Pronoun Usage Notes
Nominative case pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject or predicate nominative.
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Objective case pronouns are used when the pronoun is a direct or indirect object or the object of a preposition.
me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom
Possessive case pronouns are used to show ownership or relationship
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its our, ours, their, theirs
First person is the person speaking: I, we, us, me, our, ours, my, mine
Second person is the person spoken to: you, your, yours
Third person is a person or thing other than the speaker or the person being spoken to: he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, they, them, their, theirs
Singular
Nominative Objective Possessive
First Person I Me My, Mine
Second Person You You Your, Yours
Third Person He, She, It Him, Her, It His, Her, Hers, Its
Plural
Nominative Objective Possessive
First Person We Us Our, Ours
Second Person You You Your, Yours
Third person They Them Their, Theirs
The subject of the verb is in the nominative case.
If the subject is a compound be careful; even though it is a compound, it doesn’t change the pronoun.
Ex. She and I are going to the football game.
Pronouns are sometimes used with a noun appositive; to determine the right case form read the sentence without the appositive.
A noun appositive is a noun or pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.
Ex. We teachers are really busy this time of year.
The predicate nominative is in the nominative case.
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject.
Linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, become, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, and must
What pronouns are in the nominative case? I, you, he, she, it, we, they
The direct object and the indirect object are in the objective case.
The direct object is a word or group of words that directly receives the action expressed by the verb or shows the result of the action. It answers the question What? or Whom? after an action verb.
The indirect object is a noun or pronoun in the predicate that precedes the direct object. It tells to whom? or for whom? the action of the verb is done.
You must have an action verb to have a direct or indirect object.
You must have a direct object to have an indirect object.
Objective case pronouns: me, him, her, us & them
The object of a preposition is in the objective case.
The object of a preposition is a noun or pronoun that ends the prepositional phrase.
Remember: compounds do not change the pronouns case.
Remember: try the parts of the compound separately.
Steps to take to check if we are using the correct pronoun
1. Check to see if we have a subject. If our pronoun is the subject, it is the nominative case.
I, he, she, it, you, we, they
2. Check for a preposition. If we have a preposition and our pronoun is the object of the preposition, it is in the objective case.
me, you, him, her, it, us, them
3. If our pronoun is not the subject and is not the object of a preposition, look at the verb. If we have a linking verb, it is the nominative case. If we have an action verb, it is the objective case.
Linking verb = nominative case
Action verb = objective case
The use of who and whom in a subordinate clause is determined by the pronoun’s function in the clause.
Who= nominative case
Whom= objective case
Who can be used as the subject or the predicate nominative.
Whom can be used as the direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
Steps to decide whether to use who or whom:
1. pick out the subordinate clause
2. decide how the relative pronoun is used in that clause
3. determine the case of the pronoun, according to the steps for choosing a correct pronoun
4. select the correct form of the pronoun
After than and as in an incomplete construction, use the form of the pronoun you would use if the construction were complete.
Ex. She is taller than I.- incomplete construction
She is taller than I am tall. –complete construction.
Incomplete-The news surprised her more than me.
Complete- The news surprised her more than the news surprised me.
Sometimes which pronoun you use can depend on how you complete the sentence.
Ex) I understand Mac better than he.
I understand Mac better than he understands him.
Or
I understand Mac better than him.
I understand Mac better than I understand him.
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Objective case pronouns are used when the pronoun is a direct or indirect object or the object of a preposition.
me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom
Possessive case pronouns are used to show ownership or relationship
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its our, ours, their, theirs
First person is the person speaking: I, we, us, me, our, ours, my, mine
Second person is the person spoken to: you, your, yours
Third person is a person or thing other than the speaker or the person being spoken to: he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, they, them, their, theirs
Singular
Nominative Objective Possessive
First Person I Me My, Mine
Second Person You You Your, Yours
Third Person He, She, It Him, Her, It His, Her, Hers, Its
Plural
Nominative Objective Possessive
First Person We Us Our, Ours
Second Person You You Your, Yours
Third person They Them Their, Theirs
The subject of the verb is in the nominative case.
If the subject is a compound be careful; even though it is a compound, it doesn’t change the pronoun.
Ex. She and I are going to the football game.
Pronouns are sometimes used with a noun appositive; to determine the right case form read the sentence without the appositive.
A noun appositive is a noun or pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun to identify or explain it.
Ex. We teachers are really busy this time of year.
The predicate nominative is in the nominative case.
A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and renames the subject.
Linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, become, have, has, had, do, does, did, can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, and must
What pronouns are in the nominative case? I, you, he, she, it, we, they
The direct object and the indirect object are in the objective case.
The direct object is a word or group of words that directly receives the action expressed by the verb or shows the result of the action. It answers the question What? or Whom? after an action verb.
The indirect object is a noun or pronoun in the predicate that precedes the direct object. It tells to whom? or for whom? the action of the verb is done.
You must have an action verb to have a direct or indirect object.
You must have a direct object to have an indirect object.
Objective case pronouns: me, him, her, us & them
The object of a preposition is in the objective case.
The object of a preposition is a noun or pronoun that ends the prepositional phrase.
Remember: compounds do not change the pronouns case.
Remember: try the parts of the compound separately.
Steps to take to check if we are using the correct pronoun
1. Check to see if we have a subject. If our pronoun is the subject, it is the nominative case.
I, he, she, it, you, we, they
2. Check for a preposition. If we have a preposition and our pronoun is the object of the preposition, it is in the objective case.
me, you, him, her, it, us, them
3. If our pronoun is not the subject and is not the object of a preposition, look at the verb. If we have a linking verb, it is the nominative case. If we have an action verb, it is the objective case.
Linking verb = nominative case
Action verb = objective case
The use of who and whom in a subordinate clause is determined by the pronoun’s function in the clause.
Who= nominative case
Whom= objective case
Who can be used as the subject or the predicate nominative.
Whom can be used as the direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
Steps to decide whether to use who or whom:
1. pick out the subordinate clause
2. decide how the relative pronoun is used in that clause
3. determine the case of the pronoun, according to the steps for choosing a correct pronoun
4. select the correct form of the pronoun
After than and as in an incomplete construction, use the form of the pronoun you would use if the construction were complete.
Ex. She is taller than I.- incomplete construction
She is taller than I am tall. –complete construction.
Incomplete-The news surprised her more than me.
Complete- The news surprised her more than the news surprised me.
Sometimes which pronoun you use can depend on how you complete the sentence.
Ex) I understand Mac better than he.
I understand Mac better than he understands him.
Or
I understand Mac better than him.
I understand Mac better than I understand him.