Hi, I have been frequently listining this " Who are you calling" is it right in terms of grammer. Poonam
From India, Delhi
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1From India, Delhi
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Hello Poonam, Greetings! This is for your information / clarification that this is not the right place to post such type of questions. Thanks & Regards, S. Narendra Nath
From India, Hyderabad
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From India, Hyderabad
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Hi Friend, according to my knowledge instead of who are you calling? we can say, who is calling ?
From India, Hyderabad
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From India, Hyderabad
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Hi Poonam,
Thank you for your message. In terms of grammar, there are a couple of issues in your sentence. Here is the corrected version: "Thanks, friends. I think so, but the main concern is what is wrong in terms of grammar in this sentence, although it sounds awkward. I understand someone will certainly figure out the confusion. I hope to see the right and grammatically correct answer."
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
From India, Delhi
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Thank you for your message. In terms of grammar, there are a couple of issues in your sentence. Here is the corrected version: "Thanks, friends. I think so, but the main concern is what is wrong in terms of grammar in this sentence, although it sounds awkward. I understand someone will certainly figure out the confusion. I hope to see the right and grammatically correct answer."
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
From India, Delhi
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Dear Poonam,
The question that you had posted has only one meaning. This question is asked by the person making the call to check with whom he/she is calling to speak with. It is not supposed to be asked by the receiver to the caller who is calling.
From India, Bangalore
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The question that you had posted has only one meaning. This question is asked by the person making the call to check with whom he/she is calling to speak with. It is not supposed to be asked by the receiver to the caller who is calling.
From India, Bangalore
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Hi Mukesh,
The body of the question is: "Who are you calling?" I understand that the first phase "Who are you" is complete in itself, and by adding "calling" in the same sentence, it sounds a little bit odd to me. That's why I have posted this here.
From India, Delhi
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The body of the question is: "Who are you calling?" I understand that the first phase "Who are you" is complete in itself, and by adding "calling" in the same sentence, it sounds a little bit odd to me. That's why I have posted this here.
From India, Delhi
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I do not thik this is the correct sentence. As I know it should be " May I know who is calling? or Who is calling? Who is speaking? I hope it helps you. Selva Bangalore 9663571886
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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We can use "May I know who is calling?" or "May I know who is on the line?" Regards, Yogesh S.
From India, Mumbai
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From India, Mumbai
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Hello Poonam,
Please first correct your own English first. Correct spellings are: "Grammar" not "ER" and "Listening" not "Listining". First, learn to correct your English and then explore whether others' English is correct or not!
A lot of kids these days hardly pay any attention to spelling or grammar. I find it appalling to notice such blunders in CiteHR itself. It is high time there is some movement to correct the legacy left behind by the British in 1947. We Indians are supposed to be very good in the English language, but what I observe is its degeneration with the advent of Email and SMS!
After seeing the way the English language is getting slaughtered in CiteHR, I have been driven to develop a one-day Training Programme called "ENGLISH FOR EXECUTIVES"! As a Softskill Trainer, this is the best, I feel, I can do. Any takers??
Best wishes to all those who venture into correcting their own and others' English!
Bye,
NK Sundaram
From India, Bengaluru
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Please first correct your own English first. Correct spellings are: "Grammar" not "ER" and "Listening" not "Listining". First, learn to correct your English and then explore whether others' English is correct or not!
A lot of kids these days hardly pay any attention to spelling or grammar. I find it appalling to notice such blunders in CiteHR itself. It is high time there is some movement to correct the legacy left behind by the British in 1947. We Indians are supposed to be very good in the English language, but what I observe is its degeneration with the advent of Email and SMS!
After seeing the way the English language is getting slaughtered in CiteHR, I have been driven to develop a one-day Training Programme called "ENGLISH FOR EXECUTIVES"! As a Softskill Trainer, this is the best, I feel, I can do. Any takers??
Best wishes to all those who venture into correcting their own and others' English!
Bye,
NK Sundaram
From India, Bengaluru
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Hi Selva,
I truly agree with you, but I am a witness to hearing this from the people around me. As I explained, this sentence always sounds awkward to me, and I was wondering whether it is correct. Unfortunately, none of the geniuses has come forward to clear up this silly question.
Thank you.
