{"id":98,"date":"2024-05-28T23:28:28","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T23:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karenmariepalmer.com\/theroughwritersguide\/chapter\/checking-pronoun-use\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T23:29:11","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T23:29:11","slug":"checking-pronoun-use","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/karenmariepalmer.com\/theroughwritersguide\/chapter\/checking-pronoun-use\/","title":{"raw":"Identifying Pronoun Problems","rendered":"Identifying Pronoun Problems"},"content":{"raw":"\n

Understanding Pronouns<\/h1>\n

A first step in understanding how and when to use pronouns properly is having an overall picture of pronouns. In this section of the chapter, we'll cover pronoun types<\/strong> and cases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Pronoun Types<\/h2>\nThere are seven types of pronouns: Personal, Possessive, Reflexive, Relative, Demonstrative, Indefinite, and Interrogative.\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/RnMx_vUy4N0\n

Study the following table for an overview of the different types of pronouns. Note that some pronouns, such as possessive pronouns and interrogative pronouns, show up on more than one list:<\/p>\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type of Pronoun<\/span><\/strong><\/td>\nUse<\/strong><\/td>\n\n

List of Pronouns<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Example<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Demonstrative pronouns<\/td>\nRefer to things<\/td>\n\n

that<\/p>\n

these<\/p>\n

this<\/p>\n

those<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

This<\/strong> trail is the longest one.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Indefinite pronouns<\/td>\nRefer to nonspecific people or things<\/td>\n\n

Singular:<\/strong><\/p>\n

anybody<\/p>\n

anyone<\/p>\n

everybody<\/p>\n

everyone<\/p>\n

everything<\/p>\n

nothing<\/p>\n

one<\/p>\n

someone<\/p>\n

somebody<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Singular or plural:<\/strong><\/p>\n

all<\/p>\n

any<\/p>\n

more<\/p>\n

most<\/p>\n

none<\/p>\n

some<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Do you know anyone<\/strong> who has hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Plural:<\/strong><\/p>\n

both<\/p>\n

few<\/p>\n

many<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Interrogative pronouns<\/td>\nAre used in questions<\/td>\n\n

that<\/p>\n

what<\/p>\n

whatever<\/p>\n

which<\/p>\n

whichever<\/p>\n

who<\/p>\n

whoever<\/p>\n

whom<\/p>\n

whose<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Who<\/strong> wants to sign up to ride the mules down into the Grand Canyon?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Personal pronouns<\/td>\nRefer to people or things<\/td>\n\n

Subjective case:<\/strong><\/p>\n

he<\/p>\n

I<\/p>\n

it<\/p>\n

she<\/p>\n

they<\/p>\n

we<\/p>\n

you<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Objective case:<\/strong><\/p>\n

her<\/p>\n

him<\/p>\n

it<\/p>\n

me<\/p>\n

them<\/p>\n

us<\/p>\n

you<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

If you<\/strong> ask Alicia, she<\/strong> will tell you<\/strong> that I<\/strong> am too chicken to ride the mules even though none of them<\/strong> has ever gone over the edge.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Possessive case:<\/strong><\/p>\n

his<\/p>\n

her(s)<\/p>\n

its<\/p>\n

my<\/p>\n

mine<\/p>\n

our(s)<\/p>\n

their(s)<\/p>\n

your(s)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Possessive pronouns<\/td>\nShow ownership without using an apostrophe<\/td>\n\n

his<\/p>\n

her(s)<\/p>\n

its<\/p>\n

my<\/p>\n

mine<\/p>\n

our(s)<\/p>\n

their(s)<\/p>\n

your(s)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Regardless of the expense, a helicopter ride is my<\/strong> choice for seeing the Grand Canyon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reciprocal pronouns<\/span><\/td>\nRefer to separate parts of a plural antecedent<\/td>\n\n

each other<\/p>\n

one another<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

The mules calmly follow each other<\/strong> all the way up and down.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Reflexive and intensive pronouns<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

