CASES OF

PRONOUN
DISCUSSANT:

MS. ZENOVIA MAE P.

GECONCILLO
 CASE
In English, case refers to the form of the noun and pronoun as
dictated by their function in the sentence, or meaning.

✘ 3 basic forms: SUBJECTIVE, OBJECTIVE, POSSESSIVE

✘ Also referred as: NOMINATIVE, ACCUSATIVE,
GENITIVE

In addition, English also has the reflexive form for pronouns, for
very specific semantic and idiomatic functions.
 SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE CASES

Forms:
-for quick review, the subjective and objective forms of pronouns are
as follows:
SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE
I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
They them
 Subject of Verb

The pronoun functioning as subject of the verb must be in the subjective case.

 We geniuses must get organized.

 * Me and Sam will join the summer baseball games. (colloquial)
 I and Sam / Sam and I will join the summer baseball games.
Colloquial – informal
conversation
Note: The use of “me” and other objective forms as part of compound
subject is quite common in informal speech.
 Him came over for dinner last Sunday
 Mother and him came over for dinner last Sunday.

These forms are not acceptable in formal speech and writing.

 COMPLEMENT (OR OBJECT) OF VERB OR
PREPOSITION
The objective case is used for the pronoun functioning as complement (or object) of
a transitive verb or a preposition. These are traditionally called “object of the verb’
and “ object of the preposition,” objectively.

 Gaudy prints on men’s wear bother my photographer and me.

 Such clothes are certainly not for me.
Particle – is a word that
has a grammatical
It is also used for the pronoun functioning as complement of phrase ending with a function but does not fit
into the main parts of
particle, or as complement of the phrase “to be.” speech. Particles do not
change.
These cannot be called “object of” and yet are in the objective case.
Ex. From, to, off, on,
oh, wow
✘ My twin brother is definitely different from me in many ways.
✘ I certainly would not want to be him right now.
 APPOSITIVES

The case form of the pronoun in appositive should be the

same as the noun it is in apposition to.

✘ The new crimebusters, Atty. Galvez and I, were

Crimebusters – law
selected by the Commissioner. (subjective) enforcement officer

✘ The Commissioner selected the new crimebusters,

Atty. Galvez and me. (objective)
 COMPOUND NOUN PHRASE

Parts of a compound noun phrase share the same case,

according to their common function.

✘ John and I will fulfill the requirements. (subjective)

✘ The teacher made John and me fulfill the

requirements. (objective)
 COMPLEMENT WITH “ BE”
Conjugated form of the
The form of the pronoun after the conjugated form of the verb be
Verb “to be”
varies according to the structure of the sentence. For sentences
Form To be
where the predicate pronoun is the final word, that pronoun is
usually in the objective case, especially in informal speech: Infinitive 1. be
Present 2. am 3. is
tense
 It’s me. 4. are
 That’s her. Past tense [Link]
 The suspect were them. 6. were
Past 7. been
participle
In formal speech and writing, the subjective forms are used. Present 8. being
It is I. participle
That is she.
The suspect were they.
For sentences with predicate pronoun is modified by a relative clause, that
pronoun is in the subjective form.

It is not affected by the case of the relative pronoun, which is determined by

its function in the relative clause.

Thus, whether the relative pronoun is who or whom, the predicate pronoun
remains in the subjective case:

 It was I who nominated him for chairman of the board.

 That was she who chose to wear pink at the funeral.
 The suspects were they whom the police picked up early this morning.
In informal speech, the objective form as predicate complement of
be also appears even in a complex sentence:

 Who’s making all that noise?

 It’s just us practicing for our play.
 It’s me playing the drums. Pedantic

Instead of the formal, and pedantic:

 It is just we who are practicing for our play.
 It is I who am playing the drums.
As mentioned, after the infinitive form to be, the complement
pronoun remains in the objective form:

 Whoever wants to be me?

 The public thought the corrupt officials to be them.

However, some grammar books still contain forms like:

 Who would ever wish to be I?
 The visitors would seem to be they.

