Double "whom" sounds clunky, but is correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What's the rule for using “who” or “whom”?
I believe the following sentence is correct, but am slightly unsure as it sounds a bit clunky - plus, the irony of it being incorrect would be unbearable.
"Thank you to Bill and Ted, whom I'll never be able to thank in person but without whom my education would not have been possible."
Solution 1:
It's correct, but whom is formal and in modern speech can sometimes sound overly formal, especially when repeated.
As the Guardian style guide editor says:
It's true that when they speak most people don't use "whom", and with good reason: it would make them sound like pompous twerps ("to whom do I owe the pleasure?"). Written English, however, is a different matter – and not just because people write angry letters when you get it wrong.
From the comments, some people don't find it clunky, others including you and me do. Therefore I suggest rewording it or using who, particularly for speech, and arguably also when written.
This applies to British English, and I believe also to others.
Solution 2:
Why not make it simple?
Thank you to Bill and Ted. I'll never be able to thank them in person. But without them, my education would not have been possible.
[Purists may resist starting a sentence with the conjunction "But". If you are of that school, you could use a comma instead of a period.]