End in -self<\/em> or -selves<\/em>. Reflexive pronouns are needed for a sentence to make sense, and intensive pronouns are optional within a sentence<\/td>\n\n

herself<\/p>\n

himself<\/p>\n

itself<\/p>\n

myself<\/p>\n

oneself<\/p>\n

ourselves<\/p>\n

themselves<\/p>\n

yourself<\/p>\n

yourselves<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

The guides themselves<\/strong> put their lives in the hands, or rather hooves, of the mules every day.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Relative pronouns<\/td>\nShow how dependent clause relates to a noun<\/td>\n\n

that<\/p>\n

what<\/p>\n

whatever<\/p>\n

which<\/p>\n

whichever<\/p>\n

who<\/p>\n

whoever<\/p>\n

whom<\/p>\n

whomever<\/p>\n

whose<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

As long as I get to see the Grand Canyon from a vantage point other than the edge, I am happy to choose whichever<\/strong> option you want.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Pronoun Cases<\/h2>\n

Pronouns in English have different forms for the subjective, adjective possessive, possessive, and objective cases. The subjective case refers to words as they are used in the subject position. The objective case is used when the pronoun is in the object position (the direct object, indirect object, or object of the preposition). The possessive cases designate pronouns used to show possession. (Note that the possessive cases are also known as Possessive Pronouns). Note that a pronoun can show possession in two ways. The reflexive pronouns are used to point back to the subject (i.e., I can do it myself). The table below shows the subjective, objective, adjective possessive, possessive, and reflexive versions in the first, second, and third singular and objective cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Person<\/strong><\/td>\nSingular or Plural<\/strong><\/td>\nSubjective<\/strong><\/td>\nObjective<\/strong><\/td>\nAdj. Possessive<\/strong><\/td>\nPossessive<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
First<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nI<\/td>\nme<\/td>\nmy<\/td>\nmine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Second<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyour<\/td>\nyours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Third<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nhe\/she\/it<\/td>\nhim\/her\/its<\/td>\nhis\/her\/its<\/td>\nhis\/hers\/its<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
First<\/th>\nPlural<\/td>\nwe<\/td>\nus<\/td>\nour<\/td>\nours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Second<\/th>\nPlural<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyour<\/td>\nyours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Third<\/th>\nPlural<\/td>\nthey<\/td>\nthem<\/td>\ntheir<\/td>\ntheirs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\n
Other types of pronouns can also have different cases:<\/div>\n

Indefinite Pronouns<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subjective<\/strong><\/td>\nPossessive<\/strong><\/td>\nObjective<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
anybody<\/td>\nanybody\u2019s<\/td>\nanybody<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
everybody<\/td>\neverybody\u2019s<\/td>\neverybody<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
someone<\/td>\nsomeone\u2019s<\/td>\nsomeone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Relative Pronoun Case<\/span><\/h3>\n

Noun clauses can serve as subjects or objects and often begin with one of these relative pronouns: that<\/em>, what<\/em>, whatever<\/em>, which<\/em>, whichever<\/em>, who<\/em>, whoever<\/em>, whom<\/em>, whomever<\/em>, whose<\/em>. Logically, you should use subjective case pronouns in noun clauses that function as subjects and objective case pronouns in noun clauses that function as objects.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subjective<\/strong><\/td>\nPossessive<\/strong><\/td>\nObjective<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
that<\/td>\n<\/td>\nthat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
which<\/td>\n<\/td>\nwhich<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
who<\/td>\nwhose<\/td>\nwhom<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
whoever<\/td>\nwhoever\u2019s (slang)<\/td>\nwhomever<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

Subjective Case Example:<\/strong> Joshua Tree National Park, which is in California<\/strong>, is named after a tree that is actually a member of the lily family.<\/p>\n

Objective Case Example:<\/strong> A Joshua tree looks like neither its relative, the lily, nor the biblical figure, Joshua, whom the tree is said to be named after<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Tips for Avoiding Pronoun Case Problems<\/h3>\n
\n

Now that you have a basic understanding about pronoun types and cases, it's time to address some typical problems with pronoun usage.<\/p>\n\n

I vs Me<\/h4>\n

If you have trouble choosing between \u201cI\u201d and \u201cme\u201d in compound subject and object situations, remove the other subject or object, and try \u201cI\u201d or \u201cme\u201d alone.<\/p>\n\n

