Pronoun Case (pn case)

Lecture Notes
Proofreading for Pronoun Errors

FOUR COMMON PRONOUN ERRORS

CASE ERRORS AGREEMENT ERRORS REFERENCE ERRORS SHIFTS

Review of p. 323:
Pronouns can replace nouns in sentences. The "case" of the pronoun is determined by how the pronoun is used in the sentence.

	Sentences with nouns	Sentences with pronouns
Case #1	The princess kissed the frog.	She kissed the frog.
Case #2	The frog kissed the princess.	The frog kissed her.

Explanation:
In both cases above, the pronouns are replacing the words the princess. But notice how the pronouns are not the same in both cases.

In Case #1, the pronoun replaces the subject of the sentence (the doer of the action); therefore, we use the subject case pronoun she.
In Case #2, the pronoun replaces the direct object of the sentence (the receiver of the action); therefore, we use the object case pronoun her.

Proofreading Tip: Watch Out for AND!
In most cases, we have no problems using the right cases of these pronouns. But when two words are joined by a coordinating conjunction, like and or or, we often use the wrong case.

Error: Jackie and him are going to the movies tonight.
Discussion: Does that sentence sound OK to you? Maybe it does, but it is an error in pronoun case. In this case the pronoun is being used as the subject of the sentence. In this case, the subject case should be used.
Correction: Jackie and he are going to the movies tonight.

Here's what you do when you proofread your work: Look for any pronoun that is in a compound construction with the words and or or! Whenever you see a pronoun with an and or or, WATCH OUT! Read through the sentence with one item at a time to figure out which case of the pronoun that you should use. Like this—

Error: Jackie and him are going to the movies tonight.
Say the sentence as two clauses: Jackie is going to the movies tonight, and HE is going to the movies tonight.
Rule: Whatever case you would use separately is the same case you should use with the two items together.
Correction: Jackie and he are going to the movies tonight.
Error: Grandma bought gifts for Sarah and I.
Say the sentence as two clauses: Grandma bought gifts for Sarah, and Grandma bought gifts for ME.
Rule: Whatever case you would use separately is the same case you should use with the two items together.
Correction: Grandma bought gifts for Sarah and me.

Answers to Exercises
Click HERE to check your answers for the exercises on using apostrophes.

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