PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. Like all nouns, they function as either subjects or
objects in sentences. All pronouns should have a clear antecedent (the noun for which they stand).
There are many different types of pronouns.
I.
Subject Pronouns: These pronouns take the place of nouns used as subjects or
predicate nouns. The subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it (singular) and we,
you and they (plural).
II.
Object Pronouns: These pronouns take the place of nouns used as objects
(direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions) in sentences. The
object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it (singular) and us, you and them (plural).
III.
Possessive Pronouns: These pronouns take the place of possessive nouns: my,
mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs. Possessive pronouns
never contain apostrophes.
IV.
Reflexive/Intensive Pronouns: These are pronouns with the suffix –self or –selves
added. Examples: myself, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves,
ourselves. Reflexive pronouns are used as objects and are therefore essential to the
sentence; intensive pronouns add emphasis and are non-essential.
V.
Demonstrative Pronouns: These pronouns point out people or things. This and that are
singular; these and those are plural. Use this and these with things close at hand and that and
those with things that are more distant. (Note: The demonstrative pronouns are only pronouns if
they are used as subjects or objects. Sometimes the same words are used as adjectives.)
VI.
Interrogative Pronouns: These pronouns (examples: Who, Whom, Which, What,
Whose). Are used to ask questions. Like all pronouns, they stand for nouns and are
either subjects or objects.
VII.
Relative Pronouns: These pronouns are used to begin subordinate (or dependent)
adjective clauses. Four of them are the same pronouns as the interrogative pronouns,
but they are used differently. (The exceptions are what, which is usually an interrogative
pronoun, and that, which is a relative pronoun, a demonstrative pronoun, or a
demonstrative adjective.)
How is the word who used differently in the following sentences?
a. Who is the best writer in your class?
b. My wife, who is supremely beautiful, loves me.
VIII.
Indefinite Pronouns: Some pronouns do not refer to a definite person or thing.
Therefore, their antecedents are not defined (hence “indefinite”). The following
indefinite pronouns are always singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each,
either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, one, somebody, and
someone. These indefinite pronouns are always plural: both, few, many, several. A few
indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a
sentence. Examples: all, none, some.
Words Used as Pronouns Can Often Be Used as Other Parts of Speech
Remember: Pronouns, like nouns, have one of three functions in clauses (which may be
independent or dependent): they are subjects, objects, or predicate nominatives. This is true
100% of the time.
1. The words this, that, these, and those, which are often used as demonstrative
pronouns, can also be used as adjectives.
Examples:
a. This book is exciting. (“This” describes the book and is an adjective.)
b. This is an exciting book! (“This” stands for the book and is therefore a demonstrative
pronoun. “This” is also the subject of the sentence.)
c. I have eaten about fifty of those chocolates this week. (“Those” describes the chocolates
and is therefore an adjective.)
d. Those are the best chocolates I’ve ever eaten. (“Those” stands for the chocolates and is
the subject of the sentence and is therefore a demonstrative pronoun.)
2. The words who, which, whose, and whom can be either relative pronouns or
interrogative pronouns.
Examples:
1. Who ate the last chocolate? (The word “who” begins the question and is therefore an
interrogative pronoun. “Who” is used instead of “whom” because it’s a subject in the
clause.)
2. The students who finished early had a chance to work on their homework. (Like all
relative pronouns, the word “who” in this sentence follows the noun it stands for and
also begins a dependent adjective clause that modifies the noun it follows.)
3. Whom are you kidding? (The word “whom” begins the question and is therefore an
interrogative pronoun. “Whom” is used instead of “who” because it’s an object in the
clause.)
4. The student whom we all admired had the most gorgeous girlfriend in the school. (The
word “whom” in this sentence follows the noun it stands for and also begins a
dependent adjective clauses that modifies the noun it follows.)
3. The same words that can be used as indefinite pronouns (such as many, some, other,
and several) can also be adjectives.
Examples:
a. Many choices make Ricardo’s a great place to eat. (“Many” modifies the noun
choices and is therefore an adjective.)
b. Many of you aced the test. (“Many” stands for an undefined group of people and is
also the subject of the sentence; therefore, it’s a pronoun.)
c. Several explorations may lead to the truth. (“Several” modifies “explorations” and is
therefore an adjective.)
d. Several tried out; only some made it. (In this sentence, “several” and “some” stand
for undefined groups of people are therefore pronouns; they are also both subjects,
which, by definition, means they must be nouns or pronouns.)
