Download Pronoun Reference

Pronouns 1
Pronoun Usage
A noun is a word used to name a(n) person, place, thing, group, or idea.
A pronoun takes the place of a noun.
The pronoun’s antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaces. Note: an antecedent is
something that comes before something else. For example, a history class may discuss the
antecedents of the Civil War or the Great Depression. In grammar, an antecedent is the noun that
has come before the pronoun, and the pronoun refers back to it.
antecedent
pronoun
Cooper is my toy poodle. He thrives on playing fetch.
antecedents
pronoun
John and Jeff are teammates. They have been friends since childhood.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, as shown above.
Problems in agreement may occur if the pronoun is indefinite.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Singular
each
everyone
either
everybody
neither
no one
one
no body
anyone
anybody
someone
somebody
Plural
both
few
several
many
Sometimes singular / Sometimes plural
some
any
none
all
most
Incorrect
Each of the students brought their rough draft to class.
Singular
plural
Several of the boys brought his books.
plural
singular
Correct
Each of the students brought his or her rough draft to class.
Singular
Singular
Several of the boys brought their books.
plural
plural
Some of the students have their schedules for next semester.
Some of the crop is on its way to market.
Plural
plural
singular
singular
Note that in the example “Some of the crop is on its way to market,” the word crop refers to a
group or an amount that is thought of as one unit and is, therefore, singular.
Pronoun Reference
A pronoun’s antecedent must be clear. Problems in usage occur when either there is no
antecedent or the antecedent is unclear. Note the following examples.
Indefinite use of you, it, or they
Incorrect
They say that you only live once.
Correct
People may say that you only live once.
An old saying states that you only live once.
Incorrect
Doctors say that you cannot catch a cold from cold, rainy weather.
Correct
Doctors say that people cannot catch a cold from cold, rainy weather.
Pronouns 2
Implied pronoun reference
Incorrect
John is taking premed. courses, for he hopes to be one in the future. [Taking premed. courses
implies (or suggests) that John wants to be a doctor; however, the term doctor has not been
supplied as an antecedent.]
Correct
John is taking premed. courses, for he hopes to be a doctor in the future.
Incorrect
JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a popular novel. He invented a language, Elvish, which he
uses periodically in his tales. [JRR Tolkien’s is a proper adjective, not a noun which can serve as
an antecedent.]
Correct
JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is a popular novel. Tolkien invented a language, Elvish, which
he uses periodically in his tales.
Ambiguous pronoun reference
Incorrect
After the president and his assistant planned a new strategy, he called a conference. [Who called
the conference, the president or his assistant? The antecedent is ambiguous, or uncertain.]
Correct
After the president and his assistant planned a new strategy, the president called a conference.
Broad pronoun reference
Incorrect
Cindy decided to go to Africa for a summer internship, which worried her parents. [What
worried her parents? Not just Cindy or Africa, but the broad idea of her decision to go to Africa
for a summer internship.]
Correct [Reword the sentence so that which is not used.]
Cindy’s decision to go to Africa for a summer internship worried her parents.
Cindy decided to go to Africa for a summer internship. Her decision worried her parents.
When Cindy decided to go Africa for a summer internship, her parents became worried.
Titles as Antecedents
Incorrect
Pride and Prejudice
This is a favorite novel by Jane Austin. [A noun should be used in a paragraph before a
pronoun is used for it. For proper nouns, use an authors full name first; thereafter his or her last
name may be used in a paragraph and then replaced by a pronoun.]
Correct
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a favorite novel by Jane Austin.
Redundancy
Avoid unnecessary pronouns.
Incorrect
Correct
My father, he told me to finish my work.
My father told me to finish my work.
In the book, it says ...
The book says
Pronouns 3
Usage of Proper Pronoun Case
PRONOUN CASE
Subjective (nominative) case
singular
1st I
you
he, she, it
who, whoever
2nd
3rd
Objective case
Possessive Case
plural
singular
plural
we
you
they
me
us
you
you
him, her, it
them
whom, whomever
singular
plural
my, mine
our,* ours
your, yours
your, yours
his,** her,* hers, its**their,* theirs
* used as adjectives
** used as pronouns or adjectives
Use subjective case pronouns as subjects (s) and predicate nominatives (pn). Predicate
nominatives follow a linking verb (be verbs- am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) and rename
or describe the subject. They are in the same case asa the subject because the sentence can be
inverted. Note the following example:
s
pn
s
pn
John is the team captain. The team captain is John.
s
pn
pn
I am going home for summer.
This is she.
It was I who did the work.
s
pn
Jeffrey and I will be at the reception.
The chiefs for the new restaurant are Geogio and I.
s
s
When Sam and I finish, we will take a vacation. [Note: I is the subject of a dependent clause, and
we is the subject of the independent clause.)
s
The scholarship went to the student who had wrote the best essay. [Who is the subject of the
dependant clause.]
Use objective case pronouns as objects, such as an object of a preposition (op), direct object (do),
or indirect objects (io). A direct object comes after an action verb (av) and receives the action.
(Ask Subject + verb + who or what to find the direct object [John threw the ball.], or s+v+what,
to whom to find the indirect object [John threw Tom the ball.]) Note that all of these examples
involve pronouns that either follow action verbs or are in prepositional phrases.
s
av
do
John threw the ball. (John threw what? The ball; ball is the direct object.)
s
av
io
do
John threw Tom the ball. (John threw the ball to whom? Tom; Tom is the indirect object. Note
that an indirect object will come before the direct object)
av io
do
Please give her the papers.
av do
op
Mary helped him with the report. The gift is for her.
av
io
do s
op
After Mary showed him kindness, he reciprocated by being kind to her.
[In the dependant clause, him is an indirect object; in the independent clause, he is a subject and
her is an object of the preposition.]
op
Suzanna is the girl for whom Richard wrote the sonnet. [In the dependant clause, whom is the
object of the preposition.]
Pronouns 4
Appositives are in the same case as the word they rename.
op
ap of op
The grant was awarded to the winners, Susan and her.
s
ap of s
The debate team’s captains, Sam and she, are excused from class on Friday.
Note: If the pronoun is part of a compound element, try it be itself.
op
s
The party is for Susan and me. The party is for me. John and I will be there. I will be there.
Memorize- between you and me between him and her
Eliptical clauses are often used in a comparison and leave out understood words. They are
introduced by than or as...as. To choose the correct word, one must first complete the clause.
The debate helped the senator more than (she, her). av do
The debate helped the senator more than the debate helped her.
s
s
Brian is as tall as (he, him). Brian is as tall as he is tall.
Possessive pronouns
 Possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes.
 Possessive pronouns are used before gerunds. Remember that gerunds are –ing verbs
used as nouns; thus they are used as subjects, direct objects, or objects of prepositions.
s
My swimming was the door to my getting an athletic scholarship.
op
Samantha was appalled at his running from responsibility.
Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to a subject. For example, The young boy did the
project himself, without any parental help. Do not use reflexive pronoun when a personal
pronoun should be used.
Incorrect
The conflict was between John and myself.
Correct
The conflict was between John and me.
Note: Himself and themselves are reflexive pronouns; hisself and theirselves are not words.