HSPT: Pronoun case: cover up the other name
Learn when to use subject pronouns like he and she and object pronouns like him and her, especially in pairs, after prepositions and in phrases that rename a noun.
How do you know whether to use he or him, she or her, when a pronoun is paired with another name?
Short answer
Cover up the other name and read the sentence with the pronoun alone. If the pronoun does the action, use the subject form; if it receives the action or follows a preposition, use the object form.
Know first: Subjects and objects, Prepositions such as to, for, with and between
Step 1 of 5
A pronoun's job decides its form
Pronouns change form depending on their job. A subject pronoun does the action: She painted the fence. An object pronoun receives the action or follows a preposition: The neighbor thanked her. The lemonade was for her.
Your ear handles single pronouns well. Nobody says Her painted the fence. The trouble starts when the pronoun is paired with another name, because the pair hides the pronoun's job.
| Subject form | Object form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| he | him | He waved. We waved to him. |
| she | her | She called. Call her back. |
| we | us | We won. The crowd cheered for us. |
| they | them | They left early. Ask them. |
| I | me | I agree. Send it to me. |
Possessive forms like his, hers and theirs show ownership. They can stand for something owned (Hers is the red bike), but they never replace a plain subject or object pronoun that names a person.
Step 2 of 5
Run the test on every kind of pair
Worked example: A pronoun after a name
Choose the grammatically correct completion. The guide showed Rosa and ___ the hidden waterfall.
- Athey
- Bthem
- Cthemselves
- Dtheirs
- 1
Cover the other name
Drop Rosa and: The guide showed ___ the hidden waterfall.
- 2
Name the job
The guide does the showing. The pronoun receives it, so it's an object.
- 3
Pick the form
The object form of they is them: The guide showed them the waterfall.
- 4
See why the others are there
They is the subject form, and it tempts students who think the subject form always sounds more proper. Themselves is reflexive and would need they as the subject. Theirs is possessive, and nothing is owned here.
Answer
them. Covered up, the sentence reads The guide showed them the hidden waterfall.
Two spots trip students even after the cover-up test. After the preposition between, both pronouns are objects: between him and her. And when a pair renames a noun, which is called an appositive, the pronoun takes the same job as that noun: The club picked two players, Kai and him. Cover the rest: The club picked him.
The test also works for we and us before a noun. Cover the noun: (We / Us) fans cheered becomes We cheered.
Wrong: The secret stays between he and she.
Right: The secret stays between him and her.
Between is a preposition, so both pronouns after it are objects.
Step 3 of 5
Decide the job, then the form
Check yourself · Question 1
Choose the grammatically correct completion. Lena and ___ carried the cooler to the beach.
Answer: B
Cover Lena and: He carried the cooler to the beach. The pronoun is part of the subject, so it takes the subject form.
Check yourself · Question 2
Choose the grammatically correct completion. The class elected two leaders, Mateo and ___.
Answer: B
Mateo and ___ renames two leaders, the object of elected. Cover the rest: The class elected her.
Trap answer: she
Sounds formal, wrong job
- Why it looks right
- Many students learned that and she sounds more correct than and her, so it feels like the careful choice.
- Why it's wrong
- The pair renames leaders, which receives the action of elected. That slot needs the object form.
- The right answer
- her, because The class elected her.
Check yourself · Question 3
Which sentence uses pronouns correctly?
Answer: C
Cover Kim and: no match for us. For is a preposition, so the object form us is correct.
Common mistake
Using himself or herself because it sounds more polite than him or her.
- Why it's tempting
- Reflexive pronouns feel formal, so they seem like a safe middle choice when you're unsure.
- Do this instead
- Use a -self pronoun only when it points back to the subject: He taught himself. Otherwise, run the cover-up test and pick the plain subject or object form.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Cover the other name in a pair and read the pronoun alone.
- Subjects take he, she, we and they. Objects and words after prepositions such as between take him, her, us and them.
- Use a -self pronoun only when it points back to the subject, and use a possessive only when the slot names something owned.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
In the practice question, how did the sentence read with the other name covered up, and what job did the pronoun do?