Since pronouns have distinct forms for the nominative, objective, and possessive cases, care must be exercised to use the correct form.

Use the nominative as the subject of a finite verb.

This instruction may seem too simple to justify setting down here. True, no one would ever say, Him went to town, or, Her is a bright girl, but when two or more pronouns are used as a subject, we frequently hear, John and him went to town, or, Jennie and her are both bright girls.

Every pronoun used as the subject must be nominative.

Exercise 101

I. Her sister and she-her are in the same class.

2. You, Lucy, and me-I are to occupy the same carriage.

3. Both they them and we us are to blame.

4. Him-he and I-me are about the same age.

5. Their employers, the general public, and them-they would be benefited if the strike were ended.

Exercise 102

Case after the verb to be

The same case follows the verb to be as that which precedes it; this is usually the nominative case. But when the object of a transitive verb precedes an infinitive of the verb to be, the objective case then follows the infinitive.

Write the following sentences, omitting the improper italicized words:

I. If I were him-he, I'd be ashamed to look them in the face.

2. It wasn't him-he who sent the book to me.

3. It must have been him-he instead of Charlie.

4. I am sure those people could not have been them— they who called to us.

5. Perhaps they were it was us-we whom you saw. 6. I should never have expected those persons to be they-them.

7. Whom who does the detective think it could have been?

8. Who whom do you take me to be?

9. Do you suppose it was her—she?

10. Is it me-I to whom you wish to speak?

II.

If anyone is to make the sacrifice, it will be me-I. 12. I don't see how they could have been us--we whom he referred to.

13. I suppose those men were them they who called this afternoon.

14. If you were he him, would you do as he does? 15. I thought it to be she-her, but I was not sure.

16. Is that you, Frank? Yes, it is me―I.

17. Those women are they-them who were guilty. 18. The evidence proved it to be they-them who were guilty.

19.

Who whom do men say that I am?

I have full information as to who whom he is.

21. I knew the man to be he-him, the one I saw yesterday.

22. If I was her were she, I should learn to be a stenographer.

23. Do you think the guilty person to be me—I?

24. They suppose the culprits to have been we-us. 25. Does the teacher think it to have been me-I? 26. I took that tall man to be he-him.

27. I knew that it was him-he.

28. I knew it to be he-him.

29. Who whom do you suppose it was? 30. I thought that tall man was he-him.

31. It is not I—me who-whom you wish to see.

Exercise 103

OBJECTIVE CASE AFTER TRANSITIVE VERBS

Every pronoun which serves as the object of a transitive verb should be in the objective case.

Be careful to use the correct form of the pronoun when it is a member of a compound element:

He saw John and me. (Not John and I.)

In such constructions, the correct form is at once seen when one member of the compound element is dropped. Thus, one might say (incorrectly), He saw John and I, but no one would say, He saw I.

Write the following sentences, omitting the improper italicized words:

1. Let weus boys organize a baseball nine.

2. I mean Samuel Johnson, him-he that wrote the dictionary.

3. Who whom can I believe if not she-her?

4. Booth assassinated Lincoln, him-he whom the people loved.

5. They invited Fanny and I-me to come to the wedding.

6. Children should love their parents, them-they who do so much for them.

7. At last we saw the Filipinos, them-they who cost us so much.

8. Who whom do you think that picture resembles? 9. Will you permit us, Charlie and me-I, to go to the game today?

IO. Let's you and I-me get our lesson together.

II.

They accused us of the crime, us-we who knew ourselves so innocent.

12. The teacher will not allow you and I-me to study together.

13. Our friends congratulated us both, I-me especially. 14. They expect all, we us and they-them, to participate.

15.

16.

dinner.

I blame both you and she-her for this negligence.
Mrs. Smith invited us-we girls to come over to

17. My desire is to keep thou-thee from such misfortune. 18. We supposed she her to be the lady principal. 19. Will you let Fred and me I have a holiday tomorrow?

20. Who whom did you hear at the opera last night? Whosoever whomsoever did you expect to see, pray

21.

tell?

22.

Whosoever-whomsoever will, may come.

23. I volunteered to let Clara and her—she go together.

24. They them who are guilty, he will blame.

25. Him-he who invented the telegraph, I read about in the encyclopedia.

26. "Lay on, Macduff; and damned be he-him that first cries, 'Hold, enough'!"

27. You have seen Cassie and she-her together.

28. A lady entered, who-whom I afterward found was Miss B.

29. A lady entered, who-whom I afterward found to be Miss B.

30. He asked help of men who-whom he knew could not help him.

31. I am supposed to be him-he-who-whom you seek.

Exercise 104

OBJECTIVE CASE AFTER PREPOSITIONS

A pronoun introduced by a preposition should always be in the objective case.

Be careful to use correct form when the pronoun is a member of a compound element:

This is for Harry and her. (Not, Harry and she.)

Both these words are used as the object of for.

Write the following sentences, omitting the improper italicized words:

I. Between you and I-me, that work was done well enough for anybody.

2. The Savior gave his life for you and I-me.

3. Won't you give some of your candy to brother and I-me.

Who whom were you speaking to when I called? 5. Clarence went to the opera with mother and I—me.