ACT English › Pronoun Case Errors
"Our Family Trip to Hawaii" by Jennifer Mings (2013)
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother, and me took a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. We were excited to see everything, and couldn’t wait to arrive. After our lengthy plane ride, we stepped off of the plane in a daze. There was two flight attendants who immediately greeted us, putting flower wreaths around our necks. We then met up with our tour guide; and he told us that we would be going straight to Pearl Harbor.
On our way to Pearl Harbor, there was a largely immense amount of traffic, something that aggravated my mother. Luckily, the tour guide was a native of the island, and he was able to calm my mother down.
When we finally arrived at Pearl Harbor, there was many tourists and natives of different nationalities. The first thing we did when we arrived was watching a movie about the history of Pearl Harbor, which included the story of the USS Arizona. During the movie, everyone had been excited to see the USS Arizona Memorial and wanted to get on the boat. After, we all got on a boat and we were driven to the USS Arizona Memorial. It was an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, and great experience for everyone.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
NO CHANGE
Last summer, my mother sister brother and me
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother, and I
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother and I
The comma placement is correct in the passage, but “me” must be changed to “I” in order for the sentence to be grammatically correct.
"Our Family Trip to Hawaii" by Jennifer Mings (2013)
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother, and me took a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii. We were excited to see everything, and couldn’t wait to arrive. After our lengthy plane ride, we stepped off of the plane in a daze. There was two flight attendants who immediately greeted us, putting flower wreaths around our necks. We then met up with our tour guide; and he told us that we would be going straight to Pearl Harbor.
On our way to Pearl Harbor, there was a largely immense amount of traffic, something that aggravated my mother. Luckily, the tour guide was a native of the island, and he was able to calm my mother down.
When we finally arrived at Pearl Harbor, there was many tourists and natives of different nationalities. The first thing we did when we arrived was watching a movie about the history of Pearl Harbor, which included the story of the USS Arizona. During the movie, everyone had been excited to see the USS Arizona Memorial and wanted to get on the boat. After, we all got on a boat and we were driven to the USS Arizona Memorial. It was an amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, and great experience for everyone.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
NO CHANGE
Last summer, my mother sister brother and me
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother, and I
Last summer, my mother, sister, brother and I
The comma placement is correct in the passage, but “me” must be changed to “I” in order for the sentence to be grammatically correct.
Adapted from “Authority: The Unavoidable” in What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton (1912)
The important point here is only that you cannot get rid of authority in education. It is not so much that parental authority ought to be preserved. The more, important truth, is that such authority cannot be destroyed. Mr. Bernard Shaw once said that he had hated the idea of forming a child's mind. In that case, Mr. Bernard Shaw had better hang himself, for he hates something inseparable from human life. I only mentioned \[earlier in the book\] the drawing out of the child’s abilities in order to point out that even this mental trick does not avoid the idea of parental or scholastic authority. The educator's drawing out is just as arbitrary and coercive as the instructor’s action, for he draws out what he chooses. He decides what in the child shall be developed and what shall not be developed.
The only result of all this pompous distinction between the “educator” and the “instructor” is who the instructor pokes where he likes and the educator pulls where he likes. Exactly the same intellectual violence is done to the creature whom is poked and pulled. We must all except the responsibility of this intellectual violence, whether from poking or from pulling.
Education is violent; because it is creative. It is such because it is human. It is as reckless as playing on the fiddle, as dogmatic as drawing a picture, as brutal as building a house. In short, it is what all human action is, it is an interference with life and growth. After that it is a trifling and even a jocular question whether we say of this tremendous tormentor, the artist Man, that he puts things into us like a pharmacist or draws things out of us.
Which of the following is the best form of the relative pronoun following “creature” in the bolded expression, “creature whom is poked and pulled” in the second paragraph?
who
NO CHANGE
whose
who's
The relative pronoun being used in this sentence functions as the subject of the clause. It might seem to be the direct object since the creature "is poked and pulled." However, this verb is in the passive voice. Therefore, the relative pronoun (standing in for "creature") is the subject of the action. This means that the pronoun should be "who" and not "whom." Certainly, it is not possessive, so the other two options should not be a temptation.
