The proper case of pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of or refers to a noun.
For example:
“Leon has to study in order for Leon to pass the test in the class that Leon loves”.
Although this is a correct sentence, by using pronouns, the sentence can sound much better.
“Leon has to study in order for him to pass the test in the class that he loves.
Pronouns can be used as subjects (subjects do an action(subjective case)), objects(objects receive an action(objective case)), or to show possession (the person something belongs to(possessive case)).
Exapmles;
A big problem in writing is that pronouns are often used in the wrong case. We need to know how to use pronouns in their ‘proper case’ in order to be an effective writer. Using this chart, you should be able to know which pronoun to use in every case.
For example:
“Leon has to study in order for Leon to pass the test in the class that Leon loves”.
Although this is a correct sentence, by using pronouns, the sentence can sound much better.
“Leon has to study in order for him to pass the test in the class that he loves.
Pronouns can be used as subjects (subjects do an action(subjective case)), objects(objects receive an action(objective case)), or to show possession (the person something belongs to(possessive case)).
Exapmles;
- Subject: “Alex and I ran to school.”
- Object: “Pepi bit me.”
- Possession: “The beanie is mine.”
A big problem in writing is that pronouns are often used in the wrong case. We need to know how to use pronouns in their ‘proper case’ in order to be an effective writer. Using this chart, you should be able to know which pronoun to use in every case.
Subjective case pronoun for just one object | Subjective case pronoun for more than one object | Objective case pronoun for a singular object receiving the action | Objective case pronoun for more that one object receiving the action | Possessive case pronoun |
I, You, He, She, It, Who | We, You, They | Me, You, Him, Her, It | Us, You, Them | My/Mine, Our/Ours, Your/Yours, His, Hers, It’s, Their(s), Whose |
Participle phrases at the beginning of a sentence
A Participle is a verb that functions like an adjective, which is a describing word. A participle phrase is an adjective phrase that starts with a participle, and describes what is going on or happening to the subject.
There are 2 types of participles in the English language.
The first being a ‘past participle’, meaning that the participle is describing something that has happened in the past. The participle for ‘past participles’ end in -ed, -d, -t, -en, -or, and -n.
The second type of participle phrase is a ‘present participle’ which is describing something that is happening now, and ends in -ing only .
If you are not too sure about what the participle phrase of a sentence is, just guess what the phrase from the sentence, and see if it is a boring version of the sentence, for example;
“Removing his beanie, the student entered the classroom”.
In this sentence, the subject is student, and the participle is removing, and the participle phrase is Removing his beanie. If we were to remove the participle phrase in this sentence, we would get, “The student entered the classroom”, which is correct, but is pretty boring, but with the added action/description from the participle phrase, we get a much more interesting sentence.
There are 2 types of participles in the English language.
The first being a ‘past participle’, meaning that the participle is describing something that has happened in the past. The participle for ‘past participles’ end in -ed, -d, -t, -en, -or, and -n.
The second type of participle phrase is a ‘present participle’ which is describing something that is happening now, and ends in -ing only .
If you are not too sure about what the participle phrase of a sentence is, just guess what the phrase from the sentence, and see if it is a boring version of the sentence, for example;
“Removing his beanie, the student entered the classroom”.
In this sentence, the subject is student, and the participle is removing, and the participle phrase is Removing his beanie. If we were to remove the participle phrase in this sentence, we would get, “The student entered the classroom”, which is correct, but is pretty boring, but with the added action/description from the participle phrase, we get a much more interesting sentence.