Pronouns
Understanding Pronouns
Definition - A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.
| Rule 1 |
Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple
sentence. |
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| Rule 2 |
Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow “to be” verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be. |
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| Rule 3 |
Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. |
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| Rule 4 |
To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject. A strong clause can stand on its own. |
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| Rule 4a |
A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own. |
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| Rule 4b |
If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide if the pronoun is a subject or an object. |
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| Rule 5 |
To decide whether to use the Subject or Object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence. |
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| Rule 6 |
Possessive Pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes.
Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs |
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| Rule 7 |
The following examples demonstrate pitfalls to avoid when using possessive pronouns. |
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| Rule 8 |
Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence. |