CHAPTER 2

Using Pronouns Correctly

You should read this chapter if you need to review or learn about

Overview of Pronoun Case

Only two parts of speech, nouns and pronouns, have case. This means that they change form depending on how they are used in a sentence. English has three cases: nominative, objective, and possessive.

• In the nominative case, the pronoun is used as a subject.
  I threw the ball.
• In the objective case, the pronoun is used as an object.
  Give the ball to me.
• In the possessive case, the pronoun is used to show ownership.
  The ball is mine.

The following chart shows the three cases of personal pronouns:

Nominative	Objective	Possessive
(Pronoun as subject)	(Pronoun as object)	(Ownership)
I	me	my, mine
you	you	your, yours
he	him	his
she	her	her, hers
it	it	its
we	us	our, ours
they	them	their, theirs
who	whom	whose
whoever	whomever	whoever

To avoid errors in personal pronoun use, you must understand how to use each case. The rules are explained below. Relax: They’re actually not difficult at all!

Using the Nominative Case

1. Use the nominative case to show the subject of a verb.
   Father and (I, me) like to shop at flea markets.
   

   Answer: I is the subject of the sentence. Therefore, the pronoun is in the nominative case:

   “Father and I like to shop at flea markets.”

   
   To help determine the correct pronoun, take away the first subject and try each choice.
   

   I like to shop at flea markets.

   Me like to shop at flea markets

   
   See which one sounds better. For example
   

   I like to shop at flea markets.

   Me like to shop at flea markets.

   The first one definitely sounds better.
   
   

   Quick Tip

   When you list two or more subjects, always put yourself last. Therefore, the sentence would read “Father and I,” never “I and Father.”

   (Who, Whom) do you believe is the better shopper?

   Answer: Who is the subject of the verb is. Therefore, the sentence would read, “Who do you believe is the better shopper?”

   Ignore interrupting expressions such as do you believe, you think, do you suppose (and so on). They do not affect pronoun case.

2. Use the nominative case for a predicate nominative.

   A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and identifies or renames the subject. Remember that a linking verb connects a subject to a word that renames it. Linking verbs indicate a state of being (am, is, are, etc.), relate to the senses (look, smell, taste, etc.), or indicate a condition (appear, seem, become, etc.).

   The salesman of the month was (I, me).

   Answer: Use I, since the pronoun renames the subject, the salesman of the month. “The salesman of the month was I.”

   
   

   Which is correct: “It is I” or “It is me”? Technically, the correct form is “It is I,” since we’re dealing with a predicate nominative. However, “It is me” (and “It is us”) has become increasingly acceptable as standard usage.

Using the Objective Case

1. Use the objective case to show a direct object.
   A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action.
   John’s suit no longer fits (he, him).
   Answer: John’s suit no longer fits him.
   
   (Who, Whom) did she finally invite to the dinner party?
   Answer: She is the subject, the person doing the action. Therefore, the sentence should read: “Whom did she finally invite to the dinner party?
   
   Of course, she can invite (whoever, whomever) she wants.
   Answer: Of course, she can invite whomever she wants.
   

2. Use the objective case to show an indirect object.

   An indirect object tells to or for whom something is done. You can tell a word is an indirect object if you can insert to or for before it without changing the meaning. For example: “The book gave (to) my boss and (to) me some new strategies.”
   

   The bill gave (we, us) a shock.

   Answer: The bill gave us a shock.

   
   
3. Use the objective case for the object of a preposition.

   Remember that a preposition is a small word that links a noun or a pronoun following it to another word in the sentence.

   Sit by (I, me).

   Answer: The pronoun is the object of the preposition me, so the sentence reads: “Sit by me.”

Using the Possessive Case

1. Use the possessive case to show ownership.

   The child refused to admit that the sweater was (her’s, hers).

   Answer: Hers is the correct spelling of the possessive case, which is needed here to express ownership (belonging to her). Therefore, the sentence should read: “The child refused to admit that the sweater was hers.”

2. Use the possessive case before gerunds.

   A gerund is a form of a verb that acts as a noun. Gerunds always end in -ing, and they always function as nouns.

   (You, Your) walking in the rain didn’t cause your cold.

   Answer: The gerund walking requires the possessive pronoun your. Therefore, the sentence should read: “Your walking in the rain didn’t cause your cold.”

   
   

   Do you mind (my, me) borrowing your cell phone?

   Answer: Do you mind my borrowing your cell phone?


3. Use some possessive pronouns alone to show ownership.
   This cell phone is mine, not yours.

Three Other Rules for Using Pronouns

Here are three more rules that apply to pronouns and case.

1. A pronoun used in apposition with a noun is in the same case as the noun.

   An appositive phrase is a noun or pronoun that adds information and details. Appositives can often be removed from the sentence, so they are set off with commas. The appositive in the following sentence is underlined.
   

   Two police officers, Alice and (she, her), were commended for bravery.

   Answer: The pronoun must be in the nominative case (she) because it is in apposition with the noun police officers, which is in the nominative case. Therefore, the sentence should read: Two police officers, Alice and she, were commended for bravery.

