I often pass around an "Ask-it Basket" in my classes and presentations, as I have learned that many employees are reluctant to raise a hand to ask a question in front of their peers. I'm extending this opportunity to you, my loyal readers. Each month, I'll publish an anonymous question and answer it, so get your pen...er...keyboard ready!

My thanks to Tracy, who recently wrote to ask:

"How do you know when to use 'who' and when to use 'whom'? Is the word 'whom' fading away? I don't see it used very often and never know when to use it myself."

Tracy, The Gregg Reference Manual (sections 1061c and d), explains the difference in depth. "Use who whenever he, she, they, I, or we could be substituted..."  "Use whom whenever him, her, them, me, or us could be substituted."

Some examples may help:

1. Who shall I say is calling? (I shall say he is calling.)
2. To whom were you talking? (You were talking to them.)
   

I know, I know, it can be confusing, but when I restate the sentence structure as you see above, it is easier to figure out.

Shoot me your questions!

Every May, lovers of puns compete at the O. Henry Museum in Austin, Texas. (According to Wikipedia, "the pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play which exploits the ambiguity of a statement, allowing it to be understood in multiple ways for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic, homographic, metonymic, or metaphorical language. A pun must be deliberate: an unintentional substitution of similar words is called a malapropism.")

Here's an example of a pun from Funniest Puns and Jokes: "I couldn't quite remember how to throw a boomerang, but eventually it came back to me."

This year's winner in the punning contest appears on YouTube. To see more puns, visit punpunpun.

Not everyone likes puns.