PRONOUNS

What is the meaning of subjective case, objective case, and possessive case in pronoun usage?

The case of a personal pronoun depends upon its use in a sentence. The following table summarizes the different forms of personal pronouns:

SUBJECTIVE CASE OBJECTIVE CASE POSSESIVE CASE 1st Person    Singular I me my/mine Plural we us our/ours 2nd Person Singular    you you your/yours Plural you you your/yours 3rd Person Singular Masculine he him his Feminine she her her/hers Non-human it it its Plural they them their/theirs

When is the subjective case of a personal pronoun used?

The subjective case of a personal pronoun (he, she, we, they, etc.) is used when the pronoun is the subject of a verb:

Mary and I had lunch together.

We looked at several potential sites.

You failed to perform the assigned tasks.

He jumped over the obstacles and ran away.

She tried to speak over the roar of the crowd.

It was the only viable alternative.

They didn't seem to mind the interruption.

The subjective case form is also proper for a pronoun that follows a verb form of be (am, is, are, was, were, be, been):

It was I who called.

The person who volunteered was she.

It might have been he who stole the rifle.

Was it they who deserted the ship? 

In informal speech, however, using the subjective case for a pronoun that follows the verb form of be may sound strange or "too proper." In such instances, the use of the objective case is acceptable:

It's me.

That's her in the brown dress.

I'm Here.


She's the one in the brown dress.

When is the objective case of a personal pronoun used?

The objective case of a personal pronoun (me, us, them, etc.) is used when the pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition:

The delegates elected me as chairperson for the meeting.

Why didn't the judge sentence him to a longer term?

The rain pelted down on Matthew and her.

Only John was aware of how the words offended them. 

The speech delivered by him was dramatic.

Mary went with us to view the exhibit.

Everything about them seemed normal.

Please send the final report to Edward and me.

What is the correct usage of the pronouns who and whom?

The subjective case who is used when the pronoun is the subject of a verb or follows a verb form of be:

Who is the person in charge of the banquet?

Whoever is in command deserves our respect.

The girl who sneezed was embarrassed.

The winner is whoever crosses the finish line first.

The objective case whom is used when the pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition:

Whom did the defendant identify?

We'll be able to support whomever we elect.

To whom shall I mail the package?

The person whom you spoke to is no longer employed here.

In spoken English, the first two examples under the objective case may sound too formal. The following examples are considered acceptable in speaking (but not in writing):

Who did the defendant identify?

We'll be able to support whoever we elect.

What is meant by word agreement when referring to correct pronoun usage?

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and in gender:

The men (antecedent=plural) tried, but they (plural) failed.

John (antecedent=masculine) left his (masculine) car at home. 

When the number and/or gender of the antecedent is indefinite, e.g., everyone, everybody, a common option is to rewrite the sentence using plurals: