Grammar
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batmichael2262013grammarpractice.rtfPronouns
Brushing Up Pronoun Skills
English has three pronoun cases:
Subjective (Nominative) Case
I, we, he, she, it, they, you
Use these pronouns as subjects of verb or as subject complements.
Objective Case
me, us, him, her, it, them, you
Use these pronouns as objects of verb or objects of preposition.
Possessive Case
my, mine, her, hers, his, it, its, their, theirs, your, yours
Use these pronouns to show possession. Note: No apostrophes!
Three Frequent Pronoun Problems
1. Compound subjects
My buddy and I [not me] went shopping. [Ignore "my buddy and"; focus on subject of verb.]
2. Compound objects
Send the note to him or me [not I]. [Ignore "him or"; focus on object of preposition.
3. Confused possessive pronouns
The bill and its [not it's] amendments are on file. [Don't confuse the
contraction it is with the possessive pronoun its.]
Ours [not Our's] is the only team making a presentation. [Possessive pronouns have no apostrophes.]
Consistency with Pronouns
When writing a paper, you should not shift your point of view unnecessarily. Be consistent in your use of first-, second-, or third-person pronouns.
Point of View Singular Plural
First person I (my, mine, me) we (our, us)
Second person you (your) you (your)
Third person he (his, him) they (their, them)
she (her)
It (its)
Tip – any person, place or thing, as well as any indefinite pronoun (such as one, anyone, someone, etc) is a third-person word.
For instance, if you start writing in the first person, I, do not suddenly jump to the second person, you. Or if you are writing in the third person, they, do not shift unexpectedly to you. Look at the following examples.
Inconsistent
One of the fringe benefits of my job is that you can use a company credit card for gasoline. (The most common mistake people make is letting “you” slip into their writing after they start with another pronoun.)
Consistent
One of the fringe benefits of my job is that I can use a company credit card for gasoline.
Inconsistent
Though we like most of you neighbors, there are a few you can’t get along with.
Consistent
Though we like most of our neighbors, there are a few we can’t get along with.
Exercise - Underline any pronoun errors in the following then re-write the sentence correctly. If the sentence is correct, write C.
1. Jake asked Erin and I for advice on applying for the internship.
2. We wondered whether the manager and him would support the changes.
3. Send all responses to Mark or me before September 1.
4. The staff and I agreed to replace this computer and it's peripherals as soon as possible.
5. Several teams submitted reports on time, but their's has not been received.
6. Just between you and me, our company may be sold and relocated.
7. It was me who placed the order for office supplies.
8. A new profit-sharing plan was sent to the other employees and I early last year.
9. Me and my friend are both interested in applying for the same job.
10. When you finish the annual report, please send it to Franklin and I.
11. Authorities worried that it's roof might collapse under the weight of the snow.
12. If only the president and him would make a decision, we could move forward.
13. All spam messages coming to him and I are forwarded to appropriate authorities.
14. Most other offices were repainted, but our's seems to have been missed.
15. Emily complained that text messages for her mother and she were garbled.
16. Students never feel they get the recognition they deserve no matter how hard you work.
17. When you drive the country roads, I get disgusted at the amount of trash we see.
18. I would like to visit a country where one can meet many people that are different from oneself.
19. My husband bought a tractor from the neighbor. It was so clean and shiny that you could not tell that the motor needed to be overhauled.
20. All you could hear was the clanging of the train cars during the night, even though I buried my head under the pillow.
