THE LEGAL WRITING
CORNER
Is It Me You ’ re Looking For : The difference between subject and object pronouns
By Jennifer Cook and Denitsa Mavrova Heinrich
Ask 100 elementary students to describe what a noun is , and undoubtedly you will get some variation of this answer : A noun is a person , place , or thing . Simple enough . Now , what about a pronoun ? The answer to that question is just as simple : A pronoun is a word that stands for a noun . In legal writing , we often use pronouns to avoid repetition and help our sentences flow better . For example :
No pronouns : Aubrey is an experienced lawyer . Aubrey practices complex commercial litigation . I asked Aubrey to represent my business in a dispute .
With pronouns : Aubrey is an experienced lawyer . She practices complex commercial litigation . I asked her to represent my business in a dispute .
The second example avoids repetition and increases the writing ’ s flow by replacing nouns with pronouns . But why use two different pronouns to replace the same noun ? We did it to demonstrate the two main functions a pronoun performs : acting as the subject or as the object in a sentence . Note that not all pronouns can do both . So , let ’ s review the difference between subject and object pronouns .
A subject pronoun fills in for a noun as the subject of a sentence . It refers to the person or thing performing the action and typically appears at the beginning of the sentence before the verb . For example , in the sentence , “ The lawyer objected to the question ,” the subject is the lawyer . The lawyer is the person performing the action of objecting . We can replace the lawyer with the corresponding subject pronoun to make the sentence read instead : She [ the lawyer ] objected to the question . Because she is a subject pronoun , the sentence is grammatically correct . Other common subject pronouns include I , you , it , he , we , and they .
An object pronoun , on the other hand , can substitute for a noun as the object of a sentence and refers to the person or thing affected by the action . Object pronouns typically appear after a verb or a prepositional phrase . Take this sentence : The coach told the student to object . Here , the coach is the subject — the person performing the action of telling the student to object ; the student is the object — the person affected by the action ( the one being told to object ). When we replace the object with the corresponding pronoun , the sentence becomes : The coach told him [ the student ] to object . Again , because him is an object pronoun , the sentence makes grammatical sense . Other common object pronouns include me , you , it , her , us , and them .
Here are some examples of the difference between subject and object pronouns .
Subject Pronoun
I will deliver the opening statement . You will cross-examine the expert .
Object Pronoun
The opening statement will be delivered by me . The expert will be cross-examined by you .
He wrote the brief . The brief was written by him .
She requested an extension .
The request for an extension came from her .
It troubled me . I was troubled by it .
We worked together to complete the project .
The project would not have been completed if it weren ’ t for us .
They represent the plaintiff . The plaintiff is represented by them .
If you look closely at the examples above , you will notice some pronouns appear in both columns . That is because the pronouns you and it keep the same form whether they are the subject or object of the sentence . These two pronouns can perform both functions of a pronoun .
So how do you decide which pronoun to use to replace a noun ? Because subject pronouns fill in for the subject of a sentence , find the subject ( the person or thing performing the action ) and replace it with the proper pronoun . Similarly , to replace the object of a sentence ( the person or thing affected by the action ), find the object and substitute the proper object pronoun instead .
And that takes us to one of the most common mistakes in pronoun usage : Is it me ( or I ) you ’ re looking for ? The general rule is to use I
Jennifer Cook and Denitsa Mavrova Heinrich are faculty members in the Lawyering Skills Program at the University of North Dakota School of Law .
28 THE GAVEL