Language: grammar and vocabulary
Subject, object and possessive pronouns
Choose the right pronoun for the job it does in the sentence.
A pronoun saves you from saying the same name over and over. "Ravi packed Ravi's bag and then Ravi left" is exhausting; "Ravi packed his bag and then he left" is the same news, told properly. But which pronoun you reach for depends on the job the word is doing in the sentence.
Doing the action — I, we, he, she, they
These stand in front of the verb, as the one doing it: She sings. They are laughing. This group is called the subject pronouns.
Receiving the action — me, us, him, her, them
These come after the verb or after a word like to, for or with: Thank him. The letter was addressed to us. This group is called the object pronouns.
Showing who it belongs to
Two shapes here, and the difference is whether a noun follows. My, our, your, his, her, their come before a noun: my bag. Mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs stand alone: That bag is mine.
The quickest test
Say the sentence with "she" and then with "her". Only one of them sounds right, and that tells you which job the slot needs — no rule to remember, just your own ear.
Worked example
Fill both gaps: "____ waited for the bus, and the driver waved at ____."
The first gap is in front of the verb "waited", so somebody there is doing the waiting.
That slot takes a subject pronoun: We waited.
Try it together
Let us follow one person through three slots.
Every answer is one word, and every one of them is about the same girl.
1.____ is my best friend. Write the pronoun that does the action.
Have a go
Which sentence is correct?
Ready to practise?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.