Which is which?

Ours, yours or mine? It's its.

Case refers to the form a word takes and its function in a sentence. The English language has just three
cases: subjective, possessive and objective.
Most nouns, many indefinite pronouns and it andyou have distinctive forms only for the possessive
case. For most nouns and indefinite pronouns, that form usually is indicated by an apostrophe: John's coat;
states' powers; someone's house; another's task. For it. the possessive is formed by adding s; for you
the possessive is formed by adding r or rs to the word.
(Never use an apostrophe to form a possessive for it, you or the personal pronouns noted below.)
Six personal pronouns have a distinctive form for each of the three cases:

Subjective
I, we, he, she,who and they are the forms used for subjects and subject complements.
Examples:
Subjects He and I were great friends. We grew uptogether. They lived next door. Who teaches that
course?
Complements of the subject The ones responsible are Joe and she. It is I. Joe Smith, that's who.

Possessive
My/mine, our/ours, his, her/hers, their/theirs and whose are the formsused to show
ownership.
Examples:
Before noun My car broke down. Our boat leaks.His dog is ugly. Her back is wet. Their name is
Mudd. Whose job is that?
Possessors in the noun position Mine is green. Ours is over there.His looks heavy. Hers was last
inline. Theirs sank yesterday.Whosewill be chosen?

Objective
Me, us, him, her, them and whom are the forms reserved for use as objectsof verbs or
prepositions.
Examples:
Sue likes me. Elaine drove to the airport to meet us. For him this is no problem. Sam wanted her to
leave. Jim was introduced to them. Finding whom I was looking for, I returned to my favorite pastime.

subjective case
By Richard Nordquist

Definition:

The case of a pronoun when it functions as one of the following:

the subject of a clause

a subject complement

an appositive to a subject or a subject complement

The subjective (or nominative) forms of English pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
and whoever. (Note that you and it have the same forms in the objective case.)
The subjective case is also known as the nominative case.
Examples and Observations:
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies,
I think the soul of America dies with it."
(Edward R. Murrow)

"I heard a scream and I didn't know if it was me who screamed or not--if it
was I who screamed."
(Olivia de Haviland in The Snake Pit, 1948)

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

(movie title, 1969)

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and
comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or
shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who
spends himself for a worthy cause."
(Theodore Roosevelt, speech at the Sorbonne, April 23, 1910)

"USAGE NOTE: In conversation, you may sometimes use objective case forms
of pronouns when formal written grammar requires subjective case forms.
For example, in responding to a question such as 'Are you Carmela Shiu?' you
might answer, 'Yes, that's me,' rather than 'Yes, that's I.' Me sounds more
natural because that form of the pronoun is used more often in speech.
However, I is grammatically correct in this instance."
(Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II, The Scribner Handbook for Writers, 3rd ed.,
Allyn and Bacon, 2001)

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."
(Mark Twain)

"I had a friend who was a clown. When he died, all his friends went to the
funeral in one car."
(Steven Wright)

St. Peter was standing at the Pearly Gates watching an assistant check in new
arrivals. The assistant had a roster and was calling out names as the spirits
lined up.
"James Robertson," he read off, and a fellow said, "I'm him." Then he read
"William Bumgarner," and another fellow said, "That's me." Then he read,
"Gladys Humphreys," and a woman answered, "I am she."
St. Peter leaned over and whispered to his assistant, "Another damn
schoolteacher."
(Loyal Jones and Billy Edd Wheeler, Curing the Cross-Eyed Mule: Appalachian
Mountain Humor. August House, 1989)

"There is no distinction between the nominative [subjective] and objective

form of it, nor of you (though historically the nominative form was ye, as in
the archaic expression Hear ye, hear ye)."
(Laurel J. Brinton, The Structure of Modern English: A Linguistic Introduction.
John Benjamins, 2000)

Also Known As: nominative case

Quizzes on Subjective pronouns

Choose the sentence that shows CORRECT use of a pronoun in subjective case.
Jason and them are going to the birthday party on Friday.
Jason and her are going to the birthday party on Friday

Jason and she are going to the birthday party on Friday.

The manager who set up the teleconference was she.

The manager who set up the teleconference was her.

