pronouns
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TRANSCRIPT
Pronouns
Pronoun RulesSubjects
Rule #1Use a subject pronoun when it is the subject of a sentence or clause.Example:• I
• You signed up for a marathon.• He • She • It• We • They
Pronoun Rules Object Pronouns
Rule #2When the pronoun takes the place of a noun in the object position, use an object pronoun.Common mistake: Janice invited Jamal and I to the party.
Correct: Janice invited Jamal and me to the party.
The party surprised_______.Singular• me• you • him, her, itPlural• us • you• them
Object Pronouns
When the pronoun takes the place of a noun in the object position, use an object pronoun: • me• you• him• her• it• us • them
Example:Jazmine’s cat, Cutie, likes to play with her when she gets home from work.
Instead of repeating the name Jazmine, we replace the noun with the object pronouns her and she.
Pronoun Rules Object Pronouns
Rule #3Use the object pronoun when it is the object of a preposition.• The party was for_______.
Singular• me• you• him, her, it
Plural• us• you• them
Possessive Pronouns
Rule #4 A possessive pronoun takes the place of a noun and tells us who the noun belongs to. • The sundae is______.
Singular Plural
my, mine our, ours
your, yours your, yours
his, her, hers their, theirs
* Never use an apostrophe with a possessive pronoun.
Pronouns as Possessive Adjectives
Rule #5 A possessive pronoun adjective tells us who something belongs to, but it must be immediately followed by the noun that it is describing.• That is________ cake.
Singular» my » your» his, her, itsPlural» our» your» their
Pronoun –AntecedentAgreement
Rule #6 The antecedent is the noun that a pronoun has taken the place of.
Juana told Jose that she was tired of his attitude.
Practice
1. A student can receive feedback on (his or her, their) papers in the online writing lab.– The singular antecedent student must agree with the
singular pronoun his or her.
2. When people train for a marathon, (you, they) should not run every day. – The plural antecedent people must agree with the plural
pronoun they.
Tricky Antecedents: Indefinite pronouns
everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody
These are singular and all pronouns that refer to these indefinite pronouns must be singular.
Everyone in the movie theatre was wearing glasses.
TIP!! If you look at the second syllable in the indefinite pronoun, you will see why they are singular.
*everyONE*everyBODY*someONE*someBODY*anyONE*anyBODY
Tricky Antecedents: Collective nouns
family, class, government, team, group, couple, crowd, faculty, staff, public
When a collective noun refers to a single unit, it is singular and neutral. • The class is large. It consists of twenty-nine students.
When a collective noun refers to a collection of individuals, it is plural.• The class presented their projects today. (Each member of the class presented his or her
project.