Grammar · Lesson 2

Object pronouns

Avoid repeating names and things: Call me, I know her, Give it to them, and Come with us.

45–55 min coreme / him / her / themafter verbs and prepositions15–20 min optional listening and retrieval

NoticeTrack people in a short exchange.

DiscoverMatch subject and object forms.

BuildReplace repeated nouns and things.

UseTrack people and things in a fictional task.

Object pronouns keep your sentences short and natural: say a name once, then let me, him, her, it, us, and them do the work.

Two-minute retrieval

Three quick checks from earlier lessons

Answer from memory, then check. Say each complete sentence aloud.

1The fictional profile introduces Maya with she: Maya lives in Chicago. works downtown. (subject pronouns)

2The fictional profile introduces Luis with he: Luis loves new job. (possessive adjectives)

3The weekly study log has Ana as one third-person subject: Ana English before work. (present simple)

Notice before the rule

Two coworkers

"Do you know Sara? I work with her. She helps me with reports, and I help her with English."

Who does her point to?
Where does her sit: before or after the verb?
Find the word that points to the speaker.

Discovery check: point to the right person or thing

Think about who or what the pronoun points back to.

1The fictional profile introduces Omar with he: This is Omar. Do you know ?

2The song is one known thing: I love this song. Play again.

3The two fictional travelers speak together: We’re lost. Can you help ?

4The message introduces two clients: The clients live far away, so I call every week.

5The fictional speaker requests the explanation: I don’t understand this word. Can you explain it to ?

6The profile introduces Ana with she: Ana is new here, so I eat lunch with on Mondays.

The system: subject and object pairs

Every subject pronoun has a partner form for the object role. Two of them, you and it, do not change at all. The word’s position and job, not its appearance alone, tell you the role.

subject	object	example
I	me	Call me after the meeting.
you	you	I can hear you clearly.
he	him	I work with him.
she	her	Ask her about the schedule.
it	it	I need it today.
we	us	Come with us.
they	them	Email them the address.

Use an object pronoun after a verb or a preposition: see her, for him, with them. They / them can refer to several people or to one person: A customer left a message. Please call them back.

Get to the root: roles inside the sentence

A pronoun changes form because its role changes. The subject is the grammatical starting point, the person or thing connected to the verb before it. An object receives, experiences, or completes the action, or follows a preposition.

role	position	question it answers	example
subject	normally before the verb	Who does or is this?	They invited us.
object of a verb	normally after the verb	Who or what receives it?	They invited us.
object of a preposition	after words such as to, for, with	To/for/with whom?	Come with us.

Position: after the verb or after a preposition

Object pronouns live in two places: right after the verb, as in call me and I know him, or right after a preposition, as in listen to her, wait for us, and work with them. Before the verb, the subject slot still belongs to I, he, she, we, and they.

The classic error

I saw her. She saw me.

The same two people swap roles, and the forms swap with them. This is why I saw she is never possible: after the verb, only the object form works. At A1, keep it simple: before the verb, use I, he, she; after the verb or a preposition, use me, him, her.

Same spelling, different job: her

In The manager called her, her stands alone after the verb, so it is an object pronoun. In She called her manager, her comes before the noun manager, so it is a possessive adjective. Ask what job the word does before you name its grammar.

It for a thing, them for plural things

Things follow the same system as people. Use it for one known thing and them for plural things: I love this song. Play it again. and I bought apples. Put them in the fridge. The listener recovers the thing from the sentence before. For people, use the pronoun introduced in the context: he → him, she → her, and singular they → them. Do not guess a pronoun from a person’s name or appearance.

Different person or the same person?

An ordinary object pronoun normally points to someone different from the subject: Maya called her means Maya called another person. When the subject and object are the same person, English uses a reflexive form: Maya called herself. Reflexive pronouns receive a full lesson later; for now, notice that her and herself do not mean the same thing.

Sound natural: link the pronoun unless it carries a contrast

Object pronouns are often known information, so neutral speech keeps them light and links them to the verb or preposition: CALL-me, ASK-her, TELL-them, and with-us. Do not insert a pause between the action and its object.

neutral message	natural focus	contrastive message
Call me after lunch.	CALL me after LUNCH.	Call ME, not Sara.
I emailed him yesterday.	I EMAILED him yesterday.	I emailed HIM, not her.
Come with us.	COME with us.	Come with US, not them.

