Subjective Case: Usage and Examples

Case in English grammar involves the forms that nouns and pronouns take to indicate their function. The three cases in English are subjective, objective, and possessive. In this discussion, we’ll review the subjective case.

What Is the Subjective Case?

The subjective case is the case we use for a noun or a pronoun that is the subject of a verb.

Just a few examples of subjective nouns are table, sky, book, and idea:

Sarah’s table reminds me of King Arthur’s court.

The sky lounged in pure, lazy blue over the water.

Johann’s new book describes his two years as a foreign correspondent.

One inspired idea can spin into many others.

In each of these sentences, the underlined word is the subject noun performing the action. This makes each of those nouns subjective case.

Subjective Case of Pronouns

The subjective pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever.

Examples

I will collect the mail this afternoon.

We visit the museum every summer.

She rides the train to work.

It operates solely on solar power.

Who would like to play Bingo?

Once again, the underlined words (subject pronouns) perform the action in each sentence. Their case in each instance is the subjective.

Subjective Case: Complements

The subjective case also is used when a sentence includes a subject complement, which is a word that renames or modifies the sentence subject while completing the meaning of the verb (as opposed to completing the action).

Subject complements will always follow linking verbs, such as to be, to become, and to remain. Subject complements can be subjective nouns or pronouns.

Examples

Tomasz [subject noun] is a talented carpenter [subject complement noun].

The new teacher [subject noun] is she [subject complement pronoun].

Who [subject pronoun] am I [subject complement pronoun]? I [subject pronoun] am he [subject complement pronoun].

Subjective Case: Examples of Compounds

The subjective case can combine nouns and pronouns in compound constructions as well.

Examples

The prime minister and I will be having tea at two.

She and they are the co-owners of the dry-cleaning business.

The cleaning crew for today is you, the Morgans, and I.

Each of the underlined words is a noun or a pronoun operating as either a subject or a subject complement.

Subjective Case in Clauses

Careful writers will pay attention to the case of pronouns according to their use in clauses. Even native English speakers can tend to misuse subjective and objective pronouns where they believe they are being linguistically proper.

Incorrect: Between you and I, this is the first time I have gone fishing with him.

Correct: Between you and me, this is the first time I have gone fishing with him.

Written correctly, this sentence has three objects: you, me, and him. Each is the object of a preposition (between, with).

It also has three words in the subjective case, this, time, and I. This is the sentence subject, time is the subject complement, and I is the subject of the dependent clause [that] I have gone fishing with him.

Identifying the subject of a clause gets trickier when it is embedded in a clause that is the object of a verb or a preposition. The pronouns whomever and whoever are underlined in the following sentence.

Gunnar will promote whomever has shown the greatest self-motivation.

Gunnar will promote whoever has shown the greatest self-motivation.

We might be tempted to use whomever because it appears to occupy the direct-object position. However, the pronoun also is attached to a clause in which it is the subject (whoever has shown the greatest motivation). This makes whoever correct because its position is subjective case. The entire clause also is the direct object of the sentence: Gunnar will promote whoever has shown the greatest self-motivation.

Identifying the subject or object also can be elusive when we have a clause within a clause. For example, which sentence is correct?

Yuzana is a woman who they say always gets the job done.

Yuzana is a woman whom they say always gets the job done.

Let’s break it down. This sentence has three clauses:

1) Yuzana is a woman (independent clause)

2) who always gets the job done (dependent clause)

3) they say (independent clause)

In this structure, the clause they say is interjected in the clause who always gets the job done. It is a type of remark or parenthetical statement as opposed to a grammatical element that determines noun or pronoun case.

In other words, who is the subject at the head of the clause who always gets the job done. Because whom is objective case, it would be incorrect. The thing to watch for is mistakenly treating the pronoun as the object of they say before isolating how it may be connected to the other clause components nearby.

One way to test for subjective or objective case is to rearrange the clauses:

They say Yuzana is a woman who always gets the job done.

This version further clarifies the independence of who as the subject of its own clause, making its case subjective.

Related Topics

Securing the Subject of Subjects
Linking Verbs: What Is a Linking Verb?

Pop Quiz

Identify each use of the subjective case in the following sentences.

1. My brother and I are going to the football game this weekend.

2. Do you know if Brian and Michelle will be at the pancake breakfast?

3. I think the only ones left are you and I.

4. They gave the box to Martina and me.

5. The rain might be falling, but it will not become a hindrance to our plans.

 

Pop Quiz Answers

1. My brother and I are going to the football game this weekend.

2. Do you know if Brian and Michelle will be at the pancake breakfast?

3. I think the only ones left are you and I.

4. They gave the box to Martina and me.

5. The rain might be falling, but it will not become a hindrance to our plans.

If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.