The Pronoun Cases: Rules and Examples for Beginners

Introduction

Imagine speaking without pronouns:

Ali gave Ali’s book to Ali’s friend because Ali needed Ali’s book for Ali’s homework.

Sounds tiring, right?
That’s why English uses pronouns, and pronoun cases tell us which pronoun form is correct depending on how it is used in a sentence.

Pronoun cases help you:

✔ Speak clearly
✔ Avoid repetition
✔ Know who is doing an action
✔ Know who is receiving the action

In daily life conversations, at school, in writing, and even when texting—pronoun cases guide us to pick the correct form like I / me, he / him, they / them, etc.

This lesson will teach you everything step-by-step using friendly explanations, examples, tables, rules, exercises, quiz & a mini creative activity.
Perfect for kids, English learners, and teachers!

What Does “Pronoun Case” Mean?

A pronoun case is the form a pronoun takes to match its job in the sentence.

In simple kid-friendly ways:

1. Pronoun case = correct form of pronoun based on usage.
2. It shows who is doing, who is receiving, or who owns something.
3. Like clothes for different occasions, pronouns change forms for different sentence roles.

There are three main pronoun cases:

Pronoun Case	What it Shows	Example
Subjective Case	Who performs the action	She runs.
Objective Case	Who receives the action	The ball hit her.
Possessive Case	Who owns something	That is their bag.

Learn these three, and you’ll never be confused again.

Deep Explanation

A) Subjective Case (Subject Pronouns)

Used when the pronoun is the doer of the action.

Subjective Pronouns:

I, we, you, he, she, they, it

✔ They answer the question “Who is doing the action?”

Examples:

• I went to school. (I = subject/doer)
• She is singing.
• They played football.

B) Objective Case (Object Pronouns)

Used when the pronoun receives the action.

Objective Pronouns:

me, us, you, him, her, them, it

✔ Used after verbs or prepositions (to, for, with, at, etc.)

Examples:

• The teacher called me.
• Ali gave her a gift.
• The dog followed them.

C) Possessive Case (Possessive Pronouns & Adjectives)

Shows ownership or belonging.

Two types:

Type	Words	Example
Possessive Adjectives	my, our, your, his, her, its, their	My book is here.
Possessive Pronouns	mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, its*	The book is mine.

*Note: “its” (no apostrophe) shows possession. “It’s” = it + is (not possessive).

Examples Table (20+ Usage Cases)

Case	Example Sentence	Why Correct?
I	I ate the cake.	Subject doing action
We	We won the match.	Subject
He	He reads daily.	Subject
She	She loves drawing.	Subject
They	They are happy.	Subject
Me	Give me the pen.	Object of verb
Us	Mom called us.	Object
Him	I saw him at school.	Receiver of action
Her	The story inspired her.	Object
Them	I helped them.	Object
It	I bought it yesterday.	Object
My	This is my pencil.	Ownership
Our	Our house is big.	Ownership
Your	Is this your bag?	Ownership
His	That is his car.	Ownership
Her	This is her notebook.	Ownership
Their	Their garden is beautiful.	Ownership
Mine	The trophy is mine.	Possessive pronoun
Hers	The doll is hers.	Possessive pronoun
Theirs	The toys are theirs.	Possessive pronoun

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Rules + Patterns (Super Easy Formulas)

⭐ Subject Pronoun Rules

• Use I, he, she, we, they for subjects.
• Formula:
  Subject Pronoun + Verb + Object

She (subject) kicked (verb) the ball (object).

⭐ Object Pronoun Rules

• Use me, him, her, them, us after verbs or prepositions.
• Formula:
  Verb + Object Pronoun

The teacher praised them.

⭐ Possessive Pronoun Rules

• Use my → mine, our → ours, your → yours, their → theirs.
• No noun after mine, yours, hers, ours, theirs.

Correct: The bag is mine.
Wrong: The bag is mine bag.

6. Why It Matters — Real Life Usage

Pronoun cases help you:

✔ Speak naturally
✔ Write correct sentences
✔ Avoid confusion like me vs I, he vs him, etc.
✔ Build strong grammar foundation for essays, emails, exams

Example in conversation:

Incorrect: Me want to go.
Correct: I want to go.

Such small improvements make a big difference in communication.

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Mistake	Wrong Sentence	Correct Sentence
Using object pronoun as subject	Me and Ali played.	Ali and I played.
Wrong possessive form	This is hers book.	This is her book.
Using “it’s” instead of “its”	The dog ate it’s food.	The dog ate its food.
Mixing cases	Him went home.	He went home.

Tip: Remove the other person and check.

Ali and me went.
Remove Ali → Me went ❌
So use I → Ali and I went ✔

Exercises — Test Your Learning (20 Questions)

A) Fill in the blanks (Use correct pronoun)

1. ___ am going to school.
2. Sara gave ___ a gift.
3. This bag is ___.
4. They invited ___ to the party.
5. ___ loves chocolate.
6. I saw ___ near the park.
7. The trophy is ___.
8. Mom helped ___.
9. ___ are friends.
10. She lost ___ keys.

B) Choose the Correct Pronoun

11. (He/Him) is my brother.
12. The teacher praised (we/us).
13. I borrowed (her/hers) umbrella.
14. Is this pen (your/yours)?
15. The dog wagged (its/it’s) tail.
16. (They/Them) are dancing.
17. She gave the book to (I/me).
18. This house is (their/theirs).
19. Ali and (I/me) played football.
20. I want to talk to (he/him).

Answer Key

1. I
2. me
3. mine
4. us
5. She
6. him/her
7. mine
8. us
9. They
10. her
11. He
12. us
13. her
14. yours
15. its
16. They
17. me
18. theirs
19. I
20. him

Mini Quiz — 10 Quick Checks

True or False / MCQ

1. “Me” is a subject pronoun. (T/F)
2. Which shows ownership? (a) he (b) his
3. Choose the correct: Ali and ___ went home. (I/me)
4. ___ book is on the table. (my/mine)
5. Them is used as object. (T/F)
6. The pen is ___. (hers/her)
7. We is a subject pronoun. (T/F)
8. Which is objective? (a) him (b) he
9. ___ are playing outside. (They/Them)
10. This house is ___. (their/theirs)

Build a Short Story Using Pronouns

Write a 5–7 sentence story using at least:

✔ 3 subjective pronouns (I, we, he, she, they)
✔ 3 objective pronouns (me, him, her, them)
✔ 3 possessive forms (my, his, their, mine, hers)

Example idea starter:

I found a little puppy near my house. She was hungry, so I fed her.
Then my friend came and helped me…

Be creative—make it fun, magical, silly, or adventurous!

Summary of Today’s Lesson

• Pronoun cases show the correct form based on usage.
• Subjective: I, he, she, they → do the action
• Objective: me, him, her, them → receive the action
• Possessive: my/mine, their/theirs → show belonging
• Using correct cases makes speaking and writing clear and confident.