Pertinent To: Standard Pattern
Pertinent To: Standard Pattern records the directly documented construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced complement pattern rather than inventing a broader prohibition.
Use “pertinent to” when the complement names the issue, case, situation, or subject to which something directly relates.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| something is directly relevant to an issue, case, or subject | pertinent to + noun/pronoun | Use the documented formal construction. |
| no complement needs to be stated | pertinent | Do not add a complement merely to force the pattern. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does the sentence name the issue or subject to which something is directly related?
If yes: Use “pertinent to” before that complement.
If no: Use “pertinent” without a complement when the relation is already clear or no complement is needed.
Examples
Please include facts pertinent to the case.
“To the case” names the matter to which the facts are directly relevant.
Her question was pertinent.
The adjective can stand without an explicit “to” complement when the relation is understood.
Further guidance
Construction
Cambridge documents formal collocation “pertinent to” for something directly related to the subject being considered.
Style Boundary
This page records the formal pertinent-to construction without claiming that synonyms such as relevant are interchangeable in every register.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Pertinent to something — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Direct dictionary evidence for formal collocation “pertinent to” meaning directly related to the matter being considered.