many of whom

USAGE SUMMARY

'many of whom' is a correctly formed and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when referring to a group of people, as in the example sentence: "The school has many teachers, many of whom have years of experience in the field."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

The antecedent of "whom" here is singular ("taxi driver') so the "many of whom" doesn't track.

The New York Times

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 0.5 2% of young people many of whom are resistant to conventional treatments.

Journal of Anxiety Disorders

citizens, many of whom leave the country within five years.

Huffington Post

And such well-trained doctors, so many of whom have left or been killed".

Vice

Participants were elderly males, many of whom were former smokers and had been diagnosed with hypertension.

Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source

players, many of whom were bounty hunters".

The New York Times

Many of whom can overcome it.

The Guardian - Opinion

The workers, many of whom are German-born, are knowledgeable.

The New York Times - Food

Local 87 represents janitors, many of whom are undocumented.

The New Yorker

(Many of whom trained with Bocuse, Chapel, etc).

The New York Times - Magazine

Many of whom will, no doubt, buy Little Buddy cookies.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "many of whom", ensure that the antecedent is clearly defined and refers to a group of people. This maintains clarity and avoids ambiguity in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "many of whom" when the antecedent is singular or unclear. This can lead to grammatical errors and confusion for the reader.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "many of whom" functions as a relative pronoun, introducing a non-restrictive clause that provides additional information about a subset of individuals previously mentioned. Ludwig AI confirms its correct usage, indicating its role in adding detail without limiting the scope of the original noun phrase.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

30%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

5%

Social Media

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "many of whom" is a grammatically correct and frequently used phrase serving as a relative pronoun to introduce non-restrictive clauses about people. According to Ludwig, it adds detail to previously mentioned groups. It finds common application across news, scientific, and encyclopedic contexts with a neutral to formal tone. When using "many of whom", ensure clarity in antecedent reference, and avoid its use with singular or unclear antecedents. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, the phrase is a valid element in written English, suitable for various contexts with care for grammatical precision.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a number of whom

Replaces "many" with "a number", indicating a quantity without specifying exactness.

several of whom

Substitutes "many" with "several", suggesting a smaller quantity.

quite a few of whom

Emphasizes a moderate quantity using "quite a few" instead of "many".

a good many of whom

Uses "a good many" to express a significant quantity.

a large proportion of whom

Replaces "many" with "a large proportion", indicating a substantial percentage of the group.

a majority of whom

Indicates that more than half of the group are being referred to.

numerous of whom

Substitutes "many" with "numerous", indicating a large quantity in a more formal tone.

a significant number of whom

Highlights the importance of the quantity being referred to.

a considerable portion of whom

Expresses that a notable part of the group is being discussed.

quite a lot of whom

Replaces "many" with "quite a lot", indicating a casual, informal tone.

FAQs

How to use "many of whom" in a sentence?

"Many of whom" is used to refer back to a group of people previously mentioned. For example, "The team consists of experienced engineers, many of whom have worked on similar projects before."

What can I say instead of "many of whom"?

You can use alternatives like "several of whom", "a number of whom", or "a large proportion of whom" depending on the context.

Is it correct to use "many of which" instead of "many of whom"?

No, "many of which" is used for things, while "many of whom" is used for people. For example, "The company released several products, many of which were successful", versus, "The company hired many employees, many of whom were recent graduates."

What is the difference between "many of whom" and "many who"?

"Many of whom" is generally used in more formal writing and requires a comma before it, while "many who" can be used in more informal contexts and directly follows the noun it modifies. For example, "The applicants, many of whom had advanced degrees, were interviewed" versus, "Many applicants who had advanced degrees were interviewed."