4. The words myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, themselves, or yourselves
can be either reflexive or intensive. If they’re used as objects and are necessary to
maintain the meaning of the sentence, they’re reflexive. If they merely emphasize but
aren’t necessary to maintain the meaning of the sentence, they’re intensive.
Examples:
a. I did it myself. (“Myself” is an intensive pronoun; it isn’t necessary to maintain the
meaning of the sentence.)
b. I gave myself a present. (“Myself” is an object of the verb “gave” and is an essential
element in the sentence; without it, the meaning of the sentence changes.)
Pronouns often have multiple uses. What types of pronouns are italicized in the sentences
below?
1. Who finished their homework?
2. The students who finished their homework will get kudos.
3. The cherries, which were sweet, tasted delicious.
4. Which of the cars do you prefer?
5. Whose shoes are those?
6. The students whose shoes are red are probably on the soccer team.
7. Those problems are difficult!
8. These are the best chocolates!
9. These chocolates are delicious!
10. Whom will Obama choose as his running mate?
11. The candidate whom my sister supports is John McCain.
12. That was such a funny movie!
13. The movie that we saw on Saturday was hilarious!
14. I love that movie!
15. Many movies are entertaining.
16. When I scan the crowd of people, I see many who are wild and zany!
17. Many of you did better on the second quiz than the first.
18. Some students are beautiful; others are not.
19. Other choices would be beneficial for some of you.
20. I saved myself a piece of cake for later.
21. I baked that carrot cake myself.
Directions: (a) Identify the part of speech of each italicized word. If it’s a pronoun, specify what
type of pronoun it is.
1. That is great pie!
2. I love that pie!
3. The pie that I ate was delicious.
4. Which of you baked me cookies?
5. The cookies, which I ate at lunch, were delicious.
6. Joan baked the cookies herself.
7. Joan baked herself some cookies.
8. My mom, the Wicked Witch of the West, bought some of us children and herself nice
presents but other family members received absolutely nothing!
9. Some people are very considerate; others are rude!
10. These hamburgers are juicy!
11. Of all the loose candies on the tray, I like these the best.
12. Who ate all the candy?
13. The person who ate all that candy must be a glutton.
14. None of the contestants this week made it to the finals.
15. We enjoyed her candy more than ours.
16. Please give her an extra day to complete her report.
17. Neither of you is going to give up, are you?
18. Come on, Mr. Wenz, give us a break!
19. Whose paper is this on the floor?
20. The student whose paper is on the floor forgot to turn in his assignment.
Directions: For each italicized word: (a) list its part of speech; (b) if it’s a pronoun,
identify what type of pronoun.
1. The pizza that I love the best has pesto sauce beneath the cheese.
2. That pizza is the tastiest!
3. That is awesome pizza!
4. The band whose CD features a newly-invented synthesizer is that one.
5. Whose CD is this?
6. What have you found among the rubble?
7. Who left this paper on my desk without a name on it?
8. The teacher who won the scholarship teaches at Pueblo.
9. All contestants must have their entries postmarked by April 10th.
10. All of the contestants sent in wonderful work.
11. Which of your pairs of shoes do you wear the most?
12. The shoes, which she bought at Macy’s, had little bows on them.
13. They recorded their CD themselves.
14. I found few acceptable examples.
15. Few of the examples were acceptable.
Directions: (a) Identify the part of speech of each italicized word. If it’s a pronoun, specify what
type of pronoun it is.
1. I wish you wouldn’t do that!
2. I enjoyed all the James Bond movies, but that particular film was the most intense.
3. The grammar assignments that I completed are on your desk.
4. Which of the houses on this block do you like the best?
5. I raised my grade from a C to an A in two weeks, which was quite a feat for me!
6. My sister planned the entire presentation herself.
7. You should be ashamed of yourselves!
8. Many of you did better on the retest than on the original one.
9. We had many cruises to choose from, but several of them were too expensive.
10. Please hand over those keys because you won’t be using them for awhile, young man!
11. Whose dirty clothes are these?
12. The two teams that have reached the WNBA finals are the Indiana Fever and the
Phoenix Mercury; none of the other teams in the league are still playing.
13. What are you thinking?
14. Only a few stores on this side of the mall interest me.
Directions: Identify all the pronouns in the sentences below. Identify the type of pronoun of
each one.