From India, Delhi
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I truly agree with you, but I am a witness to hearing this from the people around me. As I explained, this sentence always sounds awkward to me, and I was wondering whether it is correct. Unfortunately, none of the geniuses has come forward to clear up this silly question.
Thank you.
From India, Delhi
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Hi Sundram,
Thank you for the greetings! Unfortunately, you did not address the real concern of the base question. Regarding my spelling errors, you are correct. We, as adults, should also pay a bit of attention, just like you did in pointing out errors in your email. For instance, in the first line, it should be "English" instead of "Engllish," and many young kids hardly pay attention instead of "pays." These things happen.
Anyway, thank you for the response.
Regards,
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Thank you for the greetings! Unfortunately, you did not address the real concern of the base question. Regarding my spelling errors, you are correct. We, as adults, should also pay a bit of attention, just like you did in pointing out errors in your email. For instance, in the first line, it should be "English" instead of "Engllish," and many young kids hardly pay attention instead of "pays." These things happen.
Anyway, thank you for the response.
Regards,
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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"Who are you calling" gives two meanings: 1. who are you (who want to call) & 2. who the hell are you calling. So it's better to change the way as "May I know who is online?" or "Yes, Vaibhav here" or "Vaibhav this side."
- Vaibhav
From India, Mumbai
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- Vaibhav
From India, Mumbai
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You can say, "Who is there?" or "Who is calling?" I understand that you want to show respect, which is why you are using "are" instead of "is." However, in the English language, respect is not indicated by the choice of verb form; this concept is more related to Hindi. In my opinion, Hindi is a more civilized language compared to English.
From India, Chandigarh
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From India, Chandigarh
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Dear Poonam,
Often, the use of English can lead to slight confusion or misunderstanding depending on how it is stated or used. "Who are you calling?" The question you are asking isn't grammatically incorrect at all; however, it depends on who is asking it.
Example:
Scenario 1: Gia is talking to someone over the phone at 11:30 pm. Her dad walks into the hall and sees her. The first thing he'll say is "Who are you talking to?" not "Who are you calling?"
Scenario 2: Gia answers the phone, and the person on the other end asks to speak with her father. The first question Gia asks is "May I know who is speaking?" not "Who are you calling?"
Scenario 3: Gia and her friend get into trouble for rash driving. They are taken to a police station for interrogation. They are allowed one call. Gia asks her friend, "Who are you calling?"
I hope I was able to answer your question.
From India, Pune
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Often, the use of English can lead to slight confusion or misunderstanding depending on how it is stated or used. "Who are you calling?" The question you are asking isn't grammatically incorrect at all; however, it depends on who is asking it.
Example:
Scenario 1: Gia is talking to someone over the phone at 11:30 pm. Her dad walks into the hall and sees her. The first thing he'll say is "Who are you talking to?" not "Who are you calling?"
Scenario 2: Gia answers the phone, and the person on the other end asks to speak with her father. The first question Gia asks is "May I know who is speaking?" not "Who are you calling?"
Scenario 3: Gia and her friend get into trouble for rash driving. They are taken to a police station for interrogation. They are allowed one call. Gia asks her friend, "Who are you calling?"
I hope I was able to answer your question.
From India, Pune
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Dear Gillian,
Thank you for explaining with scenarios. Had Poonam given the scenario which prompted her to pose the question, it would have saved a lot of discussion. May I take this opportunity to appeal to members to pose questions giving enough information for people, instead of expecting bloggers to guess the situation.
Have a nice day.
Simhan
A retired academic in the UK.
From United Kingdom
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Thank you for explaining with scenarios. Had Poonam given the scenario which prompted her to pose the question, it would have saved a lot of discussion. May I take this opportunity to appeal to members to pose questions giving enough information for people, instead of expecting bloggers to guess the situation.
Have a nice day.
Simhan
A retired academic in the UK.
From United Kingdom
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Ok. The spelling of the word 'Grammar' is wrong. First, find out what is the correct spelling. You may start another post asking for the correct spelling of the word. I am sure there will be many respondents to this question who will provide the correct response. Once you know the correct spelling of the word "Grammar," you will be ready for step 2, which will be the lesson on syntax formation. Keep doing it, and soon you will earn a BA (Honours) in English just by reading this post.
