Pronoun Rules for Competitive Exams Part 2

Pronoun rules are necessary for competitive exams because they ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to be heard. In English, there is no gender-neutral third person singular pronoun (such as he or she) and it can occasionally cause confusion when writing or speaking. You can learn about the pronoun types and definitions for a basic understanding. Pronoun rules help to prevent this by specifying which pronouns should be used in particular situations.

For example, if you use the word "they" instead of "them", then you will need to specify who the 'they' refers to - either a group of people that includes both males and females, or just males. If you're not sure whom the 'they' refers to, then it is usually best to avoid using any gender-specific pronouns at all in order for everyone's understanding to remain clear.

Let’s get on the boat about pronoun rules for competitive exams!

Rule no. 1 Use the objective case after an action verb.

Subjective	Objective
I	me
We	us
You	you
They	them
She	her
He	him
It	it

Always use the objective case of the pronoun with ‘Let’.

For examples,

1. Let him and me hit the books now.

2. Let her and him think about their bright future.

3. Let him and her go for this surgical operation this time.

In case there is a noun with ‘Let’ or any other verb, we should use it as it is without any change.

1. They invited Julia and me as the chief guests to the function.

2. Let Rahul and me work on updates on this project.

In the above two sentences, you can see that Julia (in the first sentence) and Rahul (in the second sentence) both are in after verbs, but we have used them as these are in the sentences.

It is time to answer a competitive exam question for the same pronoun rule you have just gone through.

Question: They have invited (A)/ Sushma and I/ (B) for the meeting to be (C)/ held in the next month. (D)No error (E).

[Andhra Bank P.O. Exam 2006]

Answer: The correct option is (B) because there is an error in this part.

If you didn’t understand why part (B) is an error because ‘Invited’ is an action verb and according to the rule, we are supposed to use the objective case of the pronoun after it. Therefore, it should be [Sushma and me].

Question: Between you and I (A)/ he probably (B)/ won’t come (C)/ at all. (D)/ No error (E). [L.D.S.B. 1990]

Answer: The correct option is (A) because it has an error.

‘Between’ is a preposition and we always use the objective case of the pronoun after it. It should be (between you and me).

Rule no. 2 The correct use of comparative sentences with ‘Than’.

This is a general rule for English learners. They often make mistakes whenever they use it whether it is for speaking or writing. It is also a very important rule as per the competitive exam’s view. Let’s learn it in no time!

A) Comparison between two Subjective Cases.

I hope you are aware of the Subjective case of pronouns. In case you are not, you can go through the list once given at the beginning of the article.

Whenever we compare two things with the subjects, make sure only a subjective case is used. Let’s go through the examples now!

For example, You are better than I or me.

This may confuse you a bit because both sound correct. Let’s learn the difference now. For examples,

I, we, you, she, he, they, and it (subjective case)

1. You are better than I. (Correct)

2. He runs faster than we. (Correct)

3. Julia looks more beautiful than she. (Correct)

Whenever we compare subjects, we use the subjective case for pronouns. In case you are using a noun, use it as it is.

4. I can write better than Rahul.

5. Karan speaks English more fluently than Kishan.

Likewise, you should use the correct comparison rules.

We often listen to these sentences in spoken English.

1. You are better than me.

2. I can do it better than them.

You should try to use accurate ones as per grammatical rules but those are not completely incorrect either.

B) The comparison between two objects.

Whenever we compare the objects, we should use the objective case. For example,

me, us, you, them, her, him, and it (objective case)

1. She respects him more than me. (him and me are the objective cases)

2. I know her more than them. (her and them are the objective cases)

3. He talks to Rahul more than Sanjeev. (Rahul and Sanjeev are the objects in this sentence)

You should use the noun without any change just as in example 3.

Pronoun rules are necessary for competitive exams because they help to avoid ambiguity and ensure that all participants are aware of the correct pronouns to use. This can minimize misunderstandings and provide a pleasant exam experience for everyone involved. In addition, it can also lead to less confusion about who is responsible for what during debates or Q&A sessions.

There may be times when someone doesn't know which pronoun to use in a particular situation, but by following the proper pronoun rules, this issue can be resolved without further disruption. So make sure you learn pronoun rules for competitive exams part I and familiarize yourself with these guidelines before your next big test!