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From "Be Nice — You Won’t Finish Last" — By Sarah Maslin Nir

During the rosy years of elementary school, my inclination to share my dolls and my knack with knock-knock jokes (“Who’s there?” “Tank.” “Tank who?” “You’re welcome!”) were enough to elevate my social status. I was the belle of the playground. Then came my tweens and teens, and mean girls and cool kids. They rose in the ranks not by being amiable but by puffing cigarettes, breaking curfew and pulling pranks on unsuspecting nerds, among whom I soon found myself.

  1. among whom refers to "They"
  2. among whom refers to "nerds"

The following is a rewrite for the college entrance exam in china. And it retains the among whom.

During the rosy years of elementary school, I enjoyed sharing my dolls and jokes, which allowed me to keep my high social status. I was the queen of the playground. Then came my tweens and teens, and mean girls and cool kids. They rose in the ranks not by being friendly but by smoking cigarettes, breaking rules and playing jokes on others, among whom I soon found myself.

  1. among whom refers to "They"
  2. among whom refers to "others"

Is there really an ambiguity about the "among whom" here? Or, is it just that I didn't get it? If there is, how to avoid it? Would be really grateful for your help.

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    Yes, it could be either. You’d need to look at the broader context to disambiguate.
    – Lawrence
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 6:55
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    Actually, it's very clear to me that "among whom" refers to "nerds" in the first case and to "others" in the second. I find this clear grammatically, and I also think the context backs it up. @Lawrence, can you explain why it might refer to "They"? Perhaps there's something I'm missing. Thanks.
    – Isabel Archer
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 11:06
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    It's not "among whom" that is referential but just "whom", whose antecedent is "unsuspecting nerds" in your first example and "others" in your second.
    – BillJ
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 11:28
  • @IsabelArcher It wasn’t clear whether the author was implying that she had joined the bullies or whether she was a target of the bullying. The text allows either interpretation.
    – Lawrence
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 16:11
  • @Lawrence: The text is unambiguous.
    – TonyK
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 19:53

1 Answer 1

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No, there is no ambiguity. The author found herself among the people on whom pranks/jokes were played. If she had found herself among the 'cool kids', the phrase would immediately follow the mention of them. In fact it follows 'unsuspecting nerds'.

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  • What about the second example? I would opine that "whom" could refer to "they/them" or "others".
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 7:21
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    The Chinese attempt at simplification is poor. Nevertheless, the general guidance is that the relative pronoun refers to the most adjacent noun/substantive.
    – Greybeard
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 9:35
  • I.e. it would have to be "They, among whom I (also) soon found myself, rose in the ranks not by being friendly but by smoking cigarettes, breaking rules and playing jokes on others."
    – Kaz
    Commented May 30, 2020 at 18:41

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