SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS
We use a pronoun when we don't want to repeat a noun or a noun phrase.
Subject pronouns
The English subject pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we they. (We use 'you' BOTH when we're talking to one person
AND more than one person.)
1: We use these pronouns when they are the subject of a verb.
I like London.
You have eaten the chocolate.
He plays football.
She hates mushrooms.
It was cold.
We are French.
They are going home.
Object Pronouns
In English, we also have object pronouns. These are: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. (Notice that 'it' and 'you' are the
same when they're subject pronouns or object pronouns.)
We use the object pronouns in most situations when the pronoun is not the subject of a verb.
1: We use them for the object of a verb.
John knows me.
Amanda kissed you.
The dog licked him.
David hugged her.
The teacher dropped it.
The children love us.
Luke helped them.
2: We use them after a preposition (including after phrasal verbs).
It's important to me.
Can the children come with you?
Look at her!
The chocolate is for him.
David is looking forward to it.
Keep up with us!
Lucy works for them.
3: We use them after 'be'. (In very formal English, the subject pronoun is sometimes used here, but this is very old-
fashioned and unusual.)
Who's there? It's me!
It's you.
This is her.
It was him!
4: We use them with short answers.
A: Who's there? B: Me!
A: Who ate the cake? B: Him!
A: I'm tired. B: Me too.
With short answers, we can also use a subject pronoun + a verb. This sounds a bit more formal than the object
pronoun alone.
A: Who's there? B: I am!
A: Who ate the cake? B: He did!
A: I'm tired. B: I am too.
5: We use them after 'as' and 'than' for comparison.
She is as tall as me.
He is taller than her.
We can again use the subject pronoun + a verb in the same situation.
She is taller than I am.
He is taller than she is.
6: We use them after 'but' and 'except'.
Everybody went home early but me.
Everybody went home early except him.
Exercises
1- Choose the correct pronoun:
1. I / me like London.
2. The children are as hungry as we / us.
3. All the students passed except I / me.
4. A: Who's there? B: I / Me!
5. They / them love vegan food.
6. A: Is that the man you told me about? B: Yes, that's he / him.
7. We all like cake except she / her.
8. He / him will get a new phone soon.
9. His sister isn't as tall as he / him.
10. Is that chocolate for I / me?
11. She / her wants to go home early.
12. Everyone arrived on time but he / him.
13. Please keep up with we / us.
14. A: Who ate all the chocolate? B: She / Her!
15. We / us have been to Rio.
16. Could you pass the coffee to she / her?
17. My brother is taller than I / me.
18. I / me went to the bookshop yesterday.
19. Our new teacher is friendlier than she / her.
20. All the children came inside except they / them.
2- Read the story and underline the subject and object pronouns:
The lost puppy
Emma and Jake walked through the park when they heard a soft whimper. They looked around and saw a small
puppy hiding under a bench. It shivered as they approached.
“He looks scared,” Emma said. “We should help him.”
Jake carefully picked up the puppy and held him in his arms. “Poor thing,” he said. “Someone must be looking for
him.”
A woman nearby noticed them and ran over. “Oh, thank you! I lost my puppy this morning. I was searching for him
everywhere!”
Emma smiled. “We found him under the bench. He seems cold and hungry.”
The woman took the puppy from Jake and hugged him tightly. “You both saved him! I can’t thank you enough.”
As the woman walked away with her puppy, Emma and Jake felt happy. They knew they had done something kind.
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
The possessive adjectives in English (also called 'possessive determiners') are: my, your, his, her, its, our and their.
They say who something belongs to.
I have a bag - this is my bag.
You have a cat - that is your cat.
He has a car - it is his car.
She has a book - it is her book.
The dog has a bed - it is its bed.
We have a flat - it is our flat.
They have a daughter - she is their daughter.
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Possessive pronouns also say who something belongs to, but they replace the noun. So we use them alone. In this
case, we don't use 'its'. In English, the possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs.
I have a bag - this is mine.
You have a cat - that cat is yours.
He has a car - it is his.
She has a book - it is hers.
We have a flat - it is ours.
They have a daughter - she is theirs.
Exercise:
1 Choose the correct word.
1. Is this cup (your / yours)? 11. Is this (their / theirs) coffee?
2. The coffee is (my / mine). 12. Is the flat (her / hers)?
3. That coat is (my / mine). 13. The grey scarf is (my / mine).
4. He lives in (her / hers) house. 14. That red bike is (our / ours).
5. You might want (your / yours) phone. 15. We should take (our / ours) coats.
6. The new car is (their / theirs). 16. That is (my / mine) car.
7. She cooked (our / ours) food. 17. He dropped (my / mine) bag.
8. Don’t stand on (my / mine) foot! 18. Are these phones (their / theirs)?
9. She gave him (her / hers) suitcase. 19. These cakes are (our / ours)!
10. I met (their / theirs) mother. 20. Are those children (your / yours)?
2- Read the story and underline the subject and object pronouns:
Lily’s Lost Necklace
Lily loved her jewelry, but her favorite piece was her grandmother’s necklace. It was a beautiful silver locket with a
tiny blue gem in the center. She wore it every day, but one morning, she realized it was missing.
“My necklace is gone!” Lily cried, searching her room. She checked her bed, her desk, and even her backpack, but it
was nowhere to be found.
Her brother, Jake, walked in and saw her worried face. “Are you looking for your necklace?” he asked.
“Yes! I can’t find it anywhere,” Lily said.
Jake thought for a moment. “I saw a necklace on the couch last night. Maybe it’s yours.”
Lily ran to the living room and looked under the cushions. There it was—her precious locket! She held it tightly in her
hands.
“Thank you, Jake! I thought it was lost forever,” she said with relief.
Jake grinned. “No problem! I know how much it means to you.”
Lily placed the necklace around her neck. “It’s mine again,” she said happily. She knew she would always take better
care of her special treasure.