From India, New Delhi
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From India, New Delhi
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Dear All,
Thank you for your valuable responses on this issue. I am indeed delighted to have received such good comments and clarifications from all of you. Let us now avoid making this any more controversial, for example, by pointing out spelling errors, etc.
Have a nice day ahead.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Thank you for your valuable responses on this issue. I am indeed delighted to have received such good comments and clarifications from all of you. Let us now avoid making this any more controversial, for example, by pointing out spelling errors, etc.
Have a nice day ahead.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Hi Poonam,
This is Vidhya. What I suggest is, instead of asking "who are you speaking to," you can ask something like "to whom am I speaking with?" or "who is this?" or "may I know your good name, please?".
Best regards,
Vidhya.
From India
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This is Vidhya. What I suggest is, instead of asking "who are you speaking to," you can ask something like "to whom am I speaking with?" or "who is this?" or "may I know your good name, please?".
Best regards,
Vidhya.
From India
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Hi Poonam I would like to tell you that the correct sentence "Who is speaking" is the correct one rather than "Who are calling?"
From United States, Lincolnshire
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From United States, Lincolnshire
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Hello Gillianbarber,
Thanks for answering the question in such a nice way. I agree with your suggestion. Since "who are you calling" is not grammatically incorrect, it is like any other interrogative sentence such as "what are you doing?". It purely depends on the person's tone. In one case, it might sound demanding, and in another, it might seem polite, as shown in the examples you provided.
Thanks, Gaurav
P.S. Poonam, you have posted a good question on this forum, and you should not worry about critics; it helps to improve oneself. I noticed that most of the people who replied to your post were unable to provide reasoning behind what is wrong in using the sentence "who are you calling." Instead, they focused on suggesting another way of saying it or on spell checking "grammar."
From India, Pune
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Thanks for answering the question in such a nice way. I agree with your suggestion. Since "who are you calling" is not grammatically incorrect, it is like any other interrogative sentence such as "what are you doing?". It purely depends on the person's tone. In one case, it might sound demanding, and in another, it might seem polite, as shown in the examples you provided.
Thanks, Gaurav
P.S. Poonam, you have posted a good question on this forum, and you should not worry about critics; it helps to improve oneself. I noticed that most of the people who replied to your post were unable to provide reasoning behind what is wrong in using the sentence "who are you calling." Instead, they focused on suggesting another way of saying it or on spell checking "grammar."
From India, Pune
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Dear Poonam, As far as i understud ur question, u are very sure that "who are you calling" is wrong but you are seeking the grammatical reason behind it bng wrong. If i am ryt, kindly read ahead, in the later part i have given certain grammar rules which may b of use to you. but in case u rnt looking for the gramatical reason, u may find it difficul to undrstand.
As per the gramatical rules:
Simple sentences= Subject + ( Helping verb+ Main Verb) + Object
Question 1. (“Yes/No” questions) = Helping Verb+ Subject+ Main Verb+ Object
Question 1 (“wh” questions) = “wh word (who, when, what, etc)” + Helping Verb+
Subject+ Main Verb+ Object.
(In the second case certain entities can be omitted as pe the context)
1. Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object
Do You Read books?
Have you Read this book?
2. “wh word (who, when, etc)” + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object.
a. Who are You? (No main Verb, No object)
b. Who is playing? (No Subject , No object)
c. Who is playing? Cricket (No Subject)
d. What are you doing? (No object)
e When are you going there? (all entities)
One need to understand when and in what context which element has to be omitted and when the formula is to be used as it is.
Taking help of hindi language:
“Who” questions can be of two types
1. Where a verb is being done (koi kaam ho raha hai) as in eg 2.b and c
2. Where an existence is questioned (kisi cheez ka hona “tha, thi, hai, hain, hoga, honge” ) as in eg 2. A
Now whenever an exixtence is questioned, subject is a must whose existence is questioned (“you” in eg a) but no verb is done (no main verb) and hence object is not required.
Who is calling= kaun call kar raha hai?
Who are you= aap kaun ho?
Who are you who is calling= aap kaun ho jo call kar rahe ho?
Note dat “jo call kar rahe ho” is irrelevant, “aap kaun ho” is sufficient.
So the key are the formulae mentioned above. Remember dat few of the elements can be omitted as per the context but the order cant be changed and nothing other dan prepositions, articles, etc can be added.
