This document provides information about pronoun case, pronoun reference, and free writing. It defines subjective, objective, and possessive cases for pronouns and provides examples. It also discusses keeping pronoun antecedents clear by avoiding vague references and placing pronouns close to their antecedents. The document includes a practice section testing understanding of these concepts and an eight-minute free writing prompt.
5. Pronoun Case SUBJECTIVE CASE I, you, he, she, it, that, we, they, which, who OBJECTIVE CASE me, you, him, her, it, that, us, them, which, whom POSSESSIVE CASE my, your, his, her, its, our, their, mine, yours, ours, theirs
6. 1. Use the subjective case for the subject of a sentence or clause. Jed and I ate the granola. Who cares? Maya recalled that she played jai alai. Don’t be fooled by a pronoun that appears immediately after a verb, looking as if it were a direct object but functioning as the subject of a clause. The pronoun’s case is determined by its role, not by its position. The judge didn’t believe I hadn’t been the driver. We were happy to interview whoever was running.
7. 2. Use the subjective case for an appositive to a subject. A pronoun placed in apposition to a subject is like an identical twin to the noun it stands beside. It has the same meaning and is the same case. The class officers--Ravi and she--announced a senior breakfast.
8. 3. Use the objective case for a direct object, an indirect object, the object of a preposition, or a subject of an infinitive. The custard pies hit him and me. Mona threw us towels. Mona threw towels to him and us. The coaches always expect him to win.
9. 4. Use the possessive case to show ownership. My new bike is having its first road test today. Yours is the last vote we need. This day is ours. Don’t take your car; take mine. The possessive pronoun its does not contain an apostrophe. It’s with an apostrophe is a contraction for it is, as in “It’s a beautiful day for riding a bike.”
10. 5. Use the possessive case to modify a gerund. Mary is tired of his griping.
11. 5. Use the possessive case to modify a gerund. If you are not sure whether to use a possessive or an objective pronoun with a word ending in -ing, look closely at your sentence. Which word--the pronoun or the -ingword--is the object of your main verb? That word functions as a noun; the other word modifies it. Mr. Phipps remembered them smoking in the boys’ room. Mr. Phipps remembered their smoking in the boys’ room.
14. The Difference between Subjects and Objects Use who when you are referring to the subject of a clause Use whom when you are referring to the object of a clause
15. Subjects and Objects The subject of the sentence is the person doing something The object of the sentence is having something done to them
16. Subjects and Objects If I step on Squiggly, then I am the subject and Squiggly is the object. Object Subject Object
17. How to Remember I love you! You are the object of my affection and my sentence.
18. When to Use Whom Use whom when you are referring to the object of a sentence.
21. How to Remember Whom Him Is the answer to the question would be he or him? If you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom
22. How to Remember Whom Him Is the answer to the question would be he or him? If you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom
23. Who vs. Whom "Who (or whom) do you love?" "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know to use whom. “Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?” "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you know to use who. If you can't remember that you use whom when you are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember that him equals whom.
24. Practice: 1. I didn’t appreciate you laughing at her and I. 2. Lee and me would be delighted to serenade whomever will listen. 3. The waiters and us busboys are highly trustworthy. 4. The neighbors were driven berserk by him singing. 5. Jerry and myself regard you and she as the very people who we wish to meet.
25. 1. I didn’t appreciate you laughing at her and I. I didn’t appreciate your laughing at her and me. I didn’t appreciate you laughing at her and me. Both A and B None of the above Correct as is
26. 2. Lee and me would be delighted to serenade whomever will listen. Lee and I would be delighted to serenade whomever will listen. Lee and me would be delighted to serenade whoever will listen. Lee and I would be delighted to serenade whoever will listen. None of the above Correct as is
27. 3. The waiters and us busboys are highly trustworthy. The waiters and we busboys are highly trustworthy. The waiters and ours busboys are highly trustworthy. The waiters and them busboys are highly trustworthy. None of the above Correct as is
28. 4. The neighbors were driven berserk by him singing. The neighbors were driven berserk by his singing. The neighbors were driven berserk by he singing. All of the above None of the above Correct as is
29. 5. Jerry and myself regard you and she as the very people who we wish to meet. Jerry and I regard you and she as the very people who we wish to meet. Jerry and myself regard you and her as the very people who we wish to meet. Jerry and myself regard you and she as the very people whom we wish to meet. None of the above Correct as is
30. 5. Jerry and I regard you and her as the very people whomwe wish to meet.
33. 1. Name the pronoun’s antecedent: don’t just imply it. VAGUE: Ted wanted a Norwegian canoe because he’d heard that they produce the lightest canoes afloat. What noun or pronoun does they refer to? Not to Norwegian, which is an adjective. We may guess that this writer has in mind Norwegian canoe builders, but no such noun has been mentioned. To make the sentence work, the writer must supply an antecedent for they. CLEAR: Ted wanted a Norwegian canoe because he’d heard that Norway produces [or Norwegians produce] the lightest canoes afloat.
