Pronoun Case

What is Pronoun Case?

Case is the form of a pronoun that shows the reader how it functions in a sentence. The three pronoun cases are subjective, objective, and possessive.

Three Types of Pronoun Case:

1. Subjective
   Subjective pronouns function as the subjects in clauses.
   
   Ex of subj: They have the flu.
   Ex of subj: After he hit the golf ball, Nick walked to the next tee.
   
   The following are subjective pronouns: I, he, she, it, we, you, they, who, whoever.
2. Objective
   Objective pronouns function as the objects in clauses.
   
   Ex: Brendan gave me the flu.
   (In this example, me is the direct object of the verb “gave.”)
   Ex: Their opinion of him has suffered.
   (In this example, him is the object of the preposition “of.”)
   
   The following are objective pronouns: me, him, her, it, us, you, them, whom, whomever.
3. Possessive
   Possessive pronouns show ownership in clauses.
   
   Ex: I am sick of his whining.
   Ex: Her umbrella is cute.
   
   The following are possessive pronouns: my, mine, his, hers, its, our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs, whose.

Tips for Pronoun Case:

• If the object of a preposition is a pronoun, that pronoun will always be objective case.
  Ex: Cold weather is welcomed by us skaters.
• If a pronoun follows any form of the verb "to be" (am, are, is, was, were, be, been), the pronoun will always be subjective case.
  Ex: “This is she,” Julia answered into the phone.
• Possessive pronouns never contain apostrophes.
  Ex: This coat is yours (not your's).
• Don't use "I" or "you" in your essays, unless the instructor permits it.

 

Pronoun Chart:
The chart below illustrates how pronouns change in their subjective, objective, and possessive forms.

	Subjective	Objective	Possessive
Singular
1st person	I	me	my, mine
2nd person	you	you	your, yours
3rd person	he, she, it	him, her, it	his, her, hers its
Plural
1st person	we	us	our, ours
2nd person	you	you	you, yours
3rd person	they	them	their, theirs

	Subjective	Objective	Possessive
Interrogative Pronouns	who	whom	whose
" "	whoever	whomever

Remember:
Pronoun case shows the reader how the pronoun functions within the sentence, whether it’s the subject, object or shows ownership. There are three pronoun cases: subjective, objective, and possessive.