In fast American speech, an unstressed him or her can lose a clear h, and them can reduce. You may hear CALL-im, ASK-er, and TELL-em. These are listening approximations, not new spellings. At A1, say the full word clearly and link it smoothly. Stress the pronoun only when the identity is the contrast.

Listen: what role or reference did you hear?

Your teacher reads each fictional line once at a natural speed and once more slowly. Listen through the linked form to identify the pronoun’s job or reference. Check your answer before discussing the line with your tutor.

Tutor-read listening check

1Clip 1 starts the second clause with .

2Clip 2 places after the verb.

3Clip 3 uses them for .

4Clip 4 uses it for .

5Clip 5 uses one for .

6Clip 6 orders the two pronouns as .

Drill 1: replace the person or thing

Find who or what the pronoun points back to. Then choose the object form.

1The staff profile introduces Mr. Adler with he: He is busy now. Call after lunch.

2The fictional profile introduces Nia with she: Nia works downtown, so I have lunch with on Fridays.

3One known invoice is ready. I’ll send to the client today.

4The fictional neighbors are two people. We invite for dinner sometimes.

5Two fictional speakers say, “We’re near the station.” You can meet at the main entrance.

6The fictional speaker says, “I’m in the lobby downstairs.” Can you see ?

7The message is addressed directly to one listener: You’re next on the list. The nurse will call soon.

8The story card introduces Luis with he: Luis tells great stories. I love listening to .

Object pronouns with common verb patterns

Many everyday verbs take an object pronoun right after them, and some take two objects: a person and a thing.

pattern	example
verb + object	Call me. I know him.
verb + object + thing	Send her the link. Tell us the time.
verb + thing + to + object	Send the link to her. Give it to them.
preposition + object	Wait for me. Sit next to him.

When the thing is itself a pronoun, neutral U.S. English normally uses verb + it/them + to + person: Send it to her and Give them to us. With a full thing noun, both common patterns work: Send her the link or Send the link to her. Avoid the awkward learner pattern Send her it.

Pronouns are reference tools

A pronoun lets the listener recover a person or thing without repeating the full noun. The reference must be clear. I spoke to Maya and sent her the file is clear because her points back to Maya. If several women were mentioned, repeating the name may be clearer than using her.

Person, number, and the introduced pronoun must match the reference: he → him; she → her; singular they → them; one known thing or animal when no personal pronoun is introduced → it; multiple people or things → them.

It, them, and one

Use it/them when referring to the same known thing or things: Where is my key? I need it. Use one/ones when you mean another example of that type: I need a key. Do you have one?

In the target standard, say Ana and I are ready because the whole phrase is the subject, but They invited Ana and me and between you and me because those pronouns are objects.

Drill 2: type the object pronoun

Read the cue in parentheses. Type the object pronoun that replaces it.

1The profile introduces Sara with she: I texted this morning. (she → ?)

2The contact card names two clients: I call every Sunday evening. (the two clients)

3The profile introduces Tom with he: Wait for outside the office. (he → ?)

4One known report needs a paper copy: Please print before the meeting. (the report)

5The fictional speaker and one coworker form the object group: The manager invited to the workshop. (my coworker and me)

6The fictional speaker asks for help: Can you help with these staged bags? (I → ?)

Read and choose

A message from a coworker

"Hi! Can you call Dario this afternoon? I emailed him yesterday, but he didn’t answer me. If you see him and Petra, tell them about the schedule change. And when you finish the new schedule, send it to me too. Thanks!"

Drill 3: read, then choose

1. “I emailed him yesterday.” Who is him?

2. “Tell them about the schedule change.” Who is them?

3. “Send it to me too.” What is it?

Drill 4: build the reminder

The shared project card already introduced one draft schedule. Build the reminder; it stands for that same schedule.

Drill 5: build the request

The message has already introduced two clients. Build the request. Each object pronoun comes right after its verb.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: object after the verb

The previous sentence introduced Elena with she. Tap the word that is wrong in “I saw she at the market.”

Drill 7: object after a preposition

The speaker card introduced Omar with he. Tap the word that is wrong in “Listen to he carefully.”

Drill 8: say it, then reveal

Read the cue, say the full sentence aloud with a pronoun, then reveal only after you answer.

1 Sara is introduced with she: I called Sara. Replace “Sara.”

I called her.

2 We invited our neighbors. Replace “our neighbors.”

We invited them.

3 Omar is introduced with he: Do you know Omar? Replace “Omar.”

Do you know him?

4 I can’t find my phone. Replace “my phone.”

I can’t find it.

