Most students learned pronoun usage a long time ago and many may need a review. Here is a brief exercise to refresh hazy skills. English has three pronoun cases:

Subjective (Nominative) Case
I, we, he, she, it, they, you
Use these pronouns as subjects of verb or as subject complements.

Objective Case
me, us, him, her, it, them, you
Use these pronouns as objects of verb or objects of a preposition.

Possessive Case
my, mine, her, hers, his, it, its, their, theirs, your, yours
Use these pronouns to show possession. Note: No apostrophes!

Three Frequent Pronoun Problems

1. Compound subjects:  My buddy and I [not me] went shopping. [Ignore “my buddy and”; focus on subject of verb.]

2. Compound objects:  Send the note to him or me [not I]. [Ignore “him or”; focus on object of preposition.

3. Confused possessive pronouns: (A)  The bill and its [not it’s] amendments are on file. [Don’t confuse the contraction it is with the possessive pronoun its.]  (B) Ours [not Our’s] is the only team making a presentation. [Possessive pronouns have no apostrophes.]

Underline any pronoun errors in the following sentences. Write a correct form above the error. If the sentence is correct, write C.

1. Jake asked Erin and I for advice on applying for the internship.
2. We wondered whether the manager and him would support the changes.
3. Send all responses to Mark or me before September 1.
4. The staff and I agreed to replace this computer and it’s peripherals as soon as possible.
5. Several teams submitted reports on time, but their’s has not been received.
6. Just between you and me, our company may be sold and relocated.
7. It was me who placed the order for office supplies.
8. A new profit-sharing plan was sent to the other employees and I early last year.
9. Me and my friend are both interested in applying for the same job.
10. When you finish the annual report, please send it to Franklin and I.
11. Authorities worried that it’s roof might collapse under the weight of the snow.
12. If only the president and him would make a decision, we could move forward.
13. All spam messages coming to him and I are forwarded to appropriate authorities.
14. Most other offices were repainted, but our’s seems to have been missed.
15. Emily complained that text messages for her mother and she were garbled.

Pronoun Exercise

Pronoun Exercise Key

[Instructors: Downloadable PDFs of this exercise and a separate key can be found at the end of this post.]

Plodding through wordy phrasing discourages readers. To write more concise prose, consider these three revision techniques.

1. Slash vague expressions. Avoid using too many words when fewer can do the job.

due to the fact that                       because

in addition to the above               also

despite the fact that                     although

2. Eliminate long lead-ins. Get to the point rather than begin with an unnecessary phrase.

We are writing to inform you that   We have accepted your application.

3. Avoid wordy there is/are and it/was Whenever possible, begin with the true subject of the sentence rather than using the wordy There is/are or It is/was constructions.

There was An Instagram influencer who promoted the new product.

Your Task: Edit the sentences below to eliminate unnecessary words.

1. It was not until they received the package that they realized they had ordered the wrong part.
2. At this point in time, we are unable to change your order.
3. It is when people use WiFi in public locations that many are hacked.
4. You may be interested to know that you can easily create a profile to reuse our website in the future.
5. There were so many applications that the HR department was unable to look at them all.
6. In the event that our first choice is unable to take the position, we will have to interview more candidates.
7. It is a good idea to reread all important messages you write to your boss before sending them.
8. We are sending this message to advise all employees to be careful before opening any e-mail attachments in order to avoid infecting devices with malware.
9. It was George Washington who once said, “Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
10. In the situation in which a course is overenrolled, the instructor may have to admit more than the approved number of students.

Intended for classroom use only–posting or wide distribution with authors’ permission only (c) The Guffey Team, 2024

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