Nouns and Pronouns

What is a noun?

Common nouns are any person, place, or thing. Common nouns are not capitalized.

Examples:The cityThat newspaperA policeman

Compound NounsA compound noun is a noun that is

made up of more than one word.Compound nouns can be:

Separated - bubble bath, station wagon

Hyphenated - son-in-law, hand-me-down

Combined - shipwreck, handstand

Proper Nouns

Proper nouns are the name of a special person, place, or thing. Proper nouns are capitalized.

ExamplesNashvilleMrs. AndersonLaVergne Middle School

Possessive NounsA possessive noun is a noun that

names who or what has something.Add an apostrophe and s ('s) to form

the possessive of most singular nouns.Add an apostrophe (') to form the

possessive of plural nouns that end with s.

Add an apostrophe and s ('s) to form the possessive of plural nouns that do not end with s.

The dog's collar is too large.

The word "dog's" is the possessive noun. It tells you that the noun "collar" belongs to the dog. The dog owns, or possesses the collar.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a substitute for a noun. It refers to a person, place, thing, feeling, or quality but does not refer to it by its name.

The critique of Plato's Republic was written from a contemporary point of view. It was an in-depth analysis of Plato's opinions about possible governmental forms

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer to:

1. The person speaking2. The person spoken to3. The person, place, or

thing spoken about.

Personal Pronoun

Singular Plural

First Person I, me, my, mine we, us, our, ours

Second Person you, your, yours you, your, yours

Third Personhe, him, his,

she, her, hers, it, its

they, them, their, theirs

Reflexive and Intensive PronounsReflective: Refers to the

subject and is necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

Intensive: Emphasizes a noun or another pronoun and is unnecessary to the meaning.

ExamplesExample: Reflexive

Tara enjoyed HERSELF at the party. The team prided THEMSELVES on their

victory.

Intensive:I MYSELF cooked that delicious dinner.Did you redecorate the room

YOURSELF?

Other Types of Pronouns

Demonstrative: Points out a person, place, thing, or idea

Interrogative: Introduces a question.

Indefinite: refers to a person, place, thing, or an idea that might not be specifically named.

Possessive Pronouns

Show ownership. Some are used alone; some describe a noun.

The person in the blue car is (my, mine, I, me) mother.

Possessive Pronouns

(My, Mine, I, Me) am ashamed of myself for being so rude to her.

He is not a good friend, but he is an acquaintance of (my, mine).

My parents will not allow (my, mine, I, me) to spend the night with Pam.

(My, Mine, I, Me) brother sits on a stool when he plays the piano.

Pronoun Antecedent

An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers, understood by the context.

Antecedents are nouns that pronouns replace.

ExamplesJoe ate his whole pepperoni pizza!Joe ate his whole pepperoni pizza!When Angie moved, she gave her cat to

the neighbors.When Angie moved, she gave her cat to

the neighbors.Caring for bees can be rewarding, but it

requires a certain amount of bravery.Caring for bees can be rewarding, but it

requires a certain amount of bravery.

Pronoun/Antecedent AgreementA pronoun must agree with its

antecedent in number, gender, and person.

A singular pronoun must correspond to a singular antecedent

The garbage man took away 25% more trash this holiday. He began dreaming of a green Christmas next year, one with less trash.

Pronoun/Antecedent AgreementA plural pronoun must refer to a

plural antecedent. The garbage men worked hard. They wanted to go skiing in Colorado.

Pronouns that refer to a male or female must refer to the correct gender.

Fred drank milk before he ate dinner. Susan ate steak after she went home.