Pronouns 101

 Pronouns and Antecedents

 Types of Pronouns  Personal, Reflexive, Intensive  Demonstrative, Interrogative, Reflective  Indefinite Pronouns and Antecedents

 PRONOUN = word used in place of noun(s) or pronoun(s).

 The word a pronoun stands in for is called the “antecedent.”

 “ante” is a prefix meaning “before” Examples:

1) The children gave themselves a big round of applause.

2) Don and Carla finally solved the algebra problem.

They had worked on it for hours. Pronouns and Antecedents

Lizzy told her mother that her

sweater had some holes in it.

When Alexander drove the car

through the garage door,

he badly damaged it. Practice: Identifying Pronouns and Their Antecedents

6. Juanita lent Dominic her calculator. He had left his in his locker.

7. Brian and Marla play golf whenever they can. It is their favorite sport.

8. Ahmal hopes to compete in the next Olympic games. Where will they be held?

9. Did Carolyn sprain her ankle while she was skating?

10. Carlos and Ann decided they could not stay indoors on such a beautiful day. PERSONAL, REFLEXIVE, AND INTENSIVE PRONOUNS Personal Pronouns . . .

 refer to  the one(s) speaking (1st person),  the one(s) spoken to (2nd person), or  the one(s) spoken about (3rd person) Singular Plural 1st Person I, me we, us Possessive: my, mine Possessive: our, ours 2nd Person you you Possessive: your, yours Possessive: your, yours 3rd Person Masculine: he, him Possessive: his they, them Feminine: she, her Possessive: hers Possessive: their, theirs Neuter: it Possessive: its Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

 Pronouns that end in –self or –selves are either reflexive or intensive.

 Reflexive and intensive pronouns have the same forms but different uses. Reflexive Pronouns

 A reflexive pronoun refers to another word in the sentence. It cannot be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

 Example: The coach congratulated himself. Intensive Pronouns

 An intensive pronoun is used with a noun or pronoun to emphasize or intensify it.

 It can be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

 Example: He himself had trained these fine athletes. Both reflexive and intensive pronouns must agree in person, gender, and number.

Singular Plural

1st Person myself ourselves

2nd Person yourself yourselves

3rd Person Masculine: himself themselves Feminine: herself Neuter: itself Be careful!

 Do not use hisself, ourself, or theirselves.

 Also be careful not to use a reflexive or intensive pronoun in place of a personal pronoun. Example: Rudy and I wore Olympic jackets. (Rudy and myself is incorrect.) DEMONSTRATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND RELATIVE PRONOUNS Demonstrative Pronouns . . .

 THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE

 Used to point out specific person(s), place(s), thing(s), or idea(s)

 EXAMPLE:

 Singular: This is a photo of my pen pal from France.

 Plural: These are photos of my pen pal from France.

 Singular: That is a photo of my pen pal from France.

 Plural: Those are photos of my pen pal from France. Interrogate = Interrogative Pronouns ask questions of

 who, whom, whose, which

 introduce questions

 Examples:

 What is the capital of Canada?

 Which sandwich is mine?

 To whom are you speaking?

 Who owns that red car? Relative Pronouns

 who, whom, whose, which, that

 introduce subordinate (dependent) clauses

 Examples:

 My brother works at the animal shelter that is located on Sycamore Street.

 Tim, whose mouth was covered in chocolate frosting, denied eating his sister’s birthday cake. Indefinite Pronouns

 An indefinite pronoun refers to one or more person(s), place(s), thing(s), or idea(s) that may or may not be specifically named.

 Some common indefinite pronouns include all, another, anybody, both, each, either, everyone, many, nothing, several, and some.

 Examples: A few of the students had already read most of the books on the list. Singular another – Thanks, I'll have another. anybody – Anybody can see the truth. anyone – Anyone can see this. anything – Anything can happen if you just believe. either – Either will do. enough – Enough is enough. Plural everybody – Everybody was invited. both – Both are guilty. everyone – Everyone had a cup of coffee. few – Few were chosen. everything – Everything disappeared. fewer – Fewer are going to church these days. less – Less is known about this period of history. many – Many were chosen. little – Little is known about this period of history. others – Others can worry about that. much – Much was discussed at the meeting. several – Several were chosen. neither – In the end, neither was selected. no one – No one thinks that you are mean Singular or plural nobody – Nobody wants to be one of the contestants. all – All is lost. nothing – Nothing is impossible. any – Any will do. one – One might see it that way. more – More is better. other – One was singing while the other played the piano. most – Most would agree. [2] plenty – Thanks, that's plenty. none – None of those people are related to me. somebody – Somebody has to take care of it. some – Some of the biscuits have been eaten. someone – Someone should fix that. such – Such is life. something – Something makes me want to dance. whatever – Take whatever you like. whoever – Whoever did this? whichever – Choose whichever is better.