Most simply, pronouns stand in for nouns. They allow us to eliminate the repetition and awkwardness that would come with having to use nouns repeatedly.
For example, consider the following sentences written with pronouns and nouns and then with nouns alone.
1 Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called him to ask for permission to reprint an article he wrote for Atlantic Monthly about his experiences in the Philippines.
2. Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called Alan to ask for permission to reprint an article Alan wrote for Atlantic Monthly about Alan's experiences in the Philippines. There are six types of pronouns to consider: (1) personal pronoun, (2) relative pronoun, (3) indefinite pronoun, (4) demonstrative pronoun, (5) interrogative pronoun, and (6) reflexive pronoun.
I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS STAND IN FOR PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS AND IDEAS.
(1st person)-- I, Me, My, Mine, We, Us, Our, Ours (2nd Person)-- You, Your, Yours
(3rd Person)-- He, Him, His, She, Her, Hers, They, Them, Their, Theirs, It, Its, Who, Whom, Whose What pronoun is used depends on the case (Subjective/Nominative) I, You, She, He, They, We, It, Who (Objective) Me, You, Him, Her, Them, Us, It, Whom (Possessive) Mine, Yours, His, Hers, Theirs, Ours, Its, Whose
a. [In the following examples, the personal pronoun is bold.]
b. The boy hopes that someone will give him a cookie from the table.
The objective form of the pronoun is used because the pronoun HIM is an indirect object.
c. Does Jim think that he will be able to attend the lecture.
The subjective form of the pronoun is used because HE is the subject for the verb WILL BE ABLE.
d. Will Alexis donate her dresses to the celebrity auction.
The possessive form of the pronoun (HER) is used to denote ownership.
e. Did Arnold offer them a ride to the game.
The objective form of the pronoun is used because THEM is an indirect object.
f. Who will be attending the reception?
The subjective form of the pronoun is used because WHO is the subject for the verb WILL BE ATTENDING.
g. Can Connor bring his puppy to school.
The possessive form of the pronoun (HIS) is used to denote ownership.
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PRONOUNS
Most simply, pronouns stand in for nouns. They allow us to eliminate the repetition and awkwardness that would come with having to use nouns repeatedly.For example, consider the following sentences written with pronouns and nouns and then with nouns alone.
1 Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called him to ask for permission to reprint an article he wrote for Atlantic Monthly about his experiences in the Philippines.
2. Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called Alan to ask for permission to reprint an article Alan wrote for Atlantic Monthly about Alan's experiences in the Philippines.
There are six types of pronouns to consider:
(1) personal pronoun, (2) relative pronoun, (3) indefinite pronoun, (4) demonstrative pronoun, (5) interrogative pronoun, and (6) reflexive pronoun.
I. PERSONAL PRONOUNS STAND IN FOR PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS AND IDEAS.
(1st person)-- I, Me, My, Mine, We, Us, Our, Ours(2nd Person)-- You, Your, Yours
(3rd Person)-- He, Him, His, She, Her, Hers, They, Them, Their, Theirs, It, Its, Who, Whom, Whose
What pronoun is used depends on the case
(Subjective/Nominative) I, You, She, He, They, We, It, Who
(Objective) Me, You, Him, Her, Them, Us, It, Whom
(Possessive) Mine, Yours, His, Hers, Theirs, Ours, Its, Whose
a. [In the following examples, the personal pronoun is bold.]
b. The boy hopes that someone will give him a cookie from the table.
The objective form of the pronoun is used because the pronoun HIM is an indirect object.
c. Does Jim think that he will be able to attend the lecture.
The subjective form of the pronoun is used because HE is the subject for the verb WILL BE ABLE.
d. Will Alexis donate her dresses to the celebrity auction.
The possessive form of the pronoun (HER) is used to denote ownership.
e. Did Arnold offer them a ride to the game.
The objective form of the pronoun is used because THEM is an indirect object.
f. Who will be attending the reception?
The subjective form of the pronoun is used because WHO is the subject for the verb WILL BE ATTENDING.
g. Can Connor bring his puppy to school.
The possessive form of the pronoun (HIS) is used to denote ownership.
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