Neither a nor b

Me and her have been working in the research laboratory for six months.
She and I have been working in the research laboratory for six months.

We have been working in the research laboratory for six months.

When a pronoun functions as the subject of a verb, use the ________ case.
possessive

subjective/nominative

objective

Pronouns As Subject Quiz

Question: 1 of 12
He gave me six tickets to his game.
A: me
B: he
C: game
D: his

We wanted to play basketball with them.

A: them
B: play
C: with
D: we
Which way did they go to the mall?
A: which
B: way
C: to
D: they
She wanted to give me a present but didn't know what to buy.
A: to
B: she
C: me
D: what
You can't do that there, even with them.
A: them
B: you
C: that
D: there
You really need to get your act together soon.
A: your
B: really

C: you
D: together
You can't get an A on your report unless it is perfect.
A: your
B: it
C: you
D: perfect
I hate having homework over the weekend.
A: the
B: I
C: hate
D: over
He wants a new bike for his birthday because his old one is too small.
A: his
B: one
C: too
D: he
It will rust if he leaves it out in the rain for long.

A: he
B: if
C: it
D: for
They want to have a sleepover to celebrate the start of the holidays.
A: they
B: want
C: to
D: of

I won't write his report for him, no matter what.

A: his
B: I
C: him

D: what

objective case
By Richard Nordquist
Definition:
The case of a pronoun when it functions as one of the following:

the direct or indirect object of a verb or verbal

the object of a preposition

the subject of an infinitive

an appositive to an object

The objective (or accusative) forms of English pronouns are me, us, you, him, her, it, them,
whom and whomever. (Note that you and it have the same forms in the subjective case.)
The objective case is also known as the accusative case.
Examples and Observations:
"To know her was to love her."
(Samuel Rogers)

"Please don't eat me. I have a wife and kids. Eat them."
(Homer Simpson, The Simpsons)

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

(Friedrich Nietzsche)

"To survive in this world, we hold close to us those people on whom we

depend. We trust in them our hopes, our fears."
(Mohinder Suresh, Heroes, 2008)

"The strongest influences in my life and my work are always whomever I love.
Whomever I love and am with most of the time, or whomever I remember
most vividly. I think that's true of everyone, don't you?"

(Tennessee Williams, interview with Joanne Stang. The New York Times, March
28, 1965)

"Give my regards to Broadway,

Remember me to Herald Square . . .."
(George M. Cohan)

"When she asked him about birth control, he sat down beside her and talked
for half an hour about what a great woman Margaret Sanger was and how
birth control was the greatest single blessing to mankind since the invention
of fire."
(John Dos Passos, 1919, 1932)

"The man for whom time stretches out painfully is one waiting in vain,
disappointed at not finding tomorrow already continuing yesterday."
(Theodor Adorno, Minima Moralia: Reflections on a Damaged Life. Translation
first published by New Left Books, 1974)

"And I think both the left and the right should celebrate people who have
different opinions, and disagree with them, and argue with them, and differ
with them, but don't just try to shut them up."
(Roger Ebert)

Correction
"Mr. Camerons first visit to Washington as prime minister was meant as a
way for he and Mr. Obama to tackle a series of issues vital to the two
countries, in particular the war in Afghanistan and steps toward a global
economic recovery.
As many readers were quick to point out, this should be 'for him and Mr.
Obama to tackle.' (The 'subject' of an infinitive in a construction like this is
actually in the objective, or accusative, case: 'I want him to go,' not 'I want
he to go.')"
(Philip B. Corbett, "Everything Old Is Hip Again." The New York Times, Sep. 7,
2010)

"In Present-day English the contrast between nominative [subjective] and

accusative [objective] is found with only a handful of pronouns. At earlier
stages of the language the contrast applied to the whole class of nouns but
the inflectional distinction has been lost except for these few pronouns."
(Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Cambridge Grammar of the
English Language. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002)

Pronunciation: ob-JEK-tiv case

Also Known As: accusative case

Objective Case of Pronouns

When a pronoun is the object of the verb or preposition, it is in the objective case.
Use the objective case of pronouns when the pronoun is a direct or indirect object of a verb.