She and him have been bitter enemies since they were children in Little League.
She and he have been
She and him have been
She and him has been
She and him having been
She and he having been
The use of the pronoun "him" is incorrect in the sentence, as it used as the subject, but can only be used as the object of the sentence. The pronoun needs to be changed to "he," but otherwise the sentence is absolutely correct. Therefore, the correct answer choice is "She and he have been."
Adapted from “Authority: The Unavoidable” in What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton (1912)
The important point here is only that you cannot get rid of authority in education. It is not so much that parental authority ought to be preserved. The more, important truth, is that such authority cannot be destroyed. Mr. Bernard Shaw once said that he had hated the idea of forming a child's mind. In that case, Mr. Bernard Shaw had better hang himself, for he hates something inseparable from human life. I only mentioned \[earlier in the book\] the drawing out of the child’s abilities in order to point out that even this mental trick does not avoid the idea of parental or scholastic authority. The educator's drawing out is just as arbitrary and coercive as the instructor’s action, for he draws out what he chooses. He decides what in the child shall be developed and what shall not be developed.
The only result of all this pompous distinction between the “educator” and the “instructor” is who the instructor pokes where he likes and the educator pulls where he likes. Exactly the same intellectual violence is done to the creature whom is poked and pulled. We must all except the responsibility of this intellectual violence, whether from poking or from pulling.
Education is violent; because it is creative. It is such because it is human. It is as reckless as playing on the fiddle, as dogmatic as drawing a picture, as brutal as building a house. In short, it is what all human action is, it is an interference with life and growth. After that it is a trifling and even a jocular question whether we say of this tremendous tormentor, the artist Man, that he puts things into us like a pharmacist or draws things out of us.
Which of the following is the best form of the relative pronoun following “creature” in the bolded expression, “creature whom is poked and pulled” in the second paragraph?
who
NO CHANGE
whose
who's
The relative pronoun being used in this sentence functions as the subject of the clause. It might seem to be the direct object since the creature "is poked and pulled." However, this verb is in the passive voice. Therefore, the relative pronoun (standing in for "creature") is the subject of the action. This means that the pronoun should be "who" and not "whom." Certainly, it is not possessive, so the other two options should not be a temptation.
She and him have been bitter enemies since they were children in Little League.
She and he have been
She and him have been
She and him has been
She and him having been
She and he having been
The use of the pronoun "him" is incorrect in the sentence, as it used as the subject, but can only be used as the object of the sentence. The pronoun needs to be changed to "he," but otherwise the sentence is absolutely correct. Therefore, the correct answer choice is "She and he have been."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Him and me will always be on time for any event the group holds.
He and I will always be
Him and me will always be
Him and me will always being
Him and me will be always
Him and me going to always be
The use of the pronouns "me" and "him" is incorrect, as both are in their objective forms, but are used as the subjects. Both pronouns need to be changed to their appropriate subjective forms. "He and I will always be" is the only answer choice that uses the correct pronoun forms.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
Francis was frustrated at being accosted about a bag of his own groceries. "You are mistaken, Officer," said Francis. "Those fruits and vegetables are ours."
mine
no change
his
theirs
one's
Based on the context given in the first sentence, Francis is clearly carrying a bag of his own property; therefore, when he speaks to the police officer, he is referring to his property. Because he is speaking in the first person, and is alone, the correct possessive pronoun is
"mine."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
It was her who ate the last cupcake.
It was she who ate
It was her whom ate
It was she whom ate
NO CHANGE
It was her that ate
The sentence requires the subject pronoun "she." Think of it as answering the question "who ate the last cupcake?" The answer is "she ate the last cupcake" not "her ate the last cupcake."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
Francis was frustrated at being accosted about a bag of his own groceries. "You are mistaken, Officer," said Francis. "Those fruits and vegetables are ours."
mine
no change
his
theirs
one's
Based on the context given in the first sentence, Francis is clearly carrying a bag of his own property; therefore, when he speaks to the police officer, he is referring to his property. Because he is speaking in the first person, and is alone, the correct possessive pronoun is
"mine."