1. Pronouns

2. Why are pronouns important?
My friend Jan barely survived Jan’s family
vacation last summer. Jan was sailing with
Jan’s family off the coast of Florida when a
storm came up. The storm capsized Jan and
Jan’s family’s boat. Fortunately, Jan and
Jan’s family had life jackets, which saved
Jan and Jan’s family’s lives.

3. Key Vocabulary
Pronoun: a word that is used in place of a noun or another pronoun
Antecedent: the word that the pronoun takes the place of or refers to
Personal pronouns: refer to a person speaking (first person), a person spoken to (second person), or the person spoken about (third person)

4. Personal Pronouns Nominative/ Subjective Objective Case Possessive
1st Person I we me us
my/mine
our/ours
2nd Person
you
your
yours
3rd Person
he/she it
they
him/her
them
his/her/hers
its
their/theirs

5. Using the correct case…
Objective
Case Uses:
when the pronoun follows/comes after an action verb
when the pronoun is the object of a prepositional phrase
Examples: between you and me, after him, before her, with us
Nominative/Subjective
Case Uses:
when the pronoun is the subject of a sentence or verb
When the pronoun follows a linking verb
Linking verbs: am, is, are, be, was, were, etc.

6. Hints for using the correct case…
Try both the subjective and objective case pronoun and listen for the one that sounds correct.
He/him lifeguards at the neighborhood pool during the summer. (He lifeguards or Him lifeguards?)
The rescuers found he/him after 3 hours. (found he or found him?)
If the subject or object is compound, ignore the first one and just try the pronouns.
My brother and I/me watched a movie last night. (I watched or Me watched?)
The raft belongs to my brother and he/him. (belongs to he or belongs to him?)

7. Hints for using the correct case…
If the pronoun follows a linking verb, switch the subject and the pronoun.
The biggest supporters were she and I/her and me. (She and I were or Her and me were?)
The greatest students are they/them. (They are the greatest or Them are the greatest?)
If the pronoun is at the end of a sentence following the word THAN, finish the sentence:
She is smarter than I/me. (She is smarter than I am or smarter than me am?)
You look better than I/me. (You look better than I do or me do?)

8. Let’s Practice!
Hurricane Floyd ravaged the East Coast in The extent of the damage horrified my friends and I/me.
My brother and I/me read that Floyd was 600 miles across and had winds of 155 mph.
Gerald Keeth is a U.S. sailor; the hurricane gave the others and he/him the scare of his life.
“The bad weather started pounding we/us Tuesday night,” he wrote.
They/them launched their life raft in 55 foot seas with 60 knot winds.
The raft accidentally left behind two others and he/him.
They/Them only had life jackets and an emergency locator beacon.
“I could hear each wave from behind I/me like a freight train coming,” he said.
Finally a helicopter rescued they/them.
“A rescue swimmer put a harness on each of we/us and we/us were hauled into the helicopter,” he continued.