Is this sentence grammatically correct?

Question

"I'd like to believe that this is the case for all the kids who we thought were incapable."

In the essential clause "Who we thought were incapable" Do we have to add "they" after "thought" So it can become "Who we thought they were incapable" for it to be grammatically correct? If not, why?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

blade1337aI'd like to believe that this is the case for all the kids who we thought were incapable.

Correct.

blade1337aDo we have to add "they" after "thought"

No. That would make it wrong.

You start with this:

I'd like to believe that this is the case for all the kids who were incapable.

Then you want to add the idea "We thought the kids (they) were incapable."

But "the kids" ("they") is already present in the form "who" because "who" refers back to "the kids". So you don't add it again. This gives the final form:

I'd like to believe that this is the case for all the kids who we thought were incapable.

If it helps, think of "we thought" as parenthetical to the main structure.

Similarly,

He blamed that on the landlord, who (he said) was too cheap to buy a second dumpster.
Police officers began circulating the name and photo of a man who (they claimed) was the suspect in the case.
They probably made moves which (they thought) were right.

CJ

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