Deatri King-Bey--- Mother, Wife, Author

The Case for Case

By Deatri King-Bey

I, we, me, us, my, mine, our, ours, he, she, it, they, who… Pronoun usage needlessly stumps many people. By the end of this workshop, proper pronoun usage will be a piece of cake. I’ll make this as painless as possible.

What is Case?

Which of the following sentences are correct?

1. Between Clarissa and I there is more than enough space.

2. Between Clarissa and me there is more than enough space.

3. Who did you expect to win?

4. Whom did you expect to win?

Sentences two and four are correct. The choice of pronoun depends on how the pronoun is used in the sentence; it can be a subject, an object, or a possessive. This concept is called Case.

Let’s dissect a sentence: He handed your book to me.

He is the one doing the action; therefore, he is performing in the subject role.

Your is the one the book belongs too; therefore, your is performing in the possessor (owner) role.

Me is the receiver of the action; therefore, me is performing in the object (object of the action) role.

NOTE: The Case is named after the role the pronoun plays. There are three cases: subject, object, and possessive.

Singular vs: Plural Pronouns

When deciding which case of pronoun to use, you must also consider number. Did I go to the store, or did we go to the store?

It may all sound a little confusing, so let’s step back a moment to simplify things. I find charts help me remember.

Subject (role)		Object (role)		Possessive (role)
Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
I	we	Me	Us	My, mine	our, ours

You	you	you	you	your, yours	your, yours

he, she, it	they	him, her, it	Them	his, her, hers, its	their, theirs

Who		whom		whose

Whoever		whomever

The key is to figure out what role your pronoun is playing in the sentence, and then choose the appropriate pronoun case. I’ll bet you thought it was tougher than that.

Helpful Hints to Picking the Correct Pronoun

Many people have difficulty determining if the pronoun is in the subject role or object role. Below are a few tricks of the trade writers can use to work around this issue.

Compound construction is when you have two or more pronouns connected by and, but, or, or nor. [Don’t worry about the terminology. You won’t be quizzed, just work to understand the concepts.]

(She, Her) and (I, me) applied for scholarships.

The pronouns are in the subject role thus the answers are She and I. But what if you have difficulty deciding if the pronoun is in the subject, object, or possessive role?

Step 1. Write the sentence as if you only have one pronoun.

She applied for the scholarships.

Her applied for the scholarships.

I applied for the scholarships.

Me applied for the scholarships.

Step 2. Use your ear. Which two sound correct?

She applied for the scholarships.

I applied for the scholarships.

Step 3. Rewrite the sentence using the pronouns that sounded correct.

She and I applied for the scholarships.

Let’s try an objective case.

The scholarships were awarded to (she, her) and (I, me).

Step 1. Write the sentence as if you only have one pronoun

The scholarship was awarded to she.

The scholarship was awarded to her.

The scholarship was awarded to I.

The scholarship was awarded to me.

Step 2. Use your ear. Which two sound correct?

The scholarship was awarded to her.

The scholarship was awarded to me.

Step 3. Rewrite the sentence using the pronouns that sounded correct.

The scholarships were awarded to her and me.

How about after an appositive (renaming the previous noun(s))?

Two sisters, Tanja and (I, me), had a ball at the Romance Slam Jam.

Don’t panic. Use the rules from the previous example and ignore the original noun(s).

I had a ball at the Romance Slam Jam.

Me had a ball at the Romance Slam Jam.

Two sisters, Tanja and I, had a ball at the Romance Slam Jam.

How about after the words “than” or “as”?

This one is a little tricky. If you can not determine the role of your pronoun, you will need to use the context of the sentence to choose the pronoun.

Tanja likes to read more than (I, me).

Tanja likes to read as much as (I, me).

Context: Did I want Tanja to like to read more than I like reading or more than she likes me? Fully write the sentence out using your different choices.

Tanja likes to read more than I [like to read].

Tanja likes to read more than [she likes] me.

Tanja likes to read as much as I [like reading].

Tanja likes to read as much as [she likes] me.

Now chose the one you meant, and write it without the words in the brackets.

How do you choose who or whom?

When we speak, “who” is used the vast majority of the time. For writing it is good to know proper usage. Again, let’s say you can’t tell the difference between the subject and object cases.

(Who, Whom) called the doctor.

Step 1. Replace the pronoun with he and him.

He called the doctor.

Him called the doctor.

Step 2. Chose the one that sounds correct.

He called the doctor.

Step 3. Look at the chart. He and who are both subject cases. Replace he with who.

Who called the doctor is the answer.

Try one more.

(Who, Whom) do I ask for assistance?

Step 1. Rewrite the sentence using he and him.

He do I ask for assistance?

Him do I ask for assistance?

Neither one makes sense, do they? When it is an objective case, many times you will need to rephrase the sentence.

Do I ask him for assistance?

Do I ask he for assistance.

Step 2. Chose the one that sounds correct

Do I ask him for assistance?

Step 3. Look at the chart. Him and whom are both objective. Now rewrite the original sentence with whom.

Whom do I ask for assistance?

NOTE: I use he and him instead of she and her because him ends with an “m” and so does whom. Also, if you need to rephrase the sentence, it is usually the objective case (whom). Okay now you know my little secret. Don’t tell anyone.

Gerunds and Case

A gerund is the –ing form a verb that is used as a noun. Always use the possessive case with gerunds.

His knowing her personally made the interview unfair.

I love her writing.

My typing skills need improvement.

That’s all folks

My word count is just about finished, so I must end this session. I hope you’ve gained a better understanding of pronoun case.

If you have questions or just want to say hi, e-mail me at workshops@deewrites.com

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