Pronouns

Pronouns are words used as noun substitutes.

 Personal Pronouns
Persons Subject Forms Object Forms Possessive Forms
Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural
First I we me us my/mine our/ours
Second you you you you your/yours your/yours
Third he, she, it they him, her, it them her, hers, their/theirs
his, its

 Indefinite Pronouns
all any anybody anyone anything both
each either everybody everyone everything few
many most neither nobody none no one
nothing several some somebody someone something

Referents of Pronouns
 Pronouns cannot be used out of context. They must refer to some nouns. These nouns are
called referents or antecedents. A pronoun must agree in person, gender and number with its
referent.

ANSWER THIS: Encircle the noun to which each of the underlined pronoun refers.

1. It was a great day for the Emersons. They went scuba diving and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of
Fortune Island.

2. First of all, you should know that I am very disappointed about what you have done today Wilson.

3. You should never run away from problems no matter how difficult it is.

4. Most people want money and only few can resist its lure.

5. The performance of the students was very inspiring. It showcased the story of a single mother who
would do anything for her son.

6. “This spot right here is just perfect for my future house,” says Mr. Wilhelm.

7. Marx is a great artist and a very skillful one.

8. Friends are hard to find, so we should know how to treat them right.

9. I prefer actions more than words for they speak more sincerity than talk could ever does.

10. The general loves hunting and he does it every day.

  Pronouns are noun substitutes. They identify persons, places, things, and ideas without
renaming them.
 There are different kinds of pronouns.
1. Personal Pronouns
A personal pronoun stands for the speaker, the person spoken to, or the person or the
thing spoken about.
I am fine. (I is the speaker.)
You are nice. (You is the person spoken to.)
She is young. (She is the person spoken about.)

Personal pronouns have different forms to express number, gender and person. Study the
following chart.

Personal Pronouns Possessive Pronouns

Person Singular Plural Singular Plural
First Person I, me we, us my, mine our, ours
Second you you your, yours your, yours
Person
Third Person he, him they, them his their, theirs
she, her her, hers
it its

2. Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun refers to people or things in general or nonspecific way.
Commonly used indefinite pronouns are the following:

Singular Plural
anyone no one few
anything nobody many
each one others
either other some
everybody somebody
everyone someone
everything something
neither

Singular indefinite pronouns require a singular verb.

Everyone is here.
Nobody wants to be left behind.
Plural indefinite pronouns require a plural verb.
Many are called, but few are chosen.

3. Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun points out a specific person or thing. It replaces antecedent
noun phrases containing a demonstrative.

This book is mine. This is mine.

These coins are rare. These are rare.
That story is ridiculous. That is ridiculous.
 Those jewels are expensive. Those are expensive.

4. Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun “reflects” the subject of a verb; that is, it refers to the same
person or thing as the subject of the sentence. Reflexive pronouns end in –self in the
singular and –selves in the plural.

Person Singular Plural

First Person myself ourselves
Second Person yourself yourselves
Third Person (masculine) himself themselves
Third Person (feminine) herself themselves
Third Person (neuter) itself themselves

He considers himself a genius.

They introduce themselves to us.
Why worry? Let the matter take care of itself.

Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.

I’ll do it myself.
You must solve the problem yourselves.

When introduced by the preposition by, reflexive pronouns convey the idea of being
alone.
He lives by himself in the old house.
She wants to live by herself in a condominium unit.

 The persons, places, things and ideas that pronouns refer to are called antecedents. Pronouns
must agree with their antecedents in number, gender and person.

Helen spends her time wisely.

(Helen is the antecedent of her.)
Paulito’s eyes sparkled when his father gave him a toy train.
(Paulito is the antecedent of his and him.)

ANSWER THIS:

Fill in the blank with the correct pronouns.

1. John is my student. __________ is very intelligent.
2. Alice is my sister. __________ lives abroad.
3. John and Mary are my students. __________ are very hard working.
4. My dog is smarter than __________.
5. This is __________ dog.
6. __________ is raining.
7. Children went on a picnic. __________ had a nice time.
8. My parents live in a village. I visit __________ often.
9. His children is very hard working. __________ is very proud of them.
10. I have invited all of my friends and __________ have all agreed to come.
Underline the pronoun in the sentence, and draw an arrow to its antecedents.
1. The explorers sailed their ship across the Pacific.
2. Bill left his homework on the bus.
3. Where are you going, Bob?
4. The champion skater always performed on his newest skates.
5. The woman washed her car every week.
6. The actors practiced their parts at rehearsal.
7. The bicycle is yours, Martha.
8. When the astronaut landed his spaceships, the sun had already set.
9. A large sheepdog buries its bone behind the barn.
10. Betsy has just written her first book.