Pronoun case
Pronouns replace nouns, but there can be many nouns in a sentence. The division of pronouns into “cases” helps us know whether a particular pronoun in a sentence refers to a subject, an object, or whether it possesses something.
English pronouns have three cases (subjective, objective, and possessive), and the possessive case has two forms: one that comes before a noun and one that stands alone. That makes four sets to learn:
- Subjective
- Possessive before a noun
- Objective
- Possessive standing alone
The chapter ends with reflexive (-self) pronouns, which are often misused in place of I and me.
Each set has singular and plural forms. You won’t be asked to name a case, though. The errors the test sets turn up in a few predictable places: a pronoun joined to a noun or another pronoun by and (Jen and me went), a pronoun after a preposition (between you and I), and a -self form used in place of I or me. The quick check for a pair is to cover the other half: Me went is clearly wrong, so it’s Jen and I went.
Subjective pronouns
The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about, usually the noun that performs the verb’s action. Subjective pronouns replace nouns that are in the subject position of their sentences.
Example:
Mary had a little goat.
She had a little goat.Here, the subjective pronoun she replaces Mary as the subject of the sentence.
Subjective pronouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| I | we |
| you | you |
| he, she, it, one | they |
Some sentences contain many nouns, so here are some pointers that can help you identify which noun is the subject:
- The subject is who or what the sentence is mostly about.
- The subject comes before the verb in most English sentences.
- The subject is never the object of a preposition: a noun inside a phrase such as to the barbecue or on Saturday cannot be the subject.
- The main subject of the sentence is never inside a nonessential clause.
- The subject usually performs the action. In passive sentences (the project was done by me), the subject receives the action, and the doer follows by.
Example:
Carlos ate the entire bowl of raspberries.
There are three nouns in this sentence: Carlos, bowl, and raspberries. However, we know that Carlos is the subject because he is the one doing the eating. Therefore, we can replace Carlos with the subject pronoun he.
He ate the entire bowl of raspberries.
Practice question
The Margolins brought watermelon and their pet poodle Peaches to the barbecue on Saturday.
Which noun should be replaced with the subjective pronoun they?
Choose the correct answer:
a. Margolins
b. Watermelon
c. Peaches
d. Barbecue
e. Saturday
Correct answer:
The correct answer is
a.
Margolins is correct because it is a plural noun that refers to the members of the Margolin family. They are the actors because they are the ones doing the bringing.
b. Watermelon is incorrect because it is the recipient of the verb brought.
c. Peaches is incorrect because, like the watermelon, Peaches is being brought by the Margolins.
d. Barbecue is incorrect because it appears after the preposition to, making it the object of a prepositional phrase.
e. Saturday is incorrect because it appears after the preposition on. No noun that appears after a preposition will ever be the subject of a sentence.
Possessive pronouns before a noun
These possessive pronouns replace nouns that own other nouns, and they always come right before the noun they own. They also work like adjectives.
For example:
her coat
The possessive pronoun her is also an adjective because it provides information about the coat: the coat belongs to her.
Even though we use 's to designate possessive nouns, we do not use 's with most possessive pronouns.
Possessive pronouns before a noun
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| my | our |
| your | your |
| his, her, its, one’s | their |
Note: In this chart, only one’s uses an apostrophe. Indefinite pronouns such as someone’s and everybody’s also take 's, but personal pronouns (its, hers, ours, yours, theirs) never do.
Example:
Susan owns a red hat.
Here, Susan is the subject of the sentence, so we could use the subjective pronoun she.
She owns a red hat.
However, we might also say:
Susan’s hat is red.
The noun Susan becomes an adjective that describes the hat once it becomes possessive: Susan’s hat. If we substitute a pronoun for Susan’s, we use the form that comes before a noun, because hat follows it:
Her hat is red.
Practice question
The newlyweds’ apartment was small but welcoming.
Which pronoun correctly replaces the newlyweds’ in the sentence?
Choose the correct answer:
a. Our
b. There
c. Their
d. Your
e. Ones’
Correct answer:
The correct answer is
c.
Their is correct because newlyweds’ is a plural possessive noun, and a noun, apartment, follows it.
a. Our is incorrect because it is a first-person pronoun.
b. There is incorrect because it indicates location.
d. Your is incorrect because it is a second-person pronoun.
e. Ones’ is incorrect because it is not a word.
Objective pronouns
The object of a sentence is who or what the action is done to. It usually comes after the verb.
Example:
Sima mailed the tickets.
The tickets are the object because they are the recipients of Sima’s action.
If we replace tickets with a pronoun:
Sima mailed them.
