PRONOUNSMy friend was telling me what a great time she had

in Florida this summer. She and her brother had gone to visit their uncle and aunt.

"Him and her sure gave a nice present to he and I,"

said my friend.

"All four pronouns wrong," I said. "Can't do any better than that!"

Fix the pronouns!O See if you can replace the four

incorrect pronouns with CORRECT pronouns.

O WRONG: Him and her sure gave a nice present to he and I.

How did you do?O (WRONG: Him and her sure gave a nice

present to he and I.)O CORRECT: He and she sure gave a nice

present to him and me.O CORRECT (even better): He and she sure

gave us a nice present.O ALSO CORRECT: He and she sure gave

him and me a nice present.O ALSO CORRECT: They sure gave us a

nice present.

What is a pronoun?O a word that can be used in place of a

noun (person, place, thing, or idea)

Personal pronounsO used in place of a person’s name or

a thing’s nameO I, you, he, she, it, we, theyO me, you, him, her, us, themO my, mine, your, yours, his, her, its,

our, their

Example:

Reflexive pronounsO like a personal pronoun, but ends in

–selfO myself, yourself, himself, herself,

itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Example:

Demonstrative pronouns

O point out somethingO this, that, these, those

O can be used by itselfO Hold this.

O can be used with a noun, as an adjectiveO Who is this guy?

Indefinite pronounsO refer to a vague or unknown person or

thingO all, another, any, anybody, anyone,

anything, both, each, either, every, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, much, neither, no one, nobody, none, one, other, several, some, somebody, someone, something, such

O (Write down a few common indefinite pronouns.)

Example:

Interrogative pronounsO used to ask a question

O what, which, who, whom, whose

Relative pronounsO introduce a dependent clause

O that, what, whatever, which, whichever, who, whoever, whom, whomever, whose

O He’s the guy who stole my heart.O This is the house that had great

Christmas decorations.

Example:

Why have pronouns?O To avoid something like this:

Ralph smuggled Ralph’s stuffed piranha into the Kramdens’ apartment, sneaked the stuffed piranha out of Ralph’s jacket, and was slipping the stuffed piranha into Ralph’s wife’s curio cabinet, when suddenly Alice walked into the Kramden’s living room, clutched Alice’s heart, and screamed, “Ralph, get the stuffed piranha out of Alice’s house!”

Isn’t this much better?O Ralph smuggled his stuffed piranha

into the Kramdens’ apartment, sneaked it out of his jacket, and was slipping it into his wife’s curio cabinet, when suddenly Alice walked into their living room, clutched her heart, and screamed, “You get that out of my house!”

O Pronouns save time!

That v. WhichO Which is correct?

O A) Nobody likes a dog that bites.OR

O B) Nobody likes a dog which bites.

If you picked A, you are correct!

O If you can drop the clause and still make sense, use WHICH. (If it is extra/unessential information.)

O If you can’t, use THAT.O Example:

O Buster’s bulldog, which had one white ear, won best in show.

O The dog that won best in show was Buster’s bulldog.

Which v. ThatO Just remember…

Commas, which cut out the fat, Go with which, never with that.

Its v. It’sO If you can substitute it is, use it’s.O Its is a pronoun and shows

possession.

O It’s so hot outside!O Its pages were worn because the

book had been read many times.

Who’s v. WhoseO If you can substitute who is, use

who’s.O Whose is a pronoun and shows

possession.

O Who’s going to the party tomorrow?O Whose family is hosting the party?

You’re v. YourO If you can substitute you are, use

you’re.O Your is a pronoun and shows

possession.

O You’re the new high jump champion!O It will be difficult for anyone to beat

your record.

Who v. WhomO Who does something (it’s a subject,

like he).O Whom has something done to it (it’s

an object, like him).

O Try substituting he or him. If he fits, use who. If him fits, use whom.O Who wrote the letter?O For whom should I vote?

They’re, Their, ThereO They’re = they areO Their = a pronoun; shows possessionO There = in or at that place

O They’re very frugal. They do not like spending their money, so I don’t think we should go there for vacation.

Singular pronounsO Are everybody having fun? ORO Is everybody having fun?

O Everybody is a singular pronoun. So is anybody, anyone, everyone, nobody, no one, somebody, someone, each, either, and neither.

Singular pronounsO Everyone seems happy with his or

her grade. NOT their grade.O Has anyone lost her purse? NOT

their purse.O Neither player was wearing his

jersey. NOT their jersey.

O It may sound strange because we are used to making mistakes!

O Information in this PowerPoint has been borrowed from

O’Conner, Patricia T. Woe Is I. New York: Riverhead Books, 1996. Print.