my is the best choice because it shifts the reader’s attention to auditioning, where it belongs, because auditioning is what Carrie hates. In the situation described in the preceding paragraph, the possessive form of a noun should also be your choice for the spot in front of an -ing noun. In the sample sen- tence there, the correct form is Carrie hates Rick’s auditioning . . . , not Carrie hates Rick auditioning . . . . The same reasoning applies; Carrie doesn’t hate Rick. She just doesn’t want him on television. Try your hand at the following example and practice exercises. Circle the pronouns you love and ignore the ones you hate. To keep you alert, I’ve inserted a few sen- tences that don’t call for possessive pronouns. Keep your eyes open! Q. Although I’m not a literary critic, I think that (he/him/his) writing a novel about talking ocelots is a bad idea. A. his The bad idea here is the writing, not he or him. The possessive pronoun shifts the attention to the task, which is the point of the sentence. 61. St. John Lincoln of the Times needs help with (he/him/his) editing and must hire addi- tional editors. 62. Lincoln said that he loved everything the employment agency did last week except (they/them/their) sending him too many pronoun-obsessed writers. 63. When Lori went for an interview, she saw (he/him/his) reading a review of The Pronoun Diet, a new grammar text. 64. “I object to (she/her) insisting on one pronoun per paragraph,” he muttered. 65. When I applied, Lincoln took (I/me/my) editing seriously. 66. However, he hated (I/me/my) pronouncing his first name incorrectly. 67. Apparently his relatives insist on something that sounds like “Sinjun,” but (they/them/ their) demanding special pronunciation has backfired. 68. The editor-in-chief calls him “Sin” for short; speaking at a recent awards dinner, (she/her) got a big laugh when she announced the nickname. 69. Do you think that St. John will appreciate (I/me/my) calling him “Johnny”? 70. I think that he will appoint (I/me/my) king of the newsroom. Calling All Overachievers: Extra Practice with Pronoun Case This advertisement for a garage sale (see Figure 10-1) has quite a few problems (including the fact that Anne stapled it to the police chief’s favorite rose bush). In this advertisement I underlined 20 pronouns. Ten are correct, and ten aren’t. Can you find the ten pronoun-case errors and correct them? 133 Chapter 10: The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 133 Garage Sale for You On Monday, May 5, my brother cleaned out the garage and gave our neighbors and I a great opportunity. The merchandise, which, just between you and I is mostly junk, will go on sale tomorrow. Him taking the initiative to earn a few bucks will put money in everyone’s pocket as well! The gently used videotapes — a few surprises here for whomever looks really carefully at the subtitles — are priced to sell! Buy some for your friends and watch with them and their pets. I recommend For Who the Dog Barks. Other great items include a used refrigerator, given to Mom by me and my brother Doug and recently repaired by our dad and I. Only a little freon leaks now. Come early to 5858 Wisteria Parkway and bring a wallet stuffed with bills, for it is me who will have to cart away unsold merchandise. I promise a free balloon to whomever buys the most, and he or her may blow it up and pop it right on the spot! As my mom says, “Give she a chance, and every- one will be happy.” Figure 10-1: A pronoun- challenged garage- sale ad. 134 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 134 135 Chapter 10: The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) Answers to Pronoun Case Problems a I. The pronoun I is an actor, one of the subjects of the verb have (I have). Me is for objects. Myself is only for emphasis (I myself) or for actions that bounce back on the subject (I told myself not to stand under a tree during a thunderstorm!). b he. Who discovered? He discovered. He is a subject pronoun. c they. Someone has to do the solving referred to in the sentence. Therefore you need a subject pronoun, they. d they, them. This sentence illustrates the difference between subject and object pronouns. In the first parentheses, they is what you want because they should contact Matt. The pronoun they does the action. In the second half of the sentence, he needs them, and them receives the action from the verb needs. e he. Did I catch you here? If the sentence contains a comparison and some words are implied, supply the missing words before choosing a pronoun. In sentence 5, Peyton is better . . . than he is. After you throw in the verb is, you immediately see that you need a subject pronoun — he. f me, she. In the first part of the sentence, the pronoun receives the action (Peyton won’t tell whom? Me.) In the second, you need someone to do the nodding, the subject pronoun she. g she. The tough part about this sentence is that the pronoun choice is camouflaged by other words (Peyton’s friends and Lucy). If you isolate the pronoun, however, you see that it is she who is obsessed with Martians. You need the subject pronoun. To add a technical grammatical explanation — stop reading now before you die of boredom! — the subject is Peyton’s friends, and Lucy and she forms an appositive to the subject. An appositive is always in the same case as the word it matches. h she, they. Two parentheses, two subjects. The verbs have and will make need subjects; she and they fill the bill. i I, ourselves. In the first part of the sentence, you need a subject for will glue. You can rule out me because me is an object pronoun. The pronoun myself works only for emphasis, in which case the sentence would read Elizabeth and I myself. In the second parentheses, you’re