Science Fair News: Pronoun Cases

Choose pronouns that make each sentence clear and correct.

Answer Key

Read and Analyze

Read the student news report. Subjective pronouns act as subjects; objective pronouns act as objects of verbs or prepositions; possessive pronouns show ownership.

More Than a Display

1By the time the school science fair opened Thursday evening, Tessa and Idris had already repaired their display twice. A loose cardboard flap kept hiding the results of their insulation experiment. They finally secured it with clips borrowed from the front office. Their project compared how different materials slowed the melting of ice.

2Student reporter Wen stopped at the table before visitors arrived. Idris welcomed Wen to the display. He explained the procedure while Tessa arranged the material samples. Wen asked him why the team had repeated each test. Idris pointed to small differences in the results and described the need to check them.

3Across the aisle, another team's display also explored insulation. Theirs tested containers instead of wrapping materials. Rather than arguing about whose idea came first, the teams compared their methods. Tessa noticed that both groups had measured temperature at regular intervals, but only one had weighed the ice that remained.

4During the busiest part of the evening, a visitor asked Tessa and Idris which material everyone should use. The question surprised them. Their experiment had compared only a few samples under classroom conditions. Tessa explained those limits instead of naming a winner. Wen wrote Tessa's answer in a notebook.

5Later, Wen offered the partners a draft of the news story. They checked the description of the experiment and suggested one correction. A sentence called the project Idris's, although the work was equally his and Tessa's. Wen changed the sentence so readers would understand that the project was theirs.

6Before leaving, Wen watched the partners pack up. The display looked less polished without its samples, but the notebook held questions for another experiment. Tessa carried the board while Idris gathered the clips to return to the office.

Which statement correctly explains the case of “He” in paragraph 2?

A. It is objective because it receives the explanation.
B. It is possessive because it shows who owns the procedure.
C. It is subjective because it names who explained the procedure.
D. It is objective because it follows the name Idris.

Underline the sentence from paragraph 2 that directly demonstrates the explanation you chose in question 1.

Student reporter Wen stopped at the table before visitors arrived.Idris welcomed Wen to the display.He explained the procedure while Tessa arranged the material samples.Wen asked him why the team had repeated each test.

Sort each pronoun by its case in the quoted sentence from the report.

“Theirs” in “Theirs tested containers instead of wrapping materials.”“him” in “Wen asked him why the team had repeated each test.”“They” in “They finally secured it with clips borrowed from the front office.”“them” in “The question surprised them.”“They” in “They checked the description of the experiment and suggested one correction.”“theirs” in “Wen changed the sentence so readers would understand that the project was theirs.”

Subjective	Objective	Possessive
“They” in “They finally secured it with clips borrowed from the front office.” “They” in “They checked the description of the experiment and suggested one correction.”	“him” in “Wen asked him why the team had repeated each test.” “them” in “The question surprised them.”	“Theirs” in “Theirs tested containers instead of wrapping materials.” “theirs” in “Wen changed the sentence so readers would understand that the project was theirs.”

In paragraph 3, “Theirs” is the subject of a sentence. Why is it still a possessive pronoun?

A. It means “their display” and shows ownership.
B. It names the students receiving an explanation.
C. It follows an action verb and receives the action.
D. It replaces “they” whenever a sentence begins.

Edit the Newsroom Drafts

These sentences come from draft notes about the same fair. Choose the pronoun forms that fit standard written English.

Wen is writing about sharing reporting duties. Write I or me.

Another reporter and I divided the interviews.

Which sentence uses the correct pronoun after the preposition “between”?

A. The editor divided the photographs between Idris and I.
B. The editor divided the photographs between he and me.
C. The editor divided the photographs between he and I.
D. The editor divided the photographs between Idris and me.

Choose from the word bank to complete Wen's note. One word will not be used.

Word bank: ours · us · we

The editor asked us reporters to check every name. After checking, we reporters submitted the story.

Tessa owns the blue notebook. Which sentence correctly shows that ownership?

A. The blue notebook beside the display belongs to she.
B. The blue notebook beside the display is hers.
C. The blue notebook beside the display is her's.
D. The blue notebook beside the display is her.

Each phrase below could fill the blank in “The visitor thanked ___ for explaining the test.” Underline the two phrases that are correct.

Tessa and himshe and IdrisIdris and Ihim and me

10.

Which revision corrects both pronoun-case errors in this draft sentence? “Her and Idris showed Wen and I the measurements.”

A. She and Idris showed Wen and me the measurements.
B. Her and Idris showed Wen and me the measurements.
C. She and Idris showed Wen and I the measurements.
D. Hers and Idris showed Wen and mine the measurements.

Final Copy Check

Apply what you know about a pronoun's role, even when other words separate it from the verb.

11.

Wen is speaking for the reporting team. Write our or ours in each blank.

This is our final article. The photographs below it are also ours.

12.

Which sentence correctly uses a possessive pronoun without an apostrophe?

A. Our display used clips, while their's used tape.
B. Our display used clips, while theirs' used tape.
C. Our display used clips, while theirs used tape.
D. Our display used clips, while their used tape.

13.

Wen wants to compare how much two students wrote. Which sentence uses correct pronoun case when the comparison is written in full?

A. Tessa wrote more notes than him did during the fair.
B. Tessa wrote more notes than he did during the fair.
C. Tessa wrote more notes than his did during the fair.
D. Tessa wrote more notes than himself did during the fair.

14.

Revise this sentence and explain both pronoun changes: “Me and Tessa handed the corrected article to he.” In your explanation, identify the subject and the object of the preposition.

Tessa and I handed the corrected article to him. “Tessa and I” is the compound subject, so the subjective pronoun I replaces me. Him is the object of the preposition to, so the objective pronoun him replaces he.