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MODERN BUSINESS
ENGLISH
Tamara A.Susetyo-Salim
Manjemen Informasi & Dokumentasi
FAKULTAS ILMU PENGETAHUAN BUDAYA
UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA
Personal Pronouns – Nominative
And objective Case
PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. The use
of pronouns eliminates the monotonous repetition of
nouns and creates greater fluency of expression.
When Phyllis called Martin, Phyllis asked Martin to
review the marketing plans of Phyllis and to share
with Phyllis the suggestions of Martin for improving
the marketing plans.
When Phyllis called Martin, she asked him to review
her marketing plans and to share with her his
suggestions for improving them.
CHARACTERISTIC OF
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
A personal pronoun refers to a particular person or
thing. Unlike other kinds of pronouns that will be
presented in subsequent units, personal pronouns have
different forms to indicate person, number, gender, and
case. The following chart summarizes the forms and
characteristics of personal pronouns covered in this unit.
NOMINATIVE CASE
OBJECTIVE CASE
Person
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
First
Second
Third
I
you
she, he, it
we
you
they
me
you
her, him, it
us
you
them
Person. The term person is used to indicate whether a
particular personal pronoun refers to the person
speaking, to the person spoken to, or to the person or
thing spoken about.
If the pronoun refers to the person speaking,
as in the following sentences, it is first person.
I plan to apply for the job.
The company may hire me.
In each sentence below, the italicized pronoun refers
to the person spoken to and is second person.
You may want to apply for the job too.
The company may decide to hire you.
Finally, if a pronoun refers to a person or to a thing
about which something is said, it is third person.
Fred is in Chicago today, but he will be back in
the office next Monday.
Ann wanted to leave earlier, but she had to
attend a staff meeting.
Mr. McManus received the letter yesterday and
answered it immediately.
Number. First person and third person personal pronouns
have singular and plural forms. The second person pronoun
you may refer to one person or to two or more persons;
however, whether the reference is singular or plural, vow
requires a plural verb when it is the subject.
When I offer suggestions, the manager thanks me.
(The first person pronouns / and me are singular.)
When we offer suggestions, the manager thanks us.
(The first person pronouns we and us are plural.)
You are a highly valued customer. (In this sentence, the
second person pronoun you refers to one person but,
as the subject, requires the plural verb are.)
You are highly valued customers. (In this
sentence, the second person pronoun you refers
to two or more people and, as the subject,
requires the plural verb are.)
Joan said she referred the inquiry to Alvin and
asked him if he would respond to it for her. (Each
of these third person pronouns is singular.)
Mr. Baker asked the managers to suggest topics
for the sales conference and to submit them as
quickly as they could. (They and them are third
person plural personal pronouns.)
Gender. The third person singular personal pronouns
have different forms to indicate gender, or sex:
masculine, feminine, or neuter.
masculine gender:
He asked the manager to advise him.
feminine gender:
She asked the manager to advise her.
neuter gender:
The check has no date on it.
In some instances, the pronoun it refers to a person or to an
animal whose sex is not indicated. In such cases, the
pronoun it is common gender—as are all first and second
person personal pronouns and all third person plural
personal pronouns. Note the pronouns of common gender in
these sentences:
Perhaps the baby is crying because it is hungry.
/ almost forgot that the Wilsons asked me to tell
you that they would like for us to have dinner with
them next Saturday if we possibly can.
Three cashiers were hired yesterday, hut they won't
start working until next Monday.
In many instances, of course, they and them refer to things
rather than to people or to animals; for example:
Power took may cause injuries if they are misused
or have short circuits in them.
Case. The term case refers to the form of a pronoun or a
noun that indicates the relation of the noun or pronoun to
one or more other words in a sentence. For example, as
discussed in Unit 3, the possessive case of a noun
indicates ownership, authorship, or a similar relationship
between the possessive noun and whatever is identified by
another noun (Mike's address or Dorothy's supervisor, for
example).
Personal pronouns have three cases. The nominative case
and the objective case forms are listed in the preceding
chart and discussed in this unit. The possessive case is
presented in Unit 5.
USES OF THE NOMINATIVE CASE
OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS
The nominative case of a personal
pronoun is used when the pronoun is the
subject of a verb or functions as a
predicate nominative. As indicated in the
chart, these are the nominative case forms
of personal pronouns:
I
we
you
he
she
it
they
1. Subject of a Verb. If the pronoun is the subject of a verb
in a sentence or clause, use the nominative case of the
pronoun. Note the italicized pronouns and verbs in the
following sentences.
