Nominative, Objective, Possessive, and Reflexive
| Singular | Plural |
| I | We |
| You | You |
| He, She, It | They |
Use nominative case pronouns when the pronoun serves as the actor in the sentence.
Examples
“I wrote the memo.”
“He fixed the copier.”
“She and I ran the meeting.”
In each sentence, the pronoun represents the actor, the subject of the sentence.
Do not use a nominative pronoun as the object of the verb.
Examples
Incorrect: “Bill gave the book to Sally and I.”
Correct: “Bill gave the book to Sally and me.”
An easy way to test whether you're using the correct pronoun is to say it without “Sally” in the sentence: “Bill gave the book to I.” It will sound incorrect as well.
Objective
| Singular | Plural |
| Me | Us |
| You | You |
| Him, Her, It | Them |
Use objective case pronouns when the pronoun serves as the object of the preposition or the recipient of the action.
Examples
“I gave the memo to him.”
“I updated the software for Janet and her.”
In these sentences, the pronoun serves as the object of the italicized preposition.
Example
“Please update Jack and me on the status of the project.”
In this sentence, the noun “Jack” and the pronoun “me” serve as the direct objects of the verb “update.”
Do not use objective pronouns as the subject of the sentence.
Examples
Incorrect: “Jim and me went to the store.”
Correct: “Jim and I went to the store.”
| Singular | Plural |
| My, Mine | Our, Ours |
| Your, Yours | Your, Yours |
| His, Her, Its | Their, Theirs |
Use possessive case pronouns to show ownership.
Examples
“Maria took her book to their store.”
“She gave the dog its bone.”
(When using “its” as possessive, do not use an apostrophe. Use “it's” only as a contraction for “it is.”)
| Singular | Plural |
| Myself | Ourselves |
| Yourself | Yourselves |
| Himself, Herself, Itself | Themselves |
Use reflexive case pronouns only when the actor does the action to himself or herself. (The action is “reflected back” on the actor.)
Examples
“I gave myself a pat on the back.”
“You can call me yourself, or your assistant can make the call.”
Do not use a reflexive pronoun when you need an objective pronoun.
Examples
Incorrect: “You can call on Jack or myself for an answer.”
Correct: “You can call on Jack or me for an answer.”