What are they?

A pronoun takes the place of one ormore nouns. Some pronouns are:

I, you, he, she, it, we, they

Some stories are designed to teach lesson; they are called fables.

The pronoun isthey

The noun the pronoun refers to (also known as an antecedent) isstories

Rewrite this sentence, replacing the appropriatenouns with pronouns.

The owner gave the dog a soft bed and fed the dog well.

The owner gave the dog a soft bed and fedit well (her or him would work too if you know the gender of the dog.)

Pronouns MUST agree with their antecedents.

When using a pronoun, make sure its antecedent, the noun to which it refers, is clear.

Example:Nicolas heard. He heard.

Pronouns should agree with their antecedents in NUMBER and GENDER. Number tells whether a pronoun is singular or plural. Gender tells whether a pronoun is masculine or feminine, or neutral.

Example: Nicolas heard a librarian tell stories. He heard her tell them.

In the above example, he is singular and masculine, her is singular and feminine, and them is plural and neutral.

Write the pronoun. Then write its antecedent.

Thurgood Marshall was born in Maryland; his grandfather had been taken to Maryland as a slave.

The pronoun is:his

The antecedent is:Thurgood Marshall

Write the pronoun in the parentheses that correctly completes the sentence:

Marshall’s mother sold (his, her) engagement ring to help pay for law school.

The correct pronoun is

her

The sentence is about the mother’s ring.

Subject and Object PronounsA subject pronoun is used as the subject or as part of the subject of the sentence. The subject pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.

We are ready to go.

An object pronoun is used as a direct or indirect object in a sentence. It can also be used after a preposition. The object pronouns are: me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.

Rebecca gave me the gift.

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun shows ownership or possession of something. The possessive pronouns my, your, his, her, its, our, and their are used BEFORE nouns.

Example: Jerome is learning about his ancestors.

The possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs stand alone.

Example:

The picture is his.

The books are mine.

Reflexive PronounsA reflexive pronoun usually refers to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

Example: Marie found herself alone in a quiet forest.

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that does not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or idea.

The indefinite pronouns are everyone, everything, everybody, anybody, many, most, few, each, some, someone, all, nothing, nobody, and no one.

Examples:

Someone is knocking at the door.

Some-ONE is singular

Some of the girls are sick.

SOME is plural

Who vs. Whom and Who’s vs. Whose

Use who as a subject pronoun and whom as an object pronoun.

Example: Who is not going

To whom am I speaking?

Do not confuse the possessive pronoun whose with the contraction who’s (who is).