PronounsPronouns, words like I, him, it, our, and themselves take the place of nouns.

•Joanne and Howard bought a new tent. They are going camping•We sat next to Mr. Jackson. We had an interesting conversation with him.•Grace and I have new shoes. Mine are nicer than hers.

Subject Pronouns

Use subject pronouns as the subject of sentences.

I, you (sg.), he, she, it, we, you (pl.), they

• You and I should talk more often.

• In the winter, they love to ski in Utah.

Object Pronouns

Use object pronouns after verbs and prepositions.

me, you (sg.), him, her, it, us, you (pl.), them

• My teacher likes me because I work hard.

• Mr. Liu gave the package to him.

Possessive Pronouns

Use possessive pronouns in place of a possessive adjective + noun.

mine, yours (sg.), his, hers, its, ours,

yours (pl.), theirs

• John’s car is faster than mine. (my car)• I got a raise at work. Did you get yours? (your

raise.)

Reflexive Pronouns

Use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object are the same thing.

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves (pl.), themselves

• He always looks at himself in the mirror.NOT: He always looks at him in the mirror. (him = another person)

• We did the work ourselves without any help.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Use demonstrative pronouns to refer back to something already mentioned.

this (sg.), that (sg.)these (pl.), those (pl.)

• Selene got an A on the test. This is the best grade she got all year.

• Everyone loved the fireworks. These were the best we had seen in many years.

Indefinite Pronouns

Use indefinite pronouns to refer to people and things in general.

every, some, any, no + one, body, thing

• Everything looks perfect.• Everyone must decide for himself/herself.• Anyone can offer his or her opinion.

another, other, the other(s)

These can be used as pronouns as well as determiners.

• If you’ve finished that book, I’ll lend you another.

• Some students are here, but we’ll wait for others to show up.

Using Pronouns

Always choose the correct pronoun that is needed in the sentence.

• The car accident injured Sima and me.

Not:• The car accident injured Sima and

I/myself.

Using Pronouns

Pronouns must agree with the nouns that they replace.

• The school is growing. It has many new students this year. (it = the school)

• Mike drives Gail and me to school. He picks us up at our house. (he = Mike; us = Gail and me; our = Gail and me)

Using PronounsPronouns help avoid repetition and link ideas.

• We asked for help on our essays. This resulted in much better grades.

Not:• We asked for help on our essays. Asking for

help on our essays resulted in much better grades. (without this, repetition occurs)

Using Pronouns

Make sure it is clear who a pronoun refers to.

• If my parents discuss homework with my brothers, my brothers usually get mad.

Not:• If my parents discuss homework with my

brothers, they usually get mad. (Does they refer to my parents or my brothers?)

Using Pronouns

Pronouns can refer to a male or female.

• Before a teacher arrives in a classroom, he has done lots of preparation. (traditional)

• Before a teacher arrives in a classroom, he or she has done lots of preparation. (now common)

• Before teachers arrive in a classroom, they have done lots of preparation. (best choice)

Using PronounsBe careful not to repeat a subject two times. Each

sentence gets one subject in English.

• Thanh, who lives in L.A., does not like the air quality.

• Thanh lives in L.A. He does not like the air quality.

Not:• Thanh, who lives in L.A., he does not like the air

quality.

Locate and correct the errors in the use of pronouns

1. Mr. Jones gave the test to Liv and I.2. Asking someone for money when they don’t

have any is inconsiderate.3. She asked to look at my notes, but I didn’t have

it with me.4. The homework that the teacher gave us it is

very difficult.5. Me and Wei Ping are going to the movies.