Pronouns Pronouns are small, simple words we use in place of nouns.

Pronouns take the place of nouns. The word or phrase replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent.

Subject & Object Pronouns Subject Pronouns SingularPlural 1stIWe 2 nd YouYou 3 rd He, she, it They Object Pronouns SingularPlural 1 st MeUs 2 nd YouYou 3 rd Him, her, it Them She threw a frying pan at him.

Personal Pronouns Refer to people or things ME! Include: I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs, we, us, our, ours.

Possessive, Reflexive & Demonstrative Pronouns Possessive MyMine YourYours His, her, its His, hers, its OurOurs YourYours TheirTheirsReflexiveMyself Yourself Himself, herself, itself Ourselves Yourselves ThemselvesDemonstrativeThis These That Those

Indefinite & Relative Pronouns [-one words] [-body words] OneNobodyEach AnyoneAnybodyEither EveryoneEverybodyNeither SomeoneSomebodyneither All of these indefinite pronouns are singular All and Both are plural. WhoWhose Whom Which that

Pronoun reference… It is very important for the reader to know who or what the pronoun refers to: It is very important for the reader to know who or what the pronoun refers to: “Joey told Billy that he was too fat!” “Joey told Billy that he was too fat!” Who is too fat, Billy or Joey ? It is not clear! Better to say, “Joey told Billy, “I am too fat.” Better to say, “Joey told Billy, “I am too fat.” The pronoun you need to be most careful with is They – They raised prices. –who is they? The pronoun you need to be most careful with is They – They raised prices. –who is they? - They started a war. – who is they? - They started a war. – who is they? Remember to make it clear what the referent is! Remember to make it clear what the referent is!

Pronoun Agreement Pronouns agree when a singular pronoun refers to a singular noun: Pronouns agree when a singular pronoun refers to a singular noun: “Each man in the boat was happy when he knew he had won the race.” Or when a plural pronoun agrees with a plural noun: Or when a plural pronoun agrees with a plural noun: “All the people in the boat were happy when they knew they had they won the race.”

Pronoun Point of View (POV) Pronouns should stay consistent in POV: Pronouns should stay consistent in POV: If you start writing in the 1 st person –I, me, we, us, my, etc. – stay in the 1 st person If you start writing in the 1 st person –I, me, we, us, my, etc. – stay in the 1 st person In the 2 nd person – you, your, yours –stay there! In the 2 nd person – you, your, yours –stay there! Same for the 3 rd person – he, she, it, they, them and so on – keep it in the 3 rd person Same for the 3 rd person – he, she, it, they, them and so on – keep it in the 3 rd person The most common mistake is shifting from the 3 rd to the 2 nd person: The most common mistake is shifting from the 3 rd to the 2 nd person: “If a student studies really hard, you will do well on the test.”

REMEMBER! Be absolutely sure that it is clear who or what the pronoun refers to! Be absolutely sure that it is clear who or what the pronoun refers to! Always watch out when you use they Always watch out when you use they “The owners decided they needed to raise prices.”