Subject, Object and Reflexive Pronouns

Subject, Object and Reflexive Pronouns

What Is a Subject Pronoun?

A subject pronoun is exactly what it sounds like: a pronoun that takes the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence. 

Remember, a sentence’s subject is the person or thing that performs the action of a verb.

What are the subject pronouns?

• I

• you

• he/she/it

• we

• you

• they

Examples:

• I make cookies every Sunday 

• Marilyn read a biography.

• Janette went to the party last night

• Missy loves computer games

What Is an Object Pronoun?

Object pronouns are those pronouns that receive the action in a sentence. They are me, you, him, her, us, them, and whom.

Any noun receiving an action in the sentence, like these pronouns, is an object and is categorized as objective case.

• I becomes Me

• You becomes You (tnis rule applies for singular and plural use)

• He becomes Him

• She becomes Her

• It becomes It

• We becomes Us

• They becomes Them

Examples:

• I give them cookies every week.

• I give they cookies every week. Wrong!

• Bob took her to work Monday.

• Bob took she to work Monday. Wrong!

• Will you please tell them to come in?

• Will you please tell they to come in? Wrong!

What Is a Reflexive Pronoun?

Reflexive pronouns are words ending in -self or -selves that are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same (e.g., I believe in myself). 

The nine English reflexive pronouns are:

• myself

• yourself

• himself

• herself

• oneself

• itself

• ourselves

•  yourselves

• themselves

Examples:

• I fell over and hurt myself.

• Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.

• He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.

• We’ve brought ourselves something to eat.

Examples:

• The children got dressed by themselves.

• I prepared the whole meal by myself.

• I baked the bread myself.