1. Pronouns!

2. What on earth is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.
An antecedent is the noun a pronoun stands for. A pronoun does NOT ALWAYS have a clear antecedent.

3. Huh?
Think of an antecedent like a teacher and a pronoun like a substitute teacher.
Your size zero 5’10” English teacher
Dapper, yet petite substitute
Antecedent
Pronoun

4. Pronouns and Antecedents
In school, sometimes a substitute comes and takes the place of a teacher.
Similarly, sometimes a pronoun comes and takes the place of an antecedent.
For example:
Ms. Leuschel stubbed her toe and she screamed.
This sentence is actually saying…
Ms. Leuschel stubbed Ms. Leuschel’s toe and Ms. Leuschel screamed.
So which words are pronouns playing the substitute teacher?

5. Pronouns and Antecedents
Ms. Leuschel stubbed her toe and she screamed.
In this sentence, “her” and “she” are the pronouns, which are substituting temporarily for the antecedent “Ms. Leuschel.”

6. Pronouns and Antecedents
Let’s try another example:
The meeting was boring because it lasted two hours!
What is this really saying?
The meeting was boring because the meeting lasted two hours!
Where are the pronoun(s) and antecedent(s)?
“it” is substituting for “the meeting” for a moment, just like a substitute teacher temporarily takes the place of the teacher!

7. Types of Pronouns…Yowza!
There are six types of pronouns! Yikes!
Luckily you don’t have to memorize which pronouns fall into which type.
Be prepared, however, to understand that all of these words can be used as pronouns and be able to recognize when they are!

8. Personal Pronouns (p. 9 of Language Network)
Personal pronouns stand for people and things. They are the most common and easiest to identify.
Singular Personal Pronouns:
I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it
Plural Personal Pronouns:
we, us, you, they, them

9. Personal Pronoun Examples
Bruno gave Ethel a valentine because he really likes her.
He tripped on his shoelace because it was untied.
Hubert and Ray are on the same team. They are members of The Dragons.

10. Possessive Pronouns (p. 9 of Language Network)
Possessive pronouns show ownership.
Singular Possessive Pronouns:
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its
Plural Possessive Pronouns:
our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs
Note!: “Mines” is not a possessive pronoun! It’s a place where this man works.

11. The most debated topic…of all time…
Possessive Pronouns
The most debated topic…of all time…
ITS V. IT’S!
Its: Possessive pronoun showing ownership
It’s: Contraction for “it is” or “it has”
NEVER EVER INTERCHANGABLE!

12. Possessive Pronouns ITS V. IT’S! The puppy hurt ______ paw.
The backpack is useless because _____ zipper broke.
The bus annoys me because _____ always late!
____ not acceptable to use derogatory language in Club 281.
its
its
it’s
It’s

13. Possessive Pronoun Examples:
Francine forgot to brush her teeth!
Francine forgot to brush her teeth! (The teeth are owned by Francine.)
Is the book yours?
Is the book yours? (no clear antecedent) (The book is owned by you.)
Bernard and I know the dance trophy is ours!
Bernard and I know the dance trophy is ours! (The trophy is owned by Bernard and I.)

14. Reflexive Pronouns (p. 11 of Language Network)
The “self” pronouns
Singular Reflexive Pronouns:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
Plural Reflexive Pronouns:
ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Note!:
“hisself” and “theirselves” are NOT WORDS!

15. Reflexive Pronoun Examples:
The boy impressed himself by earning an A!
We praised ourselves for the effort.
The kitten meowed at itself in the mirror.

16. Demonstrative Pronouns (p. 11 of Language Network)
Indicate whether things you are pointing out are close or far away
“Pointing pronouns”
Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns:
this, that, these, those

17. Demonstrative Pronoun Examples:
I want that!
I want that! (no clear antecedent)
I don’t understand this.
I don’t understand this. (no clear antecedent)
Whose are these?
Whose are these? (no clear antecedent)

18. Indefinite Pronouns (p. 12 of Language Network)
Does not refer to a specific person, place, or thing.
Usually doesn’t have an antecedent
Singular Indefinite Pronouns:
another, anybody, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something
Plural Indefinite Pronouns:
both, few, many, several
Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns:
all, any, more, most, none, some

19. Indefinite Pronoun Examples:
Everybody is coming to the party!
Everybody is coming to the party! (no clear antecedent)
Many of the people arrived early.
Many of the people arrived early. (no clear antecedent)
I want some!
I want some! (no clear antecedent)

20. Indefinite Pronoun Trick!
Because indefinite pronouns can be a little trickier to identify, look for “of” phrases. Indefinite pronouns often start these phrases.
For example:
Several of the people…
All of the waiters…
Some of the students…
Most of the women…
Be careful, though! This does NOT always work!
Anybody of the…
Anything of the…
Someone of the…

21. Interrogative and Relative Pronouns (p. 12 of Language Network)
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask a question (“interrogate”). They rarely have antecedents, as the antecedent is usually revealed in the answer.
Examples: who, whom, whose, which, what
Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses (a fancy way of saying a descriptive group of words). The antecedent is usually the word directly in front of the pronoun.
Examples: who, whom, whose, which, that

22. Interrogative Pronoun Examples:
Which is your favorite?
Which is your favorite? (no clear antecedent)
Who is coming to the game?
Who is coming to the game? (no clear antecedent)
What are you doing later?
What are you doing later? (no clear antecedent)

23. Relative Pronoun Examples:
The kid who was tallest made the team.
The car that was leaking was Ann’s.
The test, which was difficult, was 12 pages long!

24. So why is it important to know this riff raff anyway?
Ineffective use of pronouns can result in awkward, inaccurate, wordy, and confusing writing. Without the ability to identify and understand pronouns and antecedents, it’s difficult to identify and revise these errors within your own work.
For example…

25. Pronoun Problems Take the radio out of the car and fix it.
Fix what? The radio or the car?
Bob and Rodney were great friends, but he still refused to lend him money.
Who refused to lend? Bob or Rodney?
The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating it anyway.
They were tired of eating the dish?
The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.
A television station can’t answer a phone! And who is “they”?
The student lost their backpack.
Who’s “their”? It’s plural while the antecedent is singular (“student”)!
We must be able to identify pronouns and antecedents in order to revise these errors. We will learn more about fixing these as the year progresses! 

26. Let’s practice identifying pronouns! Wahoo!
Identify the pronoun. Then find its antecedent (if it has one).
What is the best way to get good seats for a concert?
The best way to find out is to ask the ticket sellers themselves.
All agree that there is no special advantage to getting to the box office early.
MaryAnne lost her shoe in the mud.
Some of the students ended the year with perfect attendance!
I want some of that!

27. The End!
…or is it?