Overview of Pronoun Case
Only
two parts of speech, nouns and pronouns, have case. This means that they change
form depending on how they are used in a sentence. English has three cases:
nominative, objective, and possessive.
In the nominative case, the pronoun is used as
a subject.
· I
threw the ball.
In the objective case, the pronoun is used as
an object.
· Give
the ball to me.
In the possessive case, the pronoun is used to
show ownership.
· The
ball is mine.
The
following chart shows the three cases of personal pronouns:
|
Nominative
|
Objective
|
Possessive
|
|
(Pronoun as subjectIve)
|
(objective)
|
(Possessive)
|
|
I
|
me
|
my, mine
|
|
you
|
your
|
You, your
|
|
He
|
Him
|
His
|
|
She
|
Her
|
Her, hers
|
|
It
|
It
|
Its
|
|
We
|
Us
|
Our, ours
|
|
They
|
Them
|
Their, theirs
|
|
Who
|
Whom
|
Whose
|
|
Whoever
|
Whomever
|
whoever
|
To avoid errors in personal pronoun use, you must understand how to use each case. Therules are explained below. Relax: They’re actually not difficult at all!
Using the Nominative Case
1. Use the nominative case to show the
subject of a verb.
Father and (I, me) like to
shop at flea markets.
Answer: I
is the subject of the sentence. Therefore, the pronoun is in the nominative
case: “Father and I like to shop at flea markets.” To help determine the
correct pronoun, take away the first subject and try each choice. See which one
sounds better.
For example:
·
I
like to shop at flea markets.
·
Me
like to shop at flea markets.
The first one definitely sounds better.
Quick Tip
When you list two or more subjects, always
put yourself last. Therefore, the
sentence would read “Father and I,” never “I
and Father.”
(Who, Whom) do you believe is the better
shopper?
Answer: Who is the subject of the verb is.
Therefore, the sentence would read, “Who do
you believe is the better shopper?”
Ignore interrupting expressions
such as do you believe, you think, do you suppose (and soon). They do not
affect pronoun case.
2. Use the nominative
case for a predicate nominative.
A predicate
nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and identifies or renames
the subject.
Remember that a linking verb connects a subject to a word that renames it. Linking verbs indicate a
state of being (am, is, are, etc.), relate to the senses (look, smell, taste, etc.), or indicate a condition (appear, seem,
become, etc.).
The salesman of the month was (I, me).
Answer: Use I, since the
pronoun renames the subject, the salesman of the month. “The salesman of the
month was I.” Which is correct: “It is I” or “It is me”? Technically, the
correct form is “It is I,” since we’re dealing with a predicate nominative.
However, “It is me” (and “It is us”) has become increasingly acceptable as
standard usage.
Using the Objective
Case
1. Use the objective case to show a direct
object.
A direct object is a
noun or pronoun that receives the action.
John’s suit no longer fits (he, him).
Answer: John’s suit no
longer fits him.
(Who, Whom) did she finally invite to the
dinner party?
Answer: She is the subject,
the person doing the action.
Therefore, the sentence should read: “Whom
did she finally invite to the dinner party?”
Of course, she can invite (whoever, whomever)
she wants.
Answer: Of course, she can
invite whomever she wants.
Quick Tip
When you have a pronoun combined with a noun
(such as we guests, us guests), try the sentence without the noun. You can
usually “hear” which pronoun sounds right.
It is always a pleasure for we to attend their party.
It is always a pleasure for us to attend their party.
The second sentence is correct.
2. Use the objective case to show an indirect
object.
An indirect object
tells to or for whom something is done. You can tell a word is an indirect object
if you can insert to or for before it without changing the meaning.
For example:
“The book gave (to) my boss and (to) me some
new strategies.”
The bill gave (we, us) a shock.
Answer: The bill gave us a
shock.
3. Use the objective case for the object of a
preposition.
Remember that a
preposition is a small word that links a noun or a pronoun following it to
another word in the sentence.
Sit by (I, me).
Answer: The pronoun is the
object of the preposition me, so the sentence reads: “Sit by me.”