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\n

Which of these two choices are correct?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Bryce Canyon, Carol took thirty pictures of Anna and I.<\/p>\n

OR<\/p>\n

At Bryce Canyon, Carol took thirty pictures of Anna and me.<\/p>\n

Test:<\/strong> At Bryce Canyon, Carol took thirty pictures of (I, me).<\/p>\n

Result:<\/strong> Since the correct choice alone is \u201cme,\u201d the correct choice within the compound object is also \u201cme\u201d\u2014At Bryce Canyon, Carol took thirty pictures of Anna and me.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Who vs Whom<\/h4>\n

If you are confused about whether to use who<\/em> or whom<\/em> in a dependent clause, try isolating the clause that includes who<\/em> or whom<\/em>. Then reword the clause as a sentence and substitute a personal pronoun (subjective case: he, she, they; objective case: him, her, them) for who<\/em> or whom<\/em>. If he<\/em>, she<\/em>, or they<\/em> sounds right, use who<\/em>. If him<\/em>, her<\/em>, or them<\/em> sounds right, use whom<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

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\n

Example: I don\u2019t know (who, whom) to ask about where to stay at the Grand Tetons.<\/p>\n

Test: Possible rewording\u2014I don\u2019t know if I should ask (he, she, they, him, her, them).<\/p>\n

Result: Since him<\/em>, her<\/em>, or them<\/em> are the choices that work, the correct choice in the first sentence is whom<\/em>\u2014I don\u2019t know whom to ask about where to stay at the Grand Tetons.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

If you are confused about whether to use who<\/em> or whom<\/em> at the beginning of a sentence, think of an answer for the sentence using a personal pronoun. Then mimic the case of the answer pronoun in the original sentence.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\n

Example 1: (Who, Whom) is getting up at sunrise to watch the sun come up over these magnificent trees?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: They<\/span> will get up.<\/p>\n

Result: Since they<\/em> is subjective case, you should use who<\/em>, which is also subjective case.<\/p>\n

Example 2: (Who, Whom) did you ask to watch the fire?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: I asked her<\/span> to watch the fire.<\/p>\n

Result: Since her<\/em> is objective case, you should use whom<\/em>, which is also objective case.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When the Sentence is Incomplete<\/h4>\n

In casual usage, some words are sometimes left out, thus requiring a pronoun to do extra work. If you are confused about which pronoun case to use in these situations, think about how the sentence would be written if it were totally complete. Considering the whole sentence meaning should help clarify the pronoun choice.<\/p>\n\n

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Example 1: Harry likes camping more than (her, she).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: Harry likes camping more than she (likes camping).<\/p>\n

Result: The pronoun she<\/em> is the subject of the assumed verb likes<\/em>. So subjective case is needed.<\/p>\n

Example 2: Harry likes camping more than (her, she).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: Harry likes camping more than (he likes) her.<\/p>\n

Result: The pronoun her<\/em> is the object of the assumed verb likes<\/em>. So objective case is needed.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We vs Us<\/h4>\n

If you are unsure whether to use we<\/em> and us<\/em> before a noun or noun phrase, say the sentence without the noun or noun phrase in place. Whichever pronoun works without the noun or noun phrase is also the correct pronoun to use with the noun.<\/p>\n\n

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Example 1: Even (us, we) people who like our creature comforts fall in love with nature when viewing the Grand Tetons.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: Even we fall in love with nature when viewing the Grand Tetons.<\/p>\n

Result: Once people who like our creature comforts<\/em> is dropped out, it becomes clear that the pronoun needs to be subjective case.<\/p>\n

Example 2: Don\u2019t wait for (us, we) creature-comfort people to come up with a plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test: Don\u2019t wait for us to come up with a plan.<\/p>\n

Result: Once creature-comfort people<\/em> is dropped, it becomes clear that the pronoun needs to be objective case.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Exercise 1<\/p>\n\n<\/header>\n

\n\n1. Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence. Then, for each choice, indicate whether it is subjective, objective, or possessive case.\n