eng5-5.4· Unit 5: Words & Questions· ~13 min

Object & possessive pronouns

me/him/her; mine/yours.

English has three pronoun forms for each person, and each form does a different job in a sentence. Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) come before the verb and do the action: 'She reads every day.' Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) come after a verb or a preposition — they receive the action or follow words like 'for', 'with', 'to': 'The teacher helps us'; 'This gift is for her.' Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs) replace a noun and show that something belongs to someone — they stand alone and are NEVER followed by a noun: 'That bag is mine'; 'The red pencil is hers.' Do not confuse possessive pronouns (mine, yours…) with possessive adjectives (my, your…): a possessive adjective must be followed by a noun ('my bag'), while a possessive pronoun replaces the whole noun phrase ('Mine is on the table'). For example: 'I gave him the book, and he said the blue one is mine.'

Key terms

subject pronoun — A pronoun that does the action in a sentence (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). It comes before the verb.
object pronoun — A pronoun that receives the action or comes after a preposition (me, you, him, her, it, us, them).
possessive adjective — A word that shows ownership and comes BEFORE a noun (my, your, his, her, its, our, their). For example: 'my bag'.
possessive pronoun — A word that shows ownership and stands ALONE — it replaces the whole noun phrase (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs). For example: 'That bag is mine.'
preposition — A small word that links a pronoun or noun to the rest of the sentence (for, with, to, from, about). Always use an object pronoun after it.
Three pronoun forms for each person
PersonSubject pronounObject pronounPossessive adjectivePossessive pronoun
1st singularImemymine
2nd singular/pluralyouyouyouryours
3rd singular (male)hehimhishis
3rd singular (female)sheherherhers
3rd singular (thing)itititsits
1st pluralweusourours
3rd pluraltheythemtheirtheirs

Note: 'you' and 'it' do not change between subject and object forms.

Where each pronoun form is used
Pronoun typePosition in sentenceExample
Subject pronounBEFORE the verb (does the action)She reads every day.
Object pronounAFTER the verb (receives the action)The teacher helps us.
Object pronounAFTER a preposition (for, with, to…)This gift is for her.
Possessive adjectiveBEFORE a nounMy bag is blue.
Possessive pronounALONE after 'is/are' (replaces noun)That bag is mine.

The position of the pronoun tells you which form to choose.

Possessive adjective vs possessive pronoun — side by side
Possessive adjective (+ noun)Possessive pronoun (alone)
It is my book.It is mine.
It is your pen.It is yours.
It is his ruler.It is his.
It is her bag.It is hers.
It is our cat.It is ours.
It is their bike.It is theirs.

A possessive adjective needs a noun after it. A possessive pronoun stands alone.

✎Choosing the right pronoun: after a verb
  1. 1Step 1: find the verb: Sentence: 'My teacher likes ___.' The verb is 'likes'.
  2. 2Step 2: decide who receives the action: The teacher likes me (first person singular, receives the action).
  3. 3Step 3: choose the object pronoun: After a verb, use an OBJECT pronoun: 'me' (not 'I', 'my', or 'mine').
  4. 4Result: 'My teacher likes me.' Correct!
✎Choosing the right pronoun: standalone ownership
  1. 1Step 1: is there a noun after the gap?: Sentence: 'This pencil is ___.' There is NO noun after the gap.
  2. 2Step 2: does it show ownership?: Yes — the sentence says the pencil belongs to me.
  3. 3Step 3: choose the possessive PRONOUN (stands alone): Use 'mine' — not 'my' (needs a noun), not 'me' (object pronoun, not ownership).
  4. 4Result: 'This pencil is mine.' Correct!
🚫Common mistake

Do NOT use 'I' after a verb or preposition. 'My mum helps I' and 'for I' are wrong. Use the object pronoun: 'My mum helps me' and 'for me'. The subject pronoun 'I' can only come BEFORE the verb.

🚫Common mistake

Do NOT put a possessive pronoun before a noun. 'This is mine book' is wrong. A possessive pronoun stands alone: 'This book is mine.' Before a noun, use the possessive adjective: 'my book'.

⚠️Caution

After prepositions (for, with, to, from, about, between), always use an object pronoun — never a subject pronoun. Say 'Come with us' (NOT 'Come with we'), 'between you and me' (NOT 'between you and I').

💡Note

The word 'his' is the same for both the possessive adjective and the possessive pronoun: 'his bag' (adjective) and 'That bag is his' (pronoun). All other third-person singular forms are different: her (adjective) vs hers (pronoun).

Rules

  1. 1Use object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) after a verb or preposition: 'She helps me'; 'This letter is for him'.
  2. 2Use possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) to replace a noun and show ownership — never add a noun after them: 'That bag is mine'.
  3. 3Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her…) come BEFORE a noun; possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers…) stand ALONE: 'It is my book' vs 'It is mine'.
  4. 4Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) do the action; object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) receive it: 'I see him' — not 'Me see he'.
  5. 5After prepositions (for, with, to, from, about), always use an object pronoun, not a subject pronoun: 'Come with us', NOT 'Come with we'.

Practice

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