Pronouns
Referring to personal nouns
1st Person: I / We — Me / Us
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | OBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|
After a noun is mentioned the first time, we tend not to repeat it. Instead, we use a pronoun to refer to the noun. The 1st person pronouns do not change for genders (male or female). |
The 1st person object pronoun does not change for gender (male or female) or number (singular or plural). |
SAM. " I enjoy dancing." |
SINGULAR SAM. "Watch me." |
PLURAL
|
PLURAL LEA AND SAM. "Watch us." |
SINGULAR 
LEA AND SAMwatch (v.) – see and observe something moving
look (v.) –
– see something with no particular attention to movement
3rd Person: He / She / We — Him / Her / Them
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | OBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|
After a noun is mentioned the first time, we tend to use a pronoun to repeat it. Singular subject pronouns differ depending on gender (male or female). Plural subject pronouns do not change for gender. |
Singular object pronouns differ depending on gender (male or female). Plural object pronouns do not change for gender. |
SINGULAR Sam: Lea is a dancer. She enjoys dancing.
|
SINGULAR Sam is watching Lea. He is watching her. |
Lea: Sam is a dancer. He enjoys dancing.
|
Lea is watching Sammy. She is watching him. |
PLURAL Sam and Lea are dancing. They enjoy dancing.
|
PLURAL Let's watch Sam and Lea. Watch them. |
2nd Person: You — You
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | OBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|
After a noun is mentioned the first time, we tend not to repeat it. Instead, we use a pronoun to refer to the noun. The 2nd person pronouns do not change for gender or number (plural). |
The pronoun comes after the noun it refers to. The pronoun must agree in number and gender. |
SINGULAR You enjoy dancing. |
SINGULAR Look at you. |
PLURAL You (all) enjoy dancing. |
PLURAL Look at you (all). |
Pronouns
Referring to impersonal nouns
3rd Person – impersonal
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | OBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|
We use it to refer to impersonal nouns, such as a thing or an animal of unknown gender or personal emotional attachment. (Pets are excluded.) |
The pronoun does not refer to gender. It does indicate number (singular, plural). |
SINGULAR The duck is dancing. It is dancing.
|
Look at it. |
PLURAL
|
PLURAL Look at them. |
Advanced
Pronouns after "be"
| FORMAL | INFORMAL |
|---|---|
The old argument over whether to use a subject or object pronoun after a "be" verb can be simplified to formal vs. informal usage. Grammarians often look back to Latin (not French "C'est moi.") for resolution. Linguists look at present day usage. To be safe, use the subject pronoun after a "be" verb for academic and business English usage. |
In everyday, informal usage. The object pronoun commonly occurs after a "be" verb. A speaker may switch to the formal usage in an informal situation in order to add importance to the identity. "It is I, your mother, who is telling you what to do." |
May I please speak to Hillary Clinton? — I am she. in speech |
May I please speak to Hillary? This is her. / This is Hillary. (not: I am her.) |
Who said that? — It was I who said that. / I did. |
Who said that? It was me. / Me. |
Who is on the phone? — It is she, the Secretary of State. with a title |
Who is on the phone? It's her, your wife. |
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (566)
Practice 1
Pronouns
Practice 2
Attending a Musical
Complete the paragraph with pronouns.
- Select the pronoun that best completes the sentence.
- * indicates an incorrect answer.