##  [Tricky points of pronoun usage](/hypergrammar-2/tricky-points-of-pronoun-usage)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

This section covers some relatively tricky points that are no longer standard in spoken English, although many people still insist upon them in formal writing.

##  Pronouns in apposition

A [pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun#whatispronoun) should be in the [subject case](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#subjectcase) when it is in [apposition](apposition) to a [subject](subject-and-predicate#subject) or [subject complement](objects-and-complements#scmplmnt), and in the [object case](objects-and-complements#objects) when it is in apposition to the object of a [verb](what-is-a-verb#whatisverb), [verbal](verbals#verbals) or [preposition](what-is-a-preposition#whatispreposit):

| Example | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Three craftspeople—Mary, Albert and *he*—made the accessory for Jerry. | The [phrase](building-phrases#bldphr) *Mary, Albert and he* is in apposition to *craftspeople*, the subject of the [sentence](subject-and-predicate#sentence). |
| The accessory was made by three craftspeople, Mary, Albert and *him*. | The phrase *Mary, Albert and him* is still in apposition to the [noun](what-is-a-noun#noun) *craftspeople*, but that noun has become the [object](objects-and-complements#objects) of the preposition *by*, so the pronoun *him* is in the object case. |

##  *Us* and *we* before a noun

A [first-person](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#firstperson) [plural](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#plural) pronoun used with a noun takes the [case](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#nandpcase) of the noun. If the noun functions as a subject, the pronoun should be in the subject case; if the noun functions as an object, the pronoun should be in the object case:

- *We* rowdies left the restaurant late.

- The restaurant owner mumbled at all *us* slow eaters.

##  Using *than* or *as* in a comparison

In elliptical comparisons (where the writer has left some words out of a sentence), the case of the pronoun at the end of the sentence determines its meaning. When a sentence ends with a [subjective pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun#subppron), the pronoun must serve as the subject of the omitted verb. When a sentence ends with an [objective pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun#objppron), the pronoun must serve as the object of the omitted verb:

**Elliptical comparison with a subjective pronoun**  Ruth likes Jerry better than *I*.  **Complete comparison with a subjective pronoun**  Ruth likes Jerry better than *I like Jerry*. **Elliptical comparison with a objective pronoun**  Ruth likes Jerry better than *me*.  **Complete comparison with a objective pronoun**  Ruth likes Jerry better than *she likes* *me*.

##  Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil HyperGrammar 2

© Département d’anglais, Faculté des arts, Université d’Ottawa
Un outil mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

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## Liens connexes

- [HyperGrammar 2](/fr/hypergrammar-2/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)
- [Communiquer avec le Portail linguistique du Canada](/fr/apropos-about-fra#a8)