Tips for Understanding and Using Pronouns

Pronouns are important for many reasons, as outlined in the following. You can use pronouns to stand in as subjects or objects, or to show possession. Here are some tips for getting your head around pronouns:

• Pronouns that may be used only as subjects or subject complements: I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever.

• Pronouns that may be used only as objects or object complements: me, him, her, us, them, whom, whomever.

• Common pronouns that may be used as either subjects or objects: you, it, everyone, anyone, no-one, someone, mine, ours, yours, theirs, either, neither, each, everybody, anybody, nobody, somebody, everything, anything, nothing, something, any, none, some, which, what, that.

• Pronouns that show possession: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs, whose.