Most people know that pronouns are words that take the place of nouns (or substitute for them) and are used mainly so one will not have to keep repeating a noun over and over within a sentence. For example, instead of writing, “Tom wants to be a good writer, so Tom has learned to use pronouns correctly;” one writes, “Tom wants to be a good writer, so he has learned to use pronouns correctly.”
Different Pronoun Cases
The three pronoun cases are subjective, objective, and possessive; and each case has both a singular and plural form in first person, second person, and third person.
Subjective Case:
- First person singular is “I;” plural is “we.”
- Second person singular is “you;” plural is also “you.”
- Third person singular is “he, she, it;” plural is “they.”
Objective Case:
- First person singular is “me;” plural is “us.”
- Second person singular is “you;” plural is also “you.”
- Third person singular is “him, her, it;” plural is “them.”
Possessive Case:
- First Person Singular is “my, mine;” plural is “our, ours.”
- Second Person Singular is “your, yours;” plural is also “your, yours.”
- Third person singular is “his, her, hers, its;” plural is “their, theirs.”
Note: The pronouns “who” and “whoever” are subjective case, whereas “whom” and “whomever” are objective case, and “whose” is possessive case.
Role of Subjective Case
Subjective case pronouns serve as the subjects of verbs, for example:
- He is an aspiring writer. (He is)
- After marrying Tom, she had to learn great patience. (She had to learn)
- It was the hardest thing she had ever done. (It was; she had done)
- Give the prize to whoever you think most deserves it. (Whoever deserves; you think)
The subjective case is also used when a pronoun is working as a subject complement (a word that completes the meaning of a linking verb and refers back to, modifies, or renames the subject):
- Was it she Tom saw at the game last week?
- When Tom answered the phone and the caller asked to speak to him, Tom correctly replied, “This is he.”
The above sentences are correct because, in each case, the pronoun is equal to the subject of the sentence and, therefore, working with the verb (subjective case): Was it she — She was it. This is he — He is this.
Role of Objective Case
Objective case pronouns serve as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions, for example:
- Tom saw them at the game last week. (“Them” is the direct object of the verb “saw)
- Tom gave her a ticket to a Falcon’s game for her birthday. (“Her” is the indirect object of “gave;” Tom gave a ticket [to] her)
- With whom does Tom watch football on weekends? (“Whom” is the object of the preposition “with”)
- Tom said, “Just between you and me, I thought a ticket was the ideal birthday present for Sue.” (“You and me” are the compound objects of the preposition “between”)
Role of Possessive Case
For most writers, possessive case pronouns are perhaps the easiest to use correctly, mainly because, as the word “possessive” implies, they show ownership or possession, for example:
- Tom said, “Frank’s writing is no better than mine, but Frank found an agent.”
- Whose novel did Tom burn in his backyard last night?
- Tom burned his own novel because he was despondent after receiving rejection slips from 100 different literary agents.
Who, Whom, Whoever, and Whomever
When it comes to deciding which form of the pronoun “who” is correct in a particular instance, writers need to ask themselves whether or not the pronoun is the subject of a verb. If it is, then they need to use the subjective case “who” or “whoever.” If it isn’t, they need to use the objective case “whom” or “whomever.”
The problem, however, is that writers often make the mistake of thinking just because there is a preposition preceding the pronoun, it means objective case is needed.
To avoid this mistake, writers should look at everything that follows a pronoun because sometimes an entire clause is the object of the preposition, not merely one word. For example, in the sentence, “Give the prize to whoever you think most deserves it,” although there is a preposition (to), two clauses follow that preposition, one of which is “whoever deserves it,” the other being, “You think.” (You think what? You think whoever deserves it.)
Pronouns with Understood Verbs
Another area where writers have to be watchful is when it comes to sentences with understood verbs; but whenever a pronoun is working with a verb as its subject, even if that verb is understood, the pronoun must be subjective case; for example,
- Incorrect: Tom can type faster than her.
- Correct: Tom can type faster than she. (The verb phrase “can type” is understood after she.)
When writers take the time to learn the different pronoun cases and the role each case plays within a sentence, they can avoid making usage mistakes that will detract from the overall quality of their writing. And, as everyone knows, one trait all “good” writers have in common is an accurate knowledge of the rules of grammar.
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