It may seem like they are the same thing, but this is a deep misconception. We think that this is probably how it should be, because in native language the same word is used in two phrases with different meanings: “ his coat" and "meet his In the underground". But in English language two are used here different types pronouns. Oh, how lucky we are with the Russian!
Objective and possessive pronouns in English. What is the difference?
Let's see what they look like first objective and possessive pronouns in English.
If we pay attention to examples of possessive pronouns in English, then we will see that they are found in pairs with nouns.
1. His father was very angry. – His father was very angry.
2. My pencil isn't broken. - My pencil is not broken.
3.Where are their children? -Where are their children?
4. We want to see our results! – We want to see our results!
5. Who is her husband? -Who is her husband?
6.What is your name? – What is your name? (literal translation)
The task of the so-called "object pronouns" to complete a verb (action), that is, to be an “object”. In other words, objective and possessive pronouns in English perform different roles in a sentence.
Object pronouns in English table with examples
Nothing less than " object pronouns in English table with examples».
|
pronoun |
example |
translation |
|
Give this bag to me ! |
Give me that bag! |
|
|
He is willing to call you . |
He's ready to call you. |
|
|
Talk to him . |
Talk to him. |
|
|
I didn't see her yesterday. |
I didn't see her yesterday. |
|
|
They don't love us . |
They do not like us. |
|
|
Them |
I want to invite them to the party. |
I want to invite them to a party. |
|
Nobody is watching TV. Turn it off! |
Nobody watches TV. Turn off His! |
Object pronouns table in English showed us that in this case we are not talking about expressing the belonging of an object to something or someone. In such sentences, we clarify who or what the speaker’s action is directed at. It turns out something like this.
Possessive pronouns+ noun
Verb + object pronouns
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Object pronouns
Pronouns in the objective case
When some action is directed to personal pronouns or there is a preposition before it, then we can no longer use Nominative case: I, he, she, etc. In this case, they must be placed in the so-called objective case. For example, you cannot say She loves he or Do you see I? All we need to do is remember the object pronouns and use them correctly in a sentence. Let's present them in the form of a table.
| I-me you - you he-him she-her it - it we - us they - them |
me, me you, you him, him her, her his, him, her, her, this us, us them, them |
Examples:
Bring me the key - Bring me the key
Do you see him? - Do you see him?
It is for them - This is for them
Give it to her - Give it to her
Don't say: Do you see he? or It is for they.
Say it yourself in English:
This is for me?
They're talking about us
Can you tell him that I'm waiting for him?
I can't live without her
As you can see, object pronouns are equivalent to Russian pronouns in different cases, except for the nominative. This topic is completely uncomplicated and does not require any special deepening. However, there are special cases of using object pronouns. For example, when we need to use a pronoun in combination with the construction it´s....
It´s me - This is me
It´s him - This is him
Or if we want to use a pronoun not in a coherent sentence, but separately. But this only applies to the pronoun me.
Who wants to ride a bicycle? - Who wants to ride a bike?
- Me - I
We like playing basketball - We love playing basketball
- Me too - Me too
However, if we want to use several pronouns at once that serve as the subject, then these pronouns will only appear in the nominative case.
You and I - You and I
He and she - He and she
Don't say: you and me (if it's the subject)
Exercises
Exercises
Exercise 1
Write the correct pronouns in objective case
1.
Do you want to go to Spain with... (I)?
2.
Where are you? I don't see ... (you);
3.
She doesn't listen to ... (he);
4. Tell ... (I) the truth;
5.
These dictionaries are very small. I don't need ... ;
6.
Your parents know where your bicycle is. Ask... ;
7.
We don"t know anything about ... (she);
8. Do you remember... (we)?
Exercise 2
Answer the questions affirmatively and then negatively using object pronouns.
1. Does she know you? - ... ;
2. Do you live with them? - ... ;
3.
Does Pete read books about war? - ... ;
4.
Do your friends call you and your brother? - ... ;
5. Does Jack love Mary? - ... ;
6. Will you write to Patrick? - ... ;
7. Is she looking for a new job? - ... ;
8.
Do you remember your grandparents? - ... ;
9.
