Engl mid-term study guide
Study Guide for English 1301 Midterm
Please study the following and use the links provided to prepare for the midterm. Most students who do not adequately prepare for the exam do poorly, so please make sure you are prepared—this exam is a big portion of your term grade.
Pronouns:
Pronouns have three cases--subjective, objective, and possessive. Subjective Case
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Objective Case me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom
Possessive Case my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, your/yours, their/theirs
Subjective case pronouns act as subjects--that is, they perform the verbs in sentences. If there is a pronoun before a verb, the pronoun should be in the subjective case. Ask yourself who or what is performing the verb; the answer will be the subject.
Objective case pronouns act as objects--that is, they receive action or act as objects of prepositions (the last word in a prepositional phrase). They will never perform verbs.
Possessive case pronouns show possession or ownership.
Common Problems With Pronoun Usage:
Compound constructions contain more than one subject or object.
Example: He and I went to the movie. (two subjects)
Example: John went to the movie with him and her. (two objects).
These constructions often confuse people because they link the words in the compound together. The best way to use the correct pronouns is to utilize the drop test, which occurs when you drop one element of the construction from the sentence and read the sentence without it. Then you add that element back into the sentence and drop the other element.
Example: (original sentence) He and I went to the movie. Utilizing the drop test: He went to the movie. I went to the movie.
Example: (original sentence) John went to the movie with him and her. Utilizing the drop test: John went to the movie with him. John went to the movie with her.
If you use the drop test, chances are you will use the correct pronouns.
Please study the following and use the links provided to prepare for the midterm. Most students who do not adequately prepare for the exam do poorly, so please make sure you are prepared—this exam is a big portion of your term grade.
Pronouns:
Pronouns have three cases--subjective, objective, and possessive. Subjective Case
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Objective Case me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom
Possessive Case my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, your/yours, their/theirs
Subjective case pronouns act as subjects--that is, they perform the verbs in sentences. If there is a pronoun before a verb, the pronoun should be in the subjective case. Ask yourself who or what is performing the verb; the answer will be the subject.
Objective case pronouns act as objects--that is, they receive action or act as objects of prepositions (the last word in a prepositional phrase). They will never perform verbs.
Possessive case pronouns show possession or ownership.
Common Problems With Pronoun Usage:
Compound constructions contain more than one subject or object.
Example: He and I went to the movie. (two subjects)
Example: John went to the movie with him and her. (two objects).
These constructions often confuse people because they link the words in the compound together. The best way to use the correct pronouns is to utilize the drop test, which occurs when you drop one element of the construction from the sentence and read the sentence without it. Then you add that element back into the sentence and drop the other element.
Example: (original sentence) He and I went to the movie. Utilizing the drop test: He went to the movie. I went to the movie.
Example: (original sentence) John went to the movie with him and her. Utilizing the drop test: John went to the movie with him. John went to the movie with her.
If you use the drop test, chances are you will use the correct pronouns.