Subject Pronouns (I, He) vs. Object Pronouns (Me, Him) – English Grammar Exercises for A1
Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence.
You are writing an online review for a hotel you just stayed at. You want to praise the receptionists, waiters, and cleaning staff for their excellent service. Pay close attention to who is performing the action (Subject) and who is receiving the action or following a preposition (Object).
1 “The receptionists are amazing! ______ always smile at the guests when they walk in.”
(A) Them
(B) Their
(C) They
(D) We
2 “I really loved the hotel staff. I want to thank ______ for a wonderful vacation.”
(A) they
(B) them
(C) their
(D) us
3 “The bellboy carried all my heavy bags to the room. ______ was very strong and polite.”
(A) Him
(B) His
(C) He
(D) They
4 “Maria at the front desk is so helpful. I gave a generous tip to ______.”
(A) her
(B) she
(C) hers
(D) him
5 “The cleaners do a wonderful job. ______ clean the rooms perfectly, so I highly appreciate ______.”
(A) Them / they
(B) They / their
(C) They / them
(D) We / us
6 “The staff treated my family perfectly. They made ______ feel very welcome.”
(A) we
(B) our
(C) they
(D) us
7 “I asked the waiter for some extra water. He brought a glass to ______ right away.”
(A) I
(B) my
(C) me
(D) him
8 “The waitress was very kind. ______ served our food quickly, and we really liked ______.”
(A) Her / she
(B) She / her
(C) She / hers
(D) Her / her
9 “The receptionists gave my husband and me free welcome drinks. ______ are so nice to ______!”
(A) They / us
(B) Them / we
(C) They / we
(D) Them / us
10 “The chef cooks delicious food. ______ is very talented, and everyone praises ______.”
(A) Him / he
(B) He / his
(C) He / him
(D) Him / him
11 “When ______ arrived at the hotel, the manager greeted ______ warmly at the door.”
(A) me / I
(B) I / my
(C) I / me
(D) me / me
12 “I left a five-star review for the reception team because ______ helped me a lot during my stay.”
(A) them
(B) they
(C) their
(D) us
13 “The manager upgraded our room for free. He gave the best room with an ocean view to ______.”
(A) we
(B) our
(C) us
(D) them
14 “The waiters in the restaurant are so fast. Watch ______ carry all those heavy plates!”
(A) they
(B) their
(C) them
(D) him
15 “Sarah is the best concierge. If you need help booking a tour, you should ask ______.”
(A) she
(B) hers
(C) her
(D) him
16 “The hotel staff work very hard. ______ deserve a five-star rating, so I will give it to ______.”
(A) Them / they
(B) They / them
(C) They / their
(D) We / us
17 “John is a fantastic tour guide. ______ knows the city very well, so you should definitely book a tour with ______.”
(A) Him / he
(B) He / his
(C) He / him
(D) Him / him
18 “The receptionist remembered my name on the second day! She said ‘Welcome back’ and smiled at ______.”
(A) I
(B) my
(C) me
(D) us
19 “The bartenders make great cocktails. ______ are very friendly, and I loved talking to ______ every night.”
(A) They / them
(B) Them / they
(C) They / their
(D) He / him
20 “My family absolutely loves this hotel. The staff always take great care of ______.”
(A) we
(B) our
(C) us
(D) them
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) They
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “The receptionists” (plural) are doing the action of smiling. Because they are the Subject of the sentence, we use “They”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Them” is a Common Mistake (using an object pronoun in the subject position). (B) “Their” is a Structural Error (possessive adjective, requires a noun). (D) “We” is a Meaning Trap (the speaker is not a receptionist).
2 (B) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “The hotel staff” represents a group of people (plural). The speaker is thanking them, so they are receiving the action (Object).
- Error Analysis: (A) “they” is a Common Mistake (“thank they” is incorrect). (C) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap (you are thanking the staff, not yourselves).
3 (C) He
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The bellboy (male) is doing the action of being strong and polite. We need the Subject Pronoun “He”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “Him” is a Common Mistake (“Him was” is incorrect). (B) “His” is a Structural Error. (D) “They” is a Meaning Trap (the bellboy is only one person).
4 (A) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Maria (female) receives the tip. After the preposition “to”, we must use the object pronoun “her”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “she” is a Common Mistake (“to she” is a frequent error). (C) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (wrong gender).