Does Mr. Smith teach you English? - ... ;
10.
Can you bring me the money, please? - ... .
Exercise 3
Translate the sentences into English
1. Do you believe me?
2. Look at her;
3.
Now we are waiting for them;
4. I hate him;
5.
Do you wanna come with me?
6.
I'm doing this just for you;
7.
Give me this book;
8.
Are you going to call him?
9.
I will never forget them;
10.
Jason thinks about her.
Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Possessive pronouns and possessive in English. Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Case.
In this lesson we will look at another group of English pronouns called possessives, as well as other ways to indicate ownership in English.
Possessive pronouns occupy special place in the classification of English pronouns. They indicate ownership and answer the question whose? (whose?) . The function of possessive pronouns is to determine the noun. Sometimes they are used in a special form and without nouns, but still indicate belonging to someone. For example:
It "s my house. - This is my house. (Whose?)
It "s mine. - This is mine (whose?)
I. Thus, English possessives have 2 forms:
- main (used before nouns)
- absolute (used independently)
Let's look at each form in more detail.
1. Basic form possessive pronouns:
my /mai/ - mine
your /jɔ:/ - yours/yours
his /hiz/ - him
her /hз:/ - her
our /"auə/ - ours
their /ðзə/ - theirs
Possessive pronouns in their basic form are used before nouns as a determiner, thereby eliminating the need for an article. Also sometimes, to distinguish them from the absolute form, they are called " possessive adjectives". In many English sentences, depending on the context, these pronouns can be translated as “your.” Here are some examples of the use of basic possessive pronouns:
Jane is her sister. - Jane is her sister.
It "s raining outside. Take your umbrella. - It is raining outside. Take your/your (your) umbrella.
Please, meet my husband. - Please meet my husband.
Their son is so rude. - Their son is such a rude man.
The mouse is carrying its cheese. - The mouse is carrying her (his) cheese.
Quite often the basic form of possessive pronouns is confused with personal pronouns in the objective case (my -me, your - you, his - him, etc.) However, the difference is that personal objective pronouns correspond to the accusative (whom? what?) or dative case (to whom? what?), and possessive pronouns correspond to a special possessive case (whose?), which is absent in Russian. Below is a table of personal and possessive pronouns for comparison, as well as examples of use:
Tell me (OM*) more about your (PM*) studies. - Tell me more about your (your) studies.
Give me (OM) my (PM) coat. I "m leaving. - Give me my cloak. I'm leaving.
The food in their shop is always fresh. - The food in their store is always fresh.
Look at them! They think it's funny. - Look at them! They think it's funny.
Let her play! It"s her turn. - Let her play! Her turn.
From the examples it is clear that even with external similarity, and sometimes complete coincidence in spelling, the objective and possessive cases differ in meaning. The possessive case always implies ownership (my coat - my cloak, her turn - her turn, etc.)
* OM=objective pronoun, PM=possessive pronoun.
Possessive pronouns in their base form are often used in English proverbs. For example:
The cobbler should stick to his last. - The shoemaker needs to hold on to his last./ The wolf’s feet feed him.
My house is my castle. - My home is my castle.
Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach. - Extend your arm along the length of your sleeve./ Live not the way you want, but the way you can.
You cannot judge a tree by its bark. - You can’t judge a tree by its bark./ Appearances are deceiving.
You made your bed, now lie in it. - Just as you made your bed, lie down in it./ You made the porridge yourself, so you can dissolve it yourself.
2. Absolute form possessive pronouns:
mine /main/ - mine
yours /jɔ:z/ - yours/yours
his /hiz/ - him
hers /hз:z/ - her
its /its/ - his/her (inanimate)
ours /"auəz/ - ours
theirs /ðзəz/ - theirs
Absolute possessive pronouns are also called “independent” because, unlike basic ones, they are used in sentences no nouns. For example:
Is that his car? -No, it's mine. - Is that his car? - No, it's mine.
