Mastering Pronouns: Types, Examples & Practice for Better Grammar

1. Pronouns

2. What is a pronoun? • A pronoun is a word that is used in place of one or more nouns or pronouns.

3. Types of Pronouns • Personal • Reflexive • Intensive • Demonstrative • Interrogative • Relative • Indefinite

4. Personal Pronoun • A personal pronoun refers to the one speaking (first person), the one spoken to (second person), and the one spoken about (third person).

5. Personal Pronouns

6. Personal Pronoun Practice 1st Person: ______ went to New York to see a Broadway play. 2nd Person: I want ___________ to tell me about the robbery. 3rd Person: I met the two girls as _______were leaving the store.

7. Identifying Antecedents • A pronoun usually refers to a noun or another pronoun that comes before it. The word that a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent. • A pronoun should agree in number and gender with its antecedent. • A pronoun that refers to a singular antecedent is singular in number.

8. Examples of Pronouns and Their Antecedents • Singular: • The lady struggled with her large dog. • Plural: • The mother hens watched their chicks carefully.

9. Pronoun—Antecedent Practice The kittens played with _____________ tails. Angela always wants _____________ own way. When Janie dropped the ball, the boys laughed at ___________ embarrassment.

10. Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns • A reflexive pronoun refers to the subject of a sentence and functions as a complement or as an object of a preposition. • An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent and has no grammatical function.

11. Reflexive and Intensive

12. Examples Using Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns • Reflexive: Tom bought himself a large hamburger. I bought myself the flowers. • Intensive: She will do it herself. I bought the flowers myself.

13. Reflexive—Intensive Practice • I will do it myself! (I) • The line itself seemed a mile long. (I) • Jo gave herself a pat on the back. (R) • The vine wound itself around the pole. (R) • Judy baked herself some cookies. (R) • He takes himself very seriously. (R)

14. Demonstrative Pronouns • A demonstrative pronoun is used to point out a specific person, place, thing, or idea.

15. Demonstrative Pronouns Example: That is the boy’s favorite school cheer. I will bring those later.

16. Interrogative Pronouns • An interrogative pronoun introduces a question.

17. Interrogative Pronouns • Who will carry my books? • To whom do you wish to speak? • Which way is it to the concert hall? • What are you doing this evening? • Whose choice is it this time?

18. Relative Pronouns • A relative pronoun introduces a subordinate clause.

19. Using Relative Pronouns • The flower that you gave me was lovely. • He took the easiest way home, which just happened to be through the park. • She is going with the boy who asked her first. • He is a person whom people either love or hate. • The one whose ticket was pulled won the prize.

20. Indefinite Pronouns • An indefinite pronoun refers to one or more persons, places, ideas, or things that may or may not be specifically named.

21. Indefinite Pronouns

22. Indefinite Pronouns Examples • Mary told everyone about the accident. • All of us will be going to the performance. • Everything is all right. • Neither Tom nor Bob will be pitching tonight. • Nothing stands between me and chocolate. • Somebody is going to pay for this. • Such is the stuff dreams are made of.

23. Identifying Pronouns • Remember! The function of the pronoun in the sentence determines which type of pronoun it is.