{"id":760,"date":"2016-07-15T22:54:49","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T22:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level3-english\/?post_type=chapter&p=760"},"modified":"2017-04-30T19:06:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-30T19:06:31","slug":"text-pronoun-cases-and-types","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-engcomp1-wmopen\/chapter\/text-pronoun-cases-and-types\/","title":{"raw":"Pronoun Cases and Types","rendered":"Pronoun Cases and Types"},"content":{"raw":"A pronoun stands in the place of a noun. Like nouns, pronouns can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: they are the things sentences are about.\u00a0Pronouns include words like\u00a0he<\/em>,\u00a0she<\/em>, and\u00a0I<\/em>, but they also include words like this<\/em>, that<\/em>, which<\/em>, who<\/em>, anybody<\/em>, and\u00a0everyone<\/em>. Before we get into the different\u00a0types of pronouns, let's look at how they work in sentences.\r\n\r\nBecause a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun\u00a0is called the\u00a0antecedent<\/strong>. Let's look at the first sentence of this paragraph\u00a0again:\r\n

Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its<\/strong> meaning is dependent on the noun that it<\/strong>\u00a0is replacing.<\/p>\r\nThere are two\u00a0pronouns here:\u00a0its <\/em>and\u00a0it<\/em>.\u00a0Its<\/em> and\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0both have the same antecedent: \"a pronoun.\" Whenever you use a pronoun,\u00a0you must also include its antecedent. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won't be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to. Let's look at a couple of examples:\r\n

    \r\n \t
  • Jason likes it\u00a0when\u00a0people look to him for leadership.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Trini does\u00a0her hair and make up every\u00a0day\u2014with no exceptions.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSo, what are the antecedents and pronouns in these sentences?\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Jason<\/em> is the antecedent for the pronoun him<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Trini<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0her<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
      \r\n

      Practice<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the antecedents and pronouns in the following\u00a0examples:\r\n
        \r\n \t
      1. Itzel and\u00a0Camila were the top ranking\u00a0doubles team\u00a0at OSU.\u00a0They hadn't been defeated\u00a0all year.<\/li>\r\n \t
      2. People asked\u00a0Jorge\u00a0to review their papers so often that he started a\u00a0small editing business.<\/li>\r\n \t
      3. Henry called his parents every week.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"554891\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"554891\"]\r\n
          \r\n \t
        1. Itzel and\u00a0Camila<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0They<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
        2. There are two pronoun\/antecedent pairs in this sentence. People<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for their<\/strong>, and\u00a0Jorge<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for he<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
        3. Henry<\/strong>\u00a0is the\u00a0antecedent for\u00a0his<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nSo far, we've only looked at\u00a0personal pronouns, but there are a lot of other types, including demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. Let's discuss each of these types in further depth:\r\n

          Personal Pronouns<\/h2>\r\n\"anThe following sentences give examples of\u00a0personal\u00a0pronouns used with antecedents:\r\n
            \r\n \t
          • That man<\/b> looks as if he<\/b> needs a new coat. (the noun phrase that man<\/em> is the antecedent of he<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Kat<\/b>\u00a0arrived yesterday. I met her<\/b> at the station. (Kat<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of her<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
          • When they<\/b> saw us, the lions<\/b> began roaring (the lions<\/em> is the antecedent of they<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Adam\u00a0and I<\/b> were hoping no one would find us<\/b>. (Adam\u00a0and I<\/em> is the antecedent of us<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
            Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Pronouns like\u00a0I<\/em>,\u00a0we<\/em>, and\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0don't always require an explicitly stated antecedent. When a speaker\u00a0says something like \"I told you the zoo was closed today,\" it's implied that the speaker is the antecedent for\u00a0I<\/em> and the listener is the antecedent for\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/div>\r\nReflexive pronouns\u00a0<\/strong>are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.\r\n
              \r\n \t
            • Jason<\/b>\u00a0hurt himself<\/b>. (Jason<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of himself<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
            • We<\/b> were teasing each other<\/b>. (we<\/em> is the antecedent of each other<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThis is true even if the subject is only implied, as in the sentence \"Don't hurt yourself.\"\u00a0You<\/em> is the unstated subject of this sentence.\r\n\r\nReflexive pronouns include\u00a0myself<\/em>,\u00a0ourselves,<\/em> yourself<\/em>,\u00a0yourselves<\/em>\u00a0himself<\/em>,\u00a0herself<\/em>,\u00a0itself<\/em>,\u00a0themselves.<\/em>\u00a0They can only be used\u00a0as the object of a sentence\u2014not as the subject. You can say \"I\u00a0jinxed myself,\" but\u00a0you can't say\u00a0<\/em>\"Myself jinxed me.\"\r\n
              \r\n\r\nNote:<\/strong>\u00a0When the the first- or\u00a0second-person reflexive pronoun is appropriate, object-case and reflexive pronouns can often be used interchangeably:\r\n
                \r\n \t
              • The only person\u00a0I'm\u00a0worrying about today is me<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
              • The only person I'm worrying about today is myself<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
              • You don't need to make\u00a0anyone happy except you<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
              • You don't need to make anyone happy except yourself<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhy do you think this is? When would you use one or the other?\r\n\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                \r\n

