1. Subject Pronouns vs. Object Pronouns
* Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) act as the subjects of a sentence. They perform the action.
* Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action of the verb.
2. Subject Complements
* Subject complements are words or phrases that re-identify or describe the subject of a sentence. They usually follow linking verbs like "be," "seem," "become," etc.
3. The Nominative Case
* Nominative case is the grammatical case used for subjects and subject complements. It's the "base" form of a pronoun.
Example:
* "She" is a subject pronoun. "She is a doctor." (She is the subject performing the action of being a doctor.)
* "She" is also a subject complement. "The doctor is she." (She re-identifies the subject "The doctor.")
Key Points
* Pronouns used as subjects are *not* subject complements. They are the subjects themselves.
* Pronouns used as subject complements are in the nominative case because they are re-identifying or describing the subject, which is also in the nominative case.
In simpler terms:
Pronouns used as subjects are already doing their job, acting as the main part of the sentence. Subject complements come *after* the linking verb and describe or re-name the subject. Both subjects and subject complements use the nominative case, which is just the regular form of the pronoun.