Pronouns!

What’s a Pronoun? Have you ever wondered where pronouns came from in the first place? Probably not! We seem to take these little words for granted. How about some background information?

What’s a Pronoun? First, let’s get some definitions. A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or another pronoun. The word the pronoun replaces is called its antecedent Pronouns without antecedents are called unprecursed pronouns

What’s a Pronoun? In English, all of our nouns and pronouns fall into one of three categories, called cases. These cases are called subject (or nominative), object (or accusative/dative), and possessive (or genitive).

Review So, to review… We learned that a pronoun replaces a ______ or another ________. We also learned that the word a pronoun replaces is called the _________. And we know that the cases a pronoun can be in are ________, _________, and _________.

Personal Pronouns! Personal pronouns change their forms to reflect person, number, and case.  Person: Personal Pronouns have different forms for first person, second person, and third person.  Number: Pronouns can be singular or plural  Case: Personal pronouns change their forms depending on how they are used in a sentence. Each pronoun has three cases: subject, object, and possessive.

Personal Pronouns! Let’s look at some examples! These are my cats, Schroedinger and Memphis. Memphis is the black one, and Schroedinger is the brown tabby. They’re going to help us learn about pronouns!

Personal Pronouns! Person: Pronouns have different forms for first, second, and third person.  First Person: Hi! My name is Schroedinger. I am a cat! Give me a hug!  Second Person: Hey! Your name is Schroedinger. You are a cat. Let’s give you a hug!  Third Person: Yo! His name is Schroedinger. He is a cat. Give him a hug!

Personal Pronouns! Number: Pronouns can be singular or plural.  Singular: I am the cutest cat ever. Don’t you think? You should give me all the cat toys!  Plural: We are the cutest cats ever! Don’t you listen to Schroedinger, you should give us all the cat toys to share! Did you notice something about the second person forms?

Personal Pronouns! Case: Personal pronouns change their forms depending on how they are used in a sentence. Each pronoun has three cases: Subject, object, and possessive.  So far, all of our examples have used pronouns in all three cases, so I bet you can guess what the cases mean!

Personal Pronouns! Subject: A pronoun is in the subject case when it is the subject of a sentence.  He is a cat. – They are cats. You should also use the subject form for predicate pronouns. They follow linking verbs and rename the subject.  Predicate pronouns often sound like they come from “backwards” sentences. You can say “He is a cat,” and sound normal, but “A cat is he” is grammatically correct, and it’s a predicate pronoun!

Personal Pronouns! Object: A pronoun is in the object case when it is used as a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.  I should hug him. – I should hug them.  I should give him the cat toys. – I should give them the cat toys.  I should buy new cat toys for him. – I should buy new cat toys for them.

Personal Pronouns! Possessive: A pronoun is in the possessive case when it shows ownership of something.  I gave Schroedinger all the cat toys. The cat toys are his. Those are his cat toys.  I gave Schroedinger and Memphis all the cat toys. The cat toys are theirs. Those are their cat toys. Hey! Those words changed! Why do you think that is?  The pronouns my, your, her, his, our, and their come before nouns.  The pronouns mine, yours, hers, his, ours, and theirs can stand alone.