Pronoun case: Subjective case pronouns work as the subjects of verbs or as subject complements; objective case pronouns work as direct objects, indirect objects, or objects of prepositions; and possessive case pronouns show ownership.
First person singular subjective: I, you, he, she, it
Second person singular subjective: you
Third person singular subjective: he, she, it
First person singular objective: me
Second person singular objective: you
Third person singular objective: him, her, it
First person plural subjective: we
Second person plural subjective: you
Third person plural subjective: they
First person plural objective: us
Second person plural objective: you
Third person plural objective: them
First person singular possessive: my, mine
Second person singular possessive: your, yours
Third person singular possessive: his, her, hers, its
First person plural possessive: our, ours
Second person plural possessive: your, yours
Third person plural possessive: their, theirs
Who, whom, whoever, whomever, and whose
Subjective: who, whoever
Objective: whom, whomever
Possessive: whose
Reflexive and Intensive case:
Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, themselves
A pronoun in the subjective case always serves as the subject of a verb; whereas, a pronoun in the objective case always works as a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition, and a pronoun in the possessive case always shows ownership.
1. He is the one I told you about. (He is the subject of the verb “is”)
2. The cat did not mess up its bed last night. (Here, “its” is the possessive pronoun showing the cat’s ownership of the bed.)
3. When Rover caught the Frisbee, he chewed it to pieces. (“It” is the direct object of the verb chewed)
4. The quarterback passed him the football. (“Him” is the indirect object)
5. Roberta was beside herself when Mark gave a diamond engagement ring to her. (“Her” is the object of the preposition “to”)
Look at this sentence: The game disappointed him and me.
Both the words “him” and “me” are the direct objects of the verb “disappointed.” Moreover, think about how it would sound if you used “he” and “I” instead of “him” and “me.” Would you say, “The game disappointed he” or “The game disappointed I”?
The use of who, whoever, whom, whomever, and whose:
Who and whoever are both subjective case pronouns, meaning that they always work with verbs, either as subjects or subject complements.
Examples:
a) Who thinks that English is hard? (Who is the subject of the verb “thinks”)
b) Give the award to whoever deserves it. (Whoever is the subject of the verb deserves.)
c) Whoever wants to go to the movies with me should speak up. (Whoever is the subject of the verb wants.)
d) Your English professor next quarter is who? (Who is the subject complement of professor—a subject complement is a noun or pronoun that comes after the verb and is equal to the subject—professor = who; who = professor.
Whom and whomever are both objective case pronouns, which means that they will always work as direct objects, objects of prepositions, or indirect objects. They will never fill a subject slot within a sentence.
Examples:
a) To whom should I send the notice? (Whom is the object of the preposition “to”)
b) With whom do you play golf each week? (Whom is the object of the preposition “with”)
c) You have to be kidding; you gave whom an invitation? (Whom is the indirect object, indirectly receiving the action of the verb “gave”)
d) Tell whomever you wish to share your secret. (Whomever is the direct object of the verb “tell”)
Whose is a possessive case pronoun used to show ownership.
Examples:
a) Whose car is that parked in my yard?
b) I don’t know whose car it is.
