Pronouns – Part Two Grade Eight

Demonstrative Pronouns Demonstrative pronouns are named well. They demonstrate or point out the noun that they replace. There are four demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, and those. The two singular demonstrative pronouns are this and that. They can replace a singular noun. This is a good book. ( This is pointing out the noun book.) What movie was that? (That is referring to the movie.) The two plural demonstrative pronouns are these and those. They will be used to replace plural nouns. These are interesting facts. (These is pointing out the facts.) Those are great jeans! (Those is referring to the jeans.)

Demonstrative Pronouns- distance Demonstrative pronouns are used to refer to distance. This and these are used to refer to items near the speaker. This pencil is on my desk. These books are in my book bag. That and those are used to refer to things that are far away. That was an interesting fact about Native Americans. Those shoes are in the closet.

When Not to use demonstrative pronouns Since demonstrative pronouns just point out a noun, they do not serve much purpose. When writing a sentence that needs to be forceful or have an impact, demonstratives should be avoided. Some sentences in essay writing need to be precisely and specifically stated. The thesis statement, any topic sentences, any ending sentences, and the restatement of the thesis should never include demonstrative pronouns to start the thought. Notice in the following examples how the demonstratives serve little to no purpose. These are the reasons I like cats. (Notice that no reasons are stated. This sentence really says very little. What are these? It is likely that the antecedent to this pronoun is an entire paragraph of reasons. Naming the reasons would be better or even phrasing it in a way that leaves it general can be done without the use of a demonstrative pronoun.) Ex. I have many reasons why I like cats. Ex. Many reasons explain why I like cats. Ex. Purring, creative play, and independence are three reasons I like cats.

Test yourself – creating better sentences Change these sentences so that they do not begin with a demonstrative pronoun. The answers provided are merely suggestions. 1. These are my favorite games. Ex. My favorite games include Monopoly and Scrabble. 2. These are my details about the Civil War. Ex. The information about battles and medicines are my details about the Civil War. 3. This is why I like classic cars. Ex. I like classic cars because of their unique design.

Relative pronouns Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause to an independent clause. Remember, a dependent clause has both a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone. It is not a complete thought, which means it is not a sentence. An independent clause has a subject and a verb also, but it is a sentence. There are five relative pronouns: who whom whose which that “Who,” “whom,” and “whose” always refer to people. “Which” can refer to people or things. “That” is always used to refer to things.

Relative pronouns - use The relative pronoun has an antecedent in the independent clause. That antecedent is usually directly before the relative pronoun. The man, who is dressed in a black suit, is my boss. (Who is the relative pronoun. Man is the antecedent.) The relative pronoun is usually the first word of the relative clause. The exception occurs when the relative pronoun is the object of the preposition “of” or “to.” The writer to whom I was referring is Margaret Peterson Haddix. (Whom is the relative pronoun. Writer is the antecedent.) The relative clause is an adjective clause since it usually describes the antecedent.

Test yourself - antecedents For each sentence, name the relative pronoun and its antecedent. 1. The book that I read was interesting. that – book 2. The man whom I met at the conference was the director. whom – man 3. The boy whose pencil I borrowed is really cute. whose – boy 4. The class which is the hardest is algebra. which – class 5. The girl who scored the goal is quite talented. who - girl

Test yourself - clauses Read each sentence. Name the relative clause. 1. The movie, whose lead actor won the award, sold out. whose lead actor won the award 2. The plan that I created will work. that I created 3. The boss, whom I respect completely, is well liked. whom I respect completely 4. The plant which needs watered badly is a coleus. which needs watered badly 5. The man who designed the building is famous. who designed the building

Test yourself - Demonstrative or relative? The word “that” can be either a demonstrative pronoun/adjective or a relative pronoun. Read the following sentences and determine whether “that” is demonstrative or relative. 1. I like that book very much. demonstrative 2. I enjoyed the movie that we saw. relative 3. The play that was written by Moliere was quite humorous. 4. That was an exciting game.

Restrictive clauses Adjective clauses can be categorized as restrictive clauses or non-restrictive clauses. A restrictive clause is necessary to the sentence. The information provided in it is necessary to the reader to fully understand the sentence. Restrictive clauses are not set off by commas. The man who held a similar position at the bank deserved the job. (Having held a similar job shows why he deserved the job. This information explains why he deserved it, so it is necessary to the meaning.) The man who committed the crime has been jailed. (Committing the crime demonstrates why he has been jailed. Without the clause, the reader would not know why he was jailed.)

Non-restrictive clauses A non-restrictive clause is not essential to the understanding of the sentence. Non-restrictive clauses are set off by commas. These commas indicate that the clause could be taken out of the sentence and the sentence will still make sense. The boy, who has red hair, is on the baseball team. (Although it is interesting that the boy has red hair, it has nothing to do with being on the baseball team. This sentence could easily be understood by saying, “The boy is on the baseball team.”) The book, that I read over the summer, is about monkeys. (“The book is about monkeys” is a fine sentence. The reader does not need to know that it was read over the summer to understand the content of the book.)

Test Yourself – restrictive or non-restrictive? Determine if the relative clause is restrictive or non-restrictive. No commas have been included in the sentences to give away the answer. Remember, non-restrictive clauses are supposed to be set off by commas. 1. The movie which is in theatres right now is going to be a big hit. non-restrictive 2, The man whose hat I sat on is quite angry with me. restrictive 3. The plant which needs sunlight is withering. 4. The straw that was made of plastic fell on the floor, so I shouldn’t use it.