Using the Possessive
Case
1. Use the possessive
case to show ownership.
The child refused to admit that the sweater
was (her’s, hers).
Answer: Hers is the correct
spelling of the possessive case, which is needed here to
express ownership (belonging to her).
Therefore, the sentence should read: “The child
refused to admit that the sweater was hers.”
2. Use the possessive case before gerunds.
A gerund is a form of
a verb that acts as a noun. Gerunds always end in -ing, and they always
function as nouns.
(You, Your) walking in the rain didn’t cause
your cold.
Answer: The gerund walking
requires the possessive pronoun your. Therefore, the sentence should read:
“Your walking in the rain didn’t cause your cold.”
Do you mind (my, me) borrowing your cell
phone?
Answer: Do you mind my
borrowing your cell phone?
3. Use some possessive pronouns alone to show
ownership.
This cell phone is mine, not yours.
Three Other Rules for
Using Pronouns
Here are three more rules that apply to
pronouns and case.
1. A
pronoun used in apposition with a noun is in the same case as the noun.
An appositive phrase is a noun or pronoun
that adds information and details. Appositives can often be removed from the
sentence, so they are set off with commas. The appositive in the following
sentence is underlined.
Two police officers, Alice and (she, her),
were commended for bravery.
Answer: The pronoun must be
in the nominative case (she) because
it is in apposition
with the noun police officers, which is in
the nominative case. Therefore, the sentence
should read: Two police officers, Alice
and she, were commended for bravery.
Exception: A pronoun used as the subject of an infinitive
is in the objective case.
For example:
“Juan expects Luz and (I, me) to host the
reception.” The correct pronoun here is me,
since it is the subject of the infinitive to
host.
Quick Tip
Pronouns that express ownership never get an
apostrophe. Watch for these possessive pronouns: yours, his, hers, its, ours,
theirs.
2. Use
-self forms correctly with reflexive and intensive situations.
reflexive pronouns reflect back to the
subject or object.
The child embarrassed himself.
Don’t use reflexive pronouns in place of
subjects and objects.
The boss and (myself, I) had a meeting.
Answer: Use the pronoun I,
not the reflexive form. Therefore, the sentence reads: “The boss and I had a
meeting.”
3. Who is the nominative case; whom is the
objective case.
No one will argue that who and whom are the
most troublesome pronouns in English. Even though who and whom were discussed
earlier in this chapter, these little words cause such distress that they
deserve their own subsection. Let’s start by looking back at our pronoun-use
chart.
|
|
Nominative
|
Objective
|
Possessive
|
|
Subjective (case)
|
Objective (case)
|
Ownership (case)
|
|
|
Singular
|
Who
|
Whom
|
Whose
|
|
Whoever
|
Whomever
|
Whosoever
|
|
|
Plural
|
Who
|
Whom
|
Whose
|
|
Whoever
|
Whomever
|
Whosoever
|
Now, some guidelines:
·
Use who or whoever when the pronoun is the
subject of a verb.
Who won the Nobel
Prize this year?
·
Use who or whoever when the pronoun is the
predicate nominative.
The winner was who?
·
Use whom or whomever when the pronoun is the
direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
Whom did he fire this
week?
Use Correct Pronoun Reference
The meaning of a pronoun comes from its
antecedent, the noun or pronoun to which it refers. Your speech and writing
will be confusing if your pronoun reference is unclear.
Carelessly placed pronouns can create
unintentionally funny sentences as well as confusing ones. Consider the
difference between what the writer thinks he or she said and what is really
being said in the following sentences:
Last week, a wart appeared on my right thumb,
and I want it removed.
(Are you removing the wart or the thumb?)
Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally
destructive to you and your friends. You must get rid of them. (Are you getting
rid of the guilt or your friends?)
There are three ways to prevent pronoun
confusion.
1. A pronoun must clearly refer to a single
antecedent.
2. Place pronouns close to their antecedents.
3. Make a pronoun refer to a definite
antecedent.
Let’s look at each guideline in detail.
1. A
pronoun must clearly refer to a single antecedent. A common writing and speech
problem occurs when the same pronoun refers to more than one antecedent. For
instance, in the last example in the previous section, them can refer to guilt,
unkindness, or your friends.
