English Language Arts
Grade 10
15 min
Use relative pronouns: who and whom
Use relative pronouns: who and whom
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Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Differentiate between the subjective case pronoun 'who' and the objective case pronoun 'whom'.
Identify the grammatical function of a relative pronoun within a dependent clause.
Correctly use 'who' as the subject of a verb in a relative clause.
Correctly use 'whom' as the object of a verb or a preposition in a relative clause.
Construct complex sentences using 'who' and 'whom' to combine ideas with precision and formality.
Analyze and revise sentences in academic and literary contexts for correct pronoun usage.
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Relative PronounA pronoun that introduces a dependent (or relative) clause and connects it to an antecedent (the noun it refers to). 'Who' and 'whom' are relative pronouns that refer to people.The student who won the award gave a speech. ('who' introduces the clause 'who won the award' and connects it to 'student').
AntecedentThe noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers to or replaces.The author, whom the critics praised, wrote a sequel. (The antecedent of 'whom' is 'author').
Dependent ClauseA group of words that contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.The historian who wrote the book is my professor. ('who wrote the book' i...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Subject Rule: Use 'Who'
Use 'who' when the pronoun is the subject of the verb in the dependent clause.
To test this, isolate the dependent clause and substitute 'he' or 'she'. If the sentence still makes sense, 'who' is the correct choice. 'Who' performs the action.
The Object Rule: Use 'Whom'
Use 'whom' when the pronoun is the object of the verb or the object of a preposition in the dependent clause.
To test this, isolate the dependent clause and substitute 'him' or 'her'. If the sentence still makes sense, 'whom' is correct. 'Whom' receives the action or follows a preposition (like 'to', 'for', 'with', 'by').
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Challenging
Combine the following two sentences into one complex sentence using a relative pronoun: 'The philosopher is widely quoted. The world is indebted to the philosopher for his ideas.'
A.The philosopher, who the world is indebted to for his ideas, is widely quoted.
B.The philosopher, whom is widely quoted, the world is indebted to for his ideas.
C.The philosopher, who is widely quoted, the world is indebted to him for his ideas.
D.The philosopher, to whom the world is indebted for his ideas, is widely quoted.
Challenging
Why is 'whom' the only correct choice in the sentence, 'The researchers whom we funded have published their findings'?
A.It functions as the direct object of the verb 'funded' within the dependent clause.
B.It functions as the subject of the verb 'have published' in the main clause.
C.It is the indirect object of the verb 'funded', referring to 'we'.
D.It is required because the antecedent 'researchers' is plural.
Challenging
Evaluate this sentence from a research methodology paper: 'We interviewed the participants whom, it was determined, had the most relevant experience.' Is the use of 'whom' correct?
A.Yes, because 'whom' is the object of the verb 'interviewed'.
B.No; it should be 'who' because the pronoun is the subject of the verb 'had'.
C.Yes, because 'whom' is the object of the verb 'was determined'.
D.No; it should be 'that' because the clause is restrictive.
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Use relative pronouns: who and whom
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