Taking your example “Who are are you calling”
Who are you= existence que
Who is calling= verb(calling) is bieng done so the respective formula is to be used.
Both cant be clubbed unless a conjuction is used to make it a compound sentence made of two or more simple sentence.
I am sure u must have found it difficult to understand and boring as well. But, this doubt comes under topic “structuring of sentence” which is very basic but very important concept. Generally speakers know the correct order simly by bng in an eng speaking environment but the ones who are completely unaware are to be tought dis. That doesnt, in any way mean that u are oen of those. What I mean is dat its one of the very basics and because v dnt come across grammatical rule v may face exceptions and may nt udrsatnd the correct use because of general and popular us of certaing words….
Hope it solved ur query…
If it did, u can get in touych for any other guidance. Else I apologise.
Good day!!
Regards Shipra
From India, Ghaziabad
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As per the gramatical rules:
Simple sentences= Subject + ( Helping verb+ Main Verb) + Object
Question 1. (“Yes/No” questions) = Helping Verb+ Subject+ Main Verb+ Object
Question 1 (“wh” questions) = “wh word (who, when, what, etc)” + Helping Verb+
Subject+ Main Verb+ Object.
(In the second case certain entities can be omitted as pe the context)
1. Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object
Do You Read books?
Have you Read this book?
2. “wh word (who, when, etc)” + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Object.
a. Who are You? (No main Verb, No object)
b. Who is playing? (No Subject , No object)
c. Who is playing? Cricket (No Subject)
d. What are you doing? (No object)
e When are you going there? (all entities)
One need to understand when and in what context which element has to be omitted and when the formula is to be used as it is.
Taking help of hindi language:
“Who” questions can be of two types
1. Where a verb is being done (koi kaam ho raha hai) as in eg 2.b and c
2. Where an existence is questioned (kisi cheez ka hona “tha, thi, hai, hain, hoga, honge” ) as in eg 2. A
Now whenever an exixtence is questioned, subject is a must whose existence is questioned (“you” in eg a) but no verb is done (no main verb) and hence object is not required.
Who is calling= kaun call kar raha hai?
Who are you= aap kaun ho?
Who are you who is calling= aap kaun ho jo call kar rahe ho?
Note dat “jo call kar rahe ho” is irrelevant, “aap kaun ho” is sufficient.
So the key are the formulae mentioned above. Remember dat few of the elements can be omitted as per the context but the order cant be changed and nothing other dan prepositions, articles, etc can be added.
Taking your example “Who are are you calling”
Who are you= existence que
Who is calling= verb(calling) is bieng done so the respective formula is to be used.
Both cant be clubbed unless a conjuction is used to make it a compound sentence made of two or more simple sentence.
I am sure u must have found it difficult to understand and boring as well. But, this doubt comes under topic “structuring of sentence” which is very basic but very important concept. Generally speakers know the correct order simly by bng in an eng speaking environment but the ones who are completely unaware are to be tought dis. That doesnt, in any way mean that u are oen of those. What I mean is dat its one of the very basics and because v dnt come across grammatical rule v may face exceptions and may nt udrsatnd the correct use because of general and popular us of certaing words….
Hope it solved ur query…
If it did, u can get in touych for any other guidance. Else I apologise.
Good day!!
Regards Shipra
From India, Ghaziabad
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Hai Poonam This is in order format. Let us try "May I know who is calling? / May I know who is on the line"? I think this a polite word. MANOKAVIN
From India, Coimbatore
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From India, Coimbatore
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it appears smart as selva from bangalore says :May I know who is calling? or May I know who is on the line?
From India, Madras
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From India, Madras
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Hey,
I think you are referring to someone asking you "who are you calling". For example, maybe your mom wants to find out who you are calling? If the above context is right, it should be "Whom are you calling."
Cheers, NP
From India, Madras
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I think you are referring to someone asking you "who are you calling". For example, maybe your mom wants to find out who you are calling? If the above context is right, it should be "Whom are you calling."
Cheers, NP
From India, Madras
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Hi, May i know whom iam talking to: is the right way to question the caller. Stay happy. Keerthi
From India, Bangalore
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From India, Bangalore
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Hi HR brethren,
If I am not wrong, both the sentences "who are you calling" and "who is calling" are correct. There is no grammatical mistake in both the sentences. The difference is "who are you calling" is a respectful way of asking, and "who is calling" is not.
