English Language Arts
Grade 6
15 min
Identify and correct pronoun errors with "who"
Identify and correct pronoun errors with "who"
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1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define subject and object pronouns.
Distinguish between 'who' (subject) and 'whom' (object) pronouns.
Identify the correct use of 'who' as a subject pronoun within various sentence structures.
Recognize pronoun errors involving 'who' in complex sentences, including those containing dashes.
Correct pronoun errors involving 'who' to ensure grammatical accuracy.
Explain how dashes set off non-essential information without changing the pronoun's grammatical role.
Apply knowledge of pronoun case to improve the clarity and correctness of their own writing.
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
PronounA word that takes the place of a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea).Instead of 'Sarah went to the store,' we can say 'She went to the store.' 'She' is the pronoun.
Subject PronounA pronoun that performs the action of the verb in a sentence or clause.'He ran fast.' 'He' is the subject pronoun because 'he' is doing the running.
Object PronounA pronoun that receives the action of the verb or is the object of a preposition.'The dog chased him.' 'Him' is the object pronoun because 'him' is being chased.
WhoA subject pronoun, used when it is performing the action of the verb in its clause. Think of it like 'he' or 'she'.She is the student who won the deb...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The 'Who' Rule (Subject Case)
Use 'who' when the pronoun is the subject of a verb in its own clause.
If you can replace 'who' with 'he' or 'she' and the sentence still makes sense in that part, then 'who' is correct. This applies even if the 'who' clause is set off by dashes.
The 'Whom' Rule (Object Case)
Use 'whom' when the pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition in its own clause.
If you can replace 'whom' with 'him' or 'her' and the sentence still makes sense, then 'whom' is correct. Remember, prepositions (like 'to,' 'for,' 'with') always take an object.
Dashes and Pronoun Case
Dashes set off extra...
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Challenging
A student's draft says: "My friend—whom I believe is the smartest person in our class—always gets good grades." Which is the BEST revision of this sentence?
A.My friend—who I believe is the smartest person in our class—always gets good grades.
B.My friend, whom I believe is the smartest person in our class, always gets good grades.
C.My friend—who I believe to be the smartest—always gets good grades.
D.The sentence is correct as written.
Challenging
In an argumentative essay, a 6th grader writes: "The main character—whom is clearly the hero—makes a difficult choice." Using the concepts from the tutorial, what is the main error?
A.The writer used dashes to set off essential information, which is an incorrect use of punctuation.
B.The writer used an object pronoun ('whom') where a subject pronoun ('who') was needed because the pronoun is the subject of the verb 'is'.
C.The writer failed to create a complete clause within the dashes.
D.The writer used a pronoun ('whom') that does not agree in number with its antecedent ('character').
Challenging
Why is 'who' the only correct choice in the phrase "the man—who, despite many setbacks, succeeded"?
A.The dashes require a subject pronoun.
B.'Man' is the subject of the sentence, so the pronoun must also be a subject pronoun.
C.The phrase 'despite many setbacks' is a prepositional phrase, and 'who' is the subject of the verb 'succeeded'.
D.'Succeeded' is an action verb that needs 'who' before it.
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