Pronouns

1. anybody we Pronouns it Pronouns are small, simple words we use in place of nouns. they you

2. Pronouns take the place of nouns. The word or phrase replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent.

3. Subject & Object Pronouns She threw a frying pan at him.

4. Personal Pronouns Refer to people or things Include: I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs, we, us, our, ours. ME!

5. Possessive, Reflexive & Demonstrative Pronouns

6. Indefinite & Relative Pronouns

7. Pronoun reference… • It is very important for the reader to know who or what the pronoun refers to: • “Joey told Billy that he was too fat!” Who is too fat, Billy or Joey ? It is not clear! • Better to say, “Joey told Billy, “I am too fat.” • The pronoun you need to be most careful with isThey– They raised prices.–who is they? - They started a war.– who is they? • Remember to make it clear what the referent is!

8. Pronoun Agreement • Pronouns agree when a singular pronoun refers to a singular noun: “Each man in the boat was happy when he knew he had won the race.” • Or when a plural pronoun agrees with a plural noun: “All thepeople in the boat were happy when they knew they had they won the race.”

9. Pronoun Point of View (POV) • Pronouns should stay consistent in POV: • If you start writing in the 1st person –I, me, we, us, my, etc. – stay in the 1st person • In the 2nd person – you, your, yours –stay there! • Same for the 3rd person – he, she, it, they, them and so on – keep it in the 3rd person • The most common mistake is shifting from the 3rd to the 2ndperson: “If a student studies really hard, you will do well on the test.”

10. REMEMBER! • Be absolutely sure that it is clear who or what the pronoun refers to! • Always watch out when you use they “The owners decided they needed to raise prices.” they The owners