Group Work In your groups, write a sentence that uses pronouns in the subject case. Write a sentence that uses pronouns in the object case. Write a sentence using that/which correctly. Write a sentence using we/us correctly.

Nouns!  Nouns are one of the eight parts of speech  A noun can be a person, place, or thing  A noun can also be the subject of a clause, whether independent or dependent  A noun can also be the object of a verb in a clause

Previewing Possessive Case Nouns only change form when in the possessive case (which we will discuss in a few minutes)... Bethany's eyes Alice's fur coat

Pronouns A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun. Pronouns are about specification. They do not exist in a vacuum. Pronouns have three cases: subject, object, and possessive.

Pronouns! What is case? Case is the form a noun or pronoun takes to indicate its function in a sentence Three cases above Pronoun chart

Group Question #1 In your groups, write a sentence that uses pronouns in the subject case.

Subject Case! Pronouns take on the subject case in the following situations: As a subject of a verb: She bought a new water bottle. As a subject complement: It was she who took me to Long Beach Island.

Group Question #2 Write a sentence that uses pronouns in the object case.

Object Case! Pronouns take on the object case in the following situations: As a direct object (nouns affected by subject/verb): Our department head told Alexis and me to come to the meeting. As an indirect object (tells you who the action is happening to): The tuition bill surprised him.

Possessive Case! Possessive case indicates ownership of something: your car, your book, our wedding Bethany's advisor approved her trip to our campus.

Time Out! Pause. Take a breath! Questions?!

Who v Whom In general, use who when talking about a person as a subject. Who donated the books? In general, use whom when a pronoun functions as an object. I wonder whom jazz musician Miles Davis influenced (whom=object...Miles Davis is subject...influenced is the verb).

Group Question #3 Write a sentence using we/us correctly.

We v Us Use we if the pronoun is a subject. We women must stick together. Use us if the pronoun must be in object case. Teachers make learning easy for us students.

Group Question #4 Write a sentence using that/which correctly.

Which v That! That usually refers to an object, not a person. Use who if referring to a person. Arthur Miller, who wrote The Crucible, also wrote All My Sons. Also, use that when using a restrictive clause that would change the meaning of the sentence without it. Books that big can't fit into my bag. The librarians at Monmouth that have hybrid cars get better gas mileage.

Which v That! Which will be used when you have a nonrestrictive clause that would not change the meaning of a sentence. This is supplemental information. My bag, which is sized for 15” laptops, cannot hold that laptop. At Stockton, the coffee shop which is open until midnight is the saving grace of the night school community. Grammar Girl on That v Which ammar/which-versus-that

Time Out! Pause. Take a breath! Questions?!

Finally...  Grammar checkers have a hard time with pronoun usage because they can't infer what words, if any, are being referred to in the sentence.  Make sure pronoun references are clear.  After Rooney intercepted the ball, he passed it as hard as he could towards the net. (he and it refer to Rooney and ball)  If it is ambiguous whether one or more nouns are being referenced, use the noun instead of a pronoun.

Look For Clues What is the pronoun referencing? Look for other pronouns Comma usage (which)

Listen! Grammar Girl on Subjects and ObjectsSubjects and Objects Grammar Girl on whether you should use that for your pets.whether you should use that for your pets

Supplemental Readings