The functions of possessive pronouns of the absolute form are varied. In sentences they can act as subject, object or nominal part of the predicate. For example:
I don"t like the food in this restaurant. Ours is much better. - I don’t like the food in this restaurant. Ours is much better. (subject)
Liza's hair is much longer than mine. - Lisa's hair is much longer than mine. (addition)
Whose is this dog? - It "s theirs. - Whose dog is this? - Theirs. (nominal part of the predicate)
Sometimes you can meet absolute form possessive pronouns and folk wisdom For example in the statements:
Roll my log and I will roll yours. / Scratch my back and I "ll scratch yours. - Roll my log, and I’ll rock yours. / Scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. / You - to me, I - to you.
II. Besides possessive pronouns, there is another way to express possessive(Possessive case) in English: using an apostrophe (") and the letter "s" at the end of the word to indicate the owner. For example:
This is Richard's office. - This is Richard's office.
Lena is Natalia's daughter. - Lena is Natalia's daughter.
Spring is Sean's favorite season. - Spring is Sean's favorite time of year.
To make it more possessive, you can also use the preposition "of", but this will sound a little clumsy in relation to people. But regarding the accessories of inanimate things or animals, this the best choice. For example:
This is the office of Richard./ Lena is the daughter of Natalia./ Spring is the favorite season of Sean. (not quite right)
This is the beginning of the story. (correct) - This is the beginning of the story.
The windows of this room are shut. (correct) - The windows of this room are closed.
The possessive "s can also be used when talking about organizations or a group of people. The preposition "of" can also be used in this case. For example:
The company's success depends on its staff. = The success of the company depends on its staff. - The success of a company depends on its staff.
The government's decision is to sign a treaty. = The decision of the government is to sign a expense. - The government's decision is to sign the agreement.
There are cases when nouns in the possessive case are already ends with the letter "s", then at the end of the word is added only apostrophe ("). For example:
The Browns" children are well-behaved. - The Browns' children know how to behave well.
My brothers" rooms are always messy. - My brothers' rooms are always a mess.
Possessive nouns, like pronouns, can sometimes be used in absolute form. For example:
I don't like Tom's garden but I like Ann's. - I don’t like Tom’s garden, but I like Ann.
As a result, it should be noted that the possessive case has been used in English for a long time, as evidenced by national folklore. Yes, in many English proverbs"s is used to express possessiveness:
Beauty lies in lover's eyes. - Beauty lies in the eyes of a lover.
Calamity is man's true touchstone. - Grief is the best way to test a person. / A person is known in trouble.
As plain as the nose on a man's face. - As obvious as the nose on a man's face. / Clear as day.
Children are poor men's riches. - Children are the wealth of the poor.
Thus, we have considered another large group of English pronouns, along with the features of the possessive case. Read sayings, repeat pronouns, and put theory into practice. This will bring good results.
Even someone who has never seriously studied English knows that I is me, you is you, and so on. This article is intended for both beginners who are at the very beginning of learning, and for students with an intermediate level and above, since it never hurts to remember the basics and learn something new.
All of the above pronouns answer the questions Who? What? Please note that they can mean not only animate, but also inanimate objects. For example, it, as a rule, denotes an inanimate object, and they are not only people, but also objects.
One of the reasons why I love English is the pronoun you. After all, it is translated both as “you” and as “you”, that is, in English communication always happens on equal terms. The universal pronoun you saves us from having to choose between “you” and “you” when addressing a person and from many other contradictory situations.
There are two types of personal pronouns in English: subjective(subject pronouns) and object(object pronouns). Subjects perform subject to(subject) in a sentence and answer questions Who? What? Object ones act addition(object) and answer the case questions: Whom? What?, To whom? To what?, By whom? How? and so on.
At first glance, this may seem difficult, but let's think about our native language. Those who study Russian have to memorize many more forms: I - me - me - me. And so on for every pronoun! In English, we have to remember only one form at a time. Let's look at them:
As you can see, it is much more difficult for those who study Russian
The pronouns you and it do not change at all, but the rest are not difficult to remember.
Object personal pronouns are used after prepositions, after many verbs. Remember that in the case when in Russian we use a pronoun in any of the cases (except for the nominative), in English it is worth using an objective pronoun:
I can see him. - I see him.
He loves her. - He loves her.
We will invite them. - We will invite them.
Tell them about us. - Tell them about us.
