Pronouns Pronouns, words like I, him, it, our , and themselves take the place of nouns.

Pronouns Pronouns, words like I, him, it, our, and themselves take the place of nouns. Joanne and Howard bought a new tent. They are going camping We sat next to Mr. Jackson. We had an interesting conversation with him. Grace and I have new shoes. Mine are nicer than hers.

Subject Pronouns Use subject pronouns as the subject of sentences. I, you (sg.), he, she, it, we, you (pl.), they • You and I should talk more often. • In the winter, they love to ski in Utah.

Object Pronouns Use object pronouns after verbs and prepositions. me, you (sg.), him, her, it, us, you (pl.), them • My teacher likesme because I work hard. • Mr. Liu gave the package tohim.

Possessive Pronouns Use possessive pronouns in place of a possessive adjective + noun. mine, yours (sg.), his, hers, its, ours, yours (pl.), theirs • John’s car is faster than mine. (my car) • I got a raise at work. Did you get yours? (your raise.)

Reflexive Pronouns Use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object are the same thing. myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves (pl.), themselves • He always looks at himself in the mirror. NOT: He always looks at him in the mirror. (him = another person) • We did the work ourselves without any help.

Demonstrative Pronouns Use demonstrative pronouns to refer back to something already mentioned. this (sg.), that (sg.) these (pl.), those (pl.) • Selene got an A on the test. This is the best grade she got all year. • Everyone loved the fireworks. These were the best we had seen in many years.

Indefinite Pronouns Use indefinite pronouns to refer to people and things in general. every, some, any, no + one, body, thing • Everythinglooks perfect. • Everyone must decide for himself/herself. • Anyone can offer his or her opinion.

another, other, the other(s) These can be used as pronouns as well as determiners. • If you’ve finished that book, I’ll lend you another. • Some students are here, but we’ll wait for others to show up.

Using Pronouns Always choose the correct pronoun that is needed in the sentence. • The car accident injured Sima and me. Not: • The car accident injured Sima and I/myself.

Using Pronouns Pronouns must agree with the nouns that they replace. • The school is growing. It has many new students this year. (it = the school) • Mike drives Gail and me to school. He picks us up at our house. (he = Mike; us = Gail and me; our = Gail and me)

Using Pronouns Pronouns help avoid repetition and link ideas. • We asked for help on our essays. This resulted in much better grades. Not: • We asked for help on our essays. Asking for help on our essays resulted in much better grades. (without this, repetition occurs)

Using Pronouns Make sure it is clear who a pronoun refers to. • If my parents discuss homework with my brothers, my brothers usually get mad. Not: • If my parents discuss homework with my brothers, they usually get mad. (Does they refer to my parents or my brothers?)

Using Pronouns Pronouns can refer to a male or female. • Before a teacher arrives in a classroom, he has done lots of preparation. (traditional) • Before a teacher arrives in a classroom, he or she has done lots of preparation. (now common) • Before teachers arrive in a classroom, they have done lots of preparation. (best choice)

Using Pronouns Be careful not to repeat a subject two times. Each sentence gets one subject in English. • Thanh, who lives in L.A., does not like the air quality. • Thanh lives in L.A. He does not like the air quality. Not: • Thanh, who lives in L.A., he does not like the air quality.

Locate and correct the errors in the use of pronouns • Mr. Jones gave the test to Liv and I. • Asking someone for money when they don’t have any is inconsiderate. • She asked to look at my notes, but I didn’t have it with me. • The homework that the teacher gave us it is very difficult. • Me and Wei Ping are going to the movies.

Pronouns Pronouns, words like I, him, it, our , and themselves take the place of nouns.