If you have any other views, just fling it.
Regards,
Subramanian
From India, Delhi
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If I am not wrong, both the sentences "who are you calling" and "who is calling" are correct. There is no grammatical mistake in both the sentences. The difference is "who are you calling" is a respectful way of asking, and "who is calling" is not.
If you have any other views, just fling it.
Regards,
Subramanian
From India, Delhi
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Hi Poonam,
I guess your sentence sounds too rude. Instead, you could use "May I know who is calling" or "May I know who is on the line"? Even if the caller is a stranger or first-time caller, your reception should sound polite.
Regards,
Kulwindar Singh
GSM: +91.9811005577
E-mail: kulvindar@aol.com
From India, Delhi
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I guess your sentence sounds too rude. Instead, you could use "May I know who is calling" or "May I know who is on the line"? Even if the caller is a stranger or first-time caller, your reception should sound polite.
Regards,
Kulwindar Singh
GSM: +91.9811005577
E-mail: kulvindar@aol.com
From India, Delhi
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Hi Shipra,
Good info from the scratch. I believe we are here to share our knowledge and learn something that relates to our profession. If Poonam wants any guidance with the help of cite hr, then there should not be any reply that demotivates and creates hesitation to ask for any other info.
Thanks,
Krishna Kumar Pandey
From India, Mumbai
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Good info from the scratch. I believe we are here to share our knowledge and learn something that relates to our profession. If Poonam wants any guidance with the help of cite hr, then there should not be any reply that demotivates and creates hesitation to ask for any other info.
Thanks,
Krishna Kumar Pandey
From India, Mumbai
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Dear Poonam,
First and foremost, "Grammar" has been misspelled; it does not have an "E."
Now, coming to your query, the response will have to be addressed depending on the situation.
1. Situation One:
On receiving a call, you ask the caller, "Who are you calling?" This is incorrect. The correct response would be, "May I know who is calling?"
2. Situation Two:
You receive a call, and the caller asks, "Who are you calling?" This is totally incorrect. Here again, the most appropriate dialogue would be, "May I know who is speaking?"
3. Situation Three:
The receiver finds the voice and number unfamiliar. In this situation, the receiver may ask, "Who are you calling?" This would not be incorrect. However, the most appropriate response would be, "May I know who you would like to speak to?"
Trust I have answered your query to your satisfaction.
Cheers!!!
Vasant Nair
From India, Mumbai
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First and foremost, "Grammar" has been misspelled; it does not have an "E."
Now, coming to your query, the response will have to be addressed depending on the situation.
1. Situation One:
On receiving a call, you ask the caller, "Who are you calling?" This is incorrect. The correct response would be, "May I know who is calling?"
2. Situation Two:
You receive a call, and the caller asks, "Who are you calling?" This is totally incorrect. Here again, the most appropriate dialogue would be, "May I know who is speaking?"
3. Situation Three:
The receiver finds the voice and number unfamiliar. In this situation, the receiver may ask, "Who are you calling?" This would not be incorrect. However, the most appropriate response would be, "May I know who you would like to speak to?"
Trust I have answered your query to your satisfaction.
Cheers!!!
Vasant Nair
From India, Mumbai
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Dear CiteHR brothers and sisters,
After observing these discussions, I am sad to see some negative comments, which show some of our friends' negative attitude. I have seen one comment "you better improve your English before you correct others"; "You better go to a coaching class" etc. These are not the comments expected from a civilized HR person.
I strongly believe that this forum is a platform to improve ourselves as individuals in organizations. As communication is the most important mode of influencing behavior, the way we speak matters a lot. Hence, the topic has a relevance in CiteHR. We have had thousands of people in CiteHR who have actively participated in English Accent Training Discussions and utilized those materials.
Kindly try to be role models to other HR professionals.
Razik
From India, Ernakulam
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After observing these discussions, I am sad to see some negative comments, which show some of our friends' negative attitude. I have seen one comment "you better improve your English before you correct others"; "You better go to a coaching class" etc. These are not the comments expected from a civilized HR person.
I strongly believe that this forum is a platform to improve ourselves as individuals in organizations. As communication is the most important mode of influencing behavior, the way we speak matters a lot. Hence, the topic has a relevance in CiteHR. We have had thousands of people in CiteHR who have actively participated in English Accent Training Discussions and utilized those materials.