Sergio nominated me for secretary. (direct object of nominated)

The news hit them hard. (direct object of hit)
Jennifer gave him the house and car. (indirect object of gave)
Chang told us and them the same incredible story. (indirect object of told)

Pronouns as objects of prepositions

Use the objective case of pronouns when the pronoun is an object of a preposition.
The man pulled a blanket over the children and us. (Object of the preposition
over)The man for whom they waited never arrived. (They waited for whom: object
of the preposition for)

Pronoun over-refinement
Choosing between you and me (correct) and between you and I (incorrect) should be easy, but
some people think the subjective case is more correctthat I is superior to me. Don't be
influenced by a misguided idea of refinement. The phrases for y ou and I and between you and I
are common mistakes that are probably due to overrefinement. The pronouns in these phrases
are objects of prepositions and should be in the objective case. Therefore, for you and me and
between you and me are correct.

Compound objects
Watch out for pronoun case when you have a compound object. Remember that when an object
is more than one person, it is still an object. Pronouns should be in the objective case.

The ceremony will be given for Tucker, Martinez, and me. ( not for Tucker,
Martinez, and I)
Without Kate and me ( not Without Kate and I), the book wouldn't have been
published.
The dean nominated Nelson and me ( not Nelson and I) to serve on the
committee.

You can test for pronoun cases in such situations by reading the sentences with the pronoun
object alone: The ceremony will be given for I. Without I, the book wouldn't have been published.
The dean nominated I to serve on the committee. The errors are clear. Me is the right form of the
pronoun in these three sentences.

Pronouns as subjects of infinitives

When a pronoun is the subject of an infinitive (the basic verb with to: to swim, to drive, etc.), use
the objective case for the pronoun. Your ear will tell you the objective case (not the subjective
case) is correct.

He wanted her to drive the car.NOT He wanted she to drive the car.
Brad asked them to leave early.NOT Brad asked they to leave early.

Quiz on Objective Case of Pronouns

Choose the CORRECT sentence.
Between you and me, Miranda should have won.
Between you and I, Miranda should have won.

You and me both think Miranda should have won.

The citizenship awards will be presented to Maria and I.

The citizenship awards will be presented to her and I.

The citizenship awards will be presented to Maria and me.

Choose the INCORRECT sentence.

The bride's mother asked them to wait for her at the door.
The bride's mother asked they to wait for her at the door.

The bride's mother asked us to wait for her at the door.

Fill in the blank: When a pronoun is an object of a preposition, use the ________ case.
possessive
subjective/nominative

objective

Choosing the Correct Pronoun

Case
In each of the following sentences, there are drop-down option menus where you must select the
appropriate pronoun form. Submit the quiz using the CHECK ANSWERS button at the end of
the exercise. Incorrect answers will be marked with an X and correct answers will get a sideways
grin: :) The computer will also give you the percentage of correct answers. If you miss any,
retake the quiz (by reloading the quiz) until you get them all correct.
1. It's up to
activity.

geologists to warn the people of impending volcanic

2. The principal made Jayden and

wall.

repair the damage to the auditorium

3. The writers of the bylaws, Micki and

presented a report to the senate.

4. If it were up to Marylynn and

yellow.
5. Josie, Mary, and

the room would have been painted

rode their bikes all the way to New Hampshire.

6. The boss was worried that

additional compensation.

secretaries wouldn't do the work without

7. The family's running out of money, but that's a secret between his mother
and
8. I really don't appreciate

walking late into class every morning.

9. The only students in the cafeteria this morning were Jayden and
10. I don't want anybody but

working on this project.

Chapter 8 : Using Pronouns

Chapter Quiz
Need more practice with pronouns? Read Language Network, Chapter
8, pages 178-207.
Using Pronouns (Print Quiz)
1. Choose the answer that correctly identifies the case of the
capitalized pronoun: It was SHE who wrote Gone with the Wind, the
novel about the Civil War.
(A) nominative case
(B) objective case
(C) possessive case
2. Choose the answer that correctly identifies the case of the
capitalized pronoun: The tour guide informed US that the Eiffel
Tower was built in 1889.
(A) nominative case
(B) objective case
(C) possessive case
3. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:
After dinner, ______ all watched the evening news.
(A) we
(B) us
4. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:

