Subjective and Objective Pronouns Unveiling the Mystery The

Subjective and Objective Pronouns Unveiling the Mystery

The typical English sentence consists of a subject and a predicate. In general, sentences are in subject-verb-object (SVO) word order. Example: The cat chased the mouse. S V O The boy caught the ball. S V O My brother broke the computer. S V O The dog swallowed the light bulb. S V O

Most nouns can function as either a subject or an object. Example: James read a book. S V O Susan loves James. S V O Interestingly enough, pronouns change their form depending on whether they function as a subject, an object, or a possessive: I ate a dinosaur. S A dinosaur ate me. O The dinosaur is mine. It is my dinosaur.

Subjective Objective Possessive I me my-mine thou-you thee thy-thine he-she him-her his-his, her-hers we us our-ours you your-yours they them their-theirs whom whose Pronouns change according to their function or placement within the sentence.

To complicate matters, linking verbs never take objective pronouns: Example: “May I speak to Michael? ” “This is he. ” I thought I could hear Miranda singing. Was it she? “Jamie is a brat. ” “That she is.

Choose the correct pronoun in each case: 1. (Who, whom) is at the door? Maria? 2. It is (she, her). 3. (Who, whom) did you say was coming? 4. The actor invited my father and (I, me) onto the stage. 5. “Who made that repulsive noise? ” “It was (I, me). ”

Choose the correct pronoun in each case: 1. (Who, whom) is at the door? Maria? 2. It is (she, her). 3. (Who, whom) did you say was coming? 4. The actor invited my father and (I, me) onto the stage. 5. “Who made that repulsive noise? ” “It was (I, me). ”

6. The house belongs to Joan and (I, me). 7. I don’t know (who, whom) he is. 8. (He, him) and James ate Mexican food for dinner. 9. It is (he, him) (who, whom) I adore. 10. It was not (he, him) who called. 11. Between you and (I, me), I hate reading poetry. 12. Jonathan is taller than (she, her).

6. The house belongs to Joan and (I, me). 7. I don’t know (who, whom) he is. 8. (He, him) and James ate Mexican food for dinner. 9. It is (he, him) (who, whom) I adore. 10. It was not (he, him) who called. 11. Between you and (I, me), I hate reading poetry. 12. Jonathan is taller than (she, her).

In the immediacy of speech we confuse our pronouns without apology. However, in written text we have a responsibility—given the time involved in formulating ideas and sentences—to be meticulous, and to eradicate errors in pronoun use. Of the common writing errors, the most frequent errors are committed with pronouns, (a) because they change based on their function within the sentence, (b) because they must agree in number with their antecedents, and (c) because they must clearly be related to the referent. When editing, always look longest and hardest at the pronouns in your sentences—it is the pesky pronoun which will inevitably trip you up. And above all, in academic papers, avoid “I” and “you” assiduously. Edit them out of your writing and out of your mind.

The End Power. Point Presentation by Mark A. Spalding, BA, MEd, MA (2008).