/ write two or three memos almost every day.
We offer quality merchandise at reasonable prices.
We salesclerks try to be helpful and courteous at all times.
(We, not salesclerks, is the subject of the verb try.
Salesclerks functions as an appositive, which is a noun that
explains or clarifies a preceding noun or pronoun.)
You have a very heavy workload.
Jack said that he has an extra copy of the manual.
Shirley ignores whatever gossip she hears.
The car is five years old, but it is still in excellent condition.
The Paleys stayed with friends while they were in Richmond
last month.
2. Predicate Nominative. If the pronoun following a verb explains
the subject of the verb, use the nominative case of the
pronoun. A pronoun (or a noun) that functions in this way is
often called a predicate nominative, but it may be referred to
as a subject complement or as a predicate complement.
As illustrated below, a form of the verb be links the predicate
nominative to the subject.
The receptionist on duty yesterday was /.
Burton & Associates' first clients were we.
Perhaps the next successful entrepreneur will be you.
The winner is she.
The most gracious loser may have been be.
The company's main competitors are they, Klein Corporation
and Reynolds & Company. (Note that Klein Corporation and
Reynolds & Company explain who they are and therefore
function as appositives.)
OBJECTIVE CASE OF PBBONAL
PRONOUNS
The objective case of personal pronouns has a
number of different uses, as indicated in the
following discussion. These are objective case
forms of personal pronouns:
me
us
you
her
him
it
them
3. Direct Object of a Verb. The direct object of a verb
identifies who or what is the direct receiver of the action
expressed by the verb. It may be a noun or, as illustrated
below, a pronoun in the objective case.
The storm caught us by surprise.
Dr. Thomas interviewed Jan and immediately hired her.
If a verb has two or more direct objects and one or more
of them is a pronoun, mentally repeating the verb with
each pronoun object may help you ensure that you have
used the objective case of the pronoun. In such
sentences as the one below, some writers and speakers
incorrectly use the nominative case instead of the
objective case of a pronoun.
Because all seats in the coach section were occupied,
the (light attendant sealed Kirn, Ralph, and me in the
first class section. (not: Kim, Ralph, and /.)
4. Indirect Object of a Verb. The indirect object of
a verb is a pronoun or a noun that tells to whom
something is given or for whom something is
done.
During a meeting with Ralph, Ms. Tremain gave
him an important assignment. (The pronoun him
is the indirect object and the noun assignment is
the direct object of the verb gave.)
Please send her an invitation. (Her is the indirect
object and invitation is the direct object of the
verb send}
A sentence containing an indirect object may be
reworded so that the indirect object becomes the
object of a preposition; for example:
Alicia sent me a copy of the article.
Alicia sent a copy of the article to me.
Thus mentally inserting the word to before a pronoun used as an indirect object may help you
choose the correct form of the pronoun.
5. Object of a Preposition. The objective case of a
pronoun may be used as the object of a preposition. A
preposition is a joining word (for example, of, to, from,
between, or except} which shows the relation of a
noun or pronoun following it (the object of the
preposition) to some other word in the sentence.
Several of us have not seen the new machines.
Two orders from them were received late yesterday
afternoon.
The work should be divided between you and me.
(not: you and I.)
Spot Check 1
In the following sentences, decide which of the pronoun
forms shown in parentheses is correct and then circle it.
1. Ms. West asked (he, him) what (he, him) would like to do next.
2. (Us, We) secretaries thought the new computers were intended for (us,
we).
3. You must have given (her, she) an excellent recommendation—(her,
she) got the job!
4. James and (I, me) thought you were (her, she).
5. The visitors said (them, they) would like to meet with Mr. Crews;
however, (he, him) was unable to see (them, they).
6. The managers invited (us, we) administrative assistants to have lunch
with (they, them).
7. Bryan, the receptionist, said (he, him) thought (them, they) should have
invited (he, him) too.
8. Perhaps the managers will invite (he, him) and (I, me) the next time.
9. If (you, yous) find any errors, please inform (us, we) of (it, them, they).
10. (Her, She) and (he, him) are eligible for promotions, aren't they?
6. Subject of an Infinitive. When a pronoun is used as the
subject of an infinitive, it must be in the objective case. An
infinitive usually consists of the word to plus a verb, such
as to request, to draft, to call, or to send.
Miss Olson advised him to request a transfer.
Kurt asked me to draft the reply.
When the infinitive appears after the verb make or let, the word
to is generally omitted; for example:
The children's parents sometimes make them perform
various household chores.
