The PronounMr. Eleftheriades

Tuesday, June 24th

Aim: How can we properly use pronouns in order to diversify our language?

Objectives: Classify various types of pronouns

Do Now: Take out your homework assignment and discuss it with the person next to you.

Homework: Handout 2

The PronounPronoun- a word used in place of one or more nouns or pronouns

Antecedent- the word that the pronoun stands for

Angelo borrowed a hammer and some nails. He will return them tomorrow.

What is the antecedent for the pronoun “he”? What is the antecedent for the pronoun “them”?

Several students have entered the essay contest because they are extremely interested in the topic.

What is the pronoun and what is the antecedent?

Personal Pronouns

Personal Pronoun- refers to the one speaking (first person), the one spoken to (second person), or the one spoken about (third person)

First Person Myself, ourselves

Second Person Yourself, yourselves

Third Person Himself, herself, itself, themselves

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive pronoun- refers to the subject of a sentence and functions as a complement or as an object of a preposition

Intensive pronoun- emphasizes the antecedent

Reflexive- Jane wrote a note to herself.

Intensive- Ruth herself organized the school’s recycling program.

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Little trick- To determine whether a pronoun is reflexive or intensive, read the sentence aloud and omit the pronoun. If the meaning of the sentence changes, the pronoun is reflexive. If the meaning stays the same, it is intensive.

ExampleI need a little time for myself.

Did Paul prepare dinner himself?

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Little trick- To determine whether a pronoun is reflexive or intensive, read the sentence aloud and omit the pronoun. If the meaning of the sentence changes, the pronoun is reflexive. If the meaning stays the same, it is intensive.

ExampleI need a little time for myself. I need a little time for doesn’t make sense. The pronoun myself is reflexiveDid Paul prepare dinner himself? Without the pronoun himself, the meaning of the sentence stays the same. The pronoun himself is intensive.

Demonstrative pronoun

Demonstrative pronoun- points out a specific person, place, thing or idea

This, That, These, Those

This is my favorite song by Stevie Wonder.

The apples I picked today taste better than these.

Note: The same words that are used as demonstrative pronouns can also function as demonstrative adjectives

Pronoun- Her best painting is this.

Adjective- Her best painting is this one.

Interrogative pronoun- introduces a question

What, Which, Who, Whom, Whose

What is the answer to the last algebra problem?

Whose is this? (In this case the antecedent, this, is also a pronoun).

Note: Using who and whom correctly depends on how it is used in the sentence. You must first be able to tell if the pronoun is used as a subject, predicate nominative, a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition. We will learn all these things and get back to who vs. whom.

Interrogative pronoun

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronoun- introduces an adjective clause (we will get to that later)

They look like interrogative pronouns but do not act the same

Who, whom, whose, which, that (instead of what)

Refer to someone or something already mentioned in the sentence

Give extra information about someone or something. Often used in dependent word phrases.

Relative Pronouns Mary, WHO is a nurse, gives shots.

Who is a nurse is giving extra information about Mary. Who is the relative pronoun giving extra information about Mary.

Grammar and composition, WHICH is my favorite subject, is exciting. Which is the relative pronoun used in a dependent word phrase, referring to grammar and composition.

Relative pronouns when referring to people:

Who, whose, whom, and that (which is a relative pronoun that does not refer to people)

Relative pronouns when referring to people:Who, whose, whom and that

 Things and animals:Which, that

Who vs. whom

Who is the subject pronoun

If you can use “he/she” you can use “who”

Whom is the object pronoun

If you can say “him/her”, you can say whom

Indefinite Pronouns

Refers to an unknown antecedent

Few will leave this class unscathed. I have a few ideas for the weekend.I eat many vegetables before summer comes around. None are very tasty.