Then he made some notes for the owner, Melanie,who was also the cook.
1.Who should be changed to whom because it is the direct object of the clause.
2.Who should be changed to whom because it would sound more formal
I don't think it should be changed from who to whom just to make it formal but I do think that 2., is the correct answer
Neither answer is correct. The word "who" is the subject of its clause and should never be "whom."
In this case, there are a couple of grammar questions related to the usage of "who" and "whom" in the given sentence. Let's break it down and explain how to determine the correct answers.
1. "Who should be changed to whom because it is the direct object of the clause."
To determine whether to use "who" or "whom," you have to consider the role played by the pronoun in the sentence. In this sentence, "who" is the direct object of the verb "made notes for." In general, you use "who" as the subject of a clause and "whom" as the object (direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition). However, in informal spoken English, "who" is often used in place of "whom" as the object. So, "who" is grammatically correct here, but if you want to follow formal grammar conventions strictly, you could change it to "whom." Nevertheless, both "who" and "whom" are commonly used in various contexts.
2. "Who should be changed to whom because it would sound more formal."
While it is true that using "whom" instead of "who" can sound more formal, it is important to note that the choice between "who" and "whom" should be based on their grammatical function, rather than just formality. As mentioned earlier, "who" is usually used as the subject, while "whom" is used as the object. So, in this sentence, where "who" is the subject of the verb "made," it is correct grammatically.
Therefore, based on the grammar rules, both 1. and 2. could be considered correct answers. However, if you want to strictly adhere to formal grammar conventions, choosing "whom" for the first statement would be more appropriate.