1. 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

2. 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,

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

4. 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)

5. 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.

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

7. 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.

8. 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.

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

10. 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)

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

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

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

16. 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.

17. 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