Pronouns

Pronouns are words that stand for nouns or for words that take place of nouns. They are generally used when it doesn’t make sense to repeat the noun over and over again. Read these two sentences:

1. Aunt Marcie was late because Aunt Marcie had waited for the delivery of Aunt Marcie’s watch. (All nouns)
2. Aunt Marcie was late because she had to wait for the delivery of her watch. (With pronouns)

Antecedents of Pronouns Pronouns get the meaning of the words they stand for. These words are called antecedents. The first one doesn’t sound natural–it doesn’t flow. The only time you would hear someone talk like the first example would probably be during an argument. So we use pronouns to make it flow, and so it doesn’t sound clunky. Pronouns can take the place of a noun in the same sentence, or take the place of a noun in a previous sentence. Look at this clause: My father opened his email first. (“…his” refers to the subject, or noun–”My father.” So “he” is a pronoun.) My father opened his email first. He couldn’t wait any longer.  (Look at the second sentence. “He” still refers to “My father” since my father is the subject of the previous sentence.) Pronouns can also take the place of an entire group of words. Trying to make the team is hard work. It takes hours of practice every day. (The “It” refers to “trying to make the team”–that whole idea.) Antecedents of Pronouns Pronouns get their meaning from the words they stand for. These words are called antecedents.  In the example “My father opened his email first.”

• The pronoun is his
• The antecedent is father.

Here are more examples:

• Trying to make the team is hard work. It takes hours of practice every day.
• The pronoun is it.
• The antecedent is Trying to make the team.

Everything was lost in the flood.

• The pronoun is Everything.
• There is no clear antecedent.

Locate the antecedents to the pronouns below: Although he was known as an expert software developer, Darryl enjoyed selling computers. (Answer: International Business Machines Company). Who will take the class? (Answer: There is no clear antecedent.) International Business Machines Company (IBM) was a new company in the 1930s. The electromechanical calculator was its invention. (Answer: International Business Machines Company is the antecedent; its is the pronoun.) Different Types of Pronouns:

• Personal
• Demonstrative
• Interrogative
• Reflexive and Intensive
• Relative
• Indefinite

Personal pronouns refer to the person speaking (first person), the person spoken to (second person), or the place or thing spoken about (third person). Examples:

• I left my Spanish book at home. (first person–I, me, my).
• Can I borrow yours? (second person) (You, Yours).
• She said she needed hers during fifth period. (third person)

Here’s a breakdown of words for points of view, singular and plural.

• First person, singular–I, me, my, mine.
• First person, plural–we, us, our, ours
• Second person, singular–you, your, yours
• Second person, plural–you, your, yours
• Third person, singular–he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its
• Third person, plural–they, them, their, theirs

Find the personal pronouns in the sentences below:

1. I waited for my computer to boot up. (I and my are first person singular pronouns).
2. Sheila, you left your computer on. (you and your are a second person singular pronouns, referring to Sheila, which is the antecedent).
3. I haven’t seen my grandfather in a year. He will arrive from Louisiana tomorrow. (I and my are first person singular pronouns. He is a third person singular pronoun).

A Demonstrative Pronoun directs attention to a specific person, place or thing. They may come before or after their antecedents. Demonstrative pronouns are this, that, these or those.

• This is the watch I chose. (Where “this” is the demonstrative pronoun and “watch” is the antecedent or the noun the demonstrative pronoun represents)
• Of all the books I’ve written, this has the most action.

Relative Pronouns

• A relative pronoun begins a subordinate clause and connects another idea in the sentence.
• Relative pronouns include that, which, who, whom and whose.
• Examples:

1. Here is the compass that Jedidiah lost (“Here is the compass.” this is a complete sentence with a subject and a verb; it makes sense and can stand on its own.  “That Jedidiah lost,” is not a sentence. Jedidiah is the subject, and lost is the verb but that makes it a clause instead of a full sentence because you can tell something is missing–that Jedidiah lost makes you ask what did Jedidiah lose? That is a relative pronoun, connecting the subordinate clause to compass. )
2. Teddy bought my airship, which needs lots of repairs. (same thing here–which connects the subordinate clause “…which needs lost of repairs” to airship, the antecedent. The relative pronoun is which.)

Interrogative Pronoun

• An interrogative pronoun is used to begin a question.
• It may or may not have a specific antecedent.
• Interrogative pronouns include what, which, who, whom and whose.
• Examples:

1. What did I do wrong? (No antecedent.)
2. Of these keys, which one will turn Steam Man off? (which is the interrogative pronoun referring to keys)

Demonstrative, Relative and Interrogative Pronouns: Exercises

(Remember demonstrative is demonstrating which ones, relative shows relationship and interrogative asks questions, or interrogates.)

• Those paintings in France are more than 30,000 years old. (Demonstrative)
• These are the symbols representing stars. (Demonstrative)
• There are two people. To whom were you speaking? (Interrogative)

Indefinite Pronouns

• Indefinite pronouns refers to people, places or things without referring to which ones.
• They often lack specific antecedents.
• Examples:

1. Anyone can learn to operate a boilerplate. (no specific antecedent)
2. All of the students learned to operate a boilerplate.

List of indefinite pronouns:

Anyone, another, anybody, anything, each, everything, everyone, little, much, neither, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, both, many, few, others, several, all, many, more, most, none.

Indefinite Pronoun Exercises

1. Many do their banking, shopping and research at home on their computers. (Many implies many people, so this is an indefinite pronoun).
2. Others go to a grocery store where technology–a scanner–tallies their totals.
3. Before 1861, nobody expected to send signals across the country.

Practice here