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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Pronouns (words that stand in for nouns) can have different forms depending on whether they are acting as a subject (e.g., “I,” “we,” “they”) or an object (e.g., “me,” “us,” “them”).
When a pronoun is used as the direct object of a sentence, the object form is always used (e.g., “Martin sent them”).
The most common object pronouns in English are “me,” “you,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “it,” and “them.”
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Use “and me” when you need a first-person object pronoun that functions as part of a compound indirect object, direct object, or object of a preposition.
Use “and I” when you need a first-person subject pronoun that functions as part of a compound subject or a compound predicate nominative.
| Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|
| Indirect object | My favorite barista always gives my friends and me a special discount. |
| Direct object | The manager asked Phyllis, Angela, and me to plan the office Halloween party. |
| Object of a preposition | The wedding invitation was addressed to my boyfriend and me. |
| Compound subject | Sean and I ate all the hot sauce and chicken wings. |
| Predicate nominative | The only vegetarians at the Superbowl party were Serena and I. |
If you need help choosing “and me” or “and I,” a QuillBot’s Grammar Check can help you avoid mistakes with subject pronouns and object pronouns.
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.
“Him and me” is technically correct when you need an object pronoun that functions as part of a compound indirect object, direct object, or object of a preposition (e.g., “When my brother and I were teenagers, Mom gave him and me a strict curfew“).
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.
An indirect object pronoun stands for another noun and receives the direct object in a sentence. It’s both an indirect object and an object pronoun.
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.
When Monica had the flu, Phoebe brought her soup and orange juice.
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Who is not a verb. “Who” is a pronoun that represents another noun, which is called the antecedent.
“Who” can be an interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun.
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?”).
Use “whom” as a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition (e.g., “Whom did you meet at the gala last week?”).
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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.”
Two additional types of interrogatives form questions:
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The word interrogative has two meanings.
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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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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.”
First- and second-person pronouns can function as subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.
There are fewer second-person pronouns than first-person pronouns for two reasons.
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We is a plural first-person pronoun that refers to the person who is speaking or writing and one or more other people.
It’s also a subject pronoun, which means that it can be a subject or a predicate nominative.
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.
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 first-person plural pronouns are we, us, ours, and ourselves. They refer to the person writing or speaking and one or more other people.
First-person pronouns can be subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, or reflexive pronouns.
| Pronoun type | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject pronoun | We | As college students, we appreciate constructive feedback. |
| Object pronoun | Us | Internships prepare us for future careers. |
| Possessive pronoun | Ours | These frisbees are ours, but you can use them if you’d like. |
| Reflexive pronoun | Ourselves | The neighbors and I built ourselves a bridge so that we could cross the creek safely. |
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You is not a first-person pronoun but rather a second-person pronoun.
First-person pronouns include “I,” “we,” “me,” “us,” “mine,” “ours,” “myself,” and “ourselves.”
Second-person pronouns include “you,” “your,” “yours,” “yourself,” and “yourselves.” As a second-person pronoun, “you” can be a singular or plural subject pronoun or object pronoun.
As a subject pronoun, “you” is a subject that performs the verb or a predicate nominative that describes or renames the subject.
As an object pronoun, “you” is a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.
| Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|
| Subject | You are the best neighbors. |
| Predicate nominative | My favorite dancing partner is you. |
| Direct object | I am once again asking you to support my campaign. |
| Indirect object | Hi, Brandon and Andrea! I’m making you a lasagna this week to return your kind favor. |
| Object of a preposition | The mail that came yesterday was addressed to you, so I didn’t open it. |
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Us is a plural first-person pronoun that refers to the person who is speaking or writing and one or more other people.
It’s also an object pronoun, which means it can be a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.
| Part of speech | Example |
|---|---|
| Direct object (receives the verb) | Do smartphones move us closer together or further apart? |
| Indirect object
(receives the direct object) |
The instructor gave us an extension on the first draft. |
| Object of a preposition | The birthday bouquet is from all of us. |
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