I'm Roger, and I take the place of nouns so you do not have to repeat the same name all day. Every pronoun I send out points back to a noun called its antecedent. Stick around, and I'll show you the whole lineup.
Parts of Speech · Today with Roger
Who Needs a Noun?
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Section 1 · Meet the Pronouns
Sections 2–5
Meet the Pronouns
A pronoun takes the place of a noun so the same name does not repeat all day. The noun a pronoun stands for is its antecedent, and the antecedent always comes first.
Takes the Place
A pronoun steps in so the noun does not repeat all day.
Jolene likes running, so she is entering a race.
Honors the Antecedent
Every pronoun points back to one antecedent noun.
Scott is making pancakes, and he offered to share them.
Why We Use Pronouns
We use pronouns so writing does not get clunky. Without them, the same antecedent noun shows up again and again. With a pronoun, the noun appears once, and it covers every spot after that.
In a sentence
Three Jolenes in one breath is two too many. The pronouns clean it up.
Jolene hopes that Jolene will win the race.
She hopes that she will win it.
Now you try
A pronoun stands in for a thing so you do not say it twice. You could try it. That one does the job.
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The Personal Pronouns
The personal pronouns are the twelve you use every day: I, me, you, we, us, he, him, it, she, her, they, them. Each can stand in for almost any noun.
In a sentence
Felix and Frankie became they. Frederick became him. The pronouns took every noun's place.
Felix and Frankie found Frederick in the forest.
They found him in the forest.
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Now you try
I need a personal pronoun for a group that includes you, babe. You could try we. That one puts you right in the crowd.
Files it under done
Pronouns and Antecedents
The noun a pronoun replaces is its antecedent, and it always comes first. In Maria grabbed the glove, then she left, Maria is the antecedent and she points right back to her. Trace an arrow from the pronoun, and it should land on one clear noun.
In a sentence
Diane is the antecedent of her. Carlton is the antecedent of he.
Diane is a great businesswoman, and she knows it.
Carlton was so scared that he yelped.
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Now you try
Point a pronoun back at one boy, your antecedent. You could try he. That one ties straight to him.
Files it under done
Subjective and Objective Pronouns
Subjective
A subjective pronoun does the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
They always win card games.
Objective
An objective pronoun receives the action: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
We finally beat them!
Now you try
Send me a pronoun that receives the action, babe. You could try him, them, or us. Any of them takes the hit.
Files it under done
That's the whole inventory. Every pronoun you met points back to a noun, so nobody ever has to guess who you mean. The Big Pronoun Quiz is eight questions down the hall, and I've got a feeling you're going to close every one.
Or skip ahead to the quiz without checking in.