If you mistakenly use a subjective rather than an objective pronoun, you will end up with something like: I see you, He loves her and so on. In other words, the pronouns will not "agree" with the previous verb.
The pronoun it and its use.
The pronoun it has a number of special functions. In addition to the fact that it denotes inanimate objects and animals, it is also the equivalent of the word "This". It can refer to a fact or an entire situation:
We played hide-and-seek with the children. It was very amusing! — We played hide and seek with the children. It was very funny!
Robert told me that he had fallen. I didn't believe it. — Robert told me that he quit. I didn't believe it.
It also replaces words something, anything, nothing, everything:
It often acts as impersonal subject. Remember the rule that in English there must be a subject? Even if this subject is not translated into Russian, it must still be present in the English sentence. So when they talk about time, distance, weather and temperature, the subject of the sentence is it:
It is raining. - (It) will rain / It is raining.
It was hot yesterday. — Yesterday it was hot.
It is five miles to the south. — It's five miles south.
It is half past six already! - It's already half past seven!
As you can see from the examples, in Russian a sentence can exist without an impersonal subject “it”, but in English it cannot.
Another important function of it is the function designations of people. it is translated in this case also as “this”:
Who is that girl with dark hair? — It is my cousin, Laura. -Who is that girl with dark hair? - This is my cousin, Laura.
Is this man your boss? - Yes, it is! — Is that man your boss? - Yes, it’s him!
It is Max standing over there, isn't it? - This is Max standing over there, isn't it?
IN telephone conversation When calling yourself, you should also use it, but not I:
Good morning! It"s Peter Jackson. I would like to speak to Mr Parker, please. — Good morning! This is Peter Jackson. I'd like to talk to Mr. Parker.
Hello Anna! It is Maria! - Hello, Anna! This is Maria!
The pronouns he and she usually refer to people, but can also be used to refer to animals, cars, ships, countries. Read more in the dedicated category of gender in English.
A few words about the pronoun I.
I is the only pronoun in English that is always capitalized.
If the subject or object of a sentence is two persons or pronouns, one of which is I or me, then you should put yourself last. This sounds more polite:
My sister and I like music. — My sister and I love music.
You and I can meet next week. “You and I can meet next week.”
The teacher asked Tom and me. — The teacher asked Tom and me.
You and me or you and I?
We often find ourselves faced with a difficult choice: You and me or you and I?
Both options sound familiar and seem correct. Indeed, both options can be found in speech, but one of them will be grammatically correct (and therefore considered standard), and the second will be grammatically incorrect, but still used in informal speech.
How to determine the correct option? First of all, look at which part of the sentence this combination is: subject or object.
Let's look at an example:
You and I will work tomorrow.
You and me will work tomorrow
To determine which pronoun to use, you need to remove you . What we get:
I will work tomorrow.
Me will work tomorrow.
It is immediately clear that the second sentence contains an error, since the object pronoun me cannot appear at the beginning of the sentence as a subject. However, as mentioned above, a combination with an objective pronoun can also be used as a subject, but only in informal colloquial speech, that is, the sentence You and me will work tomorrow, although it is grammatically incorrect, can be found in communication.
Let's take another example:
They invited you and I.
They invited you and me.
To decide on the right option, let’s remove the pronoun you:
They invited I.
They invited me.
In this case, the second sentence is correct because the subject pronoun I cannot be an object.
Personal pronouns in comparisons.
Often mistakes are made in sentences that contain comparisons. Which pronoun should be placed after the comparative words than and as: subjective or objective? The answer, as always, is ambiguous: you can use both pronouns. In Russian there are also two options. We can say: " You are below me" And " You're shorter than me"Do you feel the difference?
Object pronouns are typical for informal, conversational style and there should not be a verb after them:
You are shorter than me. - You are shorter than me.
She can sing better than him. “She can sing better than him.”
We have done as much as them. “We did as much as they did.”
Subjective pronouns in comparisons are used only with auxiliary verb. The auxiliary verb is determined by the first part of the sentence and is never translated into Russian. The semantic verb is not repeated after the pronoun. If the verb in the first part is modal or to be, then it does not change:
You are shorter than I am. -You are shorter than me.
