What is a Pronoun?
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Pronouns are words that replace nouns. There are SUBJECT pronouns, OBJECT pronouns, and POSSESSIVE pronouns.
For example:
- Mr. Jones was a bad farmer. He
did not take good care of his animals. - I absolutely love my new shoes! I'm going to wear them to the party next week.
- The teacher is going to collect my essay in a minute. I hope she likes mine.
Q: How do you know which pronoun to choose?
A: Decide whether the noun you are replacing is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person, singular or plural. Is it the subject or object of the sentence, or does it show possession? Then, choose the same kind of pronoun from the table.
|
Pronoun Table |
Subject Pronouns |
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Singular 1st person 2nd person 3rd person |
I You He, she it |
Me You Him, her, it |
Mine Yours His, hers, its |
|
Plural 1st person 2nd person 3rd person |
We You They |
Us You Them |
Ours Yours Theirs |
For example:
1. Mr. Jones was a bad farmer. He did not take good care of his animals.
- Mr. Jones is a 3rd person, singular subject, so choose a 3rd person, singular subject pronoun. (he)
2. I absolutely love my new shoes! I'm going to wear them to the party next week.
- Shoes is a 3rd person, plural object, so choose a 3rd person, plural object pronoun. (them)
3. The teacher is going to collect my essay in a minute. I hope she likes mine.
- Essay is 1st person possessive (it belongs to "me"), so choose a 1st person possessive pronoun. (mine)
More examples:
Put your mouse over the purple words to see which kind of pronoun is used (see table) and its antecedent.
- Most children love the beach. They like to swim and build sand castles.
- My family and I are moving to a new house. We are very excited about it.
- A long time ago, my mother used to read bedtime stories to me.
- I found these car keys on the floor. Are they yours?
