Choose the correct pronoun

For today’s writing tip, I want to review the nominative and objective use of pronouns because I’ve noticed some people get confused by them.

Nominative and objective cases

Nominative case pronouns are used as subjects in a sentence. I, you, he, she, and it are singular nominative case pronouns. We, you, and they are plural. Compound subjects often mess people up, so to avoid using the pronoun incorrectly, try using the pronoun alone in the sentence. Remember, they must be the subject of the sentence.

Objective case pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition. Singular objective case pronouns are me, you, him, her, and it. Plurals are us, you, and them. These are found in the predicate part of the sentence, which means after the verb.

Knowing how words are used in a sentence helps you determine which type of pronoun you need.

Test your expertise

Here are some examples. Let’s see how you do.

1. A. Tyler, Brittany, and I rode our horses through the woods.

B. Tyler, Brittany, and me rode our horses through the woods.

The answer is A. You can see that the subjects are Tyler, Brittany and I. To test this, you wouldn’t say me rode a horse. You would say I rode a horse.

2. A. Shari, Carolyn and me are going to the party.

B. Shari, Carolyn and I are going to the party.

The answer is B. You would say I am going to the party because it is in the nominative case, the subject.

3. A. No one suspected that it was Jenny and I who pranked Mr. Welsh.

B. No one suspected that it was Jenny and me who pranked Mr. Welsh.

The answer is A. You would say I pranked him, but sometimes we say it was me instead of it was I. Using me is incorrect because this is a subjective part of the sentence. This sentence has two subjective parts since that is used to connect the two thoughts: no one suspected and Jenny and I pranked.

4. A. Did you see the picture of Tyler and I?

B. Did you see the picture of Tyler and me?

The answer is B. Did you see the picture of me? The first clue is the word of, a preposition, making me the object of the preposition. Since it is an object, you need an objective pronoun.

5. A. Cory will ride with Henry and I to the store.

B. Cory will ride with Henry and me to the store.

The answer is B. Do you know why? If you said because with is a preposition so it’s objective, then you are right.

6. A. This is just between you and I.

B. This is just between you and me.

The answer is B. Between is a preposition so you need the objective pronoun form.

7. A. He exercises more than I.

B. He exercises more than me.

The answer is A. He exercises more than I exercise. The word exercise is understood. I exercise is a subject and a verb combination, so you use the nominative case pronoun.

8. A. George, Billy, Bob, me, and Hank finished in the top ten in the contest.

B. George, Billy, Bob, Hank, and I finished in the top ten in the contest.

The answer is B. I finished. When you are listing other people, you also say yourself last.

Other objective forms

If you don’t see a preposition, how will you know if it is in the objective form? Remember when you are looking for the direct and indirect objects to ask questions. Find your verb. Is it an action verb? To have a direct and indirect object, you must have an action verb. Now ask whom or what after the action verb to find your direct object. Then ask to whom or for whom or to what or for what the action of the verb was done to find the indirect object. Here’s an example.

Ian gave Laney his old children’s Bible.

Ian gave what? Ian gave Bible, making Bible the direct object. Ian gave the Bible to whom? Laney is the indirect object.

Now, let’s use pronouns instead. He gave him his old children’s Bible. See how, he is subjective and him is objective?

Check usage

Now, you can check your own writing and listen to conversations to see if people are using their nominative and objective pronouns correctly. It sounds complicated, but really, it is not if you take a minute to check how they are used in the sentence.

I hope you found value in this review. What pronoun causes you confusion?

Happy Thanksgiving from the Storyteller Squad!