5 Please send the file to Ana and me. Replace “Ana and me.”

Please send the file to us.

6 Mr. Silva is introduced with he: Wait for Mr. Silva downstairs. Replace “Mr. Silva.”

Wait for him downstairs.

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

Notes for the new volunteer

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Message from a coordinator98 wordsAbout 1 min

Hi Leo, welcome to the team! Tomorrow you start at the front desk with Nadia. She knows the computer system well, so ask her for help. Mr. Park comes at ten with the food boxes. Please help him and put them in the kitchen.

The front desk phone is old, but we need it. Visitors often call about English classes. Write each name on the list and give it to me at noon.

On Friday, the team has lunch together in the park. Come with us! Nadia and I can show you the best food truck. Thanks, Grace

Find it

Tap the 8 object pronouns: the pronouns after a verb or a preposition. Skip subject pronouns.

Check your understanding

1. Who should Leo ask for help with the computer?

2. In “put them in the kitchen,” what does them mean?

3. Who gets the list at noon?

Memory

Subject and object partners

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Sort it

After a verb or after a preposition?

Tap a word, then tap the box it belongs in. Press Check when the tray is empty.

Unscramble

Build sentences with object pronouns

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Nadia (she) helps Omar (he).
2. Ask for a phone call later today.
3. Talk about the neighbors (they).
4. Tell a visitor where to meet you and a coworker.

Use it in real life

You never need to disclose your real family, contacts, messages, phone use, workplace, relationships, schedule, or location. Use the fictional staff cards, project files, help desk, or event plan below whenever you prefer.

Role swap: Use two fictional staff cards to show a subject and object changing roles. She helps him. He helps her.

Known project items: Introduce one file and several photos, then continue with it and them.

Help desk: Make three requests with an object after a verb or preposition. Call me. Wait for us. Send it to them.

One unknown visitor: Introduce one person without specifying he or she, then refer back with singular them.

Clear reference: Create one unclear sentence with two possible references. Repeat a name or noun to make the intended person unmistakable.

Final production: coordinate a fictional community event

Give a 45–60 second staff and materials update. Include all six pieces of evidence:

one role swap with a subject form and its object partner;
one object directly after a verb and one after a preposition;
it for one known item and them for several known items;
singular them for one person whose he / she pronoun is not specified;
one natural placement such as Send it to her;
one linked neutral pronoun and one contrastively stressed pronoun: Call ME, not them.

The listener identifies every pronoun’s reference. If any pronoun could point to two people or things, revise the update by repeating the clearest name or noun.

Reflect

Say the system back

Recite the seven pairs aloud: I → me, you → you, he → him, she → her, it → it, we → us, they → them. Then complete this aloud: “Before the verb, I use the ______ form. After the verb or a preposition, I use the ______ form.”

Then use two fictional staff cards to say one subject sentence, one object-after-verb sentence, and one object-after-preposition sentence.

Final quiz: object pronoun forms and meaning

1. The profile introduces Elena with she: I work with Elena. I see ___ every day.

2. The staged image shows several boxes: These boxes are heavy. Don’t carry ___ alone.

3. The fictional speaker is with Marco: Marco and I are at the cafe. Come and join ___.

4. The profile introduces Mr. Iqbal with he: That’s Mr. Iqbal from the third floor. Do you know ___?

5. The speaker wants the same known remote: Where’s the remote? I can’t find ___.

6. “I emailed Dario, but he didn’t answer me.” Who is me?

7. In the target standard, which sentence has a subject before saw and an object after it?

8. “I bought apples and put them in the fridge.” What does them mean?

Return tomorrow before rereading the lesson. Complete the five-minute next-day retrieval, then revisit only the subject/object role, reference, pronoun placement, or spoken link that still feels slow.

Next-day retrieval

Choose the object form from the role and reference

1The profile introduces Maya with she: Please call after lunch.

2One customer left a message, but no he / she pronoun is specified: Please call back.

3The team is discussing the same known file: I opened the file and sent to Maya.

4The fictional speaker requests an explanation: Can you explain the change to ?

Repair the coordinated object

The invitation report says, “The organizer invited Ana and I.” Tap the one pronoun to replace.

Thirty-second retrieval

Without looking back, introduce two fictional staff members and one project file. Continue with one subject pronoun, two object pronouns, singular them, and it for the file.

Maya works with Omar. She calls him every morning, and he sends the schedule to her. A visitor needs help, so Maya calls them. Omar opens the file and checks it.