Pronouns

Pronouns take the place of nouns, other pronouns, or phrases. –His, her, our, my, it, anybody, one, each, either, neither The word the pronoun refers to is called the antecedent. –The young man drove his car into the ravine.

Practice 1.Eric ordered baked chicken because it is his favorite dish. 2.Simon and Lee painted their room. 3.I like camping in the woods because it gives me a chance to be alone with my thoughts.

Practice 1.Eric ordered baked chicken because it is his favorite dish. 2.Simon and Lee painted their room. 3. I like camping in the woods because it gives me a chance to be alone with my thoughts.

Agreement A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and in person (male, female, it). –When Tom couldn’t find his pen, he asked to borrow mine. (singular and masculine) –The three sisters wanted to start their own business. (plural)

Indefinite Pronouns Anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone, nobody, no one, one, somebody, someone –Anyone can quit lying if he or she wants to. –Everybody should do his or her best to keep the room uncluttered. Use common sense and read the entire sentence –Someone left her new dress in the box. –Everyone is wearing his new tie.

Practice 1.Anyone can become a good cook if ____ tries. 2.Someone dropped ___ lipstick on the floor. 3.Everybody wants ___ career to be rewarding. 4.Everyone is entitled to ___ own opinion. 5.One should wear a necktie that does not clash with ____ suit.

Practice 1.Anyone can become a good cook if he or she tries. 2.Someone dropped her lipstick on the floor. 3.Everybody wants his or her career to be rewarding. 4.Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. 5.One should wear a necktie that does not clash with one’s suit.

Collective Nouns Collective nouns (team, class, jury) represent a group of people but are usually considered singular; they take singular pronouns. Most use it. –The jury reached its decision three hours ago. –The debate team won its tournament.

Common Collective Nouns ClassGroup College Jury CommitteePanel Company School FacultySociety FamilyTeam FlockTribe Government

Practice 1.My family gave me all ___ support when I took my driving test. 2.The government should reexamine ___ domestic policy. 3.The college honored ___ oldest graduate. 4.The two teams gave ___ fans a real show.

Practice 1.My family gave me all its support when I took my driving test. 2.The government should reexamine its domestic policy. 3.The college honored its oldest graduate. 4.The two teams gave their fans a real show.

Antecedents A pronoun must refer clearly to its antecedent. Avoid vague, repetitious, or confusing pronoun references. –Vague: At the box office, they said that tickets were no longer available. Revised: The cashier at the box office said… or At the box office I was told… –Vague: In the article, it says that Tyrone was a boxer. Revised: The article says that Tyrone was a boxer.

Review Fill in the correct pronoun. 1.Each of the men wanted to be ___ own boss. 2.One of the saleswomen left ___ sample case on the counter. 3.Neither of the actors knew ____ lines by heart. 4.Each of the arguments had __ flaws and __ strengths.

Review Fill in the correct pronoun and identify the antecedent. 1.When a man buys a wedding ring, ___ follows an age-old tradition. 2.Grooms gave ___ brides gold rings five thousand years ago. 3.By Roman times, gold rings became more affordable, so ordinary people could buy ___. 4.The Venetians knew that setting a diamond ring was an excellent way of displaying ___ beauty.

Review Fill in the correct pronoun. 1.Each of the men wanted to be his own boss. 2.One of the saleswomen left her sample case on the counter. 3.Neither of the actors knew his lines by heart. 4.Each of the arguments had its flaws and its strengths.

Review Fill in the correct pronoun and identify the antecedent. 1.When a man buys a wedding ring, he follows an age-old tradition. 2.Grooms gave their brides gold rings five thousand years ago. 3.By Roman times, gold rings became more affordable, so ordinary people could buy them. 4.The Venetians knew that setting a diamond ring was an excellent way of displaying its beauty.