Pronouns Pronouns are used to replace a noun

Pronouns • Pronouns are used to replace a noun • They can be: – Subjective – used as the subject of a clause – Objective – direct or indirect objects of prepositions – Possessive – to show ownership We will deal with these only in terms of usage problems.

Subjective Pronouns These include: I, we, you, he, she, it, they • The SUBJECT of a sentence – She and they passed the test. • After a “to be” verb (such as is, am, was, were, be, etc. ) – The winner should have been he. (He should have been the winner. ) – (On the phone): “Is Jessica there? ” “This is she. ” (She is speaking. )

Objective Pronouns These include: me, us, you, him, her, it, them and are used as: • Direct objects: The visitors surprised her. He helped us boys with our homework. • Indirect objects: My kids baked me a cake. • Objects of prepositions: We’ll practice with you and them.

Possessives reminders • As with subject-verb agreement, watch out for compounds and pronouns linked to indefinites. – Each of the stores has its own hours. – Somebody forgot his ski cap. (Just pick a gender if unknown. ) – Steve or Tricia forgot her backpack.

Who and Whom • Who is nominative. Use it when you would use he or she. – Mr. Smith is a man who likes young people. (He likes young people. ) – Can you tell me who that player is? (He is that player. ) • Whom is objective. Use it when you would use him or her. – Mr. Smith is a man whom young people like. (Young people like him. ) – She is an student whom I rarely see. (I rarely see her. )

Incomplete Constructions If the idea in the sentence is not complete, finish it in your head to select a pronoun. This generally occurs with than or as. Note how the pronoun changes the meaning of the sentence! • Jim likes Sue better than I (like Sue). • Jim likes Sue better than (he likes) me. • Did you practice as much as she (did)?