   
   

   Exception: A pronoun used as the subject of an infinitive is in the objective case. For example: “Juan expects Luz and (I, me) to host the reception.” The correct pronoun here is me, since it is the subject of the infinitive to host.

2. Use -self forms correctly with reflexive and intensive situations.

   As you learned in Chapter 1, reflexive pronouns reflect back to the subject or object.

   The child embarrassed himself.

   
   

   Don’t use reflexive pronouns in place of subjects and objects.

   The boss and (myself, I) had a meeting.

   Answer: Use the pronoun I, not the reflexive form. Therefore, the sentence reads: “The boss and I had a meeting.”


3. Who is the nominative case; whom is the objective case.

   No one will argue that who and whom are the most troublesome pronouns in English.

   Even though who and whom were discussed earlier in this chapter, these little words cause such distress that they deserve their own subsection. Let’s start by looking back at our pronoun-use chart.

   	Nominative	Objective	Possessive
   	(Subject case)	(Object case)	(Ownership)
   Singular	who	whom	whose
   	whoever	whomever	whosoever
   Plural	who	whom	whose
   	whoever	whomever	whosoever

   Now, some guidelines:
   

   • Use who or whoever when the pronoun is the subject of a verb.
     Who won the Nobel Prize this year?
   • Use who or whoever when the pronoun is the predicate nominative.
     The winner was who?
   • Use whom or whomever when the pronoun is the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
     Whom did he fire this week?

Use Correct Pronoun Reference

The meaning of a pronoun comes from its antecedent, the noun or pronoun to which it refers.

Your speech and writing will be confusing if your pronoun reference is unclear.

Carelessly placed pronouns can create unintentionally funny sentences as well as confusing ones. Consider the difference between what the writer thinks he or she said and what is really being said in the following sentences:

Last week, a wart appeared on my right thumb, and I want it removed.(Are you removing the wart or the thumb?)

Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally destructive to you and your friends. You must get rid of them.(Are you getting rid of the guilt or your friends?)

There are three ways to prevent pronoun confusion.

1. A pronoun must clearly refer to a single antecedent.
2. Place pronouns close to their antecedents.
3. Make a pronoun refer to a definite antecedent

Let’s look at each guideline in detail.

1. A pronoun must clearly refer to a single antecedent. A common writing and speech problem occurs when the same pronoun refers to more than one antecedent. For instance, in the last example in the previous section, them can refer to guilt, unkindness, or your friends.
   

   Remember that a pronoun replaces a noun. To make sure that your writing and speech are clear, always use the noun first before you use the pronoun. Clarify the sentence by replacing the unclear pronouns with nouns. That way, all the remaining pronouns will clearly refer to a single antecedent.

   Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally destructive to you and your friends. You must get rid of them.

   
   

   Here are two ways you could rewrite this sentence:

   Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally destructive to you and your friends. You must get rid of these issues.

   
   

   Guilt and unkindness can be emotionally destructive to you and your friends. You must get rid of these destructive emotions


2. Place pronouns close to their antecedents. If too many phrases come between a pronoun and its antecedent, the sentence can be difficult to read and understand. This can happen even if the intervening material is logically related to the rest of the sentence. Consider the following sentence:
   
   
   After meeting a few guests, the President entered the reception. At that point, Senator Chin and the other elected officials began to pose for pictures. Even so, he did not join them.

   
   

   In this sentence he is too far away from its antecedent, the President. One solution is to replace he with the President. The other solution is to rewrite the sentences to move the pronoun closer.

   After meeting a few guests, the President entered the reception. At that point, Senator Chin and the other elected officials began to pose for pictures. Even so, the President did not join them.

   
   

   After meeting a few guests, the President entered the reception. He did not join Senator Chin and the other elected officials, even though they began to pose for pictures.

3. Make a pronoun refer to a definite antecedent. Be sure all pronouns refer to only one antecedent. The pronouns it, this, that, and which are especially prone to unclear pronoun reference. Consider the following sentence:
   I told my friends that I was going to be a rock star, which annoyed my mother.
   The following form is better because it is less ambiguous:
   My mother was annoyed because I told my friends that I was going to be a rock star.

The Generic Masculine Pronoun

Traditionally, a masculine pronoun was used to refer to a single antecedent whose gender is not specified.

This usage is no longer considered correct, since it is sexist language. You can use both the masculine and feminine pronouns or recast the sentence to make the pronoun plural:

Which choice is best? Consider rewriting these sentences to make the pronoun plural because this results in smoother sentences.

Using Who, Which, That

Special rules govern the use of the relative pronouns who, which, and that.

1. Who refers to people or animals (only animals with names or special talents, like Lassie). She is not the actress who was originally cast in the role.
2. That and which refer to things, groups, and unnamed animals.

The choice between which and that depends on whether the clause introduced by the pronoun is restrictive or nonrestrictive.

• A restrictive clause is essential to the sentence.
• A nonrestrictive clause adds extra meaning, is set off by commas, and can be removed from the sentence

Use that for restrictive clauses and which with nonrestrictive clauses.