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 a student or a team member confirming that you have followed instructions properly. Pay close attention to who is giving the instructions (Subject) and who is receiving the attention or action (Object), especially after the preposition “to”.
1 “Mr. Smith is our science teacher. I always listen to ______ carefully in class.”
(A) his
(B) he
(C) me
(D) him
2 “Ms. Adams explained the homework on the board. We paid attention and listened to ______.”
(A) her
(B) she
(C) hers
(D) him
3 “I am the team leader for this project. Please be quiet and listen to ______.”
(A) my
(B) I
(C) me
(D) us
4 “The security guards told us to stay behind the yellow line. We must listen to ______.”
(A) they
(B) their
(C) them
(D) us
5 “My partner and I know the rules. The teacher told the other students to listen to ______.”
(A) us
(B) we
(C) our
(D) them
6 “The headmaster gave a speech this morning. Did you listen to ______?”
(A) he
(B) him
(C) his
(D) it
7 “My parents told me to finish my project before dinner. I followed the rules and listened to ______.”
(A) they
(B) them
(C) their
(D) us
8 “I didn’t hear the final instruction clearly. Can you please repeat the rule for ______?”
(A) I
(B) my
(C) us
(D) me
9 “Sarah is the project manager. She gave a presentation, and everyone listened to ______.”
(A) her
(B) she
(C) hers
(D) him
10 “My brother and I completed the task correctly. The teacher gave a perfect score to ______.”
(A) we
(B) our
(C) them
(D) us
11 “Mr. White and Ms. Green teach the art class. You must listen to ______ for safety rules.”
(A) they
(B) them
(C) their
(D) him
12 “I am your tour guide today. For your safety, please stay close and listen to ______.”
(A) I
(B) my
(C) me
(D) us
13 “Madam Director announced a new company policy today. I will follow it and listen to ______.”
(A) she
(B) her
(C) hers
(D) it
14 “The coach gave me great advice for the game. I listened to ______ and scored a goal!”
(A) his
(B) he
(C) him
(D) it
15 “The teacher gave the final instructions to Tom and ______.”
(A) I
(B) my
(C) us
(D) me
16 “The safety rules are very important for my partner and me. The boss explained everything to ______.”
(A) we
(B) us
(C) our
(D) them
17 “Mr. Clark gave the students a difficult test. ______ told ______ to read the questions carefully.”
(A) Him / they
(B) He / their
(C) He / them
(D) He / us
18 “Your mom and dad are absolutely right. You should always listen to ______.”
(A) them
(B) they
(C) their
(D) us
19 “Ms. Baker is a very strict teacher. ______ teaches ______ how to follow the rules properly.”
(A) Her / we
(B) She / our
(C) Her / us
(D) She / us
20 “I told my dad about my new teacher, Ms. Adams. I said, ‘I always follow the instructions and listen to ______.'”
(A) she
(B) her
(C) hers
(D) him
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (D) him
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Mr. Smith (male) is receiving the action of “listen to”. The object pronoun for a male is “him”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “he” is a Common Mistake (using a subject pronoun after a preposition). (A) “his” is a Structural Error (possessive adjective, needs a noun). (C) “me” is a Meaning Trap (you are listening to the teacher, not yourself).
2 (A) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Ms. Adams (female) receives the attention. After the preposition “to”, use the object pronoun “her”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “she” is a Common Mistake. (C) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (wrong gender).
3 (C) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker (I) is giving the instructions. After the preposition “to”, the object pronoun is “me”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “I” is a Common Mistake (“listen to I” is incorrect grammar). (A) “my” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap (the speaker says “I am the team leader”, singular).
4 (C) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “The security guards” is plural. They are the object of the preposition “to”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “they” is a Common Mistake. (B) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap (you must listen to the guards, not to yourselves).
5 (A) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “My partner and I” equals “We”. When receiving the action (being listened to), “We” becomes “us”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “we” is a Common Mistake. (C) “our” is a Structural Error. (D) “them” is a Meaning Trap (the teacher told others to listen to the speaker’s group).
