Parts of Speech · Today with Roger

Who Needs a Noun?

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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.

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.

Maria packed her lunch, then she left.

Honors the Antecedent

Every pronoun points back to one antecedent noun.

Diego waved because he saw the bus.

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 puppies in one sentence is two too many. The pronouns clean it up.

The puppy chased the puppy's tail until the puppy got dizzy.

The puppy chased its tail until it got dizzy.

Now you try

A pronoun keeps the writing smooth by standing in for a thing. You could try it, this, or that. Any of them saves you the repeat.

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

Every bold word is a personal pronoun standing in for a noun.

She handed the ticket to him.

We told them about it.

Library

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.

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

Players is the antecedent of they. Nelson is the antecedent of he.

The players cheered when they won.

Nelson smiled because he finished the list.

Library

Now you try

Point a pronoun back at one girl, your antecedent. You could try she. That one ties straight to her.

Subjective and Objective Pronouns

Subjective

A subjective pronoun does the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

They invited us to the show.

Objective

An objective pronoun receives the action: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

She passed it to me.

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.

Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive

A reflexive pronoun sends the action back to the subject. Lift it out and the sentence breaks.

Diego poured himself a glass of juice.

Intensive

An intensive pronoun only adds emphasis. Lift it out and the sentence still works.

The mayor himself cut the ribbon.

Now you try

Bounce the action back on a boy with a -self pronoun. You could try himself. That one loops it right around.

Pronoun or Adjective?

Some of my words moonlight for Jake. When this, that, or which sits in front of a noun, that is Jake's adjective. When the same word stands alone in the noun's place, it is my pronoun. That coat is warm is Jake's; That is warm is mine.

In a sentence

Each bold word stands alone, with no noun behind it, so each one is a pronoun.

That is the best deal in town.

Which do you want?

Now you try

Give me a demonstrative pronoun that stands alone, no noun leaning on it. You could try this or that. Either one points and holds.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership and stand completely alone: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. They are not the possessive adjectives my, your, her, which always need a noun after them.

In a sentence

Each bold word shows ownership and stands alone, so each one is a possessive pronoun.

The blue cap is mine.

Those seats are theirs.

Now you try

I am possessive, I admit it, so hand me a possessive pronoun that stands alone. You could try mine, yours, or hers. Any of them owns it outright.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Singular antecedent

One antecedent takes a singular pronoun.

The runner tied her shoes before she started.

Plural antecedent

More than one takes a plural pronoun.

The runners tied their shoes before they started.

Now you try

Match the crowd with a pronoun for more than one person. You could try they. That one covers the whole group.

Relative Pronouns

Five of my pronouns have a second job. Who, whose, whom, which, and that introduce a clause that tells more about a noun: who for a person, which for a thing, that for either. The clause hooks onto the noun and points back at it.

In a sentence

Each bold word introduces a clause and hooks it onto the noun in front of it. Who points back to the player; that points back to the deal.

The player who scored the goal took a bow.

The deal that worked best was the simplest one.

Now you try

Open a clause about a person with a relative pronoun. You could try who. That one introduces the person clean.

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns do not name a specific noun; they stand for some, all, or none of a crowd: anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody, and their -one and -thing partners. The trick: the -body, -one, and -thing words are singular, so they take a singular verb.

In a sentence

Each bold word stands for a fuzzy crowd, not one named noun. Watch how the singular verb follows.

Everyone is welcome at the booth.

Nobody knows what the deal is.

Now you try

Everyone takes is, not are.

The Case System

My personal pronouns run on one machine called case, with three settings: the subjective acts (I, he, they), the objective receives (me, him, them), and the possessive owns (mine, hers, theirs). Same words, three jobs.

In a sentence

First sentence runs all three settings: she does the action, me receives it, hers owns the change. Second sentence shows the intensive himself adding emphasis inside the same machine.

She gave the receipt to me, and the change was hers.

The owner himself sorted every coin we counted.

Now you try

Possessive case, standing alone, showing it is yours. You could try mine, yours, or hers. Any of them claims the goods.

Pronoun Clarity

A pronoun has to point back to one clear antecedent and not drift. Do not shift number or person mid-sentence, and do not leave a pronoun floating between two nouns it could mean. When a reader cannot tell which noun it stands for, I need clarity.

In a sentence

First sentence shows a number-and-person shift: a single customer should not become they or you. Second shows a vague pronoun: she could mean Maya or Priya, so the antecedent is unclear.

When a customer pays early, they get a discount, but if you start with a customer, stay with he or she.

Maya told Priya that she was next in line, which leaves the pronoun floating between two names.

Now you try

Keep the person consistent with a vendor and do not let the pronoun drift. You could try he or she. Either one points back clean.