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Personal
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Possessive
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Relative
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Reflexive
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I
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His
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Who
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Myself
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Me
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Hers
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Whose
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Yourself
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He
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Its
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That
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Himself
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She
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Yours
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Which
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Herself
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It
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Ours
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Whoever
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Ourselves
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Him
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Theirs
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Whichever
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Themselves
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Her
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Whatever
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You
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We
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They
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Them
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1. Use the pronoun "who" as a subject.
When choosing between "who" and "whom," ask yourself if there is a verb
to which the pronoun attaches that requires a subject. If it does, use
"who" rather than "whom." "Whom" is an object and can not be a subject.
"Who," on the other hand, can be a subject, but not an object.
Correct: Johnson is the plaintiff who initiated the class action.
In the preceding example, the verb
"initiated" requires a subject; thus, the use of "who" is mandated. "Johnson"
can not be the subject of "initiated" because it is the subject of the
verb "is." "Plaintiff" also can not be the subject of "initiated" because
it is the object of the verb "is."
2. Use the pronoun "whom" as the
object of a preposition. Commonly used prepositions include the words "at,"
"by," "for," "in," "of," "to," and "with."
Correct: To whom should this letter be addressed?
Incorrect: With who did you attend the concert last night?
Correct: With whom did you attend the concert last night?
Incorrect: For who did you write this speech?
Correct: For whom did you write this speech?
3. Do not use the pronouns "they"
or "their" when referring to a collective noun or an indefinite pronoun.
Collective nouns include the terms "all," "everyone," and "everybody."
They are collective because they refer to groups of people. Indefinite
pronouns such as "each" and "someone," like collective nouns, do not indicate
a specific gender. Do not substitute the pronoun "they" for a collective
noun or an indefinite pronoun. Instead, try to avoid the need for the pronoun
if possible. One way to avoid the pronoun problem is to substitute the
word "the" or "a." Use "he or she" or "his or her" as an alternative only
if absolutely necessary; this option almost always can be avoided by rewriting
the sentence.
Better: Everyone will be required to submit his or her memorandum at 9:00 a.m.
Best: Everyone will be required to submit the memorandum at 9:00 a.m.
Incorrect: Each person should provide me with a copy of their schedule.
Better: Each person should provide me with a copy of his or her schedule.
Best: Each person should provide me with a copy of a personal schedule.
Incorrect: A lawyer is the guardian of civil liberties. They protect the rights of those in the citizenry who are unable to protect their own rights.
Awkward: A lawyer is the guardian of civil liberties. He or she protects the rights of those in the citizenry who are unable to protect their own rights.
Best: Lawyers are the guardian of civil liberties. They protect the rights of those in the citizenry who are unable to protect their own rights.
4. When a first-person pronoun replaces a subject, use "I." When it replaces an object, use "me."
Correct: It is I.
Explanation: "I" is the subject of
the verb "is." Use "I" as a subject and "me" as an object.
Correct: The judge threw the gavel at me after the twelfth consecutive objection.
Explanation: When you are uncertain
about using "I" or "me," you may want to ask yourself which word you would
choose if writing in
the third person. For example, it is easy
to conclude that "the judge threw the gavel at her" is correct, while "at
she" would be incorrect. Since the pronouns "me," "him," and "her" all
are used as objects, you know to use "me" in the first person whenever
"him" or "her" would be appropriate in the third person.
5. When a third-person pronoun replaces a subject, use "he" or "she." When it replaces an object, use "him" or "her."
Correct: The person I saw stealing the watch was she.
Explanation: "She" is the subject linked
to the verb "was." Without the term "she," there is no subject for that
verb, since "I" is the subject of "saw" and "person" is the subject of
"stealing." One way to prove that "she" is the correct choice is to change
the order of words in the sentence without using any different words: "She
was the person I saw stealing the watch." Since "she" is correct in that
format, it is also correct in the example above.
Correct: The lunch was prepared for James, Jennifer, Jocelyn, and him.
Explanation: "Him" is the object of
the preposition "for." The only predicate in the sentence, "was prepared,"
already has a subject, "the lunch." There are no verbs floating in this
sentence without subjects. Therefore, we know that "him" is correct.
6. Do not use reflexive pronouns to replace personal pronouns. Reflexive pronouns are used to refer to a previously stated subject, as in the sentence, "The criminal punished herself." Unless you are referring back to the same subject, do not use reflexive pronouns, which are listed in the introduction to this section on pronouns.
Correct: The Torts outline was prepared by Ginny Hart and me.