The English Corner at Richland College
Pronoun Case
Pronouns are words that replace nouns (a person, place, or thing). Pronouns are categorized by
their case: subjective, objective, or possessive.
Below is a chart to help you remember the case of a pronoun.
Subject
I
We
You
Object
Me
Us
You
Possessive
My/Mine
Our/Ours
Your/Yours
He/She
It
They
Him/Her
It
Them
His/Her/Hers
Its
Their/Thiers
Who
Whoever
Whom
Whomever
Whose
Generally speaking, subject pronouns are at the beginning of a sentence, whereas object
pronouns are found at the end of a sentence. Another way to remember is that subject pronouns
typically perform the action in sentences, whereas object pronouns have the action performed
upon them. Furthermore, prepositional phases always use object pronouns (prepositions are
italicized in the examples that follow).
Subject: I went to the store with John.
Subject: We went to the store.
Object: Suzie went to the store with him.
Object: John went to the store with me.
Sometimes having another person in the sentence can make determining case confusing.
Incorrect: Suzie went to the store with John and I.
Correct: Suzie went to the store with John and me.
If you are confused about whether you should use a subject or object pronoun in your sentence,
remove the other person from the sentence and read it again.
Example: Suzie went to the store with John and I.
Handout created by Justine White
www.richlandcollege.edu/englishcorner
“Suzie went to the store with I” makes no sense at all. It is clearly the wrong case. The sentence
should be “Suzie went to the store with me.” Replace the I with me in your sentence. This tip
also works for subject pronouns too.
Example: Sharon and me went to France.
Once again, “Me went to France” makes no sense at all. It should clearly be I.
Possessive pronouns belong next to the noun/object they possess.
Correct: I love my dog.
Whether to use who or whom can be confusing. Use who (and whoever) where you would use he
or she (the subject), and use whom (and whomever) where you would use him or her (the
object).
Correct: I want to go to the movies with whomever.
(I want to go with her.)
Correct: Tell me to whom you are speaking.
(You are speaking to her.)
Correct: We are not prepared for whom is next.
(We are not prepared for her.)
It can be confusing when one of these words begins a question. To figure out which case to use,
try answering the question using she or her. If she works, use who; if her works, use whom.
Correct: The critics admire whom the most? (Whom do the critics admire the most?)
(They admire her.)
Correct: Who will begin the discussion on this thorny topic?
(She will begin it.)
Correct: To whom does this belong?
(This belongs to her.)
Handout created by Justine White
www.richlandcollege.edu/englishcorner