Objective pronouns replace nouns as objects in a sentence. They can be identified by their position or unique spelling. Personal pronouns change spelling depending on their function. Placement isn’t always an indicator, as prepositions are normally paired with objects, and therefore, with objective pronouns.
An objective pronoun is a word that replaces a noun and serves as an object in a given sentence. These pronouns are most often found after the main verb of a sentence, but can sometimes be found in other places. They can be identified by their position in the sentence, but many are identified by their unique spellings.
Pronouns can be the subject or object of a sentence or show ownership. An objective pronoun is one that serves as an object, direct or indirect. In other words, an objective pronoun is what the main action, or verb, of the sentence is happening to, or what is receiving its benefit. For example, in the sentence “He gave it to her,” both “it” and “she” are objective pronouns. “It” serves as the direct object and “she” as the indirect object.
Some pronouns, such as “this” or “it,” keep the same spelling whether they’re the subject or object of a sentence. Most personal pronouns, on the other hand, change their spelling depending on their function. I, she, he, us and they are the objective versions of me, she, him, us and them respectively. The personal pronoun “you” does not change its spelling. The interrogative pronoun “who” instead becomes “who” when it is the object of a sentence.
Often the placement of the pronoun in the sentence can indicate whether it should be an objective pronoun. For example, in the sentence “I gave away that book,” the first person pronoun “I” is referred to as the subject not only by its spelling, but also by its position at the beginning of the sentence. In “Claire gave that book to me,” however, the first person pronoun, “me,” comes after the main verb of the sentence, indicating that it is an object.
However, placement isn’t always an indicator. In the sentence “Whom does this belong to?” the objective pronoun is used rather than the subjective one despite the interrogative pronoun “who” starts the sentence. This is caused by the preposition “to”. Prepositions are normally paired with objects, and therefore, with objective pronouns. The sentence can be rephrased to say “this belongs to whom?” In both cases “this”, not “who”, is the subject of the sentence.
The sentence can also be written as “Whom does it belong to?” In this case, “who” is the subject of the sentence. It is no longer paired with the preposition but instead with the main verb “fa”.
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