pronouns

PRONOUNS

1) They are angry with them.

2) This is mine and that is yours.

3) Both of them completed their assignments themselves.

Pronouns are words that replace a noun when identifying persons, places, things and ideas.

Are the words underlined in the sentences above replacing nouns?

1)They are angry with them.

John and Mark are angry with Molly and Mary.

2) This is mine and that is yours.

This is a demonstrative pronoun.

What is a demonstrative pronoun?

Demonstrative pronouns are used to refer to something specific.

Demonstrative pronouns

Singular Plural

Refers to things that are close

this these

Refers to things that are far away

that those

BACK TO SENTENCE 2

What type of pronoun is that? (look in the chart above).

Answer

That is a singular demonstrative pronoun .

BACK TO SENTENCE 2

2) This is mine and that is yours

What type of pronoun is mine?

Mine is a Possessive pronoun – it communicates ownership.

Possessive pronouns

Singular Plural

These words come before nouns and function as adjectives.

your, my, her, his, its

Our, your, their

These words are used alone.

Mine, yours, his, hers,

Ours, yours, theirs

BACK TO SENTENCE 2

2) This is mine and that is yours

What type of pronoun is yours? (Look in the chart above).

Answer:

Yours is a singular possessive pronoun.

SENTENCE 33)Both of them completed their assignments

themselves.

What type of pronoun is both?

Answer:

Both is an indefinite pronoun – it does not refer to any specific people, places, or thing..

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Singular Plural Singular or Plural

Anybody, anyone, anything, either, each, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something

Both, few, many, several

All, any, most, none, some

BACK TO SENTENCE 3

What type of pronoun is them?

(Look at the chart below)

Personal pronouns

Singular Plural

First Person: the speaker or writer

I, me We, us

Second person: the person(s) spoken to

you you

Third person: person(s) spoken or written about

She, her, he, him, it

they, them

Them is a third person plural pronoun.

The speaker is using the word them to refer to the two persons he/she is talking about. ( I know its two persons because of the word both at the beginning of the sentence).

LOOK AT SENTENCE 3 AGAIN

3) Both of them completed their assignments themselves

We know what type of pronouns both and them are. What about their? Do your remember what type of pronoun their is? (Please see slide 10).

LOOK AT SENTENCE 3 AGAIN

What type of pronoun is themselves?

Themselves is a reflexive pronoun; it refer back to the subject.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

  Singular Plural

First person

myself ourselves

Second person

yourself yourselves

Third person

himself, herself, itself,

themselves

Look at the following sentences, pay careful attention to the underlined words.

1) This is the dress that she designed.

2) The actor, whom I adore, died recently.

THE UNDERLINED WORDS ARE

relative pronouns. Relative pronouns are used to introduce a clause that modifies a noun or a noun phrase.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Relative pronouns

that, which, who, whom, whose, whichever, whoever, whomever

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions – who, whom, which, what, whose. These pronouns represent the thing or person that the speaker is requesting information about.

Example:Who is that woman in the short black skirt?

What is in that box?

SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS

1)Alec and Aria love you. (You is the object)

2)They were happy with the gifts. (They is the subject)

SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS

  Singular Plural

Subjects I, you, she, he, it

you, we, they

Objects me, you, her, him, it

us, you, them

PRACTICE EXERCISE

Write a paragraph (not exceeding 50 words) describing how to make your and your friend prepare your favourite meal. Use as many pronouns as you possibly can.