Unless they are western dressage riders…
Yeah I don’t know a single Western dressage rider.
Are they Level 1 etc then?
Yes. I’ve judged Western dressage quite a bit. They do call them Level 1, Level 2, etc. Confusing and annoying, but I guess they want to stay separate from traditional (English?) dressage.
One thing I keep meaning to mention: for Pete’s sake, do not follow whomever with a verb. Whoever is a subject, whomever is an object. You wouldn’t say “him is” or “her is” so don’t say “whomever is” please!
Rebecca
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There are times when “whomever is” would be correct. “Please give this package to whomever is waiting for it.”
I don’t think that’s right.
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An easy way to tell when to use “whom”: if he or they would be correct, use who. If him or them would be correct, use whom. Or just plain “who” all the time.
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It is.
ShenanAnna has it. Give it to whomever is correct, because “whomever” is the object of the preposition. You wouldn’t say “give it to he” or “give it to they.”
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I see your point as it’s following a preposition, but it feels awkward to me (regardless of whether it’s right or wrong). I think I would wimp out, avoid the decision and just use whoever in that circumstance. Lots of people use who all the time instead of whom when it’s an object, so I think I can get away with it.
Rebecca
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[quote=“SillyHorse, post:334, topic:779976, full:true”]
??
There’s a clause and a second clause. ‘Whomever’ isn’t the object of the first clause, but the subject of the second clause.
Please give this package to he is waiting for it.
Please give this package to him is waiting for it.
Neither of these substitutions seem to help at all, but if you alter them slightly,
Please give this package to he who is waiting for it.
Please give this package to him who is waiting for it.
…you would choose “he” not “him”.
It’s a very awkward sentence, which is probably why I’m confused.
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Just saw a sales ad for a horse that had a lot of “presents” in the show ring.
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Agreed. No one would really use this sentence.
In another language, it would be easy; this is dative case.
But in English, the case is determined by the order of the words and there is no way to order this sentence well.
“Give this package to the owner.”
In Russian (or Latin) you would ask yourself “to whom?” and the answer would be “owner” and you would know that the declension is dative case. I suppose the word might be “whomever” but it’s not a very good word to use to identify the “owner”. “Whomever is waiting for it” is very awkward.
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I suppose that could be one way to influence the judges: As you ride into the arena, toss baubles and presents to them, sort of like your own Mardi Gras float.
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Exactly. I used the example, which is indeed very awkward, only to demonstrate that there can be times when “whomever is” can be correct, as in my example where “whomever” is the object of the preposition.
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I almost got it straight in my head as I was falling asleep last night, and I thought, “Oh, I need to post how it works after all…” But then, dreamland.
So it’s still all a muddle. 
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Nah, it’s “whoever.” Give it to whoever is waiting for it = correct.
Copy editor for decades.
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Nah, you’re wrong. You should check some sources. But it’s not important enough for me to keep discussing.
I agree that “give it to whoever” is not correct. Who is always a subject; nominative case. “To whom” whom is an object; dative case. And as I said earlier - in other languages this is easier to know for sure. “Give this package to John Smith”
But any copy editor who published that sentence either way is “wrong” because it’s bad. I agree that “give it to whomever” sounds worse than “give it to whoever”.
I would rewrite it entirely. “The owner of this package will pick it up this afternoon.” There is no need for anyone to “give it” to an unknown person.
You could give it to Megan and I’s father. 
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I think this discussion is proof positive that a lot of people, dare I say most people, have trouble with whoever vs. whomever. I’m learning!
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