Subject and Object Pronouns

PRONOUNS
Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun
I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
You (plural) You
They Them

When do you use IT?

IT is normally used when we refer to objects, things, animals or ideas (and not normally people).

The dog is big. It is also hairy. (It = the dog)

My bed is small but it is comfortable. (It = my bed)

Sometimes when we don't know the sex of a baby (we don't know if it is a boy or girl), then we
can use IT.

Their baby is very small. It only weighs 2 kilos. (It = the baby.)

We use IT when we talk about the time, weather or temperature.

It is five o'clock (= the time is five o'clock)

It is cold today. (= the weather is cold today.)
It is 30 outside right now. (= the temperature is 30 outside right now)

Subjects are what the sentence is about.

Objects are what is affected by the action of the subject.
 Examples
I like horses. Subject Pronoun
Horses don't like me. Object Pronoun

We talk to our neighbour. Subject Pronoun

She talks to us. Object Pronoun

They listen to the teacher. Subject Pronoun

Listen to me carefully. Object Pronoun

You speak very quickly. Subject Pronoun

We watch them on TV. Object Pronoun

The Object Pronoun - it

Be careful when using 'it' as an object pronoun because it is only in the correct context that it has
meaning. It needs to have already been mentioned or obvious to the listener what you are
referring to. Compare;

You are sitting on it! (The listener probably doesn't know what the speaker refers to).
The letter is on the sofa. You are sitting on it! (It is obvious in the second sentence that
the reference is to the letter)

I Choose the right answer:

1. It took I/ me twenty minutes to get dressed.

2. She told I/ me an interesting story.

3. I dont think we should wait for he/ him .

4. I am angry with both of they/ them .

5. Do you like they/ them ?

6. Are they/ them coming with we/us ?

7. It was very kind of she/ her to help.

8. Does she/ her recognize he/ him ?

9. Do you speak to she/ her ?

10. They/ Them live with we/ us .

Fill in the blanks below to complete the sentences:

1. Do you know that man? Do you know _______________?

2. My friend and I have money. _______________ can go shopping.
3. Robert and Mark are late. _______________ should hurry.
4. She gave _______________ a birthday gift. I really like it.
5. Elephants are very big, so _______________ eat a lot of food.
6. My brother is studying because _______________ has a test tomorrow.
7. Do you feel okay? Can I help _______________?
8. My new neighbors are very friendly. I really like _______________.
9. I need to find my book. Where did you put _______________?
10. I am busy right now. Could you please call _______________ after an hour?
11. We gave him the money, and he gave _______________ the candy.
12. I almost never eat junk food because _______________ is not healthy.
13. My sister isnt here. _______________ is at work.
14. Dinosaurs were very large, but _______________ all died millions of years ago.
15. Could you please help _______________? I have a problem.

Correct if necessary: HOMEWORK

1. Marko always sits next to they.

2. My sister and me are going to visit our granny.
3. She cant go with him and her.
4. A package arrived for us.
5. Him and I are going out to dinner.
6. I wrote a letter to you.
7. I like to ride with John and her.
8. Them and the girls are having a good day.
9. The worst problem with it is that he cant afford it.
10. They saw Steve and I at the movies last night.
11. We will meet with they at our house after the party.
12. Him and me are exactly the same age.
 The Present Progressive Tense

The present progressive tense is often overused by non-native speakers of English. It should only
be used in the following contexts:

To describe an incomplete action which is in progress at the moment of speaking; usually with
time expressions such as: now, at the moment, right now.

1. (During a phone call or in an e-mail) We are discussing the project at the moment.

To describe a plan or arrangement in the near future; usually with time expressions such as:
tonight, tomorrow, this week, this Monday.

1. Jims leaving for Brussels this evening.

Note: A common mistake is using this form to describe what a company sells or produces. In
general, a company sells something on a regular basis, so you need to use the present simple
tense and not the present progressive.

Incorrect: We are producing high-end plastic pipes.

Correct: We produce high-end plastic pipes.