Aunt Marilyn has been very kind to ______ and the other children.
(A) your
(B) you
5. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:
This discussion is between him and __________ .
(A) me
(B) I
6. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:
That dog seems to have hurt ______ paw.
(A) its
(B) it's
7. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:
A Man for All Seasons is a play __________ everyone should see.
(A) whose
(B) that
8. Choose the pronoun that correctly completes the following sentence:
_______ received the award for best actor last year?
(A) Who
(B) Whom
9. Choose the pronoun that agrees with the capitalized antecedent in
the following sentence: BOTH of us brought _______ cameras on
the field trip.
(A) our
(B) his or her
10. Choose the pronoun that agrees with the capitalized antecedent in
the following sentence: The field hockey SQUAD looked great in
____ new uniforms.
(A) its
(B) their

Choosing Between Subjective Case and

Objective Case
Choosing between the subjective case and objective case is sometimes complicated by
appositives, and the as or than construction. The confusion over the choice of who or whom is a
good example of this problem.

Pronoun case with appositives

An appositive is a word or group of words that restates or identifies the noun or pronoun it is
next to: My sister Heather; John, the gardener; our friend Carlos; We, the people. The presence
of an appositive doesn't change the rule for pronoun case; that is, use the subjective case for
subjects and the objective case for objects.

The decision to close the pool was a setback for us swimmers. ( not for we
swimmers)

The best way to make sure you have chosen the correct pronoun case is to read the sentence
without the appositive: The decision to close the pool was a setback for we. You can see that us is
the right pronoun to use.
Choosing the right pronoun case after as or than can be difficult.
You admire Professor Morrow more than I.
You admire Professor Morrow more than me.

Depending on the meaning, either choice could be correct. If the writer means You admire
Professor Morrow more than I (admire Professor Morrow), then the first sentence is correct. If
the writer means You admire Professor Morrow more than (you admire) me, then the second
sentence is correct.

The key to choosing the right pronoun case is to mentally supply the missing part of the clause.
Did you work as hard as they? ( worked)
I like Ed better than he. ( likes Ed)
I like Ed better than him. ( than I like him)
They are smarter than we. ( are)

If a sentence sounds awkward to youfor example, They are smarter than weyou can avoid
the problem by supplying the missing word: They are smarter than we are.

Who, whom, whoever, whomever

These pronouns cause so much confusion that they are being treated separately, even though the
rules about case are the same as those for I, he, she, we, and they.
As a subject, choose who or whoever. Who/whoever must be followed by a verb because it is the
subject.
She was the player who won the game. ( who is the subject of won)
Whoever wants the paper can have it. ( Whoever is the subject of wants)

As an object, choose whom or whomever. Whom/whomever is not followed by a verb because it

is an object.

He was a person around whom controversy swirled. ( whom is the object of

the preposition around)

Whomever will you invite? ( You will invite whomever: direct object of invite). In casual
conversation and informal writing, whom is used infrequently. At the beginning of questions, for
example, who is often substituted for whom, even when whom is grammatically correct, as in the
following informal sentences.

Who will you marry? (You will marry whom.)

Who did he ask? (He did ask whom.)

Maybe whom will disappear from the language someday. Does this mean you should ignore it?
No, it is still best to correctly distinguish between who and whom.

Possessive Pronouns
Certain pronouns called possessive pronouns show ownership. Some are used alone; some
describe a noun.
Used alone: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, whose
Correct: That computer is hers.
Modify noun: my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose
Correct: That is her computer.
Please note that none of the possessive pronouns are spelled with an apostrophe. See
Apostrophes with Pronouns for more on this.
Possessive Pronouns with Gerunds
Possessive pronouns are used to describe gerunds. Using the objective case confuses the reader.
Incorrect: You winning in spite of the odds inspired us all.
(Ambiguous and awkward. Do you inspire or does the winning inspire?)
Correct: Your winning in spite of the odds inspired us all.
Incorrect: We could not stand him whining about everything.
(Which could you not stand? Him? or His whining?)
Because of the possible confusion, use possessive pronouns with gerunds.
Correct: We could not stand his whining about everything.