But these now seem too pedantic and contrary to common usage,
even in formal writing.
 EMBEDDED CLAUSE

Pronouns in embedded clauses take the case dedicated by their function

in the embedded clause, not by their position in the main clause.

 We all love whoever gives cheerfully and freely.

 Heaven help whomever the critics pan.
 Don’t talk to whoever sits beside you in a dimly lit disco pub.
 In traditional Muslim communities, girls are married off to
whomever their families choose.
 He was the one whom we thought we saw last night in the computer
room.
 Is he the officer whom you said I should report to/
The pronouns who and whoever generally follow the same case rules. However, when these
begin a sentence in the informal register, as in conversations or advertisements, these are
usually in the nominative form, regardless of function in the sentence.

 Who do you trust to be a leader of the free world and president of the United Stated? -
George Bush, quoted in “Bush says he’s cutting Clinton’s lead in poll,” Inquirer (24 Oct
92).

 Who is she mourning for? – English subtitles in a scene from the film “Dancing with
Wolves” (1992).

 Who’s fooling who in neo-Nazi violence – title of article by Marc Fisher, Washington Post
Service, Bulletin (2 June 93).

 From this day forth, the Princess shall marry whoever she deems worthy. – Sultan, a
character in the movie Alladin (1993.)
 Who can you rely on for full control of your investments? – Citibank print ad, Asia Magazine
(4-6 Feb 94); Newsweek (14 Mar (4)

 Who can you ask when paying a few cents less is costing you too much? – Allied Signal print
ad, Electronic Business Asia (Feb 94) p. 32.

 We will never have nuclear weapons, I promise you. Who can we use them against?- Kim II
Sung, quoted in “Perspectives,” Newsweek (2 May 94), p. 5.

 Who will he choose? – ad for the Joe Millionaire reality TV show (Nov 03)

 Surprising! Men GO Gaga Over WHO? – title of article in What’s New Netscape (Feb 04)
 Who on earth will you meet today? – Malaysia Airlines print ad, BusinessWeek (20 Sep 04)

 Who can you trust to lead the nation? – slogan of the Labor Party in UK (Apr 05)
Distinction between who and whom in formal writing,
especially in academic papers.

 Whom should this community development project

benefit?

 There is a need to address the dislocation of whomever

the revised policy statement on settlers affects.
A variation involving a different case is possible for clauses embedded in
sentences with verbs like think, feel, consider, like, want, etc. , with the
embedded verb in the infinitive:

Matrix: The judge thought _____________.

Insert: She is pretty.
Result: The judge thought (that) she is pretty.
The judge thought her to be pretty.

Matrix: Do you want ______?

Insert: We girls go hunting.
Result: Do you want that we girls go hunting?
Do you want us girls to go hunting?
COMPARATIVE WITH “AS” OR “THAN”

In comparative sentences, many grammar books insist on using the

subjective case after the word as or than, noting the complete
comparative sentence actually consists of two clauses, with as or
than functioning as conjunctions:

 He has as many degrees as she has.

=> He has as many degrees as she.
 His wife is smarter than he is.
=> His wife is smarter than he.
 Father says he has had more experiences than I had. =>Father
says he has had more experiences than I.
COMPARATIVE WITH “AS” OR “THAN”

However, many modern grammar accept the common use

of the objective cases here, arguing that in comparative
constructions, the words as and than function as
prepositions (even if the underlying phrase structure has
as and than as conjunctions) :
 He has as many degrees as her.
 His wife is smarter than him.
 Father says he has had more experiences than me.
You have to be careful when you decide to use as or than as prepositions
rather than as conjunctions; the resulting sentence may become vague or
ambiguous.

• My ten-year-old boy is taller than me. (Either the boy is a giant, or the
father is a midget!)
 My ten-year-old boy is taller than I was at that age.

• The audition master liked my song better than the producer. (The
audition master liked the producer less than my song?)
 The audition master liked my song better than the producer did.
 COMPLEMENT (OR OBJECT) OF THE
PREPOSITIONS “BUT” AND “LIKE”
✘ The word but, when used as a preposition, dictates the objective
case for its complement (or object) pronoun.

