Blog about English
Subject and object pronouns referring to people, animals and things.
Personal pronouns replace nouns referring to people, animals, places or things.
They help avoid repetition and change their form according to grammatical function.
Subject pronouns function as the subject of a clause.
The English subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we and they.
Object pronouns function as direct objects, indirect objects or objects of prepositions.
The English object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us and them.
Subject and object pronouns have different forms and must be used according to their grammatical function.
Compare She knows him with Him knows she, which is incorrect.
Animals and things are commonly referred to with it, although animals may be referred to as he or she when their sex is known or important.
Personal preference and emotional attachment often influence pronoun choice for animals.
The pronoun it is commonly used to refer to time, dates, weather, temperature and distance.
Examples include It is raining, It is five o'clock and It is ten miles to London.
The pronoun you refers to one or more people.
Modern English uses the same form for both singular and plural.
You may be used to refer to people in general rather than a specific person.
Generic you is common in conversation, instructions and informal writing.
Personal pronouns often appear in coordinated subjects and objects.
Word order and case should remain grammatically correct in expressions such as John and I or between you and me.
After than and as, either subject or object pronouns may be correct depending on the structure.
Compare She is taller than I am with She is taller than me.
Formal and informal English sometimes prefer different personal pronoun constructions.
Informal speech commonly accepts forms that are avoided in formal writing.
Personal pronouns may be stressed for emphasis or contrast.
Examples include I did it, not him and She called me, not you.
Choose the correct personal pronoun according to its grammatical function.
Common mistakes include confusing subject and object forms, using I instead of me after prepositions and incorrect coordinated pronouns such as Me and John went home.