Pronoun Study GuideName ______

L6.1a I can ensure that pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, and possessive).

Subjective pronouns – the subject of a verb; the doer of the action

Examples: he, she, I, we, they, it

Objective pronouns – the object of a verb; the receiver of the action

Examples: him, her, me, us, them, it

Possessive pronouns – show ownership

Examples: his, hers, my, mine, our, ours, their, theirs

Sample questions:

  1. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
The boy is eating his lunch; they ate breakfast earlier today.
a. The boy is eating his lunch; he ate breakfast earlier today.
b. The boy is eating his lunch; he or she ate breakfast earlier today.
c. The boy is eating his lunch; him ate breakfast earlier today.
d. correct as is /
  1. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
The girl who won’t eat mushrooms still won’t eat them. Why won’t they eat it?
a. The girl who won’t eat mushrooms still won’t eat them. Why won’t she eat it?
b. The girl who won’t eat mushrooms still won’t eat them. Why won’t she eat them?
c. The girl who won’t eat mushrooms still won’t eat her. Why won’t she eat them?
d. correct as is
3. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
It is hard to remember my homework, but the responsibility is mine.
a. It is hard to remember mine homework, but the responsibility is me.
b. It is hard to remember my homework, but the responsibility is theirs.
c. It is hard to remember my homework, but theirs is responsible.
d. correct as is / 4. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
She likes ice cream. Her favorite flavor is vanilla, and it gets her every time.
a. She likes ice cream. Her favorite color is vanilla, and they get them every time.
b. He likes ice cream. His favorite flavor is vanilla, and she gets them every time.
c. She likes ice cream. Her favorite flavor is vanilla, and she gets it every time.
d. correct as is
5. Choose the pronoun that best completes the sentence:
For ______was the envelope addressed?
  1. who
  2. whom
  3. they
  4. us
/ 6. Choose the pronoun that best completes the sentence:
My sister likes to go shopping with Mom and ______.
  1. I
  2. my
  3. we
  4. me

7. Choose the pronoun that best completes the sentence:
Two famous basketball players are LaBron James and ______.
  1. him
  2. his
  3. he
  4. they
/ 8. Choose the pronoun that best completes the sentence:
The crowd applauded for the president and ____.
  1. hers
  2. her
  3. she
  4. I

L6.1bI can use intensive pronouns (a pronoun the ends in –self or –selves that emphasizes its antecedent).

Intensive pronoun examples – myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves

**These are not correct English words and should never be used: hisself, theirself, theirselves

Sample questions:

9. Cousin Jesse gave _____ a trumpet.
a. himself
b. hisself
c. themself
d. ourselves / 10. We should clean ______.
a. ourself
b. themselves
c. ourselves
d. themself
11. I learned a lot about ______at my first summer job.
a. myself
b. himself
c. themselves
d. yourself / 12. They should split the pizza among ______.
a. theirself
b. ourselves
c. themselves
d. theirselfs

L6.1c I can recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun person and number.

Pronouns and antecedents must agree in gender and number. Refer to guided notes handout for specific rules!

Sample questions:

13. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
Most students experience different teaching methods throughout his or her high school career.
a. Most students experience different teaching methods throughout their high school careers.
b. Most students experience different teaching methods throughout their high school career.
c. Most student experiences different teaching methods throughout his or her high school career.
d. correct as is / 14. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
A student can learn to depend on their own hard work for success.
a. Students can learn to depend on their own hard work for success.
b. A student can learn to depend on his or her own hard work for success.
c. Both a and b.
d. correct as is
15. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
One of my friends added her name to my Facebook group.
a. One of my friends added his name to them Facebook group.
b. One of my friends added their name to my Facebook group.
c. Both a and b.
d. correct as is / 16. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
A student can do almost anything they want during homeroom.
a. Students can do almost anything he or she want during homeroom.
b. Students can do almost anything they want during homeroom.
c. Both a and b.
d. correct as is
17. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
Every student must have their lunch.
a. Every student must have his or her lunch.
b. Every student must have they’re lunch.
c. Every student must have our lunch.
d. correct as is / 18. Choose the best way to revise this sentence:
I never go to that place because they have stale crackers.
a. I never go to that place because I have stale crackers.
b. I never go to that place because them have stale crackers.
c. I never go to that place because it has stale crackers.
d. correct as is

L6.1d I can recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents).

Sample questions:

19. Choose the word that best replaces the vague pronoun.
Science is my favorite subject. They are such interesting people.
a. Politics
b. Religious People
c. Scientists
d. Writers / 20. Choose the word that best replaces the vague pronoun.
The package was on the plane, but now it is gone.
a. the plane
b. the package
c. he’s
d. Either a or b
21. Explain why this sentence needs to be revised:
When the eggs were served to the customers, they often looked green.
This sentence needs to be revised, because you cannot tell if the customers or the eggs looked green.
Write your revision here:
The eggs often looked green when they were served to customers. / 22. Choose the antecedent that correctly matches the underlined pronoun.
The song was great; Sheree and I love the way it was written.
  1. song
  2. Sheree
  3. I
  4. Sheree and I

23. Write a sentence that has a pronoun and an antecedent. Circle the pronoun and underline the antecedent.
Lilly put her phone on the coffee table.
Lilly is the antecedent and her is the pronoun / 24. Choose the antecedent that correctly matches the underlined pronoun.
Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States during the Civil War; he did not want it to be divided.
  1. Abraham Lincoln
  2. Civil War
  3. country
  4. divided