Pronouns

Pronouns are used in place of nouns. They enable speakers to refer to something or someone without having to repeat its name.

Example:

Mr. Jones lives in Kentucky. He frequently travels to Memphis to see his wife. She is a lawyer and only sees him on weekends.

The subject and object pronouns in English are as follows:

Subject I You He She It We They

Object Me You Him Her It Us Them

Use subject pronouns when the pronoun refers to the doer of the action or the main topic (subject) of the sentence.

Henry hit a baseball over the fence.
He didn't know where it would land.
It went right through Mrs. Crabby's window.
She was furious. She called Henry's parents and told them what happened.
Henry had to pay for the window with his hard-earned money.
He wasn't too happy about that, but he learned a lesson.
Now, he only plays baseball at the ball park.

Use object pronouns when the pronoun refers to the receiver of the action or is the object of a prepositional phrase.

Ms. Lindon met her husband in a gold mine.
The first time she saw him, she was in love.
He also liked everything about her.
He asked her to marry him the next day.
Many friends joined them in the wedding celebration.

Reminders:

Do not use subject pronouns in the object position or vice versa.


WRONG: Correct: WRONG: Correct:

Give the balloon to he. Give the balloon to him. Her is the one I want to see. She is the one I want to see.

Remember to use he/him when referring to males and she/her when referring to females!


WRONG: Correct: WRONG: Correct:

Mary lived on a farm. He had a little lamb. Mary lived on a farm. She had a little lamb. Mr. Smith has gone to Washington. I'll give her the message. Mr. Smith has gone to Washington. I'll give him the message.

For Practice: See
Object Pronouns (from The Internet TESL Journal)
Pronouns (from The Internet TESL Journal)
See also: Vocabulary: Pronouns
Pronouns (from Guide to Grammar and Writing)