She can sing better than he can. — She can sing better than him.
We have done as much as they have. “We did as much as they did.”
Pronouns after the words except and but.
After the words except (except) and but (meaning “except”), only object pronouns should be used:
Nobody but us arrived in time. “No one but us arrived on time.”
Everyone except her stood up. - Everyone stood up except her.
All the students except them were ready. “All the students except them were ready.”
I will invite all my friends but him. - I will invite all my friends except him.
These examples are given without context, and in a real conversation it should be clear to your interlocutor who exactly you are talking about.
Using personal pronouns in informal conversation.
Personal subject and object pronouns can be used differently depending on the style of speech: formal and informal. There are several nuances about this.
An object pronoun cannot be the subject of a sentence, but there are also cases when the object pronouns me, him, her, us, them are used as the subject. This use can be found after the verb to be, usually in short answers:
Such answers sound rather informal, so in official and formal communication, try to use short answers. subject pronouns, if possible: Who told you about it? — He didn’t.
Usually pronouns cannot be left out of a sentence, but sometimes in informal conversation are missing out personal pronouns along with auxiliary verbs, when they come at the beginning of a sentence:
Don"t know. (= I don"t know).
Just wondering. (= I am just wondering).
In questions, pronouns with auxiliary verbs may also be omitted:
Understand? (Do you understand?)
Clear? (Is it clear?)
Met Liz today? ( Have you met Liz today?)
At informal communication use set expressions with adjectives and the pronoun you:
Poor you! - Poor thing!
Clever you! - Good girl!
Lucky you! - Lucky!
When are personal pronouns not used?
It is also useful to mention that personal pronouns are not used after infinitive constructions, if the subject and object are the same person:
You are so difficult to understand (you). - You are so difficult to understand.
It was a nice thing to think about (it). - It was nice to think about it.
This car is easy to drive (it). — This car is easy to drive.
But if infinitive construction introduces the impersonal subject it, then the pronoun should be used:
It is so difficult to understand you. - You are so difficult to understand.
After the verb know, the pronoun it is rarely used when talking about any information:
I was waiting for you. - I know it. - I was waiting for you. - I know.
Jack won the competition. - I know it. — Jack won the competition. - I know.
After some verbs believe, hope, expect, imagine, guess, suppose, think, be afraid it is not used, but the word so is used instead:
Is she his girlfriend? - I guess so. - Is she his girlfriend? - I think yes.
Will the party be fun? - I hope so. — Will the party be fun? - Hope so.
Was the article useful? - I believe so. — Was the article useful? - I think yes.
The topic of "Personal Pronouns" is not limited to seven pronouns. After reading this article, you were able to see that this topic is not so simple. I hope this knowledge will be useful to you and you will use it successfully. Continue to improve your English with Enginform!
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Object pronouns in English are personal pronouns, only in the indirect case. Let's look at the features of the formation and use of objective ones and explain how to correctly inflect them.
Pronouns in the objective case answer the questions whom?, to whom?, about whom?, by whom? Their function is to act as a supplement. The objective case does not answer the questions what? and who?, does not play the role of subjects in a sentence. Let's look at personal pronouns and directly Object Pronouns in the table:
|
Personal Pronouns |
Object Pronouns |
| I | Me => me, me, me/me, about me |
| You | You => you, you, by you/by you, about you; you, you, you, by you, about you |
| He | Him => his/him, him/him, his, them/him, about him |
| She | Her => her/her, her/her, her, her/her/her/her, about her |
| It | It => it, his/him, him/him, his, him/him, about him |
| We | Us => us, us, us, us, about us |
| They | Them => their/them, them, their/them, by them/them, about them |
Examples
Don’t you want to visit them these days? They will be very glad to see you! => Would you like to visit them one of these days? They will be very happy to see you!
I didn’t see him for ages! I hope he became a brave one! => I haven't seen him for hundreds of years! I hope he became a brave man!
We ask them to help us with these heavy boxex buy they denied us => We asked them to help us with these heavy boxes, but they refused us.
Mary still didn’t decide how to explain him all these questions => Mary still hasn’t decided how to explain all these questions to him.
