chapter 3. lesson 1: what is a pronoun? what is a pronoun? a pronoun is a word that is used in place...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 3
Lesson 1: What is a Pronoun?
What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or another pronoun.
A pronoun can refer to a person, place, thing, or idea.
Antecedents
The word that the pronoun refers to is called the antecedent.
Ramon visited Death Valley, and he was impressed.What is the pronoun in the sentence above? _____________________
To whom or what does it refer? ________________________
Death Valley is mysterious. It is silent.What is the pronoun in the sentences above? _______________________________
To whom or what does it refer? ________________________
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns have a variety of forms to indicate different persons, numbers, and cases.
Person and number: There are first-person, second-person, and third-person pronouns, each having both singular and plural forms.
Personal Pronouns
Singular personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, him, her
Plural personal pronouns: we, you, they, them, us
Cases of Pronouns
Case: each personal pronoun has three cases: subject, object, and possessive. Choose the correct form based on the function in the sentence.
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns: I, she, he, it, they, you, we
Object Pronouns
Object pronouns: me, her, him, it, them, you, us
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its, their, theirs, our, ours
THERE ARE NO APOSTROPHES IN POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. EVER!!
Pronouns help write concisely about people without having to repeat their names.
Lesson 2: Subject Pronouns
A subject pronoun is used as a subject in a sentence or as a predicate pronoun after a linking verb.
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronounsSingular: I, you, he, she, it
Plural: we, you, they
Subject Pronouns
Use a subject pronoun when the pronoun is a subject or part of a compound subject.
Examples
The Hope diamond has a fascinating history. It has been the source of bad luck for many owners.
Pronoun:______________
Antecedent:________________________
You and he think the diamond is cursed.Pronouns:__________________
Predicate Pronouns
Predicate pronouns: A predicate pronoun follows a linking verb and identifies or renames the verb’s subject. Use the subject case for predicate pronouns.
Examples
The owner was he.Sentence can be reversed to read: He is the owner.
The buyers are you and she.Sentence can be reversed to read: You and she are the buyers.
Predicate Pronouns
Common linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, have been, can be, will be, and should be.
Beware! Subject pronouns may not always sound correct to you.
Lesson 3: Object Pronouns
Object pronouns can be used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions.
Object Pronouns
Object pronouns:Singular: me, him, her, it, you
Plural: us, them, you
Pronouns can be direct objects…
Direct objects:The pronoun receives the action of the action verb and answers the question whom or what.
Pronouns as D.O.
The mysterious death of King Tut fascinates me.Subject:_________________
Action Verb:___________________
Direct object:__________________
Did someone murder him?Subject:_________________
Action verb:____________________
Direct object:__________________
Pronouns can be indirect objects…
Indirect objects:The pronoun tells TO whom or TO what or FOR whom or FOR what an action is performed.
Pronouns as I.O.
Chu lent me a video on the topic.Subject:_________________
Action verb:____________________
Direct object:__________________
Indirect object:__________________
I told her the whole story.Subject:_________________
Action verb:____________________
Direct object:__________________
Indirect object:__________________
There MUST BE a direct object in order for there to be an indirect object.
Pronouns can be objects of prepositions…
Objects of prepositions:The pronoun follows a preposition. See list following.
Pronouns as O.P.
Will you save the video for them?Prep. Phrase:__________________
Object of prep. _________________________
I can tell the story to you and him.Prep. Phrase:__________________
Object of prep.:___________________
This secret is between you and me.Always use object pronouns after the preposition between.
Lesson 4: Possessive Pronouns
A possessive pronoun is a personal pronoun used to show ownership or relationship.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns:
Singular: my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its
Plural: our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs
Possessive Pronouns
The possessive pronouns my, your, her, his, its, our, and their will come before nouns.
The Chinese museum kept its amazing secret for years.
Poss. Pronoun:______________________
Noun it describes:___________________
Possessive Pronouns
The possessive pronouns mine, your, hers, his, ours, and theirs can stand alone in a sentence.
The secret was theirs.
Is that book yours?
Common Possessive Pronoun Errors:
Possessive pronouns NEVER have apostrophes. Many possessive pronouns are homophones for contractions. Contractions ALWAYS have apostrophes.
Your vs. you’re (you are)
Their vs. they’re (they are)
Its vs. it’s (it is)
Always proofread your work carefully to be sure that you have not confused possessive pronouns with contractions.
Lesson 5: Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
A pronoun that ends in self or selves is either a reflexive or an intensive pronoun.
Myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, herself, himself, itself, themselves are all reflexive/intensive pronouns.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject and direct the action of the verb back to the subject.
Houdini called himself a master escape artist.Reflexive:__________________
Subject:____________________
Reflexive Pronouns
Lynne dedicated herself to learning Houdini’s secrets.
Reflexive: ____________________________
Subject:____________________
Notice: If you drop a reflexive pronoun from a sentence, the sentence no longer makes sense. (Lynne dedicated to learning Houdini’s secrets.)
Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns emphasize a noun or another pronoun in the same sentence.
Intensive pronouns are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
You yourselves have seen magic shows on TV.
Intensive:_______________
I myself like to perform magic tricks.
The sentence still makes sense if the intensive is removed.
I like to perform magic tricks.
FYI…
Hisself and theirselves are NOT WORDS. Never use them. Use himself and themselves instead.