5 (C) They / them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The cleaners do the action of cleaning (Subject = They). Then, the speaker appreciates the cleaners, so they receive the appreciation (Object = them).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Them / they” is a Common Mistake (reverses the subject and object forms). (B) “They / their” is a Structural Error. (D) “We / us” is a Meaning Trap.
6 (D) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “My family” equals “We”. Because the family is receiving the action (“made us feel”), we use the object pronoun “us”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “we” is a Common Mistake. (B) “our” is a Structural Error. (C) “they” is a Common Mistake.
7 (C) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker (I) receives the glass of water. After the preposition “to”, “I” becomes “me”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “I” is a Common Mistake (“to I” is wrong). (B) “my” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (the waiter brought it to the speaker, not to himself).
8 (B) She / her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The waitress (female) does the serving (Subject = She). The customers like the waitress (Object = her).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Her / she” is a Common Mistake (reverses subject and object). (C) “She / hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “Her / her” is a Structural Error.
9 (A) They / us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The receptionists do the action (Subject = They). “My husband and me” (We) receive the kindness after the preposition “to” (Object = us).
- Error Analysis: (B) “Them / we” is a Common Mistake (wrong forms for both). (C) “They / we” is a Common Mistake (“to we” is wrong). (D) “Them / us” is a Structural Error.
10 (C) He / him
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The chef (male) is talented (Subject = He). Everyone praises the chef (Object = him).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Him / he” is a Common Mistake. (B) “He / his” is a Structural Error. (D) “Him / him” is a Structural Error.
11 (C) I / me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker arrives (Subject = I). The manager greets the speaker (Object = me).
- Error Analysis: (A) “me / I” is a Common Mistake. (B) “I / my” is a Structural Error. (D) “me / me” is a Structural Error (“me arrived” is incorrect).
12 (B) they
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The reception team (plural) did the action of helping. They are the Subject of the clause “because they helped me”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “them” is a Common Mistake (“because them helped” is incorrect). (C) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap.
13 (C) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “Our room” belongs to “We”. After the preposition “to”, “We” becomes “us”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “we” is a Common Mistake. (B) “our” is a Structural Error. (D) “them” is a Meaning Trap (the manager gave the room to the speaker’s group, not to the staff).
14 (C) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The waiters (plural) are receiving the action of being watched. You use the object pronoun “them” after the verb “watch”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “they” is a Common Mistake. (B) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (waiters is plural).
15 (C) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Sarah (female) receives the action of being asked.
- Error Analysis: (A) “she” is a Common Mistake (“ask she” is wrong). (B) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (wrong gender).
16 (B) They / them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The staff deserve the rating (Subject = They). The speaker gives the rating to the staff (Object = them).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Them / they” is a Common Mistake. (C) “They / their” is a Structural Error. (D) “We / us” is a Meaning Trap.
17 (C) He / him
- Why it’s correct (The Key): John (male) knows the city (Subject = He). You book a tour with John (Object = him).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Him / he” is a Common Mistake. (B) “He / his” is a Structural Error. (D) “Him / him” is a Structural Error.
18 (C) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker receives the smile. After the preposition “at”, use the object pronoun “me”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “I” is a Common Mistake (“smiled at I” is wrong). (B) “my” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap (the sentence specifically uses “my name”, singular).
19 (A) They / them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The bartenders (plural) are friendly (Subject = They). The speaker talks to the bartenders (Object = them).
- Error Analysis: (B) “Them / they” is a Common Mistake. (C) “They / their” is a Structural Error. (D) “He / him” is a Meaning Trap (bartenders is plural).
20 (C) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “My family” = We. The staff takes care of the family. After the preposition “of”, use “us”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “we” is a Common Mistake. (B) “our” is a Structural Error. (D) “them” is a Meaning Trap (the staff takes care of the speaker’s family).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Reviewer’s Flip (They vs. Them): When writing a review, you often describe what the staff did, and then express your gratitude. This creates a perfect flip from Subject to Object:
- Subject (Doing the action): “They clean the rooms perfectly.”
- Object (Receiving the action): “I highly recommend them.”
- Prepositions in Praise: When you direct your praise or an action toward the staff, you often use prepositions like to, for, with, at. Always use an Object Pronoun immediately after these prepositions.
- Correct: I gave a tip to her. We booked a tour with him.
- Incorrect: I gave a tip to she. We booked a tour with he.
- Groups and Families: When referring to your own family or travel group (“My family”, “My husband and I”), remember that your group is “We”. If the staff does something nice for your group, use the object pronoun “us” (e.g., They took great care of us.).