You had to give it to me but you were naughty and gave it to her => You should have given it to me, but you were mischievous and gave it to her.
Note! Cases in English are often used with certain pretexts. These include =>
Because of her => because of her
With us => with us
Around me => around me
For you => for you/for you
By them => by them
To him => to him.
Now let's see what sentences can be composed with these pronouns and prepositions in English:
There was a lot of noise around me so I decided to sit quiet => There was a lot of noise around me, so I decided to sit quietly.
I bought hundreds of flowers just for you buy you ignored my gift! => I bought hundreds of flowers for you, but you ignored my gift!
You had to give this piece of cake to him but you were greedy and ate it alone! => You should have given this piece of pie to him, but you were greedy and ate it yourself!
Everything happened only because of her but she remained calm and ignorant => Everything happened only because of her, but she remained calm and indifferent.
This law was taken by them but they themselves ignore it! => This law was passed by them, but they themselves ignore it!
You had to come with us but you were stubborn and decided to stay here alone => You should have come with us, but you were stubborn and decided to stay here alone.
Object Pronouns in colloquial speech
From the material given above, it is easy to conclude that object pronouns do not serve as subjects. They act only as indirect or direct additions. But... in a conversational environment, constructions that are not used in a formal business style can be used.
For example:
You and me => you and me
It was him => it was him
It is me => this is me
Me too => me too.
Examples:
You are so upset... Have to say, me too => You are so upset... I must say, so am I.
We will not invite them. There will be nobody else. Only you and me -> We will not invite them. There will be no one here. Just you and me.
I didn’t know who was guilty, but something whispered to me that it was him => I didn’t know who was guilty, but something whispered to me that it was him.
Why are you so cold to me? Don't you want to see me? It is me – your sister! => Why are you so cold to me? You do not want to see me? It's me - your sister!
Personal pronouns: types and features of use
These pronouns got their name because of their main function - to replace the name of a person or thing. The main purpose of such pronouns in context is to avoid repetition and make the conversation more palatable.
Speaking about personal pronouns, it is important to note that they are divided into two groups, which consist of nominative And object case.
Note! The Russian language is rich in cases - there are as many as six of them. As for the English language, everything is simpler here - there are only two cases: nominative and objective.
Objective case pronouns in English
The personal pronoun is often used as an object in sentences. Complements are what an action is performed on or with. Pronouns of this nature are used in the objective case. And it’s no secret that the Objective case will have a completely different form than the one that the Nominative case has.
On a note! Objective case in English replaces as many as 5 cases in Russian! Namely - prepositional, instrumental, accusative, dative, genitive.
From this it is easy to conclude that one Objective case answers all those questions that are answered by five cases in the Russian language, namely - By whom? To whom? Whom? About whom?
For example:
She is my sister but I don’t understand her => She is my sister, but I don’t understand her.
She (she) is a Nominative case, her is an Objective case. But! The pronoun her can also be translated as about her, by her, to her .
Give it to her => Give it to her.
I want to go with her => I want to go with her.
I think of her everytime => I constantly think about her.
Comparative table of personal pronouns in the nominative and objective cases
|
Nominative case |
objective case |
| I => I | Me => me, me, me |
| You => you (you) | You => you, you, you, you, you, you |
| He => he | Him => him, him, him |
| She => she | Her => her, her, her |
| It => it (he, she) | It => him, his, them |
| We => we | Us => us, us, us |
| They => they | Them => them, them, them |
Examples:
We wanted to come with them but they didn’t propose us => We wanted to come with them, but they didn’t offer us.
Mary asked him not to speak in such a way => Mary asked him not to speak in such a way.
I give you all the best but only if you will listen to me => I will give you all the best, but only if you listen to me.
Let's sum it up
The topic of object pronouns in English (Object Pronouns) is an interesting and educational material for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge of English and learn to speak competently. Before you learn object pronouns, you need to learn personal pronouns, which serve as the basis for creating Object ones. In an objective sense, this is understandable - first you need to learn how to build a foundation, and then a house. Theory, practice and exercises will help you cope effectively with the task and give brilliant results. Good luck and new achievements!