looking for an object for the verb will glue. The pronoun we drops out right away because it’s for sub- jects only. The next choice, us, is tempting, but because the actor and the receiver are the same, ourselves is better. j him. Like sentence 7, this one has lots of camouflage. Cover everything between contacted and the pronoun choice. What’s left? Peyton just contacted he/him. Can you hear the correct answer? Peyton contacted he? I don’t think so! You need the object pronoun him. If you really want a grammatical explanation, and surely you have better things to do with your time, authorities is the object of the verb contacted, and Dan Moore and him forms an appositive. An appositive is always in the same case as its equivalent. k us. Elizabeth is doing the action, and the pronoun’s on the receiving end. You can’t plug in we because we is for subjects, and receivers are objects. Ourselves doesn’t fit because the -self pronouns are only for emphasis (we ourselves will go . . .) or for situations in which the actor and receiver are the same (I told myself . . .). l she. A word is missing in this sentence: does. If you insert the missing word after the pronoun, you’ll hear it: NASA knows a lot more than she does . . . . The pronoun she is the subject of the implied verb does. 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 135 m him. The verb offer, even in the infinitive form (to offer) takes the object pronoun him. n I or I myself. The first choice is an ordinary subject pronoun; the second is emphatic. Do you want to scream this phrase or just say it? Your call. o she. A word is missing. After you supply it, you see what’s needed: No one is more dishonest than Matt and she are. That last little verb tells you that you need a subject pronoun. p me. The object pronoun me receives the action from the verb told. You can probably “hear” the correct answer if you use your thumb to cover the words Matt and. By isolating the pronoun, you can quickly determine that Elizabeth told I is a nonstarter. Elizabeth told me sounds — and is — correct. q we. In many comparisons, a word is missing. This sentence is easy if you insert the implied word, are. Elizabeth is as suspicious as us are? Nope. Try again: Elizabeth is as suspicious as we are. Bingo. The grammatical explanation is also simple: The implied verb are needs a subject pronoun. r I. Here you need a subject pronoun for the verb were enrolled. The -self pronoun isn’t appropri- ate because -self pronouns are only for emphasis or for actions that double back upon the sub- ject, as in I told myself not to make a grammar mistake. s us. The object pronoun us receives the action of the verb gave in this sentence. t they. The verb are taking needs a subject, and they fills the bill. u who. Focus on the part of the sentence containing the who/whom issue: who/whom should get the information. The verb should get needs a subject, so who is the proper choice. v whomever. The buyer is sending someone, so the pronoun you plug in receives the action of sending. Receivers are always object pronouns, so whomever wins the prize. w Who. The verb is needs a subject, and who is a subject pronoun — a match made in heaven. x whoever. The verb believes needs a subject. Whoever is a subject pronoun. y whoever. This one is tricky. When you hear the word to (a preposition), you may want to jump for the object pronoun, because prepositions are completed by object pronouns such as whomever. (Check out sentence 17, where whomever is the object of the preposition with.) But in this sentence, the verb is needs a subject, and whoever fills that role. For those who dig grammar (if you quake at the word, don’t read this part), the object of the preposition to is the whole clause, whoever is willing to pay. A who. Somebody isn’t saying, so you need a subject pronoun. Who fills the bill. B whom. This sentence is easier to figure out if you isolate the part of the sentence containing the who/whom choice: who/whom the expert consulted. Now rearrange those words into the normal subject-verb order: the expert consulted whom. Whom is the object of the verb consulted. C whom. As in the previous sentence, isolating and rearranging are helpful: who/whom Matt saw, Matt saw whom. The pronoun whom serves as the object of the verb saw. D whoever. The verb is needs a subject, so whoever has to do the job. E whom. Concentrate on the part of the sentence between the commas. Rearrange the words into the normal subject-verb order: I do not trust who/whom. Now do you see that it has to be whom? The pronoun I is the subject, and whom is acted upon, not an actor. F whom. The verb scolded needs an object, and the object pronoun whom does the job. 136 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 136 G who. The verb have just has to have a subject (verbs are picky that way), so here you need who. H who. The verb can fake matches with the subject pronoun who in this sentence. I whoever. Did I fool you here? The preposition to needs an object, so at first glance whomever looks like a winner. However, the verb is willing requires a subject, and that subject is whoever. So what about the preposition? No sweat: The object of the preposition is the whole statement (a clause, in grammatical terms) whoever is willing to listen. J whoever. The verb trusts can’t flap around without a subject, so you have to plug in whoever. K they. Okay, I know it doesn’t sound right, but you can reverse “the criminals are they” to get “they are the criminals.” To put it another way: they is a subject pronoun and belongs after the linking verb are. L them. To promise isn’t a linking verb; it expresses action. After an action verb you need an object pronoun, and them fits the description. M she. The