Lesson 6: Interrogatives and Demonstratives
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to introduce questions.
Interrogative Pronouns
Who, whom: refer to people
What: refers to things
Which: refers to people or things
Whose: indicates ownership or relationship
Using Who and Whom
Using who and whomWho is always used as a subject or predicate pronoun.
Who know the answer to the riddle?
Your favorite comedian is who?
Using Who and Whom
Whom is always used as an object.Direct object: Whom did you tell?
Indirect object: You gave whom the answer?
OP: To whom did you give my name?
Whose vs. Who’s
Be careful not to confuse whose with who’s (who is or who has).
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point out a person, place, thing, or idea.
Demonstrative Pronouns
These, that, this, those are demonstrative pronouns when used alone in a sentence, not when they come before a noun. When these words come before a noun, they are adjectives.
These are your shoes. (these is demonstrative)
These shoes are yours. (these is an adjective)
Lesson 7: Pronoun Agreement
Remember…
An antecedent is the noun or pronoun that a pronoun replaces or refers to.
Pronouns and Antecedents
The pronoun and antecedent can be in the same sentence or different sentences.
Louis writes his own detective stories.Pronoun:_______________
Antecedent:_____________
Agatha Christie writes mysteries. Her stories are famous.
Pronoun:_______________
Antecedent:_____________
Agreement in Number
The pronoun and antecedent must agree in number.
Use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular antecedent.
One story has ____________ setting in England.
Use a plural pronoun to refer to a plural antecedent.The characters have _______________ motives for murder.
Agreement in Person
The pronoun and antecedent must agree in person.Louis likes ____________ mysteries to have surprise endings. (3rd person)
You want a story to grab ______________ attention. (2nd person)
Agreement in Gender
The pronoun and antecedent must agree in gender.
Agatha Christie sets many of _______________ stories in England.
The hero has to use all __________ wits to solve the crime.
Gender cont.
Don’t use only masculine pronouns when you mean to refer to both genders.
Each character has his or her alibi ready. NOT Each character has his alibi ready.
You could also make both the pronoun and antecedent plural to correct this problem.
The characters had their alibis ready.
Lesson 8: Indefinite-Pronoun Agreement
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun does not refer to a specific person, place, thing, or idea.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns often do not have antecedents.Something unusual is going on in Loch Ness.
Indefinite Pronoun________________
Has anyone photographed the Loch Ness monster?Indefinite Pronoun________________
Indefinite Pronouns
Some indefinite pronouns are always singular, some are always plural, and some can be either singular or plural.
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular Indefinites
Plural Indefinites Singular or Plural
another neither both all
anybody nobody few any
anyone no one many most
anything nothing several some
each one none
other somebody
everybody
someone
everyone something
everything
Using indefinites
Use a singular personal pronoun to refer to a singular indefinite pronoun.
Everyone took his or her camera to the lake.His or her refers back to ____________________________.
Everyone can be either feminine or masculine.
One dropped his camera in the lake.His refers back to __________________________.
Using indefinites
Use a plural personal pronoun to refer to a plural indefinite pronoun.
Several reported their sightings of the monster.Their refers back to ____________________________.
Many could not believe their own eyes.Their refers back to ____________________________.
Using indefinites
Since some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, use the phrase immediately following the indefinite pronoun to decide if it is singular or plural in that particular sentence.
Using indefinites
Most of the monster story has _____ origin in fantasy.
Most is singular in this sentence because the word story in the phrase after it is singular.
Most of the monster stories have ________________origins in fantasy.
Most is plural in this sentence because the word stories in the phrase after it is plural.
Lesson 9: Pronoun Problems
We and Us
We and Us with nouns.The pronouns we and us are sometime followed by nouns that identify the pronoun. (we students or us students)
Use we when the pronoun is a subject or predicate pronoun.We owners don’t always understand our pets.
Use us when the pronoun is an object.Dogs and cats often surprise us owners.
Choosing between we and us:
Drop the identifying noun from the sentence.Dogs think of (we/us) humans as their leaders.
Drop humans from the sentence to help make your choice.
Decide whether the sentence calls for a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.
In the example above, us is the object of the preposition of.
Unclear References
Unclear referenceBe sure that each personal pronoun refers clearly to only one person, place, or thing.
If there is any chance that your reader might be confused about whom or what you are talking, use a noun instead of a pronoun.
For example…
Tony and Fred want to become veterinarians. He now works at an animal shelter.
What is confusing about this sentence?
Lesson 10: More Pronoun Problems
Pronouns in compounds
Pronouns can sometimes cause problems when they are part of compound subjects or compound objects.
Subject Pronouns
Use the subject pronouns I, he, she, we, and they in a compound subject or with a predicate noun or pronoun.
Kathy and (he/him) decided to research a mystery.
The research team was Jim and (I/me).
Object Pronouns
Use the object pronouns me, him, her, us, and them in a compound object.
Samantha asked Jim and (I/me) about the Bermuda Triangle.
Kathy loaned our report to Mac and (she/her).
Tips
To choose the correct case of the pronoun, drop the other half of the compound and read the sentence with only the pronoun.
Intervening Phrases
Sometimes words and phrases come between a subject and a pronoun that refers to it. Don’t be confused by these words; read the sentence without the intervening phrases to choose the correct pronoun.
Jim, like the others, brought (their/his) map.
Five planes from a Navy airfield lost (their/its) way in the Bermuda Triangle.