Ken thinks Ms. Osman will let Roberta and him transfer
to the San Francisco office. (Note that the infinitive has a
compound subject: the noun Roberta and the pronoun
him.)
7. Object of an Infinitive. A pronoun used as either the direct
or the indirect object of an infinitive must be in the
objective case.
Mr. Williams asked Pam to give him a revised report.
(Him is the indirect object and report is the direct
object of the infinitive to give.)
First National Bank seems eager to interview us. (Us is
the direct object of the infinitive to interview.)
8. Pronouns With the Infinitive To Be. When the infinitive to
be has a pronoun as its subject, the pronoun must be in
the objective case.
The owners want us to be more productive.
We expect them to be more understanding.
Also, since to be requires the same case after it as before
it, a pronoun that follows to be must be in objective case.
Rita mistook me to be him. (Note that both
pronouns are objective case.)
I mistook her to be the manager. (Note that to be is
preceded by the objective case pronoun her and
followed by the noun manager.)
I mistook the manager to be her. (Whether to be has
a pronoun subject or, as here, a noun subject such
as manager, the pronoun following it must be in the
objective case.)
In each of the preceding sentences, notice that the subject
of the infinitive to be is different from the subject of the verb
mistook and that both the subject and the complement of to
be are in the objective case. If the infinitive to be is not
immediately preceded by a pronoun or a noun, however, a
pronoun that follows to be must agree with the subject of the
verb in the sentence or clause and be in the nominative
case, as illustrated below.
I was mistaken to be she. (Both /, the subject of the verb was
mistaken, and she are nominative case.)
The owner was thought to be he. (Remember that a
noun has the same form for the nominative case as it
has for the objective case. When used as the subject of
a verb, a noun is in the nominative case.)
Spot Check 2
In each of the sentences below, decide which of the pronoun
forms shown in parentheses is correct and then circle it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Creditors expect (us, we) to make payments on time.
Henry wants you and (her, she) to help (he, him).
The attorney asked (I, me) to be a witness.
I doubt that you would want to be either (he, him) or (her,
she).
The directors may question (he and she, him and her) about the
proposal.
The next governor is expected to be (her, she).
A few customers wanted (us, we) to grant (them, they) larger
discounts.
Would you want (them, they) to serve on the committee?
They advised (us, we) consumers to be wary of offers that seem too
good to be true.
Mr. McCoy may ask you or (I, me) to serve on the committee.
AGREEMENT OF PRONOUNS AND
ANTECEDENTS
The antecedent of a pronoun identifies the person or thing
to which the pronoun refers. The antecedent of a personal
pronoun may be another pronoun or a noun.
Although /, we, and you do not require stated antecedents,
he, it, they, and other third person personal pronouns must
have stated antecedents. As you have noticed, the example
sentences in this unit and elsewhere in this book often
contain third person pronouns without stated antecedents.
The reason is that the sentences are intended to be viewed
as excerpts of written and oral messages containing
sentences in which the antecedents were stated previously
and therefore properly omitted in the sentences here.
9. The Principle of Agreement. The basic principle of
pronoun and antecedent agreement is that a pronoun
must agree with its antecedent in person, number, and
gender. As the following examples illustrate, applying this
principle to first and second person personal pronouns is
usually easy.
/ thought Rose left a message for me, (I refers to the
speaker and never has a stated antecedent. The
pronoun me agrees with /, its antecedent.)
Darlene asked Bob and me whether we had consulted
you. (We refers to Bob and the speaker; me refers to
the speaker only. You refers to the person spoken to
and has no stated antecedent.)
Using third person pronouns requires careful attention,
however. The lack of antecedents or the improper
placement of antecedents results in ambiguity.
He said be paid him yesterday. (No definite antecedent
for any pronoun makes the meaning unclear.)
Willis said Harry paid him yesterday. (The meaning is
clear—the antecedent of him is Willis.)
When a pronoun might refer to either of two nouns, reword the
sentence so that the pronoun clearly refers to the correct
noun.
While Peggy was talking with Maureen, she received
several telephone calls. (Did Peggy receive the
telephone calls—or did Maureen?)
While she was talking with Maureen, Peggy received
several telephone calls. (She clearly refers to Peggy.)
Third person singular pronouns must agree with their
antecedents in gender, person, and number.
Ms. Belov wanted to know whether she should take an
extra copy with her.
Lloyd mistakenly thought he had the tickets with him.
Leslie endorsed the check and cashed it.
They and them are of common gender and may be used to
refer to any third person plural antecedent.
