Pronouns in Detail

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• A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or another pronoun.

Too Many Nouns• George loves to eat chocolate covered ants.

Chocolate covered ants are George’s favorite food. Chocolate covered ants are smooth and chocolatey on the outside, and crunchy on the inside. Each bite tastes so good that George wishes the bite would last forever.

• George loves to eat chocolate covered ants. They are his favorite food. They are smooth and chocolatey on the outside, and crunchy on the inside. Each bite tastes so good that he wishes it would last forever.

Going Deeper

• Personal Pronouns:– Pronouns such as we, I, she, them, and it.

• Personal pronouns have a variety of forms to indicate number, person, and case.

How Many?

• Singular: Only one– I shivered.– You slept.– She saw a light.

• Plural: More than one– We lit a fire.– You fell asleep.– They ran toward it.

First Person:

• 1st person pronouns refer to the person speaking.

• Examples:

• I pole vault.

• We collect old magazines.

• The teacher handed the papers to us.

1st Person Singular and Plural

• Singular:– I, me, my, mine

• Plural:– We, us, our, ours

Possessive

• My, mine, our, ours

• That book is mine!

• George is always welcome at our house.

• Dr. McCoy is my favorite character.

1st Person

Singular Plural

I

Me

We

Us

Possessive

My

Mine

Our

Ours

Second Person

• 2nd person pronouns refer to the person spoken to.

• Did you bring your calculator?

• You should go, too.

Singular vs. Plural

• Singular:– You, your, yours

• Plural:– You, your, yours

Possessive

• Your, yours

• Is this your pencil?

• I think this dog is yours.

2nd Person

Singular Plural

you you

Possessive Your, yours Your, yours

3rd Person

• 3rd person refers to the person being spoken about.

• She asked him a question.

• They opened it immediately.

Singular vs. Plural

• Singular:– He, she, it, him, her, his,

hers, its

• Plural:– They, them, their, theirs

Possessive

• His, her, hers, its, their, theirs

• Dr. McCoy always treats his patients well.

• He always has their best interests in mind.

3rd Person

Singular Plural

He, him

She, her

it

They

Them

Possessive

His,

Her, hers

its

Their

Theirs

Personal Pronouns—The whole crew:

1st Person 2nd Person 3rd Person

Singular I

me

you He, him

She, her

it

Plural We

Us

You They

Them

Possessive Me, mine

Our, ours

Your, yours His, her, hers, its,

their, theirs

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What Case?Subject vs. Object

• Subject:– Who or what the subject is about.

• Subject Pronoun:– Is used as the subject of a sentence or as a

predicate pronoun after a linking verb.

Pronouns As Subjects• Subject Pronouns:

• Singular:– I, you, he, she, it

• Plural:– We, you, they

• I love Star Trek.

• It is the best.

• Some people don’t like Star Trek. They are crazy.

• Captain Kirk was so handsome. He had a girlfriend on every planet.

Predicate Pronouns• A predicate pronoun follows a linking verb

and identifies the subject. Use the subject case for predicate pronouns.

• The greatest astronauts were they.

• The biggest Star Trek fans are she and I.

• 1. Spock and me started dating a long time ago.

• 2. The most handsome Vulcan in the universe is him.

• 3. You may like him, too.