Subject and Object Pronouns

A personal pronoun used as the subject of a sentence is called a

subject pronoun.
He published an article. She and I read the article.
A personal pronoun used as a direct object, indirect object, or object of
a preposition is called an object pronoun.
The explorer thanked them. I gave the book to Becky and him.
• Subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
• Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
• Remember to use the correct pronoun form with a compound subject
or object pronoun.
• Subject pronouns replace the nouns they represent. Do not use a
subject pronoun with the noun it represents.
No: Tim he went ice fishing with his brother.
Yes: Tim went ice fishing with his brother.
• Use a subject pronoun after a linking verb. These pronouns are also
called predicate pronouns.
It was I who called
Who is she?

Directions  Circle the pronoun in ( ) that completes each sentence correctly.

1. Tamara and (she, her) photographed the northern lights.

2. (Them, They) took enough supplies for five years.

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3. The North Pole would be too cold for (I, me).

4. The class accompanied (they, them) to the museum.

5. Seth and (he, him) are going on the class field trip.

6. (We, Us) know what happened to the explorers who sailed on the Ornen.

7. Carlos and (me, I) could lose toes if they freeze.

8. Mr. Jasper wants to tell Diana and (I, me) about his trip to Greenland.

9. The scientist invited Ms. Eddings and (we, us) to view ancient relics.

10. It was (we, us) who asked about the relics.

11. Deidra studied hard, so there is no reason for (her, she) to worry about the test.

12. They asked if Curt and (she, her) would join the expedition.

13. The ice floe trapped the captain and (he, him).

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 Pronouns and Antecedents
A pronoun takes the place of a noun or nouns. An antecedent, or referent, is
the noun or nouns to which the pronoun refers. A pronoun and its antecedent
must agree in number and gender.
Before you use a pronoun, ask yourself whether the antecedent is singular or
plural. If the antecedent is singular, decide whether it is masculine, feminine,
or neuter. Then choose a pronoun that agrees. In the following sentences, the
antecedents are underlined once; the pronouns are underlined twice.
Sal and Jo bought a book about chimps, and they read it together.

Erik brought a camera to the zoo so he could take pictures.

Directions  Circle the pronoun that refers to the underlined antecedent.

1. The chimpanzees gathered smooth sticks and used them to catch ants.

2. Jane Goodall observed chimpanzees and helped them survive in nature.

3. Chimpanzees have interesting ways of finding food when they are hungry.

4. Although Vicky learned to say four words, very few people could understand her.

5. We students are eager to meet Jane Goodall when she speaks at the school.

6. Ai grabbed the doll and hugged it.

7. In 1961, Ham was placed aboard a rocket to see whether he could survive the space flight.

Directions Write the correct pronoun to complete each sentence. Underline the antecedent to which
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the pronoun refers.

they    it    she    us    him

8. Paige and I wanted to hold the baby chimp, but the mother would not let .

9. Chimpanzees cannot speak because have different vocal cords than ours.

10. After Lucy grabbed a stone, used it to crack open a nut.

11. The chimpanzee saw the banana and reached for .

12. Bill will take pictures if you give film.

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 Possessive Pronouns
Pronouns that show ownership are called possessive pronouns. A possessive pronoun and
its antecedent must agree in number and gender. Before you use a possessive pronoun,
ask yourself whether the antecedent is singular or plural. If the antecedent is singular, decide
whether it is masculine, feminine, or neuter. Then choose a pronoun that agrees.
Possessive Pronouns
My/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, their/theirs
• My, your, her, our, and their are always used with nouns.
Your understanding of history is important.
• Mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs stand alone.
Is that history book yours?
• His and its can be used with nouns or can stand alone.
His book report was on a biography of Satchel Paige.
The book about Satchel Paige was his.
• Do not use an apostrophe with a possessive pronoun.

Directions  Underline the possessive pronouns in the sentences.

1. Research increased my understanding of the Civil War.

2. Some homesteaders built their houses by piling layers of sod.

3. The Nicodemus Blues was one of our nation’s first black baseball teams.

4 Is American history your favorite subject?

5. That Louisiana farmer was able to buy his own land.

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6. The soldiers in the Union Army knew the uniforms were theirs.

