Identify and correct pronoun errors with ‘who’

Key Notes:

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
Example:

• Ravi is my friend. → He is my friend.

When to Use Who

• ‘Who’ is a subject pronoun.
• It is used to refer to people who are doing the action.
• Always matches with the verb in the sentence.

✅ Examples:

• Who is coming to the party? 🎉
• The girl who won the prize is my sister. 🏆

❌ Incorrect:

• Whom is coming to the party? ❌ (❌ ‘Whom’ is wrong because it is an object pronoun)

Common Pronoun Errors with Who

1. Using who instead of whom (or vice versa).
   • Wrong: To who should I give this gift?
   • Right: To whom should I give this gift? ✅
2. Using who for non-human subjects.
   • Wrong: The car who won the race is fast.
   • Right: The car that won the race is fast. ✅
3. Incorrect verb agreement with who.
   • Wrong: She is the one who go to school early.
   • Right: She is the one who goes to school early. ✅

Tips to Identify Errors with Who

• Ask: “Is who the subject of the verb?”
• If yes → correct, if no → maybe ‘whom’.
• Check the verb form after who. It must agree with the subject.

Quick Rules

Rule	Example	❌ Wrong	✅ Correct
Subject pronoun	Who is calling?	Whom is calling?	Who is calling?
Refers to people	The boy who helps me	The boy who helps me	The boy that helps me (also okay)
Verb agreement	She is the one who loves reading	She is the one who love reading	She is the one who loves reading

Fun Practice

Correct the pronoun errors in these sentences:

1. Who/Whom should I invite to the party? 🎉
2. The teacher, who/whom teaches us English, is kind. 🧑‍🏫
3. He is the one who/whom always helps me. 🤝

✅ Answers:

1. Whom
2. Who
3. Who

Remember:

• Whom = object (receives the action)
• Always match the verb with who!