Pronouns Words that replace a noun But, what’s a noun? Person Place Thing Idea Mr. Mason, student Timbuktu, the mountain Pig, face, ghost Religion, Transcendentalism

Going Pro Pronouns come in many varieties Subject Object pronouns I, you, he, she, it, they, we Object pronouns Me, you, him, her, it, us, them,

Look familiar? I We You You He/she/it They Je Nous Tu Vous Il/elle / on Ils

Different Types of Pronouns Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) “demonstrate” Indefinite (anybody, something, etc.) Personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they) Possessive pronouns (my, your, her, his, their) Who does it belong to? Relative (who, whom, whose, which, that)

Antecedents “ante”=before The noun to which the pronoun refers Let’s look at an example sentence. Mr. Mason likes to take Mr. Mason’s robot dinosaur for a walk. We replace the second “Mr. Mason” with “his” Mr. Mason likes to take his robot dinosaur for a walk.

Agreement There are three ways that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent Number Gender Person

Number If you have a singular antecedent, you need a singular pronoun He, She, I, It, Him, Her, Me Example: When Jack broke his ankle, Coach replaced him with a freshman point guard.

When the numbers don’t add up Make sure you match the numbers Our carnivorous friends rejected our invitation because he hates salad and tofu. “friends” is plural. You must use a plural pronoun Our carnivorous friends rejected our invitation because they hate salad and tofu.

Singularity Freddy wears _____ Superman outfit at least twice a week. Possessive singular Freddy’s parents believe that ______ son is slightly peculiar. Possessive plural

Believe it or Not All of the following are singular pronouns anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, neither, nobody, one, somebody, someone Incorrect: Everyone has their own views on bacon. Correct: Everyone has his or her own views on bacon. (Although, everyone knows that bacon is delicious)

Gender Language can be sexist You have to match the gender of the pronoun with the antecedent There are three genders in English Masculine, Feminine, Neutral

Neutral? It “It” is not “he” or “she” If the subject’s gender is unknown, play it safe Example: Everyone should bring his or her book to class. “everyone” is a singular, neutral pronoun “his or her” covers all possibilities

Masculine and Feminine Masculine pronouns include his, him, he Feminine pronouns include hers, her, she Freddy’s father is embarrassed by his son. However, Freddy’s mother thinks her son is cute.

Person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person Which do we use in formal writing?

Person 1st person pronouns : I, me 2nd person pronouns : you 3rd person pronouns : he, she, it, his, her Make sure they match up.

Making a Pair Example: If a person needs a hand, you should ask for help. Antecedent: a person Pronoun: you Uh-oh How do we fix it? If a person needs a hand, he or she should ask for help.

Writing Time Write a story using the correct pronouns. Make sure the gender, number, and person match You must include the following elements A sloth An underground lair Fifteen ninjas