Pronouns A pronoun is used in place of a noun. We rely on them in our writing in order to avoid being repetitious. Nouns and pronouns serve the same function in our language: person, place, thing, or idea

Types of Pronouns Personal Interrogative Demonstrative Indefinite Possessive

Antecedent An antecedent is the noun which a pronoun refers to or replaces. All pronouns have antecedents, even if the antecedent is never directly identified. What is the antecedent for each underlined pronoun below? Ms. Hart doesn’t have an umbrella; she left it at home. it = umbrella Rusty loves his tennis ball and he is very possessive of it. he = Rusty

Quick Practice Determine the antecedent for each underlined pronoun: 1.I love cats and feel they are the best pets to have. 2.Susan gave us her opinion, which she felt very strongly about. 3.When I didn’t have lunch money, Mike insisted that I take his. 4.Please give me a few. I love Dum-Dums!

Pronoun Reference Errors Scenario #1: What is the Antecedent?

My mother told us our dog Jingles would have to be operated on again for cancer, and if it doesn’t work, she'll have to be put down. (Are we euthanizing Mom or Jingles?)

My mother told us our dog Jingles would have to be operated on again for cancer. If it isn’t successful, Jingles will have to be put down. (Phew! Mom is saved, at least for now!)

About a year ago, a huge, lumpy mole appeared on my face, and I want it removed. (Removing one’s face is rather drastic, isn’t it?)

About a year ago, a huge, lumpy mole appeared on my face, and I had that mole removed. (Phew! I like your face!)

Guilt, bitterness, and cruelty can be emotionally destructive to you and your family. You must get rid of them. (Who? Guilt and bitterness—or, the family?)

Guilt, bitterness, and cruelty can be emotionally destructive to you and your family. You must do everything possible to eradicate those emotions in order to have a happy family. (Unfortunately, sometimes we do have to pull apart from the family—but not in this case!)

Jerry and Owen are brothers, but he has always been taller. (Uh, who is taller?)

Jerry and Owen are brothers, but Jerry has always been taller. or, maybe: Jerry and Owen are brothers, but the former has always been taller. (Clear now!)

Personal Pronouns Singular Plural Simple: Iwe you he, she, itthey Compound: myselfourselves yourselfthemselves himself, herself

Demonstrative Pronouns Point out or identify a noun without naming the noun. There’s only four of them in our language: This is mine. That is yours. These are hers. Those are his.

Interrogative Pronouns Ask questions: Who is it? Whose are these? To whom am I speaking? Which do I pick? What would you like?

Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative Adjectives Beware! The words this, that, these, and those can be either pronouns or adjectives. Consider their FUNCTION in the columns below: Pronouns:Adjectives: (noun substitutes)(pointing out a particular noun) This is mine.This notebook is mine. That is yours.That dirty jacket is yours. These are hers.These glasses are hers. Those are his.Those colored pencils are his.

Indefinite Pronouns This type of pronoun refers to an identifiable but not specified person or thing. It conveys the idea of all, any, none, or some. There are many, many of them in our language. Here’s just a small sample: Somebody left this for me. Most have gone home; but a few still remain. Do you have another? I have nothing, but he has several!

Possessive Pronouns This type of pronoun shows possession: mine, yours, hers, his, its, ours, theirs Is this pen mine? That dirty trench coat is hers. Yours is the best! Can Hank fix ours? The Subaru is theirs.

Possessive Pronouns Possessive Adjectives Beware: Grammar books can be misleading! In the following sentences, some grammar books will call the underlined words possessive pronouns; in other grammar books they are called possessive adjectives. As always, lets consider the FUNCTION of a word to determine its part of speech --especially in Ms. Hart’s class! Where did you get your bike? (modifies “bike”) My motorcyle was custom made in Italy for racing.(modifies “motorcycle”) Our vacation in Patagonia last summer was fascinating. (modifies “vacation”) Notice how none of the underlined words functions as a noun these sentences, but that each word is used to modify a noun instead! Which bike? Your bike. Whose motorcycle? My motorcycle. Whose vacation? Our vacation.

Subject Pronouns Some pronouns are the subject in sentences--the focus of the sentence. Often, the subject of the sentence is taking action of some sort. He and she are running for office. They are my favorite. We are ready to run.

Object Pronouns Some pronouns are the object in sentences; they are not the main focus of the sentence. Often, the object of the sentence is receiving action of some sort. Let’s give him and her a round of applause. He’d like them to pay attention. She gave these to me and him.

Hey! Did that last sentence perplex you? How do I know when to use “I” or “me”? How do I know when to use “we” or “us”?

Let’s Look at Subject and Object Pronouns Subject Object 1st PersonI / we us 2nd Personyou you 3rd Personthey them who whom

Oy! Isn’t there an easier way? Yes--there are a few ways to “cheat” if you’re a native English speaker.

Which is correct? Me and her are going to the movies. She and I are going to the movies.

Test: Check each pronoun separately! Me and her are going to the movies. Me is going to the movies. Her is going to the movies. She and I are going to the movies. She is going to the movies. I am going to the movies.

Which is correct? My mom gave the cake to Sheila and I. My mom gave the cake to me and Sheila.

Test: Dump the name My mom gave the cake to Sheila and I. My mom gave the cake to Sheila and me. Correct: My mom gave the cake to me and Sheila.

Which is correct? We dumplings are awesome! Us dumplings are awesome!

Test: Dump a word. We dumplings are awesome. Us dumplings are awesome. Correct: We dumplings are awesome.

Which is correct? He got there before me. He got there before I.

Test: Add next logical word. He got there before me did. He got there before I did. Correct: He got there before I.

It’s Between Who? ALWAYS: Between you and me, these pronouns are a little tricky.

What About Who versus Whom? The good news is that in some circles, always using who is acceptable, no matter what.

Who versus Whom Remember: Who is a subject pronoun. It takes action. Whom is an object pronoun. It receives action.

Who versus Whom The man who walked home was hit by a stray baseball. The “who” in question is doing the walking. You need the subject form.

Who versus Whom The man whom we saw was hit by a stray baseball. Here, the man has been seen. The verb is acting upon him. You need the object form.

Which is correct? Who should I give this to? To whom should I give this?

Gotcha thinking? To whom should I give this? The person in question is receiving action, not taking action. So, one needs the object form. “Whom” is correct!