PERSONAL PRONOUN (Subject Case)
When a pronoun replaces a noun at the subject position, they
assume these forms:
|
Subject Case |
||
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
|
First Person |
I |
We |
|
Second Person |
You |
You |
|
Third Person |
He She it |
They |
Note:
Subject pronouns above are used to refer to the subject of a
clause.
Examples:
I don’t know the way out.
You just saw the importance of reading.
He/She would not have been able to solve that problem
if not for my encouragement.
Yesterday, we saw the need to embrace peace
instead of acrimony.
As they came in, we parted
ways.
Compound Pronouns in Subject Case:
You and I are friends; not you and me are friends
Zainab and he went to the supermarket; not
Zainab and him went to the market.
Bassey and she were supposed to clean the
dining hall; not Bassey and her were supposed to clean the dining hall.
It was Mimi and he that locked the shop; not
It was Mimi and he that locked the shop.
You need to be conscious of the function of the pronoun when
expressing yourself.
Subject Pronoun and Comparison
When you make comparisons of subjects, the subject status
must be maintained and ellipsis should be avoided for clarity.
My father loves me.
My mother loves me.
But My father loves me more than my mother.
Replacing the noun phrase ‘my mother’ with a pronoun, it
should be expressed as:
My father loves me more than she does.
In a case where you want to compare your father’s love for
instance for you and your mother, you should say:’
My father loves me more than her.
Other comparisons will be expounded in the object case.
PERSONAL PRONOUN (Object Case)
|
Object Case |
||
|
|
Singular |
Plural |
|
First Person |
me |
us |
|
Second Person |
you |
you |
|
Third Person |
him, her, it |
them |
Note:
Pronouns in the object case are used after a transitive verb or
a preposition.
Examples:
After a
Transitive Verb:
The assessor dropped me off.
The president asked us difficult
questions.
The chairman reminded you to copy the minutes.
The woman gave him a
bottle to keep.
Their mother slapped them.
After a
preposition:
I think of her often.
The children ran towards us.
The man kept children away from her.
The speaker gave it to him.
To us Nigerians,
a cup of tea and a slice of bread is no meal.
The principal relied on us students to win the trophy.
Compound
Object with a Pronoun:
The matter is between you and me; not the matter is between you
and I. Remember the pronoun is coming after a preposition between. The
confusion sets in because pronoun ‘you’ remains the same both as subject and
object. If that expression is reversed, it will be clearer: The matter is
between me and you. J
Other examples are:
The Maths teacher invited me.
The Math teacher invited Sadiq.
The Math teacher invited Sadiq
and me.
The game prefect sanctioned the goal keeper and her.
Object Pronoun and
Comparison
When ‘than’ is followed by a pronoun on its own. The
pronoun must be an object pronoun such as ‘me’, ‘him’, or ‘her’.
My brother is younger than me.
Lamin was shorter than her.
The above rule is like that because ‘than’ is seen as a
preposition. However, when you use ‘than’ as a conjunction, there should be two
clauses. As such, ‘than’ is joining two clauses and the subject must be
expressed as such.
He is taller than I am.
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