Using Pronouns

Part 1 What Are Pronouns?

Study these sentences:
When Roger saw Wendy, Roger Spoke to her.
When Roger saw Wendy, he spoke to her.

The words he and her are pronouns because they stand for the nouns
Roger and Wendy.
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
 A pronoun is a very useful word. It helps you write and talk smoothly
and easily without losing track of your ideas and without repeating the
same words too often.

How Pronouns Differ From Nouns

Nouns change only to indicate possessives and plurals.
Pronouns differ from nouns. They change form according to their use in
a sentence. Study these pairs of sentences to see how pronouns change
form and how they differ from nouns.
 Nouns Pronouns
1. Jerry pruned the tree. 1. He pruned the tree.
2. Mr. Barnes helped Jerry. 2. Mr. Barnes helped him.
3. Mr. Barnes is Jerry’s father. 3. Mr. Barnes is his father.
4. The books come yesterday. 4. They came yesterday.
5. Mr. Franks brought the girls. 5. Mr. Franks brought them.

The Forms Of Pronouns

Pronouns have three forms: subject, object and possessive.
Notice how the pronoun she changes as its use changes:

She came. (She is the subject.)

 I saw her. (Her is the direct object)
It is hers. (Hers is the possessive.)
The pronouns listed below are all called personal pronouns.
Here are the forms you should know.
Subject Object Possessive
Singular: I Me My, mine
You You Your, yours
She, he, it Her, him, it Her, hers, his, its

Plural: We As Our, ours

You You Your, yours
They Them Their, theirs
 Notice the pronoun chosen for each of the following sentences. See how
the form of each pronoun depends upon the use of the pronoun in the
sentence.
1. The girls are here. They arrived early. (subject)
2. The workers left later. Ann saw them. (direct object)
3. Sean was early. Terry showed him her new aquarium. (indirect
object)
4. The Boyles have moved. Caryl has their address. (possessive)
5. Karen is my sister. She is older than I am. (subject)
Part 2 Subject Forms of Pronouns
The subject forms of pronouns are used as subjects of the verb.
Most of the time you use these pronoun forms correctly without
difficulty.
The subject forms of pronouns are also used as predicate
pronouns. A predicate pronoun is a pronoun that follows a linking
verb and is linked by predicate pronouns because you may often
hear the wrong forms used.
 The correct use of predicate pronouns is not difficult. But you
must be sure that you understand what these pronouns are and
how they are used.
Study these examples.

Subject Predicate Pronoun

She and I went. The students were she and I.
You and he came. The visitors were you and he.
If you have trouble recognizing predicate pronouns, remember
these points:
1. Predicate pronouns follow linking verbs such as is, was, were
and will be.
2. The predicate pronoun usually means the same thing as the
subject.
3. A sentence with a predicate pronoun will usually make sense if
the subject and the predicate pronoun are reversed.
Study the following example:
Subject Verb
He was the visitor.
The visitor was he.
Exercises Find the pronouns correctly.
1. We tried the mushroom pizza.
2. The girl on the left is she.
3. Sam’s friends congratulated him.
4. John sent her a check for the rent.
5. We girls are the winners.
6. Our friends are coming today.
7. Tom treated his dog kindly.
8. The candidates made their speeches.
9. Everybody liked the movie.
10 Everybody has her own book.
11 He and I auditioned for the spring play.
12 the only volunteers were she and I.
13 Kim saw Todd and her together at the movies.
14 Ms. Finch gave him and me extra help.
15 The yearbook editor give us reporters a new
deadline.
Choose the right pronoun.
A. Number your paper 1-10. Choose the right pronoun in each of the
following sentences. Check your work by reading the sentences
aloud.
1. Kathy and (I, me) work together.
2. Chris and (her, she) are coming.
3. The base runners were Mark and (I, me).
4. The boys are Al’s brothers. Al and (they, them) live
next door.
5. (We, Us) and the Bradleys play touch football.
6. It was Todd and (me, I) to the rescue.
7. It is (her, she).
8. There are Ginny and (I, me) on TV!
9. (Him, He) is the boy at the door.
10 the baseball experts are (they, them) and their
brothers.
B. Follow the directions for Exercise A.
1. (Us, We) and about half the class were tennis players.
2. The Big Hawk Pack and (us, we) became friends at camp.
3. The winners are Trudy and (me, I).
4. Scott and (her, she) are cousins.
5. Robin and (she, her) both roasted marshmallows.
6. Michael and (he, him) are always together.
7. (Her, She) and (I, me) will see you tonight.
8. The boy on the right is (he, him).
9. Michele and (they, them) kept movie scrapbooks.
10 Peter and (us, we) were almost late to homeroom.