PronounsPrepared by:

Mrs. S. Irizarry

Singular and Plural Pronouns• A pronoun takes the place of a noun. A personal

pronoun changes form depending on who or what is referred to and on the role it plays in a sentence.

Homer was a famous Greek writer. Homer lived many hundreds of years ago.

• Pronouns help avoid repetition of the same word. In the sentences above, the pronoun he is used instead of the noun Homer. In this way Homer does not need to be repeated.

He

• A personal pronoun is singular when it refers to one person, place, or thing. The pronoun he is singular.He is famous for writing poems of adventure.

• A personal pronoun is plural when it refers to more than one person, place, or thing. The pronoun we is plural.

We are going to read about the adventures of Odysseus.

Here is a list of the personal pronouns:

SINGULAR PLURALI, me, mine We, us, ours

You, yours You, yours

He, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its They, them, theirs

Exercise 1:• Underline the personal pronoun in each sentence.1. We still read stories from ancient Greece.2. They frequently tell about gods and goddesses.3. Some, however, tell us about the deeds of human

heroes. 4. Do you know much about Mount Olympus?5. It was the home of the gods.6. Aphrodite was a Greek goddess, and she was beautiful. 7. Have you heard of Odysseus?8. His was an epic tale that included many adventures.9. They were written about in two long poems by Homer.10. One of them is called The Odyssey.

Personal Pronouns:

• A personal pronoun names the speaker, the person spoken to, or the person, place, or thing spoken about.

1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person

Singular I, me, mine You, yours He, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its

Plural We, us, ours You, yours They, them, theirs

Exercise 1:

• Underline the first person pronoun in each sentence.

1. We studied ancient Greece.2. Our teacher assigned us a project.3. She said that ours could be on mythology.4. I chose the adventures of Odysseus as my

topic.5. A partner joined me to work on the project.

Exercise 2:

• Underline the second person pronoun in each sentence.

1. Have you ever read The Odyssey?2. I told you about this wonderful story, didn’t

I?3. When can you help me with this project on

The Odyssey?4. Is this project yours?

Exercise 3:• Underline the third person pronoun in each

sentence.1. Odysseus wanted to go home after the Trojan War,

but he and the crew encountered many problems along the way.

2. At one point they arrived at the island of Lotus Eaters.

3. The people there gave them a magical flower to eat.4. It made the crew forget about their homes and

wives.5. Odysseus had to force the crew to return to the

ships, and thus he saved them from the flower’s spell.

Subject Pronouns:

• A personal pronoun may be used as the subject of a sentence. A subject pronoun tells who or what the sentence is about.

SINGULAR PLURALI We

You YouHe, she, it they

• To find the subject, ask who or what before the predicate.

They came upon an island.

• Who came upon an island? The answer is They. The pronoun They is the subject of the sentence.

Pronouns as Subject Complements:

• A subject pronoun can also take the place of a noun used as a subject complement. A subject complement follows a linking verb and refers to the same person, place, or thing as the subject of the sentence.

The captain of the ship was he.

Exercise 1:• Underline the pronoun used as a subject in each

sentence.1. He landed on Circe’s island with his crew.2. It was a beautiful island.3. She was a bewitching enchantress.4. They became friends.5. I wondered about the dangers ahead on the trip.6. Do you know the story of any of these dangers?7. She encouraged him to stay on her island.8. We can continue reading Odysseus’s stories.9. If you like these stories, there are more in the library.10. Usually, I find the moral of the stories relevant to my

life.

Exercise 2:• Replace the noun or phrase in bold used as subject

in each sentence with the correct pronoun.

1. The goddess Circe warned Odysseus to beware of the singing Sirens.

2. Their music was both sweet and bewitching.3. Ships tried to draw near the music but hit sharp

rocks.4. Odysseus didn’t put wax in his ears as his men did.5. The song enticed him to join the Sirens.6. Ropes, however, held him tightly to the mast.

Exercise 3:• Underline the pronoun used as a subject

complement in each sentence.

1. The person who faced many dangers was he.2. The creatures who enticed Odysseus were

they.3. The sailors who bound Odysseus to the mast

were they.4. The person Odysseus wanted to see again

was she.

Object Pronouns:

• A personal pronoun may be used as the object of a verb. This is called object pronoun. Here is a list of the object pronouns.

Singular Plural

me us

you you

him, her, it them

• Use object pronouns for direct objects. A direct object names the receiver of the action of the verb. To find a direct object, ask whom or what after the verb.

Odysseus heard them.

