Pronouns for Dummies

Pronouns!

Pronouns take the place of nouns. They agree in number and gender.

 

Nominative: I, he, she, you, it, we, they, and who.

 

Objective: Me, him, her, you, it, us, them, and whom.

 

Possessive: My, mine, his, her, hers, your, yours, it, its, our, ours, their, theirs, and whose.

Nominative

Nominative pronouns function as either the subject or predicate nominative in a sentence.

 

The subject of a sentence is who or what the sentence is about.

 

Example: The handle is broken.

 

Handle is the subject.

Objective

Objective pronouns function as the direct object, indirect object, and the object of the preposition.

 

The object of the preposition is the noun that follows a preposition.

 

A direct object receives the action of the verb.

 

The indirect object indirectly receives a direct object. To or for can be inserted mentally before an indirect object.

Pronouns/ Possessive 

Possessive pronouns are used before nouns and other pronouns and are often called possessive adjectives.

 

Correct: Their dog is so noisy!

Wrong: Theirs dog is so noisy!

 

Possessive pronouns DO NOT have an apostrophe (').

You're is not a possessive pronoun.

It's is not a possessive pronoun.

They're is not a possessive pronoun.

Antecedents

An antecedent is the noun or pronoun to which a possessive or a reflexive pronoun refers back in the sentences.

 

That cat lost its yarn.

 

The pronoun its refers back to cat.

(the cat lost the cat's yarn)

Cat is the noun its refers back to in the sentence.

Cat is the antecedent.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are: myself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, ourselves, and themselves.

Hisself and theirselves are incorrect. Never use them.

Reflexive pronouns reflect back to another noun or pronoun in a sentence. A reflexive pronoun will have an antecedent.

 

The lady washed the windows herself.

 

(Lady is the noun antecedent to which the reflexive pronoun, herself, refers.)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are: this, that, these, and those.

Example: I want that.

 

If this, that, these, or those modify or go over a noun or another pronoun, they are adjectives.

 

Pronoun: Give me those.

Adjective: Give me those sandwiches.

(Those is an adjective: those sandwiches)

Interrogative Pronouns 

Interrogative pronouns are: who, whom, whose, which, and what.

Interrogative pronouns ask a question.

Example: Who is your friend?

 

Whose, which, and what are pronoun when they stand alone. However, if they modify a noun or another pronoun, they function as adjectives.

Pronoun: Whose been selected?

Adjective: Whose paper is on the floor. 

Indefinites Continued

Some, many, few, several, and both are plural pronoun.

In making subject and very agree, do not add s to the verb.

 

Correct: Several feel bad about Mondays.

Wrong: Severals feel bad about Mondays.

 

Indefinites Continued

Each, either, neither, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, nobody, everyone, everybody, one, no one, another, anything, and nothing are singular pronouns.

 

In making subject and verb agree, add s to most verb forms in the present tense.

 

Wrong: Each like the new pony.

Correct: Each likes the new pony

Indefinites Continued

The possessive pronouns his, her, and its are used with singular indefinite pronouns: each, either, neither, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, nobody, no one, and another.

Example(s):

Each chooses his own course.

Neither or the teams won its championship.

One left its nest.

No one brought her towel to the pool.

In making subject and verb agree, be sure to find the subject by crossing out prepositional phrases.

Citation

Easy Grammar®: Plus Student Workbook