Subjective and objective pronouns

“I‘ll buy the food if you’ll go out to eat with me.”

Subjective and objective pronouns are two categories of personal pronouns in English, and they serve different grammatical purposes based on their role in a sentence. Understanding the difference between subjective and objective pronouns is key to correct grammar.

Subjective pronouns

• Function
  • These pronouns act as the subject of a sentence. This means they perform the action of the verb.  
• Examples
  • I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who.  
• Usage
  • “She went to the store.” (She is performing the action of going)  
  • “They are playing soccer.” (They are performing the action of playing)

Objective pronouns

• Function
  • These pronouns act as the object of a verb or a preposition. This means they receive the action or are affected by it.  
• Examples
  • me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom.  
• Usage
  • “The dog chased him.” (Him is receiving the action of being chased)  
  • “Give the book to me.” (Me is the object of the preposition “to”)  
  • “I saw them at the park.” (Them is receiving the action of being seen)  

Key differences and how to remember

• Subjective: The one doing the action.  
• Objective: The one receiving the action.  
• Tricks to help: If you’re unsure which to use, try simplifying the sentence:
  • Subject test: Can the pronoun stand alone with the verb? (“She runs” works; “Her runs” doesn’t.)
  • Object test: Does it follow a verb or preposition? (“Give me the ball” works; “Give I the ball” doesn’t.)

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