6 (B) him
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The headmaster (male) receives the action “listen to”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “he” is a Common Mistake. (C) “his” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Meaning Trap (a headmaster is a person, not a thing).
7 (B) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Parents are plural. After “to”, use “them”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “they” is a Common Mistake. (C) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap.
8 (D) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker needs the instruction repeated. After the preposition “for”, use the object pronoun “me”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “I” is a Common Mistake. (B) “my” is a Structural Error. (C) “us” is a Meaning Trap (the speaker is asking individually).
9 (A) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Sarah (female) is presenting. Everyone listens to “her”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “she” is a Common Mistake. (C) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap.
10 (D) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “My brother and I” = We. We receive the perfect score. After the preposition “to”, use “us”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “we” is a Common Mistake. (B) “our” is a Structural Error. (C) “them” is a Meaning Trap (excludes the speaker).
11 (B) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Mr. White and Ms. Green (plural). You must listen to “them”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “they” is a Common Mistake. (C) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (there are two teachers, not one male).
12 (C) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The speaker is the guide. The tourists must listen to “me”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “I” is a Common Mistake. (B) “my” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap.
13 (B) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Madam Director (female) gave the rule. Listen to “her”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “she” is a Common Mistake. (C) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Meaning Trap.
14 (C) him
- Why it’s correct (The Key): The coach (male) gave advice. Listen to “him”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “he” is a Common Mistake. (A) “his” is a Structural Error. (D) “it” is a Meaning Trap.
15 (D) me
- Why it’s correct (The Key): After the preposition “to”, we need an object pronoun. “Tom and me” are receiving the instructions.
- Error Analysis: (A) “I” is a very Common Mistake (people frequently hypercorrect to “Tom and I” after prepositions, which is wrong). (B) “my” is a Structural Error. (C) “us” is a Meaning Trap (redundant with “Tom”).
16 (B) us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): “My partner and me” receives the explanation. As a group pronoun, it becomes “us” after the preposition “to”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “we” is a Common Mistake. (C) “our” is a Structural Error. (D) “them” is a Meaning Trap.
17 (C) He / them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Mr. Clark does the action (Subject = He). The students receive the action (Object = them).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Him / they” is a Common Mistake (reverses subject and object). (B) “He / their” is a Structural Error. (D) “He / us” is a Meaning Trap.
18 (A) them
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Mom and dad (plural). Listen to “them”.
- Error Analysis: (B) “they” is a Common Mistake. (C) “their” is a Structural Error. (D) “us” is a Meaning Trap.
19 (D) She / us
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Ms. Baker does the teaching (Subject = She). The class receives the teaching (Object = us).
- Error Analysis: (A) “Her / we” is a Common Mistake (reverses subject and object forms). (B) “She / our” is a Structural Error. (C) “Her / us” is a Common Mistake.
20 (B) her
- Why it’s correct (The Key): Ms. Adams (female) receives the attention. Listen to “her”.
- Error Analysis: (A) “she” is a Common Mistake. (C) “hers” is a Structural Error. (D) “him” is a Meaning Trap (wrong gender).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The “Listen to” Rule: The verb listen is almost always followed by the preposition to. Because it is a preposition, the person you are paying attention to MUST be an Object Pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, them).
- Correct: Listen to me.
- Incorrect: Listen to I.
- Compound Objects (The “And Me” Trap): When a teacher gives instructions to you and another person, you are both receiving the action. You must use the object pronoun me, not I.
- Correct: “The teacher explained the rules to Tom and me.”
- Incorrect: “The teacher explained the rules to Tom and I.” (Never use ‘I’ after a preposition!).
- Subject vs. Object Position: Always identify who is giving the instruction (Subject -> He, She, They) and who is receiving or following the instruction (Object -> Him, Her, Them).
- “She (Subject) speaks, and we listen to her (Object).”