1. Lecture 7: Pronoun II 1. Choice of pronoun case forms
1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
1.2 Choice between the objective and the genitive case
2. Possessive and reflexive pronouns
2.1 Possessive pronouns
2.2 Reflexive pronouns

2. Lecture 7: Pronoun II How many case forms are there in English?
In English, most personal pronouns and the interrogative/relative pronoun (who) have three case forms:
the subjective case
(I, we, you, he, she, it, they, who)
the objective case
(me, us, you, him, her, it, them, whom)
the genitive case
(my/mine, our/ours, your/yours, his/his, her/hers, its, their/theirs, whose)

3. Lecture 7: Pronoun II
With regard to the choice of pronoun case forms, the following two points are to be noted.
1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
1.2 Choice between the objective and the genitive case

4. 1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
The choice between subjective and objective case generally depends on whether a pronoun functions as subject or object in a sentence. But there are exceptions to this general rules.
(1) The objective rather than subjective case is habitually used especially in informal style, when a personal pronoun functions as the subject of a minor sentence that stands without a predicator or with only a nonfinite verb as the predicator.
---Does any of you know where Xiao Li is?
---Me. (=I know) (without a predicator)
What! Me (to) play him at chess? No!
(with only a nonfinite verb)

5. 1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
(2) In comparative clauses, the choice between subjective and objective case follows the general rule.
e.g. You are not as smart as he (is).
I trust you as much as (I trust) her.
Notes: In the informal style, a personal pronoun as the subject of a comparative clause may appear in the objective case, especially when the pronoun is followed by such items as ALL/BOTH as appositive.
e.g. You are much cleverer than her (=she is).
He is cleverer than us all.
She is taller than them both.

6. 1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
(3) In an SVC construction where the subject complement is a personal pronoun, the objective case sounds much more natural than the subjective case.
Who is knocking at the door?---It is me. It is I. ?
(4) In a cleft-sentence, the choice between the subjective or objective case depends on the function of the personal pronoun.
It is he who did it (he---subject)
It is him who did it (him---informal style)
It is him that we are talking about. (him---object)

7. 1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
(5) When the subject of a sentence is the construction of “everybody/nobody/no one + but/except + personal pronoun”, the subjective case is used.
e.g. Nobody（No one）but（except）she can speak French here.
Notes: If the prepositional phrase is shifted to the end of the sentence, the objective case is used.
e.g. Nobody/No one can speak French but/except her.
I interviewed everybody but him.
(him used as an object)

8. 1.1 Choice between the subjective and the objective case
(6) The choice between “who or whom, whoever or whomever”
The choice between the subjective or the objective case depends on its function in the sentence.
Who can speak French? (subject)
Whom can I trust? (object)
Whom (formal)/Who (informal) are you talking about?
About whom (* About who) are you talking?
They always elect whoever is popular. (subject)
I will not trust whomever they will elect. (object)

9. 1.2 Choice between the objective and the genitive case
If the –ing form is preceded by such verbs as defer, deny, postpone, understand, etc. the pronoun can only appear in the genitive case.
(A) Genitive
If the –ing form is used as the subject, the pronoun can only take the genitive form.
e.g. He doesn’t deny his breaking the agreement.
I can’t understand his refusing to do that for me.
They deferred his going home until next week.
e.g. His refusing to accept the invitation is really surprising.

10. 1.2 Choice between the objective and the genitive case
In an SVOC construction, the pronoun can only take the objective form.
(B) Objective
When a “pronoun + infinitive” construction is used as an object, the pronoun can only take the objective form.
e.g. They caught him (not: his) cheating on the exam.
I found him lying by the roadside.
We saw him reading a book.
e.g. The teacher asked me to answer the question.

11. 1.2 Choice between the objective and the genitive case
(C) Genitive or objective
When an –ing participle clause with a personal pronoun as its own subject functions as either the object of the main clause or prepositional complementation, the pronoun can occur either in the genitive or the objective case, the former being more common than the latter.
I don’t mind his/him (informal/less common) opening the window. (object of the main clause)
e.g.
I am surprised at his/him (informal/less common) making that mistake. (prepositional complementation)

12. 2. Possessive and reflexive pronouns
2.1 Possessive pronouns
2.2 Reflexive pronouns

13. 2.1 Possessive pronouns (a) subject (b) object Possessive pronoun
(c) complement
e.g. His book is in the bag. Mine is on the desk. (subject)
You have your ticket; we lost ours. (object)
His car is just like hers. / He is a friend of mine. (prepositional complementation)
Notes: If it is used together with personal pronoun, it means all the members of the family.
e.g. Best wishes to you and yours (=you and all your family members) from me and mine.

14. 2.2 Reflexive pronouns appositive object Reflexive pronouns
pre. complementation
e.g. The students themselves did it. (appositive)
He drank himself under the table. (object)
I have nothing to say for myself. (prepositional complementation)

15. Two points to be noticed:
(1) Used as object, reflexives often appear in such collocations as “verb + reflexive + adverb” and “verb + reflexive + preposition”, as well as in some idioms, which you have to learn by heart in your study.
e.g. You must pull yourself together.
(verb + reflexive + adverb)
Very soon he adapted himself to the life here.
(verb + reflexive + preposition)
For a long time she had kept herself to herself.
(idiom)

16. Two points to be noticed:
(2) When the subject of a sentence is realized by “anyone/no one/nobody + but + reflexive”, we usually use the reflexive of the first or the second person, not of the third person.
e.g. No one but yourself (myself) understood her.
? No one but himself understood her.
? No one but he himself understood her.
? No one but she herself knows Russian.

17. Thank you!