Pronoun

General SAT Writing Strategies for Pronoun Case

#1: If a Pronoun is Underlined, Check for an Error in Pronoun Case If a pronoun is underlined in any of the writing subsections (sentence improvement, identify the error, or paragraph improvement), make sure there is not a pronoun case error. #2: Determine if the Pronoun is Being Used as a Subject or Object If the pronoun is doing the action or being described, it is a subject. If the pronoun is receiving the action, it is an object. Use subject pronouns for subjects and object pronouns for objects. Use the replacement strategy, if necessary, to help determine if a noun is a subject or object. #3: The Same Rules Apply for Compound Subjects/Objects If you see a compound subject/object, the sentence should be grammatically correct if you get rid of one of the nouns and "and". Change "John and I went to the store" to "I went to the store". The sentence is still correct. So, if you see a compound subject/object on the SAT, use the cross out strategy to help determine if there is a pronoun case error. For compound subjects, also make sure that you change the verb from plural to singular. #4: If a Pronoun Follows a Preposition, It is an Object Pronoun Pronouns that follow prepositions, specifically "to", "for", or "between", should be in the object case. #5: Use the Replacement Strategy for Who Vs. Whom If you are trying to determine whether "who" or "whom" should be used, replace "who" with "he" for singular antecedents and "who" with "they" for plural antecedents. In the spirit of gender equality, you can also replace "who" with "she". The word "whom" should be replaced with "him" for singular antecedents and "them" for plural antecedents. Again, feel free to replace "whom" with "her".

Strategy

If you see a compound subject/object, cross out the other noun and "and". For compound objects, the sentence should still be grammatically correct. Let's do this with the previous example: Mr. T gave gold chains to Marc and me. This sentence probably sounds less awkward to you. Most likely, you would be able to immediately identify a pronoun case error if you saw a sentence that read, "Mr. T gave gold chains to I". If you do the same thing with a compound subject, the sentence will be grammatically correct if you also change the verb from plural to singular, due to subject-verb agreement. However, keep in mind that the singular and plural forms of a verb can be the same. Let's use the cross-out method with a compound subject to help determine if there is a pronoun case error. Look at the following sentence: Nathan and him went to college together. After crossing out the noun and "and", we're left with "him went to college together". Does "him went to college" sound right to you? Probably not. Regardless, let's rely on the rules. In this sentence, is "him" a subject or an object? It's a subject because they did the action. They went together. Because "him" is an object pronoun, there is a pronoun case error. The sentence should read: Nathan and he went to college together. Let's use what we've learned on a real example from the SAT.

"Exploring" is a correct antecedent; "explore" is not. Always make sure that a pronoun's antecedent is a noun you can point to in the sentence. NOT A VERB

Incorrect: I explore underwater caves often; it is fun. Correct: I love exploring underwater caves; it is fun.

Disagreement in Person

Pronoun agreement in person is a slightly weirder concept than agreement in number, but it's usually pretty easy to spot. The basic concept is that a pronoun must reflect the type of thing it's replacing. So you use "it" to replace "the garden" but "he" to replace "Abraham Lincoln."

Relative PrONOUN

The other tricky case with disagreement in person is relative pronouns like who and which. Each of these words is used to refer to a specific type of thing: Who and whom — a person (on the SAT you will not be tested on difference between the two) When — a point in time Where — a place (use "in which" for media) Which and that — anything else Even though you don't necessarily think of these types of pronouns as having antecedents, they still do, and that means they have to agree with those nouns. Here's an example of an incorrect sentence: I found the gummi bears who I'd lost under my sister's bed. Who or what is "that"? Well, it's "the gummi bears." Gummi bears aren't a person, so it's incorrect to use "who" to refer them. The correct version is: I found the gummi bears that I'd lost under my sister's bed. Let's look at a slightly trickier case. I finally got to the chapter where the hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. This sentence sounds fine, but what is "where" referring to? "The chapter" isn't actually a place, so we need to use "in which" instead: I finally got to the chapter in which the hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. When you see a relative pronoun on the SAT, make sure that it is the correct one for describing the type of thing that it is referring to.

who vs whom

The word "who" is a subject pronoun and "whom" is an object pronoun. In terms of pronoun case, "who" and "whom" function like "he" and "him". The word "who" is a subject pronoun and "whom" is an object pronoun. To determine if there is a pronoun case error, replace "who" with "he" and "whom" with "him". If the antecedent is plural, replace "who" with "they" and "whom" with "them". Justin, who is my teacher, knows when to use "whom" correctly. Justin, whom I adore, writes articles for PrepScholar.