Pronouns replace nouns within English sentences in order to avoid repetition. Subjective pronouns replace persons or things as the subject of the sentence.
The 7 subjective pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we and they. Subjective pronouns are personal pronouns that are used as the subject of the sentence.
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Characteristics of Subjective Pronouns
Subjective pronouns are personal pronouns with unique characteristics of gender, person, number and case.
- Gender identifies personal pronouns as masculine, feminine and neuter.
- Person identifies the person speaking, the person spoken to and the person spoken about.
- Number identifies the persons as singular or plural.
- Case shows the way a pronoun functions. In this instance, subjective pronouns function as the subject of the sentence.
Examples of the 7 Subjective Pronouns
1. First Person, Singular “I”
The subjective pronoun “I” refers to the person speaking, which is usually ourselves. Also it is always capitalized.
- My preference is chocolate because I have a sweat tooth.
- I will be playing football on the weekend.
- My name is Jonathan and I was born in Australia.
- I left the keys in the car while I was at the shops.
- My friends teased me about my singing ability but I got my revenge when I won the singing prize.
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Also, I have written an article that explores the different characteristics of personal pronouns. There are many examples that will help you understand how they are used in sentences.
2. Second Person, Singular/Plural “YOU”
The subjective pronoun “you” can function as singular or plural in number and it refers to the person spoken to – the person you are speaking directly to.
- Are you the one we need to speak to about this problem? (singular)
- You will all attend the celebrations this weekend. (plural)
- Can you give me some advice about my finances? (singular)
- You are all invited to the wedding. (plural)
- Are you invited to the family’s celebrations over the holidays? (singular)
3. Third Person, Singular “HE”
The subjective pronoun “he” refers to the person spoken about.
- He will complete his exams tomorrow.
- I saw the man who committed the crime. Will he be charged with the offense?
- My cousin is a good guy and he is my friend.
- While he was sleeping, someone came and stole his car.
- He is the best singer in the choir.
4. Third Person, Singular “SHE”
The subjective pronoun “she” refers to the person spoken about.
- She is like by her fellow class-mates.
- Is she the one who won the prize for best actress?
- David really likes her because she has a gentle and loving spirit.
- I will always protect my sister because she is family.
- Rachel does many things to help out and she is my best friend.
5. Third Person, Singular “IT”
The subjective pronoun “it” refers to the thing spoken about.
- It is a beautiful day outside at the moment.
- While I was adjusting the mirror on my bike, it broke.
- It is better to forget about the incident.
- When I opened the screen door, it fell off its hinges.
- Is it someone’s birthday today?
6. First Person, Plural “We”
The subjective pronoun “we” refers to the persons speaking or a group of people who speak including the speaker.
- Our family are on holidays and we are having a great time.
- We want to support our employees by giving them a bonus for Christmas.
- Your feedback is important so we would like you to fill out the survey form.
- We went shopping on Wednesday.
- The football team played well and we won the game.
7. Third Person, Plural “They”
The subjective pronoun “they” refers to the persons spoken about or a group of people spoken about.
- They were given extra money for their hard work.
- The management team went to Washington and they will attend the conference over the weekend.
- The Noorish family are wealthy because they were great business people.
- They won the people’s hearts because of their honesty.
- They will reap the consequences of their corruption.
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Types of Personal Pronouns
| Subjective Pronouns | Objective Pronouns | Possessive Adjectives | Possessive Pronouns | Reflexive Pronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my | mine | myself |
| you (singular/plural) | you | your | yours | yourself yourselves |
| he | him | his | his | himself |
| she | her | her | hers | herself |
| it | it | its | its | itself |
| we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
What are 7 Objective Pronouns?
Definition: Objective pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases in the objective case and they serve as direct or indirect object or as object of preposition.
- Jonathan called me yesterday to wish me a happy birthday.
- We saw you at the football game over the weekend.
- The manager invited him to the conference.
- I talked to her about the problem.
- I gave it to the neighbor.
- They gave us the money for the sale of the car.
- We are going with them to the soccer game.
What are the 7 Possessive Adjectives?
Definition: Possessive adjectives modify nouns by showing ownership or possession and they are placed before nouns.
- My team won the game on the weekend.
- Your reaction to the fire saved the family home.
- The salesman sold his car to the local store owner.
- Grandma called her daughter to thank her for being supportive.
- The company announced its earnings for the year.
- Our family will visit during the fall.
- The police were called to the scene of the crime and their response was great.
I have written an article explaining in depth what are the 7 possessive adjectives and how they function in English sentences with many examples. Click on the link for more information – What are the 7 Possessive Adjectives?
What are the 7 Possessive Pronouns?
Definition: Possessive pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases and they show ownership or possession. Also they stand alone.
- Those keys on the table are mine.
- Which of these toys are yours?
- The bicycle is obviously his.
- Are those keys hers?
- Discipline has its benefits and commitment has its.
- Which team member of ours failed the test?
- I believe the treasure is theirs.
I have written an article explaining in depth what are the 7 possessive pronouns and how they function in English sentences with many examples. Click on the link for more information – What are the 7 Possessive Pronouns?
Also, I have written an article explaining in depth the difference between the possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns and how they function in English sentences with many examples. Click on the link for more information – Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns
What are the 8 Reflexive Pronouns?
Definition: Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that reflect back to the subject of the sentence. The action of the verb is performed by the subject upon itself.
- I was in a hurry so I cleaned the house myself.
- Did you drive yourself to school today?
- David dressed himself in spite of his broken arm.
- Rachel is old enough to clean her teeth herself.
- The problem will work itself out.
- We have bought ourselves a special treat.
- Are you looking after yourselves?
- They had to cook for themselves.
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