How to see it
A pronoun stands in for a noun. Many come in pairs: I and me, she and her, they and them. I, she and they do the action. Me, her and them come after the verb, or after with or for. My, our and their are determiners: they show whose it is. The twins' bikes are their bikes. And a pronoun must point to one noun. Ben told Sam that he had won. Who won? Use the name instead. With two people, take the other person out.
A worked example
Take Ravi out. Me built a den? No. I built a den. So, Ravi and I. Gran made pancakes for Ravi and, blank. Take Ravi out. Gran made pancakes for me. So, Ravi and me.
The common mistake: choosing a pronoun by how it sounds
The trap is choosing by sound. Mum and me went to the shops sounds normal. Take Mum out: me went to the shops. That is wrong, so it is Mum and I went.
Try one
My brother's and my bedroom is at the top of the stairs.
Which one word could replace the underlined words?
- ATheir
- BOur
- CMy
- DHis
- EYour
Show the answerHide the answer
Right: B, Our
The bedroom belongs to my brother and me.