Object Pronouns in English — How It Works

Object Pronouns in English — How It Works — Go Loco

Object Forms

English object pronouns have forms for person, number, and natural gender. The same form can serve as direct object, indirect object, or prepositional object when the grammar position is correct. Formal grammar distinguishes object forms from subject forms, while everyday speech sometimes favors forms like It is me instead of It is I.

Idea	Example
First person singular object form is me.	She called me.
Second person object form is you.	I saw you.
Third person singular masculine object form is him.	We met him.
Third person singular feminine object form is her.	The teacher praised her.
Third person singular neuter object form is it.	They opened it.
First person plural object form is us.	The guide showed us the city.
Third person plural object form is them.	The host welcomed them.
Formal object pronoun form is whom.	Whom did you invite?

Object Use

A direct object receives the action of the verb, so the pronoun follows the verb in sentences like She saw him. An indirect object receives the direct object, so the pronoun appears before the thing given in She gave me a gift, or after to in She gave a gift to me. After a preposition, the pronoun must also take object form, as in For whom did you buy it?

Idea	Example
A direct object receives the verb’s action.	She saw him.
An indirect object receives the direct object.	She gave me a gift.
A prepositional object follows a preposition.	They spoke to us.
Whom is the formal object form in questions.	For whom did you buy it?
Who often replaces whom in casual speech.	Who did you call?

Compound Objects

When a pronoun is joined to another noun or pronoun with and, the object form is used if the whole phrase functions as an object. In informal English, speakers often say Mary and me, although many formal styles prefer Mary and I when the phrase is the subject of the sentence. In double object constructions, give a person a thing and give a thing to a person are both common patterns, and the pronoun keeps object form in either order.

Idea	Example
Use object form in an object phrase joined by and.	Invite Mary and me.
Use subject form when the joined phrase is the subject.	Mary and I arrived early.
One pattern places the person before the thing.	She gave me a gift.
Another pattern places the thing before to and the person.	She gave a gift to me.

Pronoun Agreement

Object pronouns match the person, number, and natural gender of the noun they replace. Him refers to a singular masculine person, her to a singular feminine person, and them to more than one person or to a person whose gender is not specified. This agreement keeps the pronoun aligned with the antecedent while the case changes according to sentence role, a pattern also important in Reflexive Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns.

Idea	Example
Use him for a singular masculine antecedent.	I helped him.
Use her for a singular feminine antecedent.	We asked her.
Use it for a singular nonhuman antecedent.	They found it.
Use us for a plural first person antecedent.	The coach thanked us.
Use them for a plural antecedent.	I met them.

Questions

Whom is the traditional object form in questions and relative clauses, especially in formal writing or careful speech. In everyday conversation, who is often used instead, even when the word functions as an object, and English speakers usually accept that choice. Object forms also matter when a pronoun follows a preposition, which is why forms like for me and with them are standard while subject forms are not.

Idea	Example
Whom is formal and grammatical as an object.	Whom did you see?
Who is common in informal speech for an object question.	Who did you see?
A preposition is followed by an object pronoun.	Sit with us.
Subject forms do not normally follow prepositions.	She waited for him.

Object Pronouns in EnglishA2

Translations

Prerequisites

Overview

Object Forms

Object Use

Compound Objects

Pronoun Agreement

Questions

Review

Prerequisites

Complementary Modules

Practical Applications

Suggested Modules: A2

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