Subjective
She is much smarter than he/him.
She is much smarter than he.
...than he is.
The manager called a meeting and invited ______ to discuss the new project.
A) we
B) us
C) they
B (us) — "Us" is the direct object receiving the action of the verb invited.
The cat spent the entire afternoon cleaning ______ fur after playing in the garden.
A) it’s
B) its
C) its’
B (its) — Its is the possessive. It's is a contraction for "it is." (Remember: possessive pronouns like his, hers, and its never use apostrophes).
How many independent clauses are in the following sentence?
I'm a creep; I'm a weirdo.
two
You ran faster than they/them/we.
You ran faster than they.
...than they did.
(Medium) Between you and ______, I think the surprise party might actually be a secret.
A) I
B) me
C) myself
B (me) — "Between" is a preposition. You would never say "between he," so you cannot say "between I." You need "between him" and "between me."
This is a huge trap! "Between" is a preposition, so it must be followed by the objective case.
I really appreciated ______ helping me move those heavy boxes last weekend.
A) you
B) your
C) yours
B (your) — You didn't appreciate the person (you); you appreciated the helping (the act). Therefore, the helping is "yours."
How many clauses are in this sentence, and what type of clauses are they?
I want you to notice when I'm not around.
One Independent (I want you to notice)
One Dependent (when I'm not around)
My brother is incredibly talented, but I am actually more athletic than ______.
A) him
B) he
C) his
B) he — Mental Verb: "...than he is."
The coach gave the most improved player award to ______, even though she joined the team late.
A) she
B) her
C) hers
B (her) — "To" is a preposition, and "her" is the object of that preposition.
***DAILY DOUBLE***
Most of the neighbors were surprised by ______ deciding to sell the house so suddenly.
A) their
B) them
C) they
A (their) — The surprise wasn't caused by "them," but by the "deciding." Since they "own" that decision, use their.
How many clauses are in this sentence, and what type of clauses are they?
When you were here before, I couldn't look you in the eye.
One Independent (I couldn't look you in the eye)
One Dependent (When you were here before)
Although he is the youngest in the class, Arthur is just as tall as ______.
A) they
B) them
C) their
A) they — Mental Verb: "...as they are."
To ______ should the package be delivered if the office is closed?
A) who
B) whoever
C) whom
C (whom) — "To" is the preposition. Using the Rule of M: "Deliver it to him" (M) = Whom (M).
Try the "Rule of M." Would you deliver it to "him" or to "he"?
The professor was quite impressed by ______ contributing to the discussion despite being ill.
A) him
B) he
C) his
C (his) — The professor was impressed by the contributing (the gerund), not the man himself.
Like ______ peer autonomous Soviet socialist republics, the Tajik Republic was established along ethnolinguistic lines: most of the republic’s residents spoke Persian.
A) their
B) they’re
C) its
D) it’s
Correct Answer: C
The singular possessive determiner "its" agrees in number with the singular subject "the Tajik Republic" and thus indicates that the other republics were its peers.
The neighbors have lived in this neighborhood for ten years, so they know the area better than ______.
A) we
B) us
C) ourselves
A) we — Mental Verb: "...than we do."
The scholarship committee was impressed by the students, all of ______ had maintained a 4.0 GPA.
A) who
B) whom
C) whose
B (whom) — This follows the preposition "of." Since you would say "all of them" (M), you must use "all of whom" (M).
Is there any chance of ______ winning the tournament if the star player is injured?
A) us
B) our
C) ours
B (our) — We are talking about the "chance of winning." Since the winning belongs to us, we use the possessive our.
Water in the North Atlantic Ocean is pushed eastward by powerful winds, but the rotation of Earth and interference from nearby landmasses together cause ______ to swirl into a massive, churning whirlpool—also called the North Atlantic Gyre—that spins clockwise.
A) these
B) those
C) them
D) it
Correct Answer: D
The singular pronoun "it" agrees in number with the singular antecedent "water" and clearly indicates that the water swirls into a whirlpool.