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
Distinguish between correct and incorrect usage of 'who' in direct quotations.
Apply the subject/object rule for 'who' within quoted speech.
Identify instances where 'who' is misused in dialogue.
Revise sentences to correct pronoun errors involving 'who' in quoted conversations.
Explain why a particular use of 'who' is correct or incorrect in a given quotation.
Construct dialogue using 'who' correctly in various contexts.
Ever read a character's dialogue and thought, 'Wait, that doesn't sound quite right?' 🤔 Sometimes, it's a tiny word like 'who' that makes all the difference!
In this lesson, we'll become grammar detectives, uncovering and fixing common p...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
PronounA word that takes the place of a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they, who).Instead of saying 'Sarah went to the store,' you can say 'She went to the store.'
SubjectThe noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb in a sentence or clause.In 'The dog barked,' 'dog' is the subject. In 'Who is coming?', 'who' is the subject.
ObjectThe noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb or is affected by a preposition.In 'She saw him,' 'him' is the object. In 'To whom did you speak?', 'whom' is the object.
'Who' (as a Subject Pronoun)Used when the pronoun is performing the action (the subject) of a verb in its own clause.She asked, 'Who ate the last...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Rule 1: 'Who' as the Doer (Subject)
Use 'who' when the pronoun is performing the action (the subject) of a verb within its own clause.
Think of 'who' as the 'he' or 'she' of a question. If you can replace 'who' with 'he' or 'she' and the sentence still makes sense, 'who' is likely correct.
Rule 2: The 'He/Him' Test for 'Who'
To decide if 'who' is correct, mentally replace it with 'he' or 'him' in the clause. If 'he' fits, 'who' is correct. If 'him' fits, then 'who' is incorrect (because an object pronoun is needed).
This test helps you quickly determine if 'who' is functioning as a subjec...
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Challenging
A script has this dialogue: ANNA: "I need to find the person who I gave the keys to." BETH: "Are you talking about the person who was standing by the door?" Which character uses 'who' incorrectly and why?
A.Anna uses 'who' incorrectly because it is the object of the preposition 'to'.
B.Beth uses 'who' incorrectly because it is the object of the verb 'was standing'.
C.Both Anna and Beth use 'who' correctly as the subject in their sentences.
D.Both Anna and Beth use 'who' incorrectly as an object in their sentences.
Challenging
In an argumentative essay, a student writes: "The author's use of 'who' in the line, 'The king punished who he disagreed with,' is a deliberate error to show the king's lack of education." What is the most accurate evaluation of the student's grammatical claim?
A.The student is correct; 'who' is an error because it's the object of the preposition 'with'.
B.The student is incorrect; 'who' is used correctly because it is the subject of 'disagreed'.
C.The student is correct, but the error is that 'who' is the object of the verb 'punished'.
D.The student is incorrect; there is no grammatical error in the quotation.
Challenging
A teacher gives the following prompt for a dialogue: "Write a question your character would ask to find out which person received a mysterious letter." Which of the following responses uses 'who' incorrectly according to the rules?
A."Who was the letter addressed to?"
B."Who received the mysterious letter?"
C."Who could have gotten such a thing?"
D."Who knows about this letter?"
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