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A) *DEFINITION: A pronoun substitutes for a noun.
· Rather than repeating the noun:
· Bob took a few final bites of Bob’s sandwich before Bob went to Bob’s one o’clock class.
· Bob took a few final bites of his sandwich before he went to his one o’clock class.
B) FORMS:
*HINT:
NAME=FUNCTION
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1) PERSONAL: |
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SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
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I, me |
we, us |
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you |
you |
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2) POSSESSIVE: |
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my, mine |
our, ours |
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your, yours |
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his, hers, its |
theirs |
3) DEMONSTRATIVE
· as PERSONAL pronouns replace people’s names and POSSESSIVE pronouns show ownership, DEMONSTRATIVE pronouns demonstrate, point to, point out
· this, that, these, those
· not “them”
· so, with all deference to Guido and Pink Floyd, the following are incorrect: How do you like them apples?! AND Hey! Teacher, leave them kids alone!
· These test results belong to those students.
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SINGULAR |
PLURAL |
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NEAR |
this |
these |
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FAR |
that |
those |
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4) INDEFINITE
· replace an indefinite, unnamed, undetermined set of nouns (do not know names or number)
· Everyone was glad there was no quiz on the homework.
| all | any | anybody | anyone | both | each | either |
| everyone | everybody | everything | few | many | more | much |
| neither | nobody | none | no one | one | several | some |
| somebody | someone | such |
5) RELATIVE
· show relationship to noun
· who, whom, whose, which, that
· not subject of the sentence
· clause=fragment
· Dracula’s castle, which was perched on the edge of a steep cliff, provided Jonathan Harker a stunning view of the Carpathian Mountains. (“relative clause”)
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6) REFLEXIVE
· refer back to the noun, intensify the nouns referred to
· *use only sparingly:
o used to show emphasis (“even God Himself”),
o used as an object in rare cases (“I bought myself a ticket.”)
o not used when objective form is required (Wrong: “Jacques went to Paris with myself.” Right: “Jacques went to Paris with me.)
o not used as a subject (Wrong: “Renee and myself went to the movies.” Right: “Renee and I went to the movies.”)
o used if the SUBJECT and OBJECT are one and the same (“I bought myself a hotdog for lunch on Monday.”)
· self = singular, selves = plural
· myself yourself himself/herself itself ourselves yourselves themselves
· The students behaved themselves on the class trip to the art museum.
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7) INTERROGATIVE
· used in questions; start questions
· who, which, what, where
· What did you expect me to do with this hastily written essay?
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8) RECIPROCAL
· refer to individual parts of the plural term
· each other, one another
· Although they did not know each other, Suzi and Ashley had to work together on the group assignment.
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| SUBJECT FORM | OBJECT FORM | POSSESSIVE FORM |
| I | me | my, mine |
| we | us | our, ours |
| you | you | your, yours |
| he/she/it | him/her/it | his/her or hers/its |
| they | them | their, theirs |
| who | whom | whose |
· when in doubt, simply drop the other noun or pronoun
· If we get past our differences, you and I/me can surely achieve our goals.
o “I can surely achieve our goals.” OR “ME can surely achieve our goals.”
· Us/We girls have got to stick together.
o “US have got to stick together.” OR “WE have got to stick together.”
D) *WHO versus WHOM:
· WHO=subject form
· WHOM=object form (to, for, from, about)
· simple solution: use “whom” if you can say “him” instead (“m” goes with “m”)
· To WHO/WHOM would you like to speak?
o You would like to speak to HE.
o You would like to speak to HIM.
· WHO/WHOM submitted this test without a name?
o HE submitted the test without a name.
o HIM submitted the test without a name.
E) *POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS:
· do NOT use apostrophes with possessive pronouns
· only NOUNS need (’s) to become possessive
· unlike NOUNS that need "surgical augmentation" to illustrate ownership, POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS are "born possessive" and therefore require no "cosmetic surgery"
(ITS)
· it’s = it is or it has
· The cat washed its paws.
· you would not write hi’s or his’, her’s, theirs’
(WHOSE)
· who’s = who is or who has
· Who’s on first?
· Whose book is on the table?
· Use possessive pronouns when they precede gerunds (-ing) .
· The result of your bickering will be my incarceration. (not you bickering)
· put yourself last in a list
· Rob, Jeanne, and I went to the library to study for the Biology exam.
· The professor yelled at her and me for not turning off our cellular telephones in the lecture hall.