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18.1 Confusing Pronouns

Every day, we hear pronouns used incorrectly in speech and in song. Often, incorrect usage sounds better. Just imagine if Vikki Carr sang, “It must be he.” It sounds unnatural, even though we know that “he” is the correct pronoun form for the subject complement.

Recognizing the correct pronoun to use in formal, correct writing takes practice. Take a moment to review the confusing pronoun usages covered so far in Section 17b,1-4: compounds, subject complements, we or us with a noun, and appositives. Then, try this multiple choice quiz.

For more examples, visit the Tricky Points of Pronoun Usage page of the HyperGrammar Web site produced by the University of Ottawa.

1 .
The new members of the design team were Lana and [I/me]. [Hint]

2 .
As we prepared for our first day, Lana and [I/me] talked excitedly about our hopes for big, corner offices. [Hint]

3 .
Unfortunately, there was no room at all for [we/us] new employees. [Hint]

4 .
[We/Us] new employees complained to the manager. [Hint]

5 .
The manager finally put all the designers, Grace, Lana, Steve, and [I/me], at a table in the hallway. [Hint]

6 .
The table-office was fun for [we/us] chatterboxes. [Hint]

7 .
The worst offenders in the whole group were Steve and [I/me]. [Hint]

8 .
Grace eventually complained to the manager about Steve and [I/me]. [Hint]

9 .
She accused [he/him] and me of disrupting her work. [Hint]

10 .
The chatterboxes, Steve and [I/me], were reprimanded by the manager. [Hint]

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