Pronouns

Object Pronouns

Me, you, him, her, it, us, them - the one the action happens to.

Mastered by: Usually emerging alongside the subject pronouns in the third year and reasonably reliable by 4
Practice items: 71
Sections: 8

Play it

Each one opens full screen, already set to this skill.

The rule, explainedShow ↓

When the action is done TO the person, use me, you, him, her, it, us or them.

Give it to me. Help her. Tell them.

She waved at me.
Can you help him?

Watch for: "Give it to I" - rare, but it happens when a child has just learned that "me" is sometimes wrong.

What this skill is

Object pronouns take the receiving end of the action, and they come after the verb or after a small word like to, for or with: give it to her, wait for them. English uses a completely different word for the same person depending on which job they are doing - she versus her, he versus him - and that is the whole difficulty.

What to expect

The most common pattern is using the object form in the subject slot: "her did it", "him is my friend". This is not laziness or a hearing problem. The object forms are more frequent in what a child hears ("give it to me", "come with us"), so they get learned first and then over-applied.

Try this at home

Give-and-take games create object pronouns for free. Passing a ball around a circle makes "throw it to him" and "now give it to her" the natural thing to say dozens of times in five minutes.

When to refer

Still using object forms as subjects ("her wants it") after about 4;6.

Print it

Object Pronouns worksheet71 items across 8 sections, with answer key · PDF

Put it into practice

Tap any item below to open it full screen, one at a time, so a child can answer without reading the answer first.

These activities are a starting point, not the practice itself. A structured task is a good way to introduce a form and to find out whether a child has it yet. What actually moves it into everyday speech is using it in the real world and in ordinary play — which means the four things below matter more than finishing the list.

Recast
Say their sentence back correctly, without asking them to repeat it. Child: “he goed.” You: “he went! Where did he go?”
Expand
Add one or two words to what they said and hand it back. Child: “big truck.” You: “a big red truck!”
Simplify what you ask
Cut a long instruction into single steps and say them in the order they happen, rather than repeating the long one louder.
Follow their lead
Use whatever they are already playing with. A form practiced on something they chose is the one that shows up again tomorrow.

Play it in a game ASHA Practice Portal