Objective pronouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| me | us |
| you | you |
| him, her, it, one | them |
Many people find subject/object pronouns confusing, especially when choosing between I and me in sentences about two people.
Whenever this happens, simplify the sentence by removing the other noun.
Mr. McGregor paid Tim and (I, me) for our help cleaning his garage.
Mr. McGregor paid ___.
Mr. McGregor paid I is ungrammatical because I is a subject pronoun.
You must say:
Mr. McGregor paid me.
Therefore:
Mr. McGregor paid Tim and me for our help cleaning his garage.
The same test works on the subject side: Tim and (I, me) washed the car → drop Tim and → I washed the car → Tim and I washed the car. It also works before a noun: (We, Us) students voted → drop students → We voted.
Practice question
When Sam and I mistook Lily’s new pet mouse for a rat, I feared she would never forgive either of _____.
Choose the correct answer:
a. Me
b. We
c. Us
d. Them
e. They
Correct answer:
The correct answer is
c.
Us is correct because either of needs a plural object, and us refers to Sam and I. It is the object of the preposition of, so it takes the objective case.
a. Me is incorrect because either of needs a plural object: either of us.
b. We is incorrect because it is a subject pronoun.
d. Them is incorrect because it is third person.
e. They is incorrect because it is a subject pronoun.
Possessive pronouns that stand alone
Possessive pronouns that stand alone
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| mine | ours |
| yours | yours |
| his, hers | theirs |
Note: Mines is not a possessive pronoun. A mine is a place where people extract coal, salt, or minerals.
The pronouns mine, his, hers, ours, yours, and theirs never take an apostrophe.
Example:
During art, Melissa and Doug quarreled, so Melissa scribbled all over his painting.
His comes right before the noun it owns, painting, so it takes the before-a-noun form. Where the pronoun sits in the sentence does not decide its form: his painting is the object of the preposition over here, and it would still be his painting as the subject.
“That painting was mine,” Doug said. “Why didn’t you scribble on yours?”
No noun follows mine or yours, so each takes the standing-alone form. You would never write That painting was my.
Tina took her dog to get its shots.
Her and its both come right before a noun (dog, shots), so both take the before-a-noun form, even though her dog is the object of the sentence. The standing-alone form is hers: The dog is hers.
Remember:
its = possessive pronoun
it’s = contraction of it is or it has
Practice question
Those seats are ours, and the ones by the window are _____.
Choose the correct answer:
a. Their
b. Theirs
c. Their’s
d. Theirs’
e. Them
Correct answer:
The correct answer is
b.
Theirs is correct because no noun follows it, so it takes the standing-alone form, and standing-alone possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe.
a. Their is incorrect because it comes right before a noun, and no noun follows here.
c. Their’s is incorrect because possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe.
d. Theirs’ is incorrect because possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe.
e. Them is incorrect because it is an objective pronoun, not a possessive one.
Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject when the subject also receives the action (I bought myself boots).
Reflexive pronouns
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| myself | ourselves |
| yourself | yourselves |
| himself, herself, itself, oneself | themselves |
Note: Hisself and theirselves are nonstandard. In edited writing, use himself and themselves.
Example:
I bought myself a new pair of boots.
Rita taught herself Arabic by using a phone app.
The same -self forms can also add emphasis right after a noun or at the end of a clause, as in the Hendersons built their house themselves or the mayor herself attended. Leave the word out and the sentence still makes sense—that’s the test for this emphatic, or intensive, use, and it’s correct. Using a -self form in place of I or me is not.
There is a common misconception that reflexive pronouns add formality to writing. They do not.
INCORRECT: The director and myself will iron out the difficulties.
CORRECT: The director and I will iron out the difficulties.
INCORRECT: The project will be done by myself.
CORRECT: The project will be done by me.
Practice question
Leah offered to help Mark and Mindy with their history project, but they said they wanted to do it ____________.
Choose the correct answer:
a. Himself
b. Theirselves
c. Ourselves
d. Themselves
e. Themself
Correct answer:
The correct answer is
d.
Themselves is correct because it refers back to Mark and Mindy, a plural antecedent. Here it is an intensive pronoun: it emphasizes that they wanted to do the project on their own.
a. Himself is incorrect because it is singular.
b. Theirselves is incorrect because it is nonstandard; the standard form is themselves.
c. Ourselves is incorrect because the antecedent does not include the speaker.
e. Themself is incorrect because the correct plural form is themselves.
Subject-verb agreement, verb tense shifts, and adjective and adverb choice are covered in later chapters, including agreement and parallel structure and adjectives.