Ex. Nobody but him was able to complete the test.

Some grammar books also analyze the above sentence as an ellipsis of

ellipsis
the compound sentence using but as conjunction. Thus, the above would
be rendered as:

 Nobody was able to complete the test, but he was (able to complete
the test).
 Nobody but he was able to complete the test.
The word like is a preposition, and should not be confused with as,
which can function either as preposition or n.

 Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.

Winston tastes good as a cigarette should.

The Spanish are fond of rich food, just like us.

 REFLEXIVE CASE:

✘ FORMS
 REFLEXIVE CASE GUIDELINES:
✘ The reflexive form is used:
- to refer to a complement (object) pronoun which refers back to
the subject:
Ex. We must train ourselves constantly.
Board members should not vote themselves fancy perquisites.

- to emphasize the noun or pronoun which it refers to: Perquisites-

Ex. I myself handled the workshop. (This should be used sparingly)

- to indicate that the action was done “on one’s own” or “unsaid”:
Ex. The chairman himself chose to ignore the agenda.
she worked out the graphs herself.
The reflexive form is also idiomatically dictated by some verbs:

 Students should avail themselves of all educational facilities provided

by the university.
 Did you hurt yourself?
 It is difficult not to enjoy oneself in these amusement parks.
Intensive
pronoun -
The reflexive pronoun should be positioned closest to the noun referred to.

 We discovered that the secretary could not file herself.

We discovered that the secretary herself could not file.
 POSSESSIVE CASE

The possessive case denotes a sense of belonging, as in actual

ownership (David’s pen, the pen of David) or in intent (David’s
room, the room for David).

The of and for phrases are used ,ore often when the complement (or
object) noun of of/for is inanimate, e.g., the contents of the books vs.
the book’s contents.

Also, the of and for phrases are used more often in formal writing,
e.g., the symbol of nationhood vs. nationhood’s symbol.
FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS

Generally, the possessive case is formed by adding “-’s”

to the singular noun.
 the President’s favorite

Or plural noun which does not end in the plural suffix “-

s”:
 the women’s organization, teeth’s plaque

Or only an apostrophe to the plural noun ending in “ –s”.

 the presidents’ first ladies
 FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS

Common nouns with more than one syllable and ending in “-s”
take only an apostrophe.
albatross’ wings for goodness’ sake

Proper nouns ending in “-s” form the possessive in both ways:

Jesus’ teachings Charles’ manifesto
Moses laws Charles’s manifesto
but the use of only the apostrophe is preferred in formal writing.

However, single-syllable names often occur with “-’s.”

Zeus’s children Philip Glass’s compositions
FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS

The use of apostrophe and “-s” after a proper noun ending in “s”
also signals a separate syllable pronounced to communicate the
possessive meaning.
Jesus’s [‘dʒi : zəsəs]
Bess’s [‘bəsəs]
Compound nouns add the possessive suffix to their last
element. This is unlike the formation of the plural form.
editor in chief > editor in chief’s not *editor’s in chief
father-in-law > father-in-law’s
someone else > someone else’s
personnel managers > personnel managers’
 FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS

Compound nouns joined by a conjunction may add the possessive suffix in

two ways, with different meanings.

Jack and Jill > Jack and Jill’s (to indicate joint ownership)
Jack’s and Jill’s (separate ownership)

Where separate ownership is indicated, the modified noun must necessarily

be plural.

Jack and Jill’s pail/pails

Jack’s and Jill’s pails
 FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF NOUNS
When a noun is followed by an appositive, the possessive suffix is asses to the
appositive.

This is Mr. Lopez, the manager’s, personal car.

The possessive case in proper nouns may or may not be marked. Simply use the
form which is official, as found in the publications of the group or institution
concerned.

Reader’s Digest National Teachers College

World Executive’s DigestPhilippine Veterans Bank
The Dancer’s Company College English Teachers Association
FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF PRONOUNS

The possessive case of indefinite pronouns is formed by adding

“-’s,” but the pronoun it takes only an “-s.”

