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 subject) (Pronoun as object) (Ownership)
I me my, mine
you you your, yours
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. The
rules 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 so
on). 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?”
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 indi�rect 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.
As you learned in Chapter 1, 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
(Subject case) (Object case) (Ownership)
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 confus�ing 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. Lenny has changed his plans.
(singular or plural) Lenny and Sam have changed their plans.
Person indicates whether the pronoun refers I like to read mysteries.
to the first person (I: the person speaking), You can get them in the library.
second person (you: the person spoken to), Jill is studying math, which she
or third person (she: person, place, or thing needs.
spoken about).
Gender may be masculine, feminine, He is a butcher; she is a baker.
or neuter. 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, and 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.
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