rightful owner is she, and she is the rightful owner. See how neatly that reverses? N I. The subject pronoun I belongs after the linking verb is. O he. It is he and he is it . . . in more ways than one! If Peyton points the FBI at Matt, he is certainly it, as far as felony charges go. Speaking grammatically, I must point out that he is a subject pro- noun and should appear after the linking verb is. P them. Telling is an action, so you need an object pronoun here, and them is an object pronoun. Q him. Drew is an action word that should be followed by an object pronoun such as him. R whoever. The verb can be is a linking verb, and whoever is a subject pronoun. S him. Peyton sings, rats, blabs, confesses, and tells, which is the action verb in this sentence and which should be followed by an object pronoun. T he. The linking verb was is completed by the subject pronoun he. U her. The preposition to needs an object, and here it has two: Mom and her. V Me. The preposition Of has three objects, including Me. W me. The preposition between calls for two objects. In this sentence, Jessica is one and me is the other. Don’t fall into the between-and-I trap; between calls for objects, not subjects. X he. I did warn you that I’m throwing in a subject here and there! The verb was is missing at the end of this sentence. When you throw it in, you hear that she was prettier than he was. The missing word clarifies everything because you would never say that she was prettier than him was. (Everyone knows that he once won an “Ugly as a Wart” contest!) Y her. The preposition after needs an object, and her takes that role. z him. Did you know that past may sometimes be a preposition? The object pronoun him works well here. Z us, whoever. This is a hard one; if you got it right, you deserve an ice cream sundae. The pro- noun us is best as an object of the preposition behind. But the preposition at is NOT completed by the pronoun whomever. Instead, whoever functions as the subject of the verb comes. The whole thing — whoever comes too close — is the object of the preposition at. 137 Chapter 10: The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 137 1 whom. Change the question to a statement and you’ll get this one right away: This dog is snarling at whom. The preposition at is completed by the object whom. 2 him. The preposition on needs an object, and him got the job. 3 them. Around is a preposition in this sentence, so it takes the object them. 4 him. The preposition to needs an object, so opt for him. 5 him. You can’t write to he, because he is a subject pronoun, and the preposition to can’t bear to be without an object pronoun. 6 she. This sentence makes a comparison, and comparisons often contain implied verbs. The missing word is does, as in Spike loves letters even more than she does. Once you include the missing word, the answer is clear. You need she as a subject of the verb does. 7 whoever. The preposition from needs an object, but in this tricky sentence, the entire expres- sion whoever really wants to catch his attention is the object, not just the first word. The pro- noun whoever functions as the subject of the verb wants. 8 he. This implied comparison omits the verb is. Add the missing verb and the answer leaps off the page: Jessica is as fond of meaty bones as he is. You need the subject pronoun he to match with the verb is. 9 his. Lincoln doesn’t need help with a person; he needs help with a task (editing). Whose editing is it? His. 0 their. Lincoln didn’t hate the people at the agency (except that guy with bad breath who called him “Abe”). He didn’t love their sending pronoun-lovers. The possessive pronoun shifts the focus to the action, where it should be. ! him. I snuck this one in to see if you were awake. Lori saw him. What was he doing? Reading, but the reading is a description tacked onto the main idea, which is that she saw him. A posses- sive isn’t called for in this sentence. @ her. The objection isn’t to a person (she) but to an action (insisting). # my. The point in this sentence is Lincoln’s reaction to the editing. The possessive pronoun my keeps the reader’s attention on editing, not on me. $ my. He didn’t hate me, he hated the way I said his name, which no one can ever pronounce anyway. My ensures that the reader thinks about pronouncing. % their. They haven’t backfired; the say-it-my-way-or-take-the-highway attitude is the problem. The possessive keeps you focused on demanding. ^ she. The expression inside the commas (speaking at a recent awards dinner) is just a descrip- tion. Take it out for a moment and see what’s left: she got a big laugh. The pronoun she is the one you want. & my. He does appreciate me, especially at bonus time. But in this sentence, I’m inquiring about the calling. This -ing noun should be preceded by the possessive my. * me. The me is the focus here, not an action-oriented -ing noun. Also, the noun king wasn’t cre- ated from a verb. 138 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 138 . happy.” Figure 10 -1: A pronoun- challenged garage- sale ad. 13 4 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16 _5993 21 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11 :25 PM Page 13 4 13 5 Chapter 10 : The Case. too close — is the object of the preposition at. 13 7 Chapter 10 : The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16 _5993 21 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11 :25 PM Page 13 7 1 whom. Change the question to a statement and you’ll. find the ten pronoun-case errors and correct them? 13 3 Chapter 10 : The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16 _5993 21 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11 :25 PM Page 13 3 Garage Sale for You On Monday, May 5, my brother