the man towards whom...

navi tasan

Key Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2002
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
United States
1) The man you were rude towards is my friend.
2) The man towards whom you were rude is my friend.
3) The man you were rude to is my friend.

Are all correct?

I find #2 natural and #1 a bit strange although #3 sounds fine to me.
 
All are possible.

Opinions on what's natural can differ.
 
#3 is certainly the most likely in BrE. #1 is correct but less likely. #2 is very formal and would sound old-fashioned these days.
 
If somebody was rude to your friend, what would you say?
 
3 is natural. Normal people really don't use "whom" much, if at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5jj
Are all correct?

You're not asking about grammar, are you? I assume not, but after years of reading your questions, I'm still not sure.

If you're looking for a sentence that sounds more like real English, I'd suggest:

That man you were rude to is a friend of mine.

The pattern you seem to be wondering about is this: be rude to someone
 

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top