The present progressive (continuous) is formed using am, is or are together with the ing (present
participle) form of the verb.

Subject A form of be + Verbing (Present Participle) Rest of Sentence

I am taking my final exam tomorrow
He / She / It is sweeping the floor at the moment
You / We / They are giving me a headache

Negatives in the Present Progressive (Continuous)

The negative in the present progressive tense is created using am not, is not or are not together
with the ing form (present participle) of the verb.

Subject A form of be + Verbing Rest of Sentence

I am not working on that project now
He / She / It isnt sleeping at the moment
You / We / They arent running in the marathon tomorrow
 1. Roger isnt eating with us tonight.
2. The Smiths arent going to France this year. Theyre going to Thailand.
3. I m not coming with him dressed like that!

Yes/No Questions in the Present Progressive (Continuous)

To ask a question that will be answered with either a yes or no, start with Am, Is or Are, then
choose your subject (the person or thing doing the action), followed by the ing (present
participle) form of the verb and then the rest of your question.

A Form of be Subject Verbing Rest of Sentence

Am I making myself clear
Is he / she / it shaking right now
Are you / we / they buying steaks for dinner tomorrow

1. Am I talking too much?

2. Is that your dog barking?
3. Are you participating in the competition next week?

Fill in the correct form of the Present Progressive as in the examples.

1. The team members ______________ late to finish the bid. (stay)

2. What _______Arnie ____________ over there? (do)
3. _______ you __________ a big wedding? (plan)
4. Tim is helping you put the lights up, ___________?
5. The computers _____ finally ____________ like theyre supposed to. (run)
6. _________ Ann _________ in from New York tonight? (fly)
7. The customers arent getting the price quote this week, ____________?
8. I________________ Peter for a drink later. (meet)
9. How much money ________ they _________ in the company?(invest)
10. He ___________ to you. (not lie) He ____________ the truth. (tell)
11. I ___________ (look) for my glasses.
12. Why ___________ Pam ___________ (crying)?
13. ___________ you ___________ (wait) for me?
14. Jack and Paul ___________ (not/work) late today.
15. Mary ___________ (sit) next to Paul.
16. We ___________ (not/listen) to music.
17. They ___________ (get dressed).
18. The phone ___________ (not/ ring).
19. They ___________ (save) the money to buy a new house.
20. Ouch, you ___________ (step) on my toe!
Fill in the correct form of the Present Progressive as in the examples. HOMEWORK

1. They ___________ (go) to school.

2. He ___________ (do) his homework.
3. Look, it ___________ (not/rain)!
4. Why ___________ you ___________ (stop) the car?
5. She ___________ (run), because she is late.
6. What ___________ they ___________ (do) after the class?
7. The children ___________ (not/clean) their room right now.
8. The bird ___________ (sing).
9. The sun ___________ (shine) outside.
10. The ducks and geese ___________ (swim) in the pond.
11. We ___________ (look) for Chris.
12. Your English ___________ (get) better.
13. We ___________ (travel) this summer to Italy.
14. He ___________ (not/feel) cold.
15. The cat ___________ (play) with the little ball of fur.
16. ___________ you ___________ (go) to the party this evening.
17. I ___________ (go out) this weekend.
18. You brother ___________ (wear) his trainer.
19. She ___________ (write) her homework.
 20. I ___________ (not/eat) right now, I ___________ (play) computer games.

Complete the following sentences with there is / there are

1. My name is Annie and I live in a very big house. _________________ twenty- three rooms in
my house, but _________________ only twelve bedrooms. I live in one of the rooms on the third
floor. In my room, _________________ a huge bed and _________________ nine windows. My
bedroom isnt small. On my bed, _________________ lots of pillows, and _________________
my cat, Fluffy. In my closet _________________ many toys, and _________________ also
many clothes. I dont have a bathroom in my bedroom, but ______________ a bathroom next to
my room. Also in my house _______________ two kitchens, a big dining room and three living
rooms. The house is really big!