Kindly try to be role models to other HR professionals.
Razik
From India, Ernakulam
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Please read all the comments before adding your views. Repeating what has already been said in different words does not make any sense.
From United Kingdom
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From United Kingdom
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Dear Ponnam,
According to my opinion, this is not right, but we can say:
May I know who I'm talking with?
Who is on the line?
Who is calling?
Who is speaking?
Poonam, I am just giving an example on this topic: When we make or receive a call, it means we would like to talk to a third person. In this sense, we use "is." For example, if that person is in front of us, then we can say, "How are you?" Here, "are" is used for the second person. However, note that "are" itself is a third person.
Many times we use phrases like "How is she?" It means "is," "am," and "are" are for the third person. "Is" is used for the third person, "are" for the second person, and "am" for oneself.
Don't be confused; you can find these things easily in Oxford. I hope this explanation helps you.
Karamvir
HR Officer
Bawal, Haryana
09813862929
From India, Jhajjar
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According to my opinion, this is not right, but we can say:
May I know who I'm talking with?
Who is on the line?
Who is calling?
Who is speaking?
Poonam, I am just giving an example on this topic: When we make or receive a call, it means we would like to talk to a third person. In this sense, we use "is." For example, if that person is in front of us, then we can say, "How are you?" Here, "are" is used for the second person. However, note that "are" itself is a third person.
Many times we use phrases like "How is she?" It means "is," "am," and "are" are for the third person. "Is" is used for the third person, "are" for the second person, and "am" for oneself.
Don't be confused; you can find these things easily in Oxford. I hope this explanation helps you.
Karamvir
HR Officer
Bawal, Haryana
09813862929
From India, Jhajjar
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Poonam, Whether you’re at home or in the workplace, there’s a nice way to find out who’s on the other end. “May I ask who’s calling” sounds much nicer than “who’s this? or who r u calling”
From India, Calcutta
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From India, Calcutta
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Dear Sir,
Whether a person visiting this site needs to bother about good English is a debatable question. Any person visiting an English language site is expected to know good English rather than better English; otherwise, such a person may misinterpret and assume a different meaning.
While this is true, one of your readers (who spoke of coaching) used the sentence: 'It is high time we have to........' In fact, the sentence should be used in the following format: 'It is time or It is high time we did something.......' and not in the former format.
Regards
From India, Madras
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Whether a person visiting this site needs to bother about good English is a debatable question. Any person visiting an English language site is expected to know good English rather than better English; otherwise, such a person may misinterpret and assume a different meaning.
While this is true, one of your readers (who spoke of coaching) used the sentence: 'It is high time we have to........' In fact, the sentence should be used in the following format: 'It is time or It is high time we did something.......' and not in the former format.
Regards
From India, Madras
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Dear Mr. Krishna Pandey,
I'll take it as a compliment. Thank you. I sincerely hope that you didn't talk about me when you said that one shouldn't demotivate a reader. I apologize if I sounded rude or demotivating or if, in any way, I made anyone hesitant.
Regards,
Shipra
From India, Ghaziabad
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I'll take it as a compliment. Thank you. I sincerely hope that you didn't talk about me when you said that one shouldn't demotivate a reader. I apologize if I sounded rude or demotivating or if, in any way, I made anyone hesitant.
Regards,
Shipra
From India, Ghaziabad
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I am English.
The correct response is:
"May I ask who is calling, please?" (if you wish to know the name of the caller)
or
"Who would you like to speak to?" (if you wish to know who the caller would like to be connected to).
I hope this clears things up.
From United Kingdom, Maidstone
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The correct response is:
"May I ask who is calling, please?" (if you wish to know the name of the caller)
or
"Who would you like to speak to?" (if you wish to know who the caller would like to be connected to).
I hope this clears things up.
From United Kingdom, Maidstone
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I am amazed that queries such as this get so many responses, whereas queries that require HR experts to contribute hardly get such attention. Even after people have given excellent responses with examples, others keep contributing with similar responses to those already given.
Have a lovely day and please consider contributing to other queries too.
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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Have a lovely day and please consider contributing to other queries too.