15. They finally found her missing purse.
16. Kara’s parents gave her a new IPod for Christmas.
17. I could sure use some beach time!
18. Which of those girls did you ask to the dance?
19. Which of these rooms is yours?
20. The speaker whose voice cracked during his speech doesn’t have a chance to win the
competition.
Directions: For each italicized word: (a) list its part of speech; if it’s a pronoun, identify
what type of pronoun; (b) if the word is a pronoun, identify its function in the sentence
(subject, object, possessive, predicate nominative, or intensifier).
1. I love that band!
2. The band that I love has a new CD.
3. That is my favorite CD!
4. Whose watch is that?
5. The watch whose band is pink was left in the back of the room.
6. What are you doing?
7. Who is in the band?
8. The guitarist, who used to date my sister, is cool.
9. All of you are doing well.
10. All students should report to their Academic Lab.
11. Which of them have finished?
12. The cherries, which we finished at dinner, were sweet.
13. I wrote myself a song.
14. I found several keepsakes in the attic.
15. Several of the keepsakes are valuable.
Directions: Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence below. Then, explain how each pronoun
is used (as a subject, an object, a predicate word, a possessive pronoun, or a contraction).
Example: My mom and (she, her) have decided to enter the competition. (The answer is “she” and
it is a subject of the sentence.)
1. (They, them) have advanced to the state championship.
2. I gave Joan and (she, her) a copy of my report.
3. I gave my cat (its, it’s) nightly catnip.
4. (Your, you’re) the most intelligent sleeper I’ve ever encountered.
5. The musician who best auditioned for the part was (she, her).
6. It is (he, him) who perpetrated the heinous deed.
7. Please ask either Mrs. Smith or (I, me) for the correct form.
8. Down the hall raced the delinquent student and (he, him).
9. I sent both (she, her) and (he, him) thank you letters.
10. (Its, It’s) a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
11. I like (her, she) better than I like (he, him).
12. Sarah and (we, us) lost hundreds of dollars in Las Vegas.
13. Please give them back (their, they’re) ticket stubs.
14. Inside the cave sat the hermit and (I, me).
15. The most fabulous singer on stage was (she, her).
16. Find Sarah and (I, me) some evidence and we’ll continue the investigation.
17. I can’t see why (its, it’s) so hard for you to keep your room clean!
18. The final contestants are (he, him) and (I, me).
19. Mrs. Payne, Mrs. Good, Mr. Hohman, Mr. Preston, and (he, him) make up the teaching
team.
20. I want Billy and (she, her) to perform better on tests in this class.
Directions: Choose the best answer. Then tell whether the pronoun you choose is a
subject, a predicate nominative, an object, a possessive pronoun, or a contraction.
1. The best actors in that movie were definitely (he, him) and Brad Pitt.
2. The dog yelped when my little brother rode his bike over (its’, it’s, its) tail.
3. The former chess champion has been defeated by Nick, Samantha, Tony, and
(he, him) this year.
4. The Storm and (we, us) are the two best teams in our division.
5. Please give Mrs. Smith, Mr. Bramlett, Ms. Lambert, or (me, I) the correct forms.
6. Mrs. Smith, Mr. Bramlett, Ms. Lambert, and (me, I) all received the correct
forms.
7. The new runner on the team raced around Tammy, Joanne, Sarah, and (me, I) on
the way to the finish line.
8. You can’t take that table—(its, it’s) (our’s, ours)!
9. I asked Bill, Frank, and (she, her) for a better effort.
10. The most beautiful women in the entire pageant were Miss Puerto Rico and (she,
her).
Directions: Choose the best answer. Then tell whether the pronoun you choose is a
subject, a predicate nominative, an object, a possessive pronoun, or a contraction.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The plaque on the wall is in honor of grandfather, dad, and (I, me).
I gave the annoying cricket (its, it’s, its’) due when I fumigated the room.
The jury found the mayor and (she, her) guilty but my mother innocent.
Sam, John, Frank, and (I, me) are all attending the retreat this weekend.
Please explain what you were doing to your parents and (me, I).
If you’re wondering who gave you the secret gift, I can tell you that it was (I,
me)!
7. Mr. James gave Joe, Bill, Tom, Samantha, and (I, me) A’s on our compositions!
8. Even though the book fascinated Tammy, Steve, Tim, and (she, her), they all
thought (its, it’s, its’) ending was disappointingly predictable.
9. I reminded Bill, Tonya, and (she, her) that (their, there, they’re) project was due
tomorrow.
10. The best players on the soccer team are Billy and (I, me).