34. 1. Name the pronoun’s antecedent: don’t just imply it. Watch out for possessive nouns. They won’t work as antecedents. VAGUE: On William’s canoe he painted a skull and bones. (For all we know, he might be some joker named Gustavo.) CLEAR: On his canoe, William painted a skull and bones.
35. 2. Give the pronoun it, this, that, or which a clear antecedent. VAGUE: I was an only child, and it was hard. CLEAR: I was an only child, and my solitary life was hard.
36. 2. Give the pronoun it, this, that, or which a clear antecedent. VAGUE: Judy could not get along with her younger brother. This is the reason she wanted to get her own apartment. CLEAR: Because Judy could not get along with her younger brother, she wanted to get her own apartment.
37. 3. Make the pronoun’s antecedent clear. CONFUSING: Hal shouted to Kenny to take off his burning sweater. CLEAR: “Kenny!” shouted Hal. “Your sweater’s on fire! Take it off!” CLEAR: Flames were shooting from Kenny’s sweater. Hal shouted to Kenny to take it off.
38. 3. Make the pronoun’s antecedent clear. CONFUSING: Linda welcomed Leanne’s move into the apartment next door. Little did she dream that soon she would be secretly dating her husband. CLEAR: In welcoming Leanne to the apartment next door, Linda didn’t dream that soon her own husband would be secretly dating her former sorority sister.
39. 4. Place the pronoun close to its antecedent to keep the relationship clear. CONFUSING: Harper steered his dinghy alongside the cabin cruiser that the drug smugglers had left anchored under an overhanging willow in the tiny harbor and eased it to a stop. CLEAR: Harper steered his dinghy into the tiny harbor and eased it to a stop alongside the cabin cruiser that the drug smuggler had left anchored under an overhanging willow.
40. Never force your readers to stop and think, “What does that pronoun stand for?” You, the writer, have to do this thinking for them.
41. Practice: 1. I could see the moon and the faint shadow of the tree as it began to rise. 2. Katrina spent the summer in Paris and traveled throughout Europe, which broadened her awareness of cultural differences. 3. Most managers want employees to work as many hours as possible. They never consider the work they need to do at home. 4. I worked twelve hours a day and never got enough sleep, but it was worth it. 5. Kevin asked Mike to meet him for lunch but forgot that he had class at that time.
42. 1. I could see the moon and the faint shadow of the tree as it began to rise. I could see the moon and the faint shadow of the tree as the moon began to rise. I could see the moon and the faint shadow of the tree as the tree began to rise. As the moon began to rise, I could see the faint shadow of the tree. All of the above Correct as is
43. 2. Katrina spent the summer in Paris and traveled throughout Europe, which broadened her awareness of cultural differences. Katrina spent the summer in Paris and traveled throughout Europe. These travels broadened her awareness of cultural differences. Katrina spent the summer in Paris and traveled throughout Europe. Her trip broadened her awareness of cultural differences. Katrina spent the summer in Paris and traveled throughout Europe. Meeting new people broadened her awareness of cultural differences. All of the above Correct as is
44. 3. Most managers want employees to work as many hours as possible. They never consider the work they need to do at home. Most managers want employees to work as many hours as possible. They never consider the work employees need to do at home. Most managers want employees to work as many hours as possible. Managers never consider the work they need to do at home. Most managers want employees to work as many hours as possible. Managers never consider the work employees need to do at home. None of the above Correct as is
45. 4. I worked twelve hours a day and never got enough sleep, but it was worth it. I worked twelve hours a day and never got enough sleep, but the pay was worth it. I worked twelve hours a day and never got enough sleep, but it was worth all the hard work. I worked twelve hours a day and never got enough sleep, but the pay was worth all the hard work. None of the above Correct as is
46. 5. Kevin asked Mike to meet him for lunch but forgot that he had class at that time. Kevin asked Mike to meet him for lunch but forgot that Kevin had class at that time. Kevin asked Mike to meet him for lunch but forgot that Mike had class at that time. Both A and B None of the above Correct as is
47. Free WriteEight Minutes Are you a Facebook, myspace, or Twitter user? How would you classify the relationships you’ve sustained on these sites: strong, weak, superficial, deep? If you do not use one of these sites, explain why you choose not to. What effect do these sites have on society as a whole? _______________________________________________ Think of a machine with which you have a "relationship," perhaps a car, a computer, or an electronic "pet." In what ways, if any, do you treat that machine as if it were more than just a collection of metal and plastic? 6:30 6:00 5:30 5:00 4:30 1:30 7:30 4:00 3:00 2:30 2:00 1:00 :30 :00 7:00 3:30 8:00
48. “Alone Together”page 322 Reactions A. Liked it B. Disliked it C. Indifferent What does Turkle mean by “authenticity”? (paragraph 9). What does it mean to be authentic? What is love? How does Turkle see Facebook relating to this conversation? Do you agree or disagree with her assessment?
49. Paraphrasing Create a paraphrase sandwich. When I have checked your paraphrase off, you are free to go!
