Pronoun Case I or Me?

PRONOUN CASE DEPENDS ON HOW THE PRONOUN IS USED IN THE SENTENCE

IS IT THE SUBJECT? Then use subjective case.

Subjective Case Pronouns Pronouns that function as a subject They PERFORM the action of the sentence. Bob practices his clarinet every day. He practices his clarinet every day. Marie was late getting the report finished. She was late getting the report finished.

Subjective Case Pronouns Use subjective case pronouns for subject complements. A subject complement follows a linking verb such as any form of the verb “to be.” The murderer was Professor Plum! The murderer was he!

The following verbs are true linking verbs: am is are was were has been are being might have been become seem These true linking verbs are always linking verbs. Any form of the verb be

Subjective Case Pronouns Iweyouhesheitthey

IS IT THE OBJECT? Then use objective case.

Objective Case Pronouns Pronouns that function as a direct object indirect object object of a preposition They RECEIVE the action of the verb Mr. Brown passed the soda to him.

Examples: Direct object Bruce found Tony and brought him to the party. Indirect object Alice gave me a surprise party. Object of a preposition If you see Ann, please give this note to her.

Special Note: Pet Peeve Let’s just keep this a secret between you and I. Let’s just keep this a secret between you and me. What part of speech is BETWEEN? It’s a PREPOSITION!! Correct answer: Let’s just keep it a secret between you and me.

Objective Case Pronouns meyouhimheritusthem

DOES IT HAVE OWNERSHIP? Then use possessive case.

Possessive Case Pronouns These are easy to identify! They show ownership. My dog is Rover. Leslie lost her ribbon. The disk was left out of its case. The boys left their books in the library. Myron said the backpack is his. The pen is mine.

Possessive Case Pronouns my, mine you, yours his, her, its our, ours you, yours their, theirs

The BIG Picture! SubjectiveIyou he, she, it wethey Objectivemeyou him, her, it usthem Possessive my, mine you, yours his, her, its our, ours their, theirs

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? This is Easy!!

Compound Word Groups Rita and she? Rita and her? Which one? You can analyze the sentence to decide if the pronoun is a subject or an object. You can analyze the sentence to decide if the pronoun is a subject or an object.OR

Use The TRICK! When a pronoun appears as part of a compound word group, like X and Y, mentally strip away all of the words in the group except the pronoun.

Compound Word Groups Her and Rita went to the movie. Try this: Her and Rita went to the movie.Wrong!! She and Rita=subject of the sentence Requires subjective case pronoun She and Rita went to the movie.

Compound Word Groups Mother baked a pie for John and I. Get rid of everything but the pronoun: Mother baked a pie for I.Wrong!! John and me=object of the preposition for Requires objective case pronoun Mother baked a pie for John and me.

Appositives Appositives are words that rename nouns or pronouns. We students like this class. We like this class. The teacher is stern but fair with us students. The teacher is stern but fair with us.

Pronouns With than or as Sometimes verbs are omitted in comparisons that use than or as. To choose the correct pronoun, mentally fill in the verb. Harold weighs more than I [weigh]. Sue’s brother is as tall as she [is].

Check this out! Sometimes both sentences can be correct. The meaning changes depending on the pronoun used. She is more afraid of the Great Dane than I. She is more afraid of the Great Dane than I [am]. She is more afraid of the Great Dane than me. She is more afraid of the Great Dane than [she is afraid of] me.

FINE TUNING All the nitpicky items you’ll find on the ACT Test!

What’s a Linking Verb? Linking verbs do not express action. Instead, they connect the subject of the verb to additional information about the subject. Look at the examples below:subject verb Keila is a shopaholic. “Ising” isn't something that Keila can do. Is connects the subject, Keila, to additional information about her.

More Examples: During the afternoon, my cats are content to nap on the couch. “Areing” isn't something that cats can do. Are is connecting the subject, cats, to something said about them. After drinking the old milk, Bladimiro turned green. Turned connects the subject, Bladimiro, to something said about him.

You Guessed It! More Examples: A ten-item quiz seems impossibly long after a night of no studying. Seems connects the subject, a ten-item quiz, with something said about it, that its difficulty depends on preparation, not length. Irene always feels sleepy after pigging out on pizza from Antonio's. Feels connects the subject, Irene, to her state of being, sleepiness.

The SOMETIME Crowd appear feel grow look prove remain smell sound taste turn The list of verbs with multiple personalities: Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs Sometimes they are action verbs.action verbs

How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking verbs? If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands. If, after the substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an action verb instead.

Here are some examples: Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew. Sylvia is the stew? I don't think so! Tasted, therefore, is an action verb in this sentence, something Sylvia is doing. The squid eyeball stew tasted good. The stew is good? You bet. Make your own!

I smell the delicious aroma of a mushroom and papaya pizza baking in the oven. I am the aroma? No way! Smell, in this sentence, is an action verb, something I am doing. The mushroom and papaya pizza smells heavenly. The pizza is heavenly? Definitely! Try a slice!

When my dog Oreo felt the wet grass beneath her paws, she bolted up the stairs and curled up on the couch. Oreo is the wet grass? Of course not! Here, then, felt is an action verb, something Oreo is doing. My dog Oreo feels depressed after seven straight days of rain. Oreo is depressed? Without a doubt! Oreo hates the wet.

There’s ALWAYS an exception! This substitution will not work for appear. With appear, you have to analyze the function of the verb. Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the branch. Appear is something a blue jay can do—especially when food is near. The blue jay appeared happy to see the bird feeder. Here, appeared is connecting the subject, the blue jay, to its state of mind, happiness.

LET’S PRACTICE

1. Either the classrooms or the auditorium must have _________ floor refinished. their its Its

2. Every coat on this rack has outlived _________ usefulness. its their its

3. Tate George scored in the final two seconds, and the crowd roared ________ approval. their its its

4. When the committee submitted _________ four versions of the document, it was clear to us that the committee members had acted as individuals, not as a group. its their their

5. Saul's brother left the matter entirely up to _______ and _______. he --- I him --- I he --- me him --- me him --- me

6. _____ voters must learn to vote in our own self interest. We Us We

7. The voters have chosen _______ and _______ to be their representatives. she --- he her --- him her --- him

8. He didn't seem to care much about ______ voters. we us us

9. I'm very tall, but guess what! My sister is taller than _____. me I I

10. At first, I wanted to split the money between Jo-Jo and ________. I ended up giving the money to ___________. myself --- me me --- myself I --- myself me --- myself