Nouns and Pronouns
Case, Number, Gender
KEY CONCEPTS about NOUNS and
PRONOUNS:
• There are 3 cases of nouns and pronouns:
1.
Subject
2.
Object
3.
Possessive
• The number for nouns and pronouns:
1.
Singular
2.
Plural
• The gender of pronouns
1. Masculine
2. Feminine
3. Neuter
Nouns
Case and Number
NUMBER: Singular and Plural Nouns and
Pronouns
 A singular noun names one person, place, thing or idea.
 Examples:
 My pencil is broken.
 May I borrow a piece of paper?
 A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing or
idea.
 Examples:
 My pencils are broken.
 My papers are scattered around the floor.
Cases of Nouns
• Defines the role of the noun in the sentence
as the subject or object or to show
possession.
• Noun Examples:
• The musician is especially tall.
subject
• The manager chose the musician.
object
• The musician’s skill is famous
possessive
Possessive Nouns
A possessive noun shows ownership.
It uses an apostrophe (‘) or an
apostrophe plus an –s on the end.
Examples:
The boys’ basketball team is walking down
the hall.
I borrowed my sister’s shirt.
BRAINPOP: According to Moby and Tim, how
are plurals and possessives formed?
Guidelines
How to form
plurals?
How to form
singular
possessives?
How to form
plural
possessives?
Example 1
boy/boys
Example 2
Example 3
Guidelines
Example
1
Example
2
Example
3
boy/boys
child/children
sheep/shee
p
How to form 1.) add an apostrophe and an
“S”
singular
possessives? 2.) if it ends in “S”, you have the
boy/boy’s
child/child’s
rattle
bus’ or
bus’s tire
How to form
plural
possessives?
boys/boy
s”
children/
children’s
teacher
sheep’s/
sheep’s
lambs
How to form
plurals?
1.) add an “S” or “ES”
2.) change its form
3.) use the singular form
option to use only an
apostrophe
1.) if it ends in an “S”, add an
apostrophe
2. If the form changes, add an
apostrophe only.
3.) if the plural is the same as the
singular, the plural possessive is the
same as the singular possessive
Why the Exceptions to Forming Plurals
Example 1
Old English
Nouns whose plurals are the same
as the singular.
Old English
Nouns whose plurals are a different
form than the singular.
Middle to
Early Modern
English
Nouns whose plurals end in a
consonant and a “Y”.
Borrowings
from Spanish
and Italian
Plurals of singular nouns ending in
“O”.
Borrowings
from Latin
Plurals of singular nouns ending in
“US” or “UM”
Example 2
Example 3
Form the plurals of these nouns:
EX.: plural/plurals
 louse/
 mother-in-law/
 tax/
 cactus/
 elf/
 chief/
 moose/
 potato/
 4/
Form the singular possessives of
these nouns:
EX.: the case of a noun/noun’s case
the house of a mouse/
the son of commander-in-chief/
the pillows of the couch/
the gift of the alumnus/
the blade of the knife/
the partner of the thief/
the river of the salmon/
the vine of the tomato/
Form the plural and plural possessives of
these nouns:
EX.: the case of one noun/several
nouns’ cases
1. the yard of my house/
2. the duty of the sergeant-in arms/
3. the assistant of the coach/
4. the result of the datum/
5. the costume of the elf/
6. the horse of the chief/
7. the lamb of the sheep/
Pronouns
Case and Number
Cases of Pronouns:
• Defines the role of the pronoun in the
sentence as the subject or object or to
show possession.
• Pronoun Examples:
• He is especially tall.
subject
• The manager chose him.
object
• His skill is refined.
possessive
Personal Pronoun Chart
CASE
SUBJECT
NUMBER
First
person
Singular
Second
person
Third
person
First
person
Plural
Second
person
Third
Person
OBJECT
POSSESSIVE
Personal Pronoun Chart
CASE
subject
object
possessive
First
person
I
me
my
mine
Second
person
you
you
your
yours
Third
person
he, she, it
him, her, it
his, her, hers, its
First
person
we
us
our
ours
Second
person
you
you
your
yours
Third
person
they
them
their
theirs
NUMBER
Singular
Plural
Subject Pronouns
• A subject pronoun indicates that the pronoun is
acting as the subject of the sentence.
• The subject pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it,"
"we," "you," and "they."
1. I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the
green knapsack.
2. You are surely the strangest magician I have ever
met.
3. We will meet at the library.
Object Pronouns
• An object pronoun indicates that the pronoun is
acting as the direct object of the sentence.
• Direct object = who or what is receiving the action of
the verb.
• The object pronouns are “me," "you," “her," "him," "it,"
“them,” and “us”.
1. The loud noise distracted them.
2. My book gave me a fright.
3. She will help him and me with the question.
Possessive Pronouns
• A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is
acting as a marker of possession and defines who
owns a particular object or person.
• Some possessive pronouns are "mine," "yours,"
"hers," "his," and "its”.
1. The lunch is yours.
2. His is on the kitchen counter.
3. Theirs will be delivered tomorrow.
4. Ours is the smelly one in the corner.
Practice:
1. Write a sentence where the plural form of
“man” is used as a direct object.
Underline it.
2. Write a sentence where the plural
possessive form of “thief” is used.
Underline it.
3. Write a sentence where the singular
possessive of “ranch” is used. Underline
it.
4. Write a sentence where the 3rd person
plural possessive pronoun is used.
Underline it.
Answers
1. SUBJECT + ACTION VERB + the men
 The police arrested the men.
2. thief/thieves…thief’s/thieves’
 The thieves’ hideout was in a church.
3. ranch/ranch’s…ranch’s/ranches’
 The ranch’s owner bought a horse.
4. They/them/their
[subject/object/possessive]
 Their answers were incorrect.
More answers:
1. We asked the men for some
help.
2. The thieves’ alibis did not stand
up to questioning.
3. The ranch’s owner hired a new
foreman.
4. They did not show an
understanding of possessives on
their test.
Review
Nouns and Pronouns
Case & Number
1.
Write a sentence where the plural form of “mother-in-law” is used as
a direct object. Underline it.
2.
Write a sentence where a 2nd person plural possessive pronoun is
used. Underline it.
3.
Write a sentence where the plural form of “alumnus” is used as the
subject of a sentence. Underline it.
4.
Write a sentence where the singular possessive of “lady” is used.
Underline it.
5.
Write a sentence where the plural possessive form of “coach” is
used. Underline it.
6.
Write a sentence where a 1st person plural pronoun is used as a
direct object. Underline it.
7.
Write a sentence where the singular possessive form of “alumnus” is
used. Underline it.
8.
Write a sentence where the plural possessive form of “bus” is used.
Underline it.