Practice
Pronouns exercise 3: avoid common pronoun mistakes
Sign in to saveIn the sentence Mina and I finished the report, I is part of the subject. In the sentence The manager thanked Mina and me, me is part of the object. The people are the same, but the pronoun changes with its job.
Choose pronouns that match their job in a sentence and avoid common errors with possession, reflexive forms, and unclear reference.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Leo and I are meeting the client at noon. /ˈliːəʊ ən aɪ ə ˈmiːtɪŋ ðə ˈklaɪənt ət nuːn/
The short answer
Use subject pronouns such as I, he, she, we, and they for the person or thing doing the verb. Use object pronouns such as me, him, her, us, and them after a verb or preposition. Use my, your, his, her, our, and their before a noun, and use myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, or themselves only when the action returns to the subject or when emphasis is intended.
The manager thanked Mina and me after the meeting.
Why it works: Mina and me receive the action of thanked, so the object form me is correct.
5 more examples
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Leo and I are meeting the client at noon.
Leo and I form the subject and perform the action are meeting.
Not this:
Leo and meare meeting the client at noon. What changes: Me is an object form, so it does not fit the subject position. -
The client sent Leo and me a revised schedule.
Leo and me receive the schedule, so the object form me is needed.
Not this:The client sent
Leo and Ia revised schedule. What changes: I is a subject form, but this phrase is the indirect object of sent. -
Their apartment is near the station.
Their comes before the noun apartment and shows who owns it.
Not this:The apartment near the station is
their. What changes: Use theirs when no noun follows: The apartment near the station is theirs. -
Asha taught herself how to repair the bicycle.
Herself points back to Asha, who both did the teaching and learned the skill.
Not this:Asha taught
herhow to repair the bicycle. What changes: Her refers to another female person, so the meaning changes. -
When Omar handed Yusuf the map, he pointed to the museum.
He is unclear because it could mean Omar or Yusuf. Replace it with a name when the reader needs to know.
Not this:When
Omarhanded Yusuf the map, Omar pointed to the museum. What changes: Repeating the name makes the reference clear.
Read the full guide
Find the verb first. Ask who performs the action and who receives it. That question usually tells you whether to choose I or me, she or her, we or us, and they or them.
Choose a subject pronoun for the doer
A subject pronoun does the action or is the person or thing described by the verb. Common subject forms are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Look for the verb, then ask who is doing it.
She runs the morning class. They arrived before the doors opened.
Use she runs, not her runs. Use they arrived, not them arrived.
Choose the subject form: My brother and ___ cook dinner on Fridays.
Use I because the phrase is the subject: My brother and I cook dinner on Fridays.
Choose an object pronoun after an action or preposition
An object pronoun receives an action or follows a preposition. The object forms are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. A quick test is to remove the other name from a pair.
The guide showed Priya and me the entrance. Please sit beside us.
The guide showed me the entrance is natural, so Priya and me is natural too. Beside we is not standard English because beside needs an object.
Complete the sentence: The teacher spoke to Daniel and ___.
Use me: The teacher spoke to Daniel and me.
Show ownership with the right form
Possessive adjectives come before a noun: my bag, her idea, our team, their plan. Possessive pronouns stand on their own: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. Do not use an apostrophe in its when it shows possession.
Our train leaves at six, but theirs leaves at seven. The dog wagged its tail.
Our needs the noun train after it. Theirs replaces their train. Its shows ownership, while it's means it is or it has.
Which form fits? That blue notebook is ___, and this is my notebook.
Use hers, because no noun follows: That blue notebook is hers.
Use reflexive pronouns for the same subject and object
A reflexive pronoun ends in -self or -selves. Use one when the subject and object are the same person or group. You can also use it for emphasis after a noun or pronoun, but it is not a more formal word for me or I.
I cut myself while cooking. The director herself answered the question.
Myself points back to I in the first sentence. Herself adds emphasis in the second sentence; it does not replace her as an ordinary object.
Choose the natural sentence: Please email myself, or Please email me.
Use Please email me. There is no subject that myself can refer back to.
Make the pronoun's reference clear
A pronoun should point to one clear noun. If a sentence names two possible people, he, she, they, or it may confuse the reader. Repeat a name or rewrite the sentence when that prevents a wrong meaning.
After Sara called Lina, Sara sent the address by text.
After Sara called Lina, she sent the address is unclear because she might mean either person.
Improve this sentence: When the coach thanked the captain, he smiled.
Name the person who smiled: When the coach thanked the captain, the captain smiled.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a subject pronoun for the doer and an object pronoun for the receiver. Put possessive adjectives before nouns, choose possessive pronouns when the noun is absent, and use a reflexive form only when it points back to the subject. If he, she, it, or they could refer to more than one noun, repeat the name.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Pronouns exercise 3: avoid common pronoun mistakes"
How do I know whether to use I or me?
Use I when the person does the action and me when the person receives it. Test the phrase without the other name: I prepared the slides, but the manager thanked me. This also works with a pair of names.
Leo and I are meeting the client at noon.
Why is it Leo and I but Leo and me?
The form depends on the phrase's role. Leo and I are meeting the client is a subject. The client sent Leo and me a schedule is an object. Remove Leo and check whether I or me works alone.
Leo and me are meeting the client at noon.
What is the difference between their and theirs?
Their is a possessive adjective, so a noun follows it: their apartment. Theirs is a possessive pronoun, so it can finish the phrase: The apartment is theirs. Neither form needs an apostrophe.
The client sent Leo and me a revised schedule.
When should I use myself or herself?
Use a reflexive pronoun when it refers back to the sentence subject, as in Asha taught herself a new skill. Use it for emphasis when needed, but do not use myself as a replacement for me after a verb or preposition.
The client sent Leo and I a revised schedule.
How can I avoid an unclear pronoun?
Check whether the pronoun could refer to two people or things. In a sentence with Omar and Yusuf, he may be unclear. Repeat the relevant name or rewrite the sentence so the reader can identify the person without guessing.
Their apartment is near the station.