7. The goat used its hooves to climb through the snow.

8. The report about African American cowboys is mine.

9. This antique sewing machine is ours, and that spinning wheel is hers.

10. My dream of freedom is the same as yours.

Directions  Circle the possessive pronoun in ( ) that completes each sentence.

11. On July 31, the town of Dunlap celebrated (its, his) own holiday.

12. The pioneer woman warmed (her, hers) home with fire fueled from buffalo chips.

13. In hot, dry climates, pioneers used adobe bricks to build (their, theirs) homes.

14. The Civil War tore apart this country of (our, ours).

15. (Your, yours) family has a long history in this community.

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 Indefinite and Reflexive Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns may not refer to specific words. They do not always have
definite antecedents: Everyone likes the submersible.
Some common indefinite pronouns are listed below:
Singular Indefinite Pronouns Plural Indefinite Pronouns
someone, somebody, anyone, few, several, both, others, many,
anybody, everyone, everybody, all, some
something, no one, either, each
• Use singular verb forms with singular indefinite pronouns and plural verb forms
with plural indefinite pronouns: Something hit Explorer. Some saw the squid.
Reflexive pronouns reflect the action of the verb back upon the subject.
Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves: The professor thought himself in charge.
Singular Reflexive Pronouns Plural Reflexive Pronouns
himself, herself, myself ourselves, yourselves, themselves
itself, yourself
• There are no such words as hisself, theirself, theirselves, or ourself.

Directions  Underline the correct indefinite pronoun(s) in ( ) to complete each sentence.

1. (Few, No one) wonder if the Explorer is safe.

2. (Nobody, Many) of the crew are calm during the attack.

3. Dale understands the power system while (anybody, others) do not.

4. The professor hopes (each, both) knows how to run the ship.

5. (Everyone, Several) stands near the radio waiting for news.

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6. (Some, Somebody) leaves the hatch open until (all, each) have left the Explorer.

Directions  Write the correct reflexive pronoun from the box to complete each sentence.

yourself   myself   himself   itself   themselves   ourselves

7. The researchers give enough time to prepare.

8. The professor usually does the paperwork .

9. I asked why I had liked this play.

10. They could not prepare the vessel, so we did it .

11. You will have to control the robotic arm .

12. A submersible cannot pilot .

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 Using Who and Whom
The pronoun who is used as a subject.
Who called my brother? (Who is the subject of the sentence.)
My brother asked me who had called him. (Who is the subject of the clause who
had called him.)
The pronoun whom is used as the object of a preposition, such as to, for, and from,
and also as a direct object. Most often, whom will be a direct object in questions.
To whom did you give the assignment? (Whom is the object of the preposition
to.)
This was an assistant whom he trusted. (Whom is the direct object of the verb
trusted in the clause whom he trusted.)
Whom did you tell? (Whom is a direct object.)
You can check if whom should be used as a direct object. Change the word order so
that the subject comes first. (Whom did you tell? You did tell whom?)
An interrogative pronoun is used to begin an interrogative sentence. Who or whom
can be used as an interrogative pronoun.
Who won the Nobel Prize? (Who is the subject.)
Whom did you tell about the phonograph? (Whom is the direct object.)
A relative pronoun may be used to begin a dependent clause. Who or whom can be
used as a relative pronoun.
Dot is the one who wins most often. (Who is the subject of the dependent clause.)
Thomas Edison, whom many admired, worked with other scientists. (Whom is the
object of the dependent clause.)

Directions  Circle the pronoun in ( ) that correctly completes each sentence.

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1. (Who, Whom) was investing in Edison Electric Light Company?

2. With (who, whom) did Edison work when he had an idea for an invention?

3. (Who, Whom) gave us the most valuable inventions?

4. The committee decided to (who, whom) it would award the Nobel Peace Prize.

5. With (who, whom) did J. P. Morgan invest money?

6. The helper (who, whom) worked the hardest became the top assistant.

Directions  Write who or whom to complete each sentence correctly.

7. To was Edison speaking when he recorded the nursery rhyme?

8. ran the show at the lab in Menlo Park?

9. He was the man took Thomas Edison’s job at the telegraph company after he left.

10. The boss is the one to the records were sent.

Unit 4  Inventing the Future Grammar  20

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