Remember that a pronoun replaces a noun. To
make sure that your writing and speech are clear, always use the noun first
before you use the pronoun. Clarify the sentence by replacing the unclear
pronouns with nouns. That way, all the remaining pronouns will clearly refer to
a single antecedent.
Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally
destructive to you and your friends. You
must get rid of them. Here are two ways you
could rewrite this sentence:
Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally
destructive to you and your friends. You
must get rid of these issues.
Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally
destructive to you and your friends. You
must get rid of these destructive emotions.
2. Place pronouns close
to their antecedents. If too many phrases come between a pronoun and its
antecedent, the sentence can be difficult to read and understand. This can
happen even if the intervening material is logically related to the rest of the
sentence. Consider the following sentence:
After meeting a few guests, the President
entered the reception. At that point, Senator Chin and the other elected
officials began to pose for pictures. Even so, he did not join them. In this
sentence he is too far away from its antecedent, the President. One solution is
to replace he with the President. The other solution is to rewrite the sentences
to move the pronoun closer.
After meeting a few guests, the President
entered the reception. At that point, Senator Chin and the other elected
officials began to pose for pictures. Even so, the President did not join them.
After meeting a few guests, the President entered the reception. He did not
join Senator Chin and the other elected officials, even though they began to
pose for pictures.
Quick Tip
When you start a new paragraph, repeat the
noun from the previous paragraph
rather than using a pronoun in its place.
Repeating the noun (usually a name) can help your reader more easily follow
your logic.
3. Make a pronoun refer
to a definite antecedent. Be sure all pronouns refer to only one antecedent.
The pronouns it, this, that, and which are especially prone to unclear pronoun reference.
Consider the following sentence:
I told my friends that I was going to be a
rock star, which annoyed my mother.
The following form is better because it is
less ambiguous:
My mother was annoyed because I told my friends
that I was going to be a rock star.
The Generic Masculine
Pronoun
Pronouns have number, person, and gender.
|
Definition
|
Example
|
|
Number shows amount.
(singular or plural)
Person indicates whether
the pronoun refers to the first person( I: the person speaking), second
person (you: the person spoken to ) ,or third person (she: person, place, or
thing spoken about).
Gender
may be masculine, feminine, or neuter.
|
Lenny has changed his plans
Lenny and Sam have
changed their plans.
I like to read
mysteries
You can get them in
the library.
Jill is studying math,
which she needs.
He is a butcher, she is a baker.
It is a fine car.
|
Traditionally, a masculine pronoun was used
to refer to a single antecedent whose gender is not specified.
A student should turn in his assignments on time.
This usage is no longer considered correct,
since it is sexist language. You can use both the masculine and feminine
pronouns or recast the sentence to make the pronoun plural:
A student should turn in his or her assignments on
time.
Students should turn in their assignments on time.
Which choice is best? Consider rewriting
these sentences to make the pronoun plural because this results in smoother
sentences.
Using Who, Which,
That
Special rules govern the use of the relative
pronouns who, which, and that.
1. Who refers to people
or animals (only animals with names or special talents, like Lassie).
She is not the actress who was originally
cast in the role.
2. That and which refer
to things, groups, and unnamed animals.
The choice between which and that depends on
whether the clause introduced by the pronoun is restrictive or nonrestrictive.
·
A restrictive clause is essential to the
sentence.
·
A
nonrestrictive clause adds extra meaning, is set off by commas, an can be
removed from the sentence.
Use that for restrictive clauses and which
with nonrestrictive clauses.
Once, at a social gathering, Gladstone said
to Disraeli, “I predict, sir, that you will die either by hanging or by some
vile disease.” (restrictive clause)
Disraeli replied, “That all depends, sir,
upon whether I embrace your principles or
your mistress.” (restrictive clause)
Postage meters, which are easy to use, are
available at the book store. (nonrestrictive clause).
Quick Tip
In spoken English, who and whomever are
becoming more and more uncommon. Informally, people use who and whoever in
almost all situations.
