1. Pronouns and Determiners (Cohesion) Outsiders
I can’t say why he chose to sleep in our pantry.
Unit 1 Day 3
Y6: Autumn Term Fiction: Outsiders

2. Cohesion A cohesive text: flows smoothly makes links between ideas
makes clear how meanings fit together
When a text has cohesion, it fits together as a unit of meaning.
It is not just a list of random sentences.
Cohesive devices can help to create cohesion.
Pronouns make links to what has already been said and help avoid repetition.
Determiners make links to what has already been said.

3. Pronouns replace the nouns Eric and hat
Pronouns are used in the place of a noun.
Pronouns replace the nouns Eric and hat
Eric had a hat. Eric put the hat on.
Eric had a hat. He put it on. me
she
hers I
mine
his
him it
her
yours he
its

4. Click here for further revision of pronouns.
Cohesive devices – Pronouns 
Pronouns can be used as cohesive devices.
They avoid repetition and make links to what has already been said..
Eric had found a hat. The hat was a large one. The hat was far too large to fit on Eric’s head. But Eric liked the hat. “The hat is Eric’s hat,” Eric said.
Eric had found a hat. It was a large one. It was far too large to fit on his head. But he liked the hat. “It is mine,” he said.
his
The word in pink is a determiner. It comes before and specifies the noun (head) telling us whose head it is.

5. Determiners tell us more about the nouns.
Determiners go before a noun.
They show if a noun is specific or general.
your a
those
the my
her
some
that an
his
this
its
any
Eric saw an elephant - any old elephant
Eric was amazed at the elephants - the elephants in the zoo
Children love elephants - children in general love elephants generally
The children loved those elephants – the specified children loved the elephants we know about.
The determiners are grouped into: articles, possessives, demonstratives, and quantity. This does not need to be shared with chn but it may be helpful to know that they can be grouped.

6. Cohesive devices – Determiners
Determiners can be used as cohesive devices.
They provide cohesion because they make links to what has already been said.
the friends that were mentioned earlier
the trick that Eric performed with his hat
Those friends who had watched the trick asked Eric how he had done it. Eric smiled and shook his head. He would never reveal his secret.
Those friends who had watched the trick asked Eric how he had done it. Eric smiled and shook his head. He would never reveal his secret.
Eric’s secret about the trick in particular
Eric shook his own head, where the frog had been
Can you spot the determiners? How do they make links to other parts of the text?

7. Pronouns replace a noun.we me
hers
He was very curious.
she I
mine
The objects were ours.
him it
his
her he
yours
its
Determiners go before a noun.
your
those a
the
some
We repainted the spare room. my
her
that
any an
this
His questions were unexpected.
his
these
END OF TEACHING

8. There are three types of pronoun:
Personal pronouns – I, me, you, he, she, him, her, etc.
2. Possessive pronouns – mine, yours, his, hers, its, etc.
Possessive pronouns and determiners.
Possessive pronouns are slightly tricky. If they stand on their own to preplace a noun, they are possessive pronouns. E.g. The book was his. (his replaces ‘Tom’s.) If they precede a noun, e.g. his book, then, strictly, these are possessive determiners as they behave like adjectives.
It is NOT necessary to make this distinction with children in Y5 or Y6.
3. Relative pronouns – who, which, that, where, etc.
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9. These replace nouns and noun phrases.
1. Personal pronouns
These replace nouns and noun phrases.
Simon called his guide dog.
He called her.
Guide dogs know how to cross the road.
They know how to cross it.
Hobbes the dog loved to chase cats.
He loved to chase them.
Tina is pleased with the guide dog.
She is pleased with him.
Occasionally ‘it’ is a ‘dummy pronoun’ when it refers not to anything specific but to an undetermined actor or subject.
Because of this function, ‘it’ is sometimes called a place holder. E.g. It is raining. It all depends...
The kitchen is where the dog sleeps.
It is where he sleeps.
The crazy new puppy with floppy ears bounced excitedly.
She bounced excitedly.
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10. 2. Possessive pronouns
These refer to the possession of someone or something
by someone or something.
Possessive pronouns stand in place of the noun.
The guide dog is yours.
The kennel is mine.
Possessive pronouns and determiners.
If they stand on their own to preplace a noun, they are possessive pronouns. E.g. The book was his. (his replaces ‘Tom’s.)
If they precede a noun, e.g. his book, then, strictly, these are possessive determiners as they behave like adjectives.
It is NOT necessary to make this distinction with children in Y5 or Y6.
The white stick is hers.
NOTE: In ‘That is your guide dog.’, ‘your’ is not a pronoun but a determiner. See slide 6
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11. 3. Relative pronouns
These usually introduce a clause which gives us more information about a person, creature, place or thing.
The lead, which was made of metal, lay beside the dog.
Ann, who was completely blind, wanted a dog.
‘which’ is a relative pronoun referring to the lead
‘who’ is a relative pronoun referring to Ann
It is important to remember that a relative pronoun has to refer to a noun.
So in the sentence: A book that I really enjoyed was Anna Karenina. ‘that’ is a relative pronoun as it refers to ‘A book’.
But in the sentence: He told himself that the accident had not been his fault. ‘that’ is a conjunction and not a pronoun. ‘Who’ and ‘which’ are commonly relative pronouns, we have to be a little more careful about ‘that’ and ‘where’ and check that they are being used to refer to a noun.
The high street is a place that many blind people find tricky.
The house, where he lived, is all on one level.
‘that’ is a relative pronoun referring to the high street
‘where’ is a relative pronoun referring to the house