Whoever, whatever, and whichever: plural or singular?

Question

Sanjaya in Nepal asked: Which is correct, "Whoever wants..." or "Whoever want..."?

Answer

"Whoever wants..." is correct. When whoever is a subject, it is singular, and it takes a singular verb. The same is true for whatever and whichever. Here are some examples:

Whoever

• Whoever gets the most electoral votes wins the election.
• I hope that whoever becomes president knows how to fix the economy.

Whatever

• Whatever happens, I’ll still be your friend.
• Whatever makes you happy is fine with me.

Whichever

• You can send the check by mail or bring it to me, whichever is easier.
• Change the oil after 6 months or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first.

I hope this helps.