Pronoun Case UWF Writing Lab Grammar Skills Series #6 From Real Good Grammar, Too by Mamie Webb Hixon PowerPoint Created by Olivia Hawkins Last Updated Spring 2017

So What is Pronoun Case, Anyway? English has four pronoun cases: subjective, objective, reflexive, and possessive. Use subject case for the person or thing doing the action, and use object case for the person or thing being acted upon. If you’re not sure which pronoun is which, try putting two in a simple sentence. For example, “__ hit __” as in “He hit him.” “He” is clearly the subject, and “him” is the object. Most of the time, we use pronouns correctly without thinking about which case we are using. However, certain situations often trip writers up. Once you learn these six tricks of the trade, you’ll be able to handle any pronoun situation that arises.

Sort The Pronouns Subjective Objective Reflexive Possessive I Me Myself Mine She Her Herself Her(s) He Him Himself His They Them Themselves Their(s) Us We Ourselves Our(s) Who Whom Whose ---

Trick of The Trade #1: Who versus Whom Who/whoever = he, they, she He is the candidate who should win. (he should win.) Give the money to whoever wins. (he wins.) Whom/whomever = him, them, her He is a candidate whom we can trust. (we can trust him.) Give the money to whomever the team chooses. (the team chooses him.)

Trick of The Trade #2: Remove the Extra Information With multiple subjects, ignore/delete and and the other person: You and I figured out the answer. The professor asked Imani and me to read the text. With other nouns, ignore/delete the other noun We grammar nerds must stick together. The instructor told us students to sit down.

Trick of The Trade #3: Pronouns with Prepositions Always use object pronouns with between because it is a preposition: The debate was between him and his opponent. An argument broke out between her and me. Except is also a preposition: Everyone except me attended the meeting. Tip: substitute we and us for your pronouns. You would say “between us,” not “between we.” Us is an object pronoun, so you need to use other object pronouns.

Trick of The Trade #4: Possessives with Gerunds Use a possessive pronoun preceding a gerund: My going to the store was essential. Gerund = an “-ing” verb acting as a noun. Tip: Substitute a noun for your gerund: “My trip to the store.” You wouldn’t say “Me trip to the store” (unless you were a caveman), so don’t say “Me going to the store” either.

Trick of The Trade #5: Comparisons Insert the elliptical (implied) words: My classmates are much older than I [am]. My brother eats more than I [do]. Carlos likes Tracy more than I [do]. Or: Carlos likes Tracy more than [he likes] me.

Trick of The Trade #6: Linking Verbs Use subject pronouns after linking verbs: The winner of the contest is she. CALLER: May I speak with Olivia? OLIVIA: This is she. Some linking verbs are is, am, are, was, and were. This trick works because the linking verb acts as an = sign: “The winner of the contest is she” means the same thing as “She is the winner of the contest,” and you wouldn’t say “Her is the winner of the contest.” The fancy word for this pronoun is subject complement.

Congratulations! You’ve completed your pronoun case training. Now go out into the world of academic writing and apply your tricks yourself. Good luck!