Pronoun Usage 4

Pronouns in comparisons

• Sometimes a comparison is made by using a clause that begins with than or as.

• Examples• Fred is better at chess than George is.• You have as many A’s as he has.• Marie likes me more than she likes you.

Comparisons

• Sometimes the final clause in the comparison is left incomplete making the pronoun choice more difficult.

• Fred is better at chess than George (is).• You have as many A’s as he (has).

• To decide which pronoun form to use in an incomplete comparison – you need to complete the comparison.

• Hannah plays the trumpet better than (I, me).• Max wrote a better composition than (I, me).• We can sing as well as (they, them).

Pronoun with infinitives

• The objective form of the pronoun is used when you have an infinitive phrase (remember what infinitives are?? - to run, to jump, to throw)

• The officer told me to stop. ( me is the subject of to stop).

• The official asked them to observe the rules. (them is the subject of to observe.

• They took him to be me. (him is the subject of to be and me is the predicate pronoun following to be.

• Reporters were at the airport to question her. (her is the object of to question).

Possessive case with gerunds

• The possessive form of the pronoun is used when the pronoun immediately precedes a gerund.

• His running has improved since the last track meet.

• We dislike their playing the radio at midnight.

Pronoun as an appositive

• The form of a pronoun used as an appositive is determined by the use of the noun to which it is apposition.

• The delegates, Tony and I, want your support.– Tony and I are the apposition for delegates, which

is the subject. Therefore you use the nominative form.

• For the producers, Margo and him, the show was a hit.– Margo and him are the appositive for producers,

which is in a prepositional phrase. That makes it the objective form.

Pronoun & antecedent

• A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number, gender and person

• Example – Each of the boys brought his sleeping bag.

• Singular

Indefinite pronouns all, some, any, and none can be either singular or plural depending upon meaning in the sentence

Example – All of the furniture was in its original condition.

All of the students were taking their last test.