Tickets for the concert are still available, but they are
very expensive,
Otis and Hilda are in Mobile today; however, they will
be here tomorrow.
The Harrises made reservations at the Plaza but had to
cancel them.
Oliver and Olivia thought the bouquets were for them.
When the antecedent of a pronoun is a singular noun of
common gender (supervisor, doctor, owner, or executive, for
example), use be or she, him or her, or a similar
combination of third person singular pronouns. To avoid the
excessive repetition of such combinations of pronouns in
your own writing and speech, change the antecedents to
their plural forms and use plural pronouns.
If an employer makes too many demands, be or she
may have disgruntled employees.
If employers make too many demands, they may have
disgruntled employees.
An experienced accountant may consider a refresher
course to be too elementary for him or her
Experienced accountants may consider a refresher
course to be too elementary for them.
INDEFINITE USE OF IT AND THEY
10. The Pronoun It. The pronoun it generally must have a definite antecedent.
In certain idiomatic expressions, especially those that relate to weather
and time, it does not have a stated antecedent.
Dean read the memo and sent it to Shirley.
It is raining. (It relates to weather and has no stated antecedent.)
It is 2:30 a.m. (// refers to time and does not have a stated antecedent.)
11. The Pronoun They. The pronoun they must have a definite antecedent.
It should not be used to refer to people in general.
not: They still say the economy will continue to improve.
but: Some government officials say the economy will continue to improve.
Remember, however, that the antecedent of a third person personal pronoun
may appear in a sentence preceding the one in which the pronoun appears. For
example, the following use is correct.
We attended a meeting conducted by some government officials last
week. They said, and probably still say, that the economy will continue to
improve.
Spot Check 3
In each of the sentences below, decide which of the pronoun
forms shown in parentheses is correct and then circle it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Paula thinks Mr. Wilkinson wants (her, she) to help (he, him).
If you were (her, she), what would you do?
Olivia said the instructor considered (her, she) a good student.
Lewis was waiting for Ted and (I, me) to help (he, him).
Bob and Ellen checked the reports and found (it, them) to be
accurate.
6. We give every customer the personal attention (he, she, he or
she) wants and deserves.
7. The package arrived this morning, but I have not opened (it,
them).
8. The best-qualified candidate is considered to be (her, she).
9. Every investor knows (he, she, he or she, they) may gain—or
lose.
10. Please check the merchandise carefully before you accept (it,
them).
Study Guide 4
A. As you read the following sentences, refer to the rules
indicated if you are unsure why the italicized pronouns
are in the nominative case.
1. Perhaps you and I1 should reconsider the offers we1 received.
2. We1 employees need better equipment.
3. The company has indicated it1 may relocate.
4. Some stockholders said they1 would support the plan.
5. J & M's top representatives are he2 and she2.
6. Two potential victims of the scheme are you2 and /2.
7. The leading contender is thought to be she8.
8. He1 or she1 is likely to be a winner.
9. The biggest losers are likely to be we8 consumers.
10. They1, Sheldon and Catherine, own and operate a successful bakery.
11. The price of Model 20 went up last year, but it1 is likely to go down this
year.
12. The letters were written yesterday, but they1 were not mailed until this
morning.
B. In the following sentences, the italicized
pronouns are in the objective case—and the rules
indicated explain why.
1.
2.
3.
Wesley told me3 about the meeting.
Please send her4 a photocopy of the invoice.
Maybe Ms. Wolfson will divide the work between you5
and me5.
4. We should ask him6 to find a different supplier.
5. The Nelsons hired a new attorney to represent them7.
6. The secretaries consider him8 and her8 to be good
supervisors.
7. Edgar thought the judge to be her8.
8. Did you mistake her** to be me8?
9. I placed the order and then canceled it1.
10. Miss Romero glanced at the pamphlets and then threw
them1 in the wastebasket.
C. Refer to the rules indicated at the end of each
sentence if you cannot explain the choice of
pronouns in the following sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A sales representative knows that he or she must be aware of
customers' needs.1,9
The customer, Mrs. Benton, said she would like to open an
account.1,9
A baby may cry if it is hungry.1,9
Any new employee may rely on coworkers to help him or her at
the outset.7, 9
The attorneys, Mildred Rodriguez and Walter Var-gas, said they
thought the contract was invalid.1, 9
It is unusually warm today.1, 10
Many executives say they work far more than 40 hours a
week.1,9,11
It is nearly midnight.1,10
ASSIGNMENT : Complete the Unit 4 Worksheet on pages 33 – 34.