Possessive Pronouns

We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things (the

"antecedent") belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or
thing/things).
We use possessive pronouns depending on:

number: singular (eg: mine) or plural (eg: ours)

person: 1st person (eg: mine), 2nd person (eg: yours) or 3rd person (eg: his)

gender: male (his), female (hers)

Below are the possessive pronouns, followed by some example sentences. Notice that each
possessive pronoun can:

be subject or object
refer to a singular or plural antecedent

number

person

gender (of "owner")

possessive pronouns

1st

male/female

mine

2nd

male/female

yours

male

his

female

hers

1st

male/female

ours

2nd

male/female

yours

3rd

male/female/neuter

theirs

singular
3rd

plural

Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject = My picture)

I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object = my flowers)

I looked everywhere for your key. I found John's key but I couldn't find yours. (object =
your key)

My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject = Your flowers)

All the essays were good but his was the best. (subject = his essay)

John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her passport)

John found his clothes but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her clothes)

Here is your car. Ours is over there, where we left it. (subject = Our car)

Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. (subject = Our photos)

Each couple's books are colour-coded. Yours are red. (subject = Your books)

I don't like this family's garden but I like yours. (object = your garden)

These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. (subject = Their children)

John and Mary don't like your car. Do you like theirs? (object = their car)

Notice that the following (with apostrophe [']) do NOT exist: her's, your's, their's
Notice that the interrogative pronoun whose can also be a possessive pronoun (an interrogative
possessive pronoun). Look at these examples:

There was $100 on the table and Tara wondered whose it was.
This car hasn't moved for two months. Whose is it?

Quiz: Possessive Case of Pronouns

All week he had bragged to his sister, My car is faster than you're car. One way to correct the
sentence above is to write it in the following way:
All week he had bragged to his sister, My car is faster than youre car.
All week he had bragged to his sister, My car is faster than your car.

All week he had bragged to his sister, My car is faster than your's.

Choose the CORRECT sentence.

It's not right to furlough workers during the holidays.
Its not right to furlough workers during the holidays.

Neither a nor b

Choose the CORRECT sentence.

Which coat is her's?
Whose the owner of this coat?

Neither a nor b

Choose the TRUE statement.

A personal pronoun is made possessive by adding an apostrophe at the end of the word.
A personal pronoun is made possessive by adding an es to the end of the word.

Neither a nor b

He was so disoriented, he tried to unlock someone elses car. One way to correct the sentence
above is to rewrite it in the following way:
He was so disoriented, he tried to unlock someone elses' car.
He was so disoriented, he tried to unlock the car of someone elses.

He was so disoriented, he tried to unlock someone else's car.

Test your Pronoun knowledge!

'This is her' or 'This is she'?

His and Hers

His and hers are possessive pronouns. They are used to substitute a noun and to show possession
or ownership.
Example: This hat is hers.
Note: We never use apostrophes with pronouns: 'Hers is black' is correct; not 'hers is black'.

His and Her

His and her are possessive adjectives; they usually describe a noun. They come before the noun.
Example: This is her hat

He and She
He and she are personal pronouns they are used instead of the man's or woman's name.
Example: Do you know Susan? She is my sister.
Note: She is the nominative form of the word, so it can not be used to describe somebody who is
the object of a sentence. For example 'This is she' is not correct because 'this' is the subject. The
correct sentence should be 'This is her'.

Himself and Herself

Himself and herself are reflexive pronouns they are used when the object of a sentence is the
same as the subject: the person who does the action of the verb is the same person who receives
the action
Example: She did it herself.
Link: What is a Relative Clause?

Can you drive ___ to work?

herself
her
hers
she

This cat is ___.

hers
she

herself
her

I heard that ___ won the lottery.

her
hers
she
herself

She said that she wanted to do it ___.

she
her
herself
her

Do you think ___ is older than me?

she
hers
her
herself

There is a problem with ___ TV.

her
she
hers
herself

Has ___ called you yet?

her
herself
hers
she

She doesn't want to go by ___.

her
herself
hers
she

There is no way ___ will agree with me.

hers
herself
she
her

___ brother is a doctor.

herself
she
her
hers

The boat is ___.

she
hers
herself
her

I think, that is ___.

hers
herself
her
she