Object pronouns can replace nouns used after action verbs. These pronouns are:
(i) Singular – me, you, him, her, it
(ii) Plural – us, you them
Examples:
The driver drove him. (direct object)
The parents thanked us. (direct object)
The reporters asked him many questions. (indirect object)
In the above examples, the personal pronouns are the direct or indirect objects of the verbs before them.
Object pronouns can also replace nouns after prepositions such as to, for, with, in, at or by. That is, they can be objects of prepositions.
Examples:
Gladys waved to them. (object of a preposition)
The delivery is for me.
Ben went with them to the theatre.
Exercise 3
Choose the correct pronoun in the brackets in the following sentences.
Example: Irungu photographed (us, we). = us
- Lisa asked (he, him) for a picture.
- Adam sketched Lisa and (I, me).
- He gave a photo to (us, we).
- Ann and (she, her) saw Dave and Bob.
- Adam drew Lisa and (they, them).
- Mark helped (I, me) with the packing.
- Loise praised (him, he) for his good work.
- Everyone spotted (they, them) easily.
- That night Mike played the guitar for (us, we).
- (We, Us) drove with (they, them) to the mountains.
A possessive pronoun shows ownership.
Example: My pen is black.
There are two kinds of possessive pronouns:
(i) Those used as adjectives to modify nouns.
These possessive pronouns are:
Singular: My, your, his, her, its
Plural: Our, your, their
Examples: My shirt is yellow.
Your food is on the table.
His bag is green.
This is her dress.
Its fur is soft.
These are our parents.
Pay your bills.
They removed their bats.
The above possessive pronouns always appear before nouns to modify them.
Hence, they are called modifiers.
(ii) Those that stand alone and replace nouns in sentences.
These possessive nouns are: Singular: mine yours his, hers, its
Plural: ours yours, their
Examples: The yellow shirt is mine.
The food on the table is yours.
The green bag is his.
This dress is hers.
It is the soft fur.
These crops are ours.
These bills are yours.
Those hats are theirs.
Exercise 4
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct possessive pronoun from the brackets.
Example: The lazy girl completed (her, hers) home work.
= her.
- (My, mine) journey to Mombasa was enjoyable.
- Florence said (her, hers) was the best.
- Are the pictures of Fort Jesus (your, yours)?
- (Her, Hers) were taken at Jomo Kenyatta Beach.
- Tomorrow we will make frames for (our, ours) pictures.
- (My, mine) class is planning a trip to Mt.
Kenya.
- (Our, ours) trip will be taken on video.
- Micere is excited that the idea was (her, hers).
- Koki and Toti cannot hide (their, theirs) excitement.
- (My, mine) dream is to climb to the highest peak of the mountain.
Points to Note
- The pronoun I is used as a subject or after forms of the linking verb be.
Examples:
Subject: I travel by bus
After the linking verb be: Yesterday, the prefects on duty were Victor and I 2. The pronoun me is used object after action verbs or words (prepositions) such as to, for, with, in, or at.
Examples: Object: Rose met me at the gate.
After prepositions: Rose waited for me at the gate.
You are coming with me.
- When using compound subjects and objects (i.e.subjects and objects comprising of a pronoun and a noun or another pronoun), always name yourself last.
Examples: Diana and I visited our grandmother yesterday.
Who appointed Chege and me? Rose waited for her and me at the gate.