RIGHT

The explanation given is this -

THAT or WHOM can be dropped when the modified noun is the object of the modifying clause.

The question is Why are we using WHOM in the first sentence then? Can we not drop it using the principle above?

Thanks in advance for replying.

Gnpth · Answer

Hi,

I believe, the 2nd sentence is also correct. "The movie  THAT we watched  last friday was scary". It says that or whom can be dropped. It doesn't say it should be dropped.

Whom generally used as the object case pronoun. So it is required in the 1st sentence. We cannot drop it.

And both That and Whom are relative pronouns. And relative pronouns normally modifies the closed noun.

The below sentences, can be with or without "that". Either way is correct.

1. The movie  THAT we watched  last friday was scary.
2. The movie  we watched  last friday was scary .

Hope it helps.

neasant · Answer

Hi,

Thanks for the response!

But can we not also drop WHOM from the 1st sentence?

Thanks again!

apolo · Answer

Hey neasant, 
Could you please mention the corresponding page number of the Manhattan book?

neasant · Answer

Manhattan SC Correction - Guide 8. Chapter 6 - Modifiers Page - 87.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hello Neasant, Ideally the sentence that you have pointed out can be written both ways - Yes, the book is right in what it says. The security guard WHOM we met was nice - RIGHT The security guard we met was nice - RIGHT. Take it this way; If you know what the relative pronoun is referring to in the sentence then you can actually drop the relative pronoun. However if the pronoun is ambiguous then it would be a problem if it is dropped. Don't worry! Such differences are very rarely tested on the GMAT

Noun Modifiers - Omission of that or whom

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