• An object pronoun may be used as the object of a preposition. A preposition shows a relationship between two words in a sentence. An object of a preposition follows a preposition, such as about, at, between, by, for, from, in, into, of, on, to, under, next to, and with.

The crew sailed with them.

Exercise 1:• Underline the pronoun used as a direct object

in each sentence.1. Odysseus visited the underworld, and an

oracle told him about a danger. 2. He thanked her for the warnings.3. Odysseus and his men saw them in the

distance.4. An area of water separated them.5. Odysseus’s solution to avoid the dual dangers

interested us.

Exercise 2:• Replace the noun or phrase in bold used as

direct object in each sentence with the correct pronoun.

1. The whirlpool might pull the ship down.2. The six-headed monster ate sailors.3. The problem intrigued my friend and me.

Exercise 3:• Underline the pronoun used as an object of a

preposition.1. Circe gave warnings, and Odysseus listened

to her.2. Odysseus saw two cliffs and had to sail

between them.3. The ship could easily be swallowed by it.4. The monster’s arms and heads were a danger

to him.

Indirect Objects:• Some sentences contain two objects: a direct

object and an indirect object. The direct object is the receiver of the action. The indirect object tells to whom, for whom, to what, or for what the action is done.

Circe gave him advice.• The direct object answers whom or what after

the verb. Circe gave what? The answer is advice, the direct object. To whom did Circe give advice? The answer is him. Him is the indirect object. Him tells to whom the advice was given.

• A noun used as an indirect object can be replaced by an object pronoun.

Odysseus gave the sailors their orders.Odysseus gave them their orders.

• Object pronouns are used as indirect objects: me, us, you, him, her, it, and them.

• Can you identify the indirect object in this sentence? What pronoun can replace the indirect object?

Odysseus told Circe his story.

Exercise 1:• Underline the personal pronoun used as an indirect

pronoun in each sentence. The direct object is in bold.

1. Many books tell us the actions of the Greek gods and goddesses.

2. The ancient Greeks gave them human qualities.3. Homer brought us the stories of Odysseus.4. The gods and goddess sent him help in his journeys.5. The librarian gave me a book of Greek and Roman

myths to read for class.6. I agreed to show her the mythology section in the

library.

Exercise 2: • Underline the pronoun used as an indirect object.1. Prometheus stole fire from Olympus for humans and gave

them this gift.2. Zeus had denied them fire and was angry at Prometheus for

disobeying.3. Zeus sent him a cruel punishment.4. Calling an eagle, he assigned it a task: to gnaw at

Prometheus’s body.5. To punish humans, Zeus sent them a magical woman named

Pandora.6. He gave her a beautifully decorated box with a heavy latch.7. He told her the dangers of opening the box, but Zeus knew

she would not listen.8. Pandora’s opening of the box brought them many evils, such

as greed and envy.

Uses of Pronouns:• Pronouns are used in different ways in sentences. The

subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Each can be used as the subject of a sentence or as a subject complement.

I would like to read the adventures of Odysseus. The owner of the book is he.

• The object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Each can be used as the direct object or the indirect object of a sentence, or as the object of a preposition.

I told them about Odysseus’s adventures. I loaned her my copy of The Odyssey.The stories about him are fascinating.

• Can you choose the correct pronoun to complete the sentence?

My friend and (I, me) are doing a report on The Iliad.

Practice Exercises:• Complete each sentence with correct pronoun.

1. Will you lend (I, me) your copy of The Iliad?2. (Me, I) need to go to the library for a copy.3. (He, Him) arrived back in his country after 20 years.4. No one recognized (he, him).5. Penelope didn’t tell (they, them) her secret. 6. (She, Her) began to weave tapestry.7. (They, Them) believed Penelope’s promise.8. A goddess warned (he, him) of dangers.9. Many suitors wanted to marry (she, her).10.The beggar in Penelope’s home was (he, him).

Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives:

• A possessive pronoun shows possession or ownership. A possessive pronoun takes the place of a possessive noun.

This report on the Sirens is Lola’s. (possessive noun)This report on the Sirens is hers. (possessive pronoun)

• Note: Unlike possessive nouns, possessive pronouns do not contain apostrophes. A possessive pronoun stands alone and is not followed by a noun.

• A possessive adjective also shows possession. A possessive adjective always comes before a noun.

This is her report.

• Remember that a possessive pronoun stands alone, and a possessive adjective comes before a noun.

