
anybody we Pronouns it Pronouns are small, simple words we use in place of nouns. they you
Pronouns take the place of nouns. The word or phrase replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent.
Subject & Object Pronouns She threw a frying pan at him.
Personal Pronouns Refer to people or things Include: I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours, he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs, we, us, our, ours. ME!
Pronoun reference… • It is very important for the reader to know who or what the pronoun refers to: • “Joey told Billy that he was too fat!” Who is too fat, Billy or Joey ? It is not clear! • Better to say, “Joey told Billy, “I am too fat.” • The pronoun you need to be most careful with isThey– They raised prices.–who is they? - They started a war.– who is they? • Remember to make it clear what the referent is!
Pronoun Agreement • Pronouns agree when a singular pronoun refers to a singular noun: “Each man in the boat was happy when he knew he had won the race.” • Or when a plural pronoun agrees with a plural noun: “All thepeople in the boat were happy when they knew they had they won the race.”
Pronoun Point of View (POV) • Pronouns should stay consistent in POV: • If you start writing in the 1st person –I, me, we, us, my, etc. – stay in the 1st person • In the 2nd person – you, your, yours –stay there! • Same for the 3rd person – he, she, it, they, them and so on – keep it in the 3rd person • The most common mistake is shifting from the 3rd to the 2ndperson: “If a student studies really hard, you will do well on the test.”
REMEMBER! • Be absolutely sure that it is clear who or what the pronoun refers to! • Always watch out when you use they “The owners decided they needed to raise prices.” they The owners