it.
268.
1 Georgina put one more card on top of the four she had fashioned into a little house, but it fell.
2 The computer mouse I dropped broke into three pieces, but I glued them back together.
3 I did my homework in the middle of the night without a flashlight, which was a problem.
269.
1 The paper it says that war may break out within the next two days.
2 In an article in the paper it says that soldiers will report for duty tomorrow.
3 The government hopes to avoid war because of its high cost in both money and lives.
270.
1 The Yankee was a great hitter, but the other team’s star was better at it.
2 The shades let in some light; they were translucent.
3 Allowing some sunlight reduces the need for strong electric lights, which may not be energy efficient.
Chapter 6
Pronouns on a Case-by-Case Basis
Me and him can't go to mall—not in Standard English! He and I, on the other hand, can shop until we drop. What's the difference? Pronoun case, the English teacher's term for the way a pronoun's form changes depending upon how it's used in the sentence. In this chapter, you work on all three cases — subject (also known as subjective or nominative case), object (also known as objective case), and possessive.
The Questions You’ll Work On
In this chapter, you work on questions that involve these concepts:
Identifying pronouns as subject, object, or possessive
Choosing the correct pronoun case according to the pronoun’s role in the sentence
What to Watch Out For
Keep these points in mind when you’re answering the questions in this chapter:
Subject pronouns act as subjects, the who or what performing the action or in the state of being expressed in the sentence.
Subject pronouns also follow linking verbs (forms of the verb to be or verbs that express sensory information, such as to sound, to feel, and so forth).
Object pronouns act as objects: direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of a preposition or verbal (a verb form not functioning as a verb). You don’t need to worry about what type of object you have, as long as you know that the pronoun is acting as an object. An object answers the questions whom? or what? after a verb, preposition, or verb form.
Possessive pronouns express ownership. When you say my book or our vacation, my and our are possessive pronouns.
Some possessive pronouns function as subjects, objects, or other roles commonly played by nouns. In that book is mine, mine is a possessive pronoun because it expresses ownership, even though in this sentence it’s acting as a subject complement.
You may run across a verb form ending in -ing that acts as a noun — a gerund, in English-teacher terminology. The pronoun preceding a gerund is possessive when the emphasis is on the action or state of being expressed by the gerund. For example, in this sentence, the possessive pronoun my precedes the gerund swimming: The coach doesn’t like my swimming, but he can’t stop me.
Don’t confuse possessive pronouns with contractions — shortened forms of other words. It’s means “it is,” and its is a possessive pronoun. No possessive pronoun has an apostrophe.
Sorting Subject, Object, and Possessive Pronouns
271–285 Identify the underlined pronouns as subject (S), object (O), or possessive (P) pronouns.
271. As they built the shelter, the guides told us to watch carefully, in case we ever had to erect a hut like it.
272. Doreen and I caught five fish yesterday, but she threw them back into the water because we don’t like to eat salmon.
273. Lola is my friend; however, you are her enemy.
274. The flight attendant told him to turn off his computer and confiscated it when he refused.
275. Al has placed Kerina and you at a lively table, but if you want to change seats, the choice is yours.
276.I know it was she on the phone because I always recognize voices.
277. Lulu’s parents hate her adding an extra course because they think she is too busy already.
278. After Helen had examined the clothing thoroughly, she tried on a coat and declared, “Mine is more stylish and warmer,” as she threw his away.
279.My jumbo slice of cake didn’t tempt him, perhaps because yours was dry and tasteless.
280. The director loved your jumping in front of the runaway horse in the final scene, but your mom told herself not to look at the screen while you were in danger.
281.Their pitcher has a better record than I, but my team wins more games than his.
282. Give your food to whoever is hungry, even though our supply is low.
283. Melissa, whom the proctor scolded for lateness, says she actually arrived earlier than I.
284. When our computer crashed, James shook its screen and yelled, “Whose program was running recently?”
285.I won’t go to the pool with his family because that cousin splashes whoever is nearby.
Using Subject and Object Pronouns Correctly
286–320 What pronouns should be inserted in the blanks? Note: Check the parentheses for identifying information.
286. Scott and _____ (Scott’s) fellow racewalkers swing _____ (Scott’s and the racewalkers’) arms as _____ (Scott and the racewalkers) hurry to the finish line.
287. Keith and _____ (Pam) gave _____ (Pam’s) nephew five crayons because Pam always prefers to select the color_____ (Pam) likes.
288. Woody saluted _____ (Dan) before _____ (Woody and Dan) bowed to the audience and thanked _____ (referring to the speaker) for directing the play.
289. _____ (David) and _____ (referring to the speaker) will order food
