When “we” is the subject of a sentence or clause, it performs the action. When “we” is a predicate nominative, it follows a linking verb, and it renames or describes the subject. “We” as a predicate nominative is extremely rare.
In writing, “we” should have a clear antecedent (a noun that the pronoun represents). The antecedent for “we” is usually “[another person or group] and I” or a plural noun that includes the person speaking or writing.
We as a first-person pronoun examplesMy family and I love camping, and we visit Estes Park every summer. (subject pronoun)
As nurse practitioners, we should participate in ongoing training to stay up-to-date with best practices. (subject pronoun)
When Greg and I got married, the two of us became we. (predicate nominative)
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The main difference between first- and second-person pronouns is the person or people they refer to.
First-person pronouns represent the person who is speaking or writing (e.g., “We love helping people become stronger writers, and we hope you enjoy our blog”). They include “I,” “we,” “me,” “us,” “mine,” “ours,” “myself,” and “ourselves.”
Second-person pronouns represent the person you are speaking or writing to (“The more you practice writing, the better your writing will become”). They include “you,” “yours,” “yourself,” and “yourselves.”
There are fewer second-person pronouns than first-person pronouns for two reasons.
Only second-person reflexive pronouns have singular and plural forms. For example, “you” can mean one person or “you all.” (Although in spoken English, the contraction “y’all” for “you all” is a common plural for “you.”) “Yours” can also be plural or singular.
Second-person pronouns don’t have different subject and object cases. The second-person pronoun “you” can be a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.
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They is not a second-person pronoun. It’s a third-person pronoun that can be plural or singular. Plural “they” refers to two or more people or objects (e.g., “The cats are sleeping because they are tired”). Singular “they” refers to one nonbinary or hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant or unknown (e.g., “I don’t know who painted this mural, but they are so talented”).
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You is a second-person pronoun that refers to the person or people you’re speaking or writing to (e.g., “A package arrived for you today”). It can be plural or singular and serve as a subject pronoun or object pronoun in a sentence.
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“Interrogative” can be a noun that means “a word that forms a question.” The three types of interrogatives include interrogative pronouns (“what,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” and “whose”), interrogative adverbs (“where,” “when,” “how,” and “why”), or interrogative determiners (“what,” “which,” and “whose”).
“Interrogative” can also be an adjective that means “inquisitive” (e.g., “The reporter’s interrogative approach intimidates people sometimes”). In this context, “interrogative” has a similar connotation to “interrogate,” which is a verb that means “to interview someone aggressively.”
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Where is an interrogative adverb that’s used to form questions about location. The answer to a “where” question is a location or place (e.g., “Where is St. George’s Castle located?”).
The other interrogative adverbs include “when,” “where,” and “how.”
As an interrogative pronoun, “who” is part of a question (e.g., “Who won Best Actress in 2024?”). The antecedent is the answer to the question (e.g., “Emma Stone won Best Actress in 2024”).
As a relative pronoun, “who” begins an adjective clause (which is also known as a relative clause). An adjective clause gives more information about a noun in a sentence, which is the antecedent (e.g., “Emma Stone, who won an Oscar in 2024, is one of the world’s highest paid actors”).
“Who” is also classified as a subject pronoun (versus the object pronoun “whom”). When deciding between “who” and “whom,” use “who” as a subject that performs the action or a predicate nominative that is described or renamed (e.g., “Who holds the world record for longest hair?”).
The object pronouns are “me,” “us,” “her,” “him,” “them,” “you,” “whom,” and “it.” Object pronouns can be direct objects or indirect objects but never subjects in sentences. The subject of a sentence gives the direct object to the indirect object.
Indirect object pronoun examplesMaya baked mea dozen chocolate cupcakes for my birthday.
When Monica had the flu, Phoebe brought hersoup and orange juice.
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He and I is sometimes correct, but him and I is never correct.
Technically, you can use “he and I” when you need a subject pronoun that functions as part of a compound subject or a compound predicate nominative (e.g., “I invited Jason over to watch the game because he and I both love the Kansas City Chiefs”).
However, the plural subject pronoun “we” is more concise than “he and I” or “she and I” (e.g., “Jason left early because we both have school tomorrow”).
“Him and I” is incorrect because “him” is an object pronoun and “I” is a subject pronoun.
The plural object pronoun “us” means the same thing as “him and I,” and it’s more concise (e.g., “When my brother and I were little, Dad read to us every night“).
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you spot errors like “him and I” and use object pronouns and subject pronouns correctly.