Anybody > anybody’s it > its no one > no one’s

✘ Remember that the form it’s is a contraction of it is, and should not be
mistaken for the possessive its.
FORMING THE POSSESSIVE OF PRONOUNS
The possessive case of personal pronouns is formed idiomatically.
There are two forms, a possessive adjective or attributive
(before the modified noun),and a possessive pronoun.
SUBJECTIVE POSSESSIVE POSSESSIVE
ADJECTIVE PRONOUN
I my mine This is her phone. (possessive adj.)
you your yours

he his his
This phone is her phone. => This phone is hers.
she her hers
(possessive pronoun)
it its (its)

we our ours

they their theirs

 The supposed possessive pronoun its is not used; instead the
noun is usually supplied, or else the construction with the possessive
attributive if used.

This is the college’s rule. This rule is its. ** SUBJECTIV POSSESSIV POSSESSIV
E E E
This is its rule. This rule is the college’s. ADJECTIVE PRONOUN
I my mine

 Some contractions of pronouns and verb be, as well as the you your yours

existential there is/are, sound like the possessive forms of pronoun. he his his
Differentiate them in spelling she her hers

it its (its)
it’s vs. its you’re vs. your there vs. theirs we our ours
they’re vs. their who’s vs. whose
they their theirs
 POSSESSIVES AFTER THE NOUN
The possessive form may also occur after the noun possessed, with the
particle of preceding the possessive noun. If the determiner is an
indefinite article (a or an), the possessive noun still carries the
possessive morpheme (apostrophe + “s”):

a friend of Magda’s
the friends of Magda => Magda’s friend

With the possessive of, the possessive pronoun is used. This

construction cannot be used with the definite article the:

A friend of hers
Her friend (not * the friend of hers)
This friend of hers
 EMPHATIC POSSESSIVE

The emphatic possessive is expressed by putting own between the

possessive noun or pronoun, and the noun.

Even his own mother was willing to testify against him.

I saw it with my own eyes.
 POSSESSIVES IN EXPRESSIONS OF TIME

 The possessive form is also used for a time phrase as variant for an
of or for phrase, or a compound adjective.
Ex.
The work of three days was not enough to complete the project.
Þ The three days’ work … => The three-day work …

Survival among the species has been a war of four billion years.
Þ …a four billion year’s war => a four-billion-year war

Enclosed is your salary of/for three months.

=> …your three month’s salary => …your three-month salary
POSSESSIVE FORMS WITH VERBS IN “-ING”

One process of transforming a sentence into a nominal clause involves the

obligatory use of the possessive case for the original subject of the
transform, and the replacement of tense in the verb with the suffix “-ing.”

Matrix: Some archeologists are still skeptical about _______.

Insert: Early man came from Asia to America via the Bering Strait.
=> early man’s coming from Asia to America via the Bering Strait.

RESULT: Some archeologists are still skeptical about early man’s coming
from Asia to America via the Bering Strait.
POSSESSIVE FORMS WITH VERBS IN “-ING”

When the subject is a noun, the resulting construction sometimes becomes

phonetically ambiguous for two transformations, one with the possessive
and one without.

1. Economic planners are wary of the brokers’ manipulating the stock

market.
<= Brokers manipulate the stock market.

2. Economic planners are wary of brokers manipulating the stock

market.
<= brokers who are manipulating the stock market
 POSSESSIVE FORMS WITH VERBS IN “-ING”
In the first construction, with the possessive, the complement (or object) of the
preposition is the entire embedded clause, thus focusing on the verb; in the
second construction, the complement of the preposition is the noun, which is
modified by a relative clause in the progressive aspect. The senses are quite
close, but still different.

1. Economic planners are wary of [the brokers’ act of] manipulating the stock
market.

2. Economic planners are wary of brokers [who are manipulating the stock
market.]
 THANK YOU SO
MUCH!

HAPPY ALL
HAPPY SAINTS’ DAY
HALLOW
HAPPY ALL SOULS’
EEN! DAY (Nov. 2, 2021)