Mrs. Thornton

Pronoun Unit Review Packet

Pronoun: a word that replaces a noun or another pronoun.

Antecedent: The noun or pronoun that a pronoun replaces.

Ex. Nick whistled nervously as he walked down to Mr. Clymer’s office.

The pronoun he refers to the noun Nick. Nick is the antecedent of he.

There are many types of pronouns. The following is a chart of the different forms that we use.

Forms of Personal Pronouns:

NominativeObjectivePossessive

SingularImemy, mine

Youyouyou, yours

She, he, it her, him, ither, hers,

his, its

Pluralweusour, ours

Youyou your, yours

Theythem their, theirs

Nominative Form of Pronouns

Use the nominative form of a pronoun for subjects (the person(s), thing(s), or idea(s) that the sentence is about) The nominative forms of pronouns are used as subjects of the verb.They tell who or what is doing the action.

I, he, she, it, we, you, they

Ex.

Incorrect:

Her and me arrived at the dance in the same dress.

(Her and me are used incorrectly as subjects. They are not nominative forms.)

Correct:

She and I arrived at the dance in the same dress.

Nominative Forms as Predicate Pronouns.

Use the nominative form of a pronoun for predicate pronouns. A predicate pronoun is a pronoun that follows a linking verb (is, was, were, will, be, could have been, etc.) and is linked by the verb to the subject.

Ex.

Incorrect:

It was him at the door.

(The linking verb was needs the nominative pronoun he to follow it.)

Correct:

It washe at the door.

Objective Form of Pronouns

Use the objective form to tell who or what is receiving the action. Therefore, an objective form of a pronoun will either be adirect object, an indirect object, or the object of a preposition.

Example:

Daniel invited us to swim tomorrow.

(Us is the direct object of the verb invited.)

The record company sent her a new tape.

(Her is the indirect object of the verb sent. Tape is the direct object.)

As the object of a preposition (with, of, for, at, from, to):

Example:

Can you align the handlebars for me?

(Me is the object of the preposition for.)

Example:

Incorrect:

Will Janet be studying with you and I?

Correct:

Will Janet be studying with you and me?

Practice A

Directions: Underline the pronouns in the following sentences. Then identify whether the pronouns in the following sentences are plural or singular on the line following each sentence.

  1. Kate didn’t know if her homework was in her locker. ______
  1. Where is their car being fixed? ______
  1. I can’t find my cell phone. ______
  1. Everyone had his own pen and pencil for the test. ______
  1. It is next to the ice cream in the freezer. ______
  1. We are so excited to see the concert. ______
  1. There is no way they will like this game. ______

Practice B

Directions: Underline the pronoun. Note: All sentences are related. Identify on the line next to the sentence if the pronoun(s) is Nominative, Objective or Possessive.

  1. Death Valley is famous for its strange moving boulders.

______

  1. They are found in a dry lake bed called Racetrack Playa.

______

  1. The rocks slide on their own, leaving long rocks behind them.

______

  1. Can you think of an explanation for this curious event?

______

  1. Investigators offer two major theories for us to consider.

______

  1. One geologist thinks that when floodwater freezes, an ice sheet can form under a rock and help it slide.

______

  1. Other scientists disagree with his theory.

______

  1. They believe that the wind alone can move the rocks.

______

Practice C:

Directions: Circle pronoun in parenthesis that will correctly complete the sentence.

  1. Have you seen the principal or (she, her)?
  1. I’ll send the message to both you and (they, them).
  1. Leroy is not as friendly as (her, she)
  1. Ophelia did not like (you, your) screaming during the argument.
  1. Bradley is older than (me, I).
  1. The award was given to Paul and (she, her).
  1. Did you give (him, he) the camera?
  1. Where are (they, them) going?
  1. It was (we, us) that received the guests at the galla.
  1. The principal and (me, I) will be going to the important meeting tonight.

Pronouns Part IIName: ______

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive and Intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to a sentence. They are formed by adding -self or –selves to certain personal pronouns.

They are only used when they refer to another word in a sentence.

Correct Examples:

We helped ourselves to pizza. (ourselves refers back to we)

Jackson himself won the tug- of- war. (himself refers back to Jackson)

Incorrect Examples:

Maria and myself will be ready. (myself does not refer to another word in the sentence)

The profit was split between Andy and myself. (myself does not refer to another word in the sentence)

Indefinite Pronouns.

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. Therefore, a singular antecedent must have a singular pronoun and a plural antecedent must have a plural pronoun.

When an indefinite pronoun is the antecedent you must decide if it is singular or plural.

The following indefinite pronouns are always singular, although they may not seem to be:

another, anyone, anybody, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, one, somebody, and someone.

Example:

Incorrect: Does everyone have their map to the game?

Everyone is singular, but their is plural

Correct: Does everyone have his map to the game?

All, some, any, and none may be either singular or plural, depending on the meaning of the sentence.

Example:

Singular: Some of the garden has lost its beauty

Plural: Some of the flowers have lost their scent.

Part II. Interrogative Pronouns (who and whom)

Interrogative pronouns are tricky for most writers and can be confusing.

You use who as the subject of the verb.

You use whom as the direct object and object of the preposition.

Choosing who:

First, decide how the pronoun is used in the sentence. If the pronoun is used as a subject of the verb, choose who.

Example:

Incorrect: Whom sings that song?

Correct: Who sings that song? (who is the subject of the verb sings)

Choosing whom:

If the pronoun is used as the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition, choose whom.

Example:

Incorrect: Who are you visiting?

Correct: Whom are you visiting? (whom is the direct object of the verb visiting. The subject is you)

Incorrect: With who do you travel?

Correct: With whom do you travel? (whom is the object of the preposition with)

Practice D:

Directions: Identify the correct pronoun in parenthesis. Is it the personal pronoun or the reflexive pronoun?

  1. Jake and (I, myself) worked as librarian’s assistants.
  1. “Could you help my friend and (me, myself) with the MLA handbook?” Carla asked.
  1. Mrs. Beckford- Smith, the librarian, gave that assignment to (us, ourselves).
  1. As it turned out, that young woman was already familiar with the MLA handbook and could have helped (her, herself).
  1. She had simply wanted attention from Jake and (me, myself).
  1. At the end of the period, Mrs. Beckford- Smith excused (her, herself) and left us in charge.

Practice E:

Directions: Underline the indefinite pronoun and its antecedent. If necessary correct the pronoun to correctly correspond to the antecedent. If the sentence is correct already write correct on the line following the sentence.

  1. Everyone in our English class keeps a folder for their own writing. ______
  1. Once a month each of the students edits an essay from their folder. ______
  1. In the beginning of the semester few of us wanted to correct his mistakes. ______
  1. In time the students were confident that they could correctly identify their mistakes.

______

  1. Many of the writers found his or her writing had improved by the end of the semester.

______

  1. Some in the class think that essay writing has been their most rewarding English experience. ______

Practice F.

Directions: Underline the correct pronoun in parenthesis.

  1. (Who, Whom) has heard of Susan B. Anthony?
  1. (Who, Whom) fought harder for women’s rights?
  1. For (who, whom) did Anthony pledge to fight?
  1. (Who, Whom) did Anthony battle in the courts?
  1. (Who, Whom) called the Women’s Rights Convention the “Tomfoolery Convention”?
  1. With (who, whom) did she register to vote in 1872?

7. (Who, Whom) could imagine a time when women could not vote?