The book is mine. (possessive pronoun)This is my book. (possessive adjective)

Possessive Pronouns:

Possessive Adjectives:

Singular Plural

1st Person mine ours

2nd Person yours yours

3rd Person his, hers, its theirs

Singular Plural

1st Person my our

2nd Person your your

3rd Person his, hers, its their

Exercises 1 and 2:• Underline the possessive pronoun once and the possessive

adjective twice in each sentence.1. Helena was a beautiful woman. According to tradition, the

fault for the Trojan War was hers.2. Hercules was superhuman. An extraordinary strength was

his.3. The ability to tame horses was one of his gifts.4. My favorite story is about Bellerophon and Pegasus

defeating the Chimera.5. Atlas was a powerful creature defeated by Zeus; his was the

job of holding up the world. 6. Pegasus was a flying horse. Its job was to carry Zeus’s

thunderbolts.

Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns:SINGULAR PLURAL

1st person myself ourselves

2nd person yourself yourselves

3rd person Himself, herself, itself themselves

- An intensive pronoun is used to emphasize a noun that comes before it.

Odysseus himself devised a plan to win the Trojan War.

- A reflexive pronoun is used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or as the object of a preposition. It generally refers to the subject of the sentence.

Odysseus earned himself a reputation as a smart leader.

Exercise 1:• Identify the intensive or reflexive pronoun in each sentence. Tell

what word each pronoun refers to.1. Zeus himself, the chief god, was the father of Hephaestus.2. Hera herself, the chief goddess, was his mother.3. The gods often bickered among themselves.4. Once Hephaestus tried to break up a quarrel between his

parents and was thrown to earth by the angry Zeus himself.5. Hephaestus injured himself badly when he fell from Mount

Olympus.6. From then on, Hephaestus couldn’t walk by himself. 7. He built himself two special robots of gold and silver who were

able to think for themselves.8. The powerful Hephaestus himself was actually most famous as

the blacksmith for the gods.

Exercise 2:

• Complete the sentences with intensive or reflexive pronouns. Each should refer to the word in bold.

1. We decided on our project for the unit among ___________.

2. I made a chart of the gods by _________.3. Amy __________ could name 20 gods and goddesses.4. Mr. Peterson ___________ praised our work.5. Those students are very proud of __________.6. The projects ________________ show a lot of hard

work.

Antecedents:• The word to which a pronoun refers to is its

antecedent. The antecedent is the word that the pronoun replaces.

Did Odysseus return home? Yes, he did, but only after many difficulties.The Iliad is an epic poem. It was written by Homer.

• The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person and number and in whether it refers to a male, a female, or a thing.

• What are the antecedents of the pronouns in this set of sentences?

Donna worked on a project on Odysseus. She looked for information about him on the internet.

Exercise 1:• Underline each pronoun and draw an arrow to its

antecedent.

1. Orpheus was a figure in Greek myth, and he had an interesting story.

2. Orpheus had a special ability. It was to make beautiful music.

3. His mother was one of the Muses. They were patron goddesses of such art as painting, dance, and music.

4. When Orpheus was grown, he brought music to the earth.

5. His music was so lovely that even trees moved to listen to it.

Exercise 2:• Circle the antecedent for each underlined pronoun.

1. One day a snake bit Eurydice; it had a deadly poison.

2. Eurydice fell to the ground, where she died.3. Hermes, the messenger god, came for Eurydice,

and he gently carried her to the underworld.4. Orpheus was sad, and he lost all joy in life.5. He searched for the underworld’s entrance and

found it.6. As he walked, Orpheus played sad music.

Pronouns and Contractions:

• Personal pronouns can be joined with some verbs to form contractions. An apostrophe (‘) replaces the missing letter or letters in contractions.

I am= I’m you are= you’re we are= we’re they are= they’rehe is/ has= he’s it is/has= it’s I have- I’ve you have= you’vewe have= we’ve they have= they’ve she is/has= she’s

• Will can also be joined with pronouns to form contractions: I’ll, you’ll, we’ll, she’ll, he’ll, and they’ll. I’ve read about World War I. = I have read about World War I.

• Possessive adjectives are often confused with contractions. Possessive adjectives express possession but do not contain apostrophes.

PRONOUN + VERB POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE

You’re = You are late. Your report is late.

It’s= It is long. Its title is “Greek Gods”.

They’re= They are old. Their story is long.

Exercise 2:

• Underline the contraction in each sentence. Then write the words that make up the contraction.

1. I’ve read an interesting Greek myth.2. It’s about two strong brothers, Otus and Ephiatles.3. I’m worried about Otus and Ephiatles,” said Zeus.4. “They’re more than 60 feet tall and still growing.”5. We’re going to write a play based on our favorite Greek

myths.”6. If you’re going to be in the play, please sign up here.7. We drew straws to see which parts we’ll each play.8. He’s playing Otus, and Jay is playing Ephiatles.