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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Hi,
Grammatically, 'who' is used when you are denoting the subject/doer of the action. For example, Who is shouting? Who is crying? Who is talking, etc. 'Whom' is used in the nominative/object form of the verb. For example, Whom are you talking with? Whom are you staring at? Whom are you calling tonight? The doer of the action in this case is 'YOU.'
Hence, (if I have understood the context correctly), the sentence 'Who are you calling?' is incorrect. It should be 'Whom are you calling?'
From India, Mumbai
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Grammatically, 'who' is used when you are denoting the subject/doer of the action. For example, Who is shouting? Who is crying? Who is talking, etc. 'Whom' is used in the nominative/object form of the verb. For example, Whom are you talking with? Whom are you staring at? Whom are you calling tonight? The doer of the action in this case is 'YOU.'
Hence, (if I have understood the context correctly), the sentence 'Who are you calling?' is incorrect. It should be 'Whom are you calling?'
From India, Mumbai
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Grammar is one thing, and mannerism and courtesy are another. Whatever you say or write may be grammatically correct, but it may still be offending or may sound improper. "'May I know who is speaking, please?' may be the right choice."
From India, Pune
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From India, Pune
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Dear Shipra,
Welcome!
No, I did not understand anything wrong in your case. But in life, everyone makes mistakes, and we learn from those mistakes. As HR professionals, we should not demotivate our own professional colleagues.
Thanks,
Krishna Kumar Pandey
<a href="mailto:hr.k.k.pandey@gmail.com">
From India, Mumbai
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Welcome!
No, I did not understand anything wrong in your case. But in life, everyone makes mistakes, and we learn from those mistakes. As HR professionals, we should not demotivate our own professional colleagues.
Thanks,
Krishna Kumar Pandey
<a href="mailto:hr.k.k.pandey@gmail.com">
From India, Mumbai
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PROPER GRAMMAR
Dear Friends, as majority of you guys have voted the correct sentence should be “Who is calling instead WHO ARE YOU CALLING. As I have already cleared in the first post itself, that I don’t use this but I have been listening this from the guys at large when they receive a call and respond as: Who are you calling!!! Although it has been very nicely explained by many of the senior members that this sentence is grammatically not incorrect; however you agree with me this sound awkward. I reiterate; the members who have criticized on the spelling errors, I wonder why they didn’t understated; this may be typographical error not otherwise.
Hope I am right.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Dear Friends, as majority of you guys have voted the correct sentence should be “Who is calling instead WHO ARE YOU CALLING. As I have already cleared in the first post itself, that I don’t use this but I have been listening this from the guys at large when they receive a call and respond as: Who are you calling!!! Although it has been very nicely explained by many of the senior members that this sentence is grammatically not incorrect; however you agree with me this sound awkward. I reiterate; the members who have criticized on the spelling errors, I wonder why they didn’t understated; this may be typographical error not otherwise.
Hope I am right.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Hi Poonam,
I think the question is addressed to the person who is making the call and not to the person at the other end. If I have understood it correctly, then I would frame the question as "Whom are you calling?" instead of "Who are you calling?"
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I think the question is addressed to the person who is making the call and not to the person at the other end. If I have understood it correctly, then I would frame the question as "Whom are you calling?" instead of "Who are you calling?"
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Hi Poonam,
In fact, the way it is used reflects an offensive way of interaction. The appropriate and grammatically correct way is:
"May I know who I am talking to?"
Regards,
Pankaj
I'd be pleased to clarify further on this if doubt still persists. More such doubts are also welcome...
From India, Ghaziabad
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In fact, the way it is used reflects an offensive way of interaction. The appropriate and grammatically correct way is:
"May I know who I am talking to?"
Regards,
Pankaj
I'd be pleased to clarify further on this if doubt still persists. More such doubts are also welcome...
From India, Ghaziabad
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Hi Aditi and Pankaj,
Thanks for the contribution. The question is addressed to the person who receives the call from the other end, and the response is, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING?" Don't you think 'whom' should not be applicable at all? However, I agree with many of the senior members who have very appropriately explained and answered this.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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Thanks for the contribution. The question is addressed to the person who receives the call from the other end, and the response is, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING?" Don't you think 'whom' should not be applicable at all? However, I agree with many of the senior members who have very appropriately explained and answered this.
Poonam
From India, Delhi
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