What are they?
A pronoun takes the place of one or
more nouns. Some pronouns are:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Some stories are designed to teach lesson; they are
called fables.
The pronoun is
they
The noun the pronoun refers to (also known as an
antecedent) is
stories
Rewrite this sentence, replacing the appropriate
nouns with pronouns.
The owner gave the dog a soft bed and fed the dog
well.
The owner gave the dog a soft bed and fed
it well (her or him would work too if you
know the gender of the dog.)
Pronouns MUST agree with their
antecedents.
When using a pronoun, make sure its
antecedent, the noun to which it refers, is
clear.
Example:
Nicolas heard.
He heard.
Pronouns should agree with their antecedents
in NUMBER and GENDER. Number tells
whether a pronoun is singular or plural.
Gender tells whether a pronoun is masculine or
feminine, or neutral.
Example: Nicolas heard a librarian tell stories.
He heard her tell them.
In the above example, he is singular and masculine, her is
singular and feminine, and them is plural and neutral.
Write the pronoun. Then write its
antecedent.
Thurgood Marshall was born in Maryland; his grandfather had
been taken to Maryland as a slave.
The pronoun is:
his
The antecedent is:
Thurgood Marshall
Write the pronoun in the parentheses that
correctly completes the sentence:
Marshall’s mother sold (his, her) engagement
ring to help pay for law school.
The correct pronoun is
her
The sentence is about the mother’s ring.
Subject and Object Pronouns
A subject pronoun is used as the subject or as part of
the subject of the sentence. The subject pronouns
are: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
We are ready to go.
An object pronoun is used as a direct or indirect
object in a sentence. It can also be used after a
preposition. The object pronouns are: me, you, him,
her, it, us, and them.
Rebecca gave me the gift.
Possessive Pronouns
A possessive pronoun shows ownership or
possession of something. The possessive
pronouns my, your, his, her, its, our, and their
are used BEFORE nouns.
Example: Jerome is learning about his
ancestors.
The possessive pronouns mine, yours, his,
hers, ours, and theirs stand alone.
Example:
The picture is his.
The books are mine.
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun usually refers to the
subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns
are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself,
ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
Example: Marie found herself alone in a quiet
forest.
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that does
not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or
idea.
The indefinite pronouns are everyone,
everything, everybody, anybody, many, most,
few, each, some, someone, all, nothing,
nobody, and no one.
Examples:
Someone is knocking at the door.
Some-ONE is singular
Some of the girls are sick.
SOME is plural
Who vs. Whom and
Who’s vs. Whose
Use who as a subject pronoun and whom as
an object pronoun.
Example: Who is not going
To whom am I speaking?
Do not confuse the possessive pronoun whose
with the contraction who’s (who is).