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Us is the first-person plural pronoun. It is the object form of 'we.' In this lesson, we will discuss when and how to use it.
'Us' as an Object Pronoun
Use
Us can be the direct object, the indirect object, or the object of prepositions. For example:
Us as a direct object receives the action of the verb. For example:
The government must treat us respectfully.
You know us well.
'Us' is after the verb.
Us as an indirect object receives the action of the direct object. For example:
They gave us the permission to play outside for two hours.
'The permission to...' is the direct object and 'us' is its recipient.
He cooked us some porridge.
'Us' is before 'some porridge.'
Sometimes us as a pronoun follows a preposition. In this case, 'us' becomes the object of the preposition. Here are some examples:
She is taller than us.
She bought some cookies for us.
'For' is a preposition.
Position in a Sentence
Us as a direct object comes after the verb, as an indirect object comes before the direct object, and as an object of preposition comes after the preposition. For example:
She knows us.
'Us' is the direct object.
She gave us some books.
'Us' is an indirect object and comes before the direct object.
She gave it to us.
'Us' is introduced by 'to.'
'Us' as a Royal Plural Pronoun
Us is also called 'royal plural' or 'majestic plural.' That means kings, queens, judges,... use us instead of 'me.' For example:
That soldier laughed at us. Kill him.
We are the queen of this nation. Bow before us.
Editorial 'Us'
Editorial journalists, writers, and authors use us. That means that they are speaking on behalf of the company in which they work or they suppose that readers agree with them. Look at these examples:
As we mentioned before, speaking is an ability that helps us communicate.
It concerns us that the unemployment rate is rising in our society.
'Us' in Informal Contexts
Us is also used instead of 'you' for encouragement, sarcasm, and persuasiveness. For example:
Did those medicines make us feel better?
Here, the doctor uses 'us' instead of 'you' to persuade the patient.
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