Nouns
Pronouns
Case refers to the way a noun or pronoun is used in a sentence. When it is the subject of a verb, it is in the subjective case (the term nominative can also be used for subjective case though we will use subjective case only). When it is the object of a verb or a preposition, it is in the objective case. When it possesses something, it is in the possessive case.
With nouns, the subjective and objective cases aren't a problem because nouns have the same form whether they are subjects or objects.
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The frog ate the bee. The bee stung the frog.
Regardless of what's happening to the frog or the bee, the nouns frog and bee don't change form.
Some pronouns, however, take different forms depending on whether they are subjects or objects. These pronouns are listed in Table
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In the sentence Tension existed between Franklin and Winston, there is no confusion about what case to use for Franklin or Winston. But what about in this sentence?
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Tension existed between Franklin and him.
Is him right? Or should it be he? (The pronoun is the object of the preposition between, so him is correct.).
Subjective case of pronouns
Pronouns are used as subjects of verbs. Use the subjective case of pronouns when the pronoun is the subject of a verb.
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I drive to work.
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He enjoys dancing.
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We bought the lodge.
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They are fighting over the property line.
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The man who won the game was the guest of honor.
Compound subjects
When there are compound subjects, that is, more than one actor, don't be confused. Pronouns should still be in the subjective case.
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Eileen and he ( not Eileen and him) enjoy dancing.
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The Harrisons and they ( not The Harrisons and them) are fighting over the property line.
To keep from making pronoun case efforts in sentences with compound subjects, drop the subject that is a noun and read the sentence with the pronoun alone. You would never say Him enjoy dancing or Them are fighting over the property line. You'll see immediately that the subjective forms he and they are correct.
Pronouns following “to be”
You should also use the subjective case of pronouns after forms of the verb to be.
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It is I who chose the location.
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The man who called the police was he.
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The real criminals are we ourselves.
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The winners were they and the Rudermans.
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The man who phoned was who?
The word after a form of to be is called a complement. (It is also sometimes called a predicate nominative or predicate adjective).
Unlike words following action verbs, a complement of a linking verb is not an object, a receiver of action. Instead, the complement identifies or refers to the subject. Compare the following two sentences.
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The president saw Mr. Komine.
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The president was Mr. Komine.
In the first sentence, Mr. Komine is an object that receives the president's action of seeing. If a pronoun were to be substituted for Mr. Komine, the pronoun would be in the objective case: him. But in the second sentence, Mr. Komine isn't receiving any action; Mr. Komine identities the subject, that is, the president. The correct pronoun to substitute for Mr. Komine in this sentence would be he.
Pronoun complements can cause case problems. As the rule says, the subjective form of a pronoun is correct after to be, but sometimes it may sound unnatural or awkwardly formal.
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It is I.
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I am she.
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The person I chose was he.
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The winners were they.
The best way to handle awkward-sounding constructions is to look for a better way to say the same thing. For example,
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They were the winners.
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or They won. (better)
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He was the person I chose.
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or I chose him. (better)
In informal speech and writing, modem usage allows It is me or It's me. Objective pronouns after to be are also gaining some acceptance in other constructions. When you are writing formally, either stay with the established rule or rewrite the sentence to avoid an awkward correctness.
