Cases of personal pronouns: subjective, objective, and possessive
There are three cases of personal pronouns in English language grammar: subjective, objective, and possessive.
- Subjective case personal pronouns are used as the subject of a verb. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
- Example: I am going to the store.
- Objective case personal pronouns are used as the object of a verb or preposition. Examples: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
- Example: The cat chased it.
- Possessive case personal pronouns show ownership. Examples: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs
- Example: That is my book.
Practical uses:
- The case of a personal pronoun can help to clarify the role that it plays in a sentence.
- Using the correct case of a personal pronoun can help to avoid confusion and improve the clarity of your writing.
Special cases:
- Some personal pronouns have different forms for the subjective and objective cases. Examples: I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them
- Some personal pronouns have different forms for the possessive case. Examples: my/mine, your/yours, his/her/hers, its/our/ours, their/theirs
Comprehension exercises Cases of personal pronouns:
- Choose the correct subjective case pronoun to complete the following sentence: "_____ am going to the store." a) He b) Him c) I
Answer: c) I
- Choose the correct objective case pronoun to complete the following sentence: "The cat chased _____." a) it b) its c) it's
Answer: a) it
- Choose the correct possessive case pronoun to complete the following sentence: "That is _____ book." a) my b) mine c) me
Answer: a) my
- Identify the subjective case pronoun in the following sentence: "I am going to the store."
Answer: I