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TRANSCRIPT
Terms
*pronoun
*antecedent
personal pronouns
reflexive pronouns
Intensive pronouns
reciprocal pronouns
*demonstrative pronouns
*relative pronouns
*indefinite pronouns
*These are significant as they apply to your writing. You will need to understand how to use these in a sentence.
Definitions
Pronouns are words that stand for nouns or for
words that take the place of nouns.
They help writers and speakers avoid awkward
repetition of nouns.
Antecedents are nouns to which pronouns refer.
Pronouns take their meaning from these words.
*Pronouns & Antecedents
Michael said he lost his watch at the fair.
When the Lees moved, they gave their pets to me.
Attending the state fair is tiring, but it is fun.
Because of its carnival, Rottwell, Germany is my
favorite city.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns refer to the person speaking
(first person), the person spoken to (second
person), or the person, place, or thing spoken
about (third person).
Personal Pronouns
Singular Plural
First Person I me my mine
we, us our, ours
Second Person you your, yours
you your, yours
Third Person he, him, his she, her, hers It its
they, them their, theirs
Reflexive & Intensive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun ends in –self or –selves and
indicates that someone or something in the
sentence acts for or on itself.
A reflexive pronoun is essential to the meaning of
the sentence.
An intensive pronoun ends in –self or –selves and
simply adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun in the
sentence.
Reflexive & Intensive Pronouns
singular plural
first person myself ourselves
second person yourself yourselves
third person himself, herself, itself themselves
< Reflexive or Intensive?
Examples
Reflexive The settlers prepared themselves for the
approaching winter.
…acting as a direct object: The settlers prepared
who or what? The settlers prepared themselves.
Intensive John Smith himself wrote an account of the
meeting.
In the second example, you can omit the pronoun and
retain the meaning of the sentence. In the first, you can
not.
Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns show a mutual action or
relationship.
Each other and one another refer to a plural
antecedent. They express a mutual action or
relationship.
The two dogs shook water all over each other.
The class collected autographs from one another.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask a question.
Sometimes the antecedent is not known.
what, which, who,
whom, & whose
Who let the dogs out?
*Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns are used to point out
one or more nouns. They direct attention to a
specific person, place, or thing.
There are only four!!
Demonstrative Pronouns
singular plural
this, that these, those
Examples
Demonstrative pronouns may come before or
after their antecedents.
Before That is the ranch I would like to own.
After I hope to visit Butte and Helena. Those
are my first choices.
*This, That, These, Those: Pronoun or Determiner?
As you learned, this, that, these, and those can
all be determiners in a noun phrase. So, how do
you know if they are acting as determiners or as
a pronoun?
Determiner: A noun will directly follow, and it
answers the question, “Which one(s)?”
EX: this potato, these strange Freshman
Pronoun: It will act as a subject or object
EX: That was easy! I would never buy those.
*Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to relate one idea in a sentence to another. These pronouns introduce an adjective clause and connect the clause to the word that the clause modifies.
Sound familiar? You learned about these as one way to fix fragment sentences that lack a subject by affixing predicates onto another sentence.
relative pronouns
that which who whom whose
Examples
We read a book that contained an account of
the settler’s experiences.
The settlers who had written it described their
hardships.
The winter, which they knew would be harsh, was
fast approaching.
*Comma Use: that v. which
Do not use commas with “that”.
“That” introduces restrictive clauses that give you more specific
information about a noun (Which noun?), so the clause is
necessary and does not take a comma.
EX: The blouse that I bought yesterday already ripped!
The relative clause gives you more specific information about
which blouse is being discussed.
Do use commas with “which”
“Which” introduces a non-restrictive clauses that give more
information about an already specified noun.
EX: This blouse, which I just bought yesterday, already ripped!
It is already clear which blouse is being discussed (this blouse),
so the clause is just giving extra, unnecessary information.
*Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns sometimes lack a specific antecedent and refer to a person, place, or thing that may or may not be specifically named.
It’s important to know which are singular or plural so your pronouns and antecedent agree!
Indefinite Pronouns
singular plural both
another everyone nothing both all
anybody everything one few any
anything much somebody many more
each neither someone others most
either nobody something several none
everybody no one some
Indefinite Pronouns
Sometimes have antecedents: no specific antecedent Many have visited Gettysburg. specific antecedent One of the students sang. Can also function as adjectives: adjective Few orchestras are famous.
*Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in both gender and number.
Correct the following sentences if needed. Be aware of indefinite pronouns!
1. The student must complete the project, then they have to evaluate it.
2. All of the baseball players ran their hardest at practice.
3. Everyone for themselves!
Pronoun Practice
Complete Exercises
1.1C, 1.1D, 1.1E, 1.1F
on pages 10 & 11
Prentice Hall Grammar Handbook
Complete Exercises
1.1 G, 1.1H
on page 13
Prentice Hall Grammar Handbook