                Practice<\/h3>\r\nRead\u00a0at the following sentences. Should the reflexive pronoun be used? Why or why not?\r\n
                  \r\n \t
                1. Aisha let (her \/ herself)\u00a0in when she arrived.<\/li>\r\n \t
                2. Feel free\u00a0to let (you \/ yourself) in\u00a0when you get here!<\/li>\r\n \t
                3. Alex asked Jada if she would let (him \/ himself) in when (she \/ herself) arrived.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"653330\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"653330\"]\r\n
                    \r\n \t
                  1. Aisha let herself<\/strong> in when she arrived.\r\n
                      \r\n \t
                    • Aisha is the subject and object of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                    • Feel free to let yourself<\/strong>\u00a0in when you get here!\r\n
                        \r\n \t
                      • You<\/em> is the implied subject of the sentence, so the reflexive\u00a0yourself<\/em> is appropriate as the object of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                      • Alex asked Jada if she would let him<\/strong> in when she<\/strong>\u00a0arrived.\r\n
                          \r\n \t
                        • While Alex<\/em> is the subject of the sentence,\u00a0Alex<\/em> is not the subject of the dependent clause that\u00a0him<\/em> appears in (if she would let him in). In this clause,\u00a0she<\/em> is the subject, so the reflexive pronoun cannot be used here.<\/li>\r\n \t
                        • She<\/em> is the subject of the clause \"when she arrived.\" Since it's a subject, the reflexive cannot be used.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nPronouns may be classified by three categories: person, number, and case.\r\n\r\nPerson<\/strong> refers to the relationship that an author has with the text that he or she writes, and with the reader of that text.\u00a0English has three persons (first, second, and third):\r\n
                            \r\n \t
                          • First-person<\/strong> is the speaker or writer him- or herself. The first person is personal (I<\/em>, we<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\r\n \t
                          • Second-person<\/strong>\u00a0is the person who is being directly addressed. The speaker or author is saying this is about you, the listener or reader.<\/li>\r\n \t
                          • Third-person<\/strong> is the most common person used in academic writing. The author is saying this is about other people. In the third person singular there are distinct pronoun forms for male, female, and neutral\u00a0gender.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThere are\u00a0two numbers<\/strong>: singular<\/strong> and plural<\/strong>. As we learned in nouns, singular words\u00a0refer\u00a0to\u00a0only one a thing while plural words refer to\u00a0more than one of a thing (I<\/em> stood alone while\u00a0they<\/em> walked together).\r\n\r\nEnglish personal pronouns have two cases<\/strong>: subject<\/strong> and object<\/strong>. Subject-case pronouns are used when the pronoun is doing the action (I<\/em> like to eat chips, but she<\/em> does not). Object-case pronouns are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me<\/em> but not her<\/em>).\r\n\r\nPossessive pronouns<\/strong> are used to indicate possession (in a broad sense). Some must be accompanied by a noun: e.g.,\u00a0my<\/em> or\u00a0your<\/em>, as in \"I lost my<\/strong> wallet.\" This category of pronouns behaves similarly to adjectives.\u00a0Others occur as independent phrases: e.g.,\u00a0mine <\/em>or yours<\/em>. For example, \"Those clothes are mine<\/strong>.\"\r\n\r\nThe table below includes all of the personal pronouns in the English language. They are organized by person, number, and case:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
                            Person<\/th>\r\nNumber<\/th>\r\nSubject<\/th>\r\nObject<\/th>\r\nPossessive<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
                            First<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nI<\/td>\r\nme<\/td>\r\nmy<\/td>\r\nmine<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            Plural<\/td>\r\nwe<\/td>\r\nus<\/td>\r\nour<\/td>\r\nours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            Second<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyour<\/td>\r\nyours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            Plural<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyour<\/td>\r\nyours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            Third<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nhe<\/td>\r\nhim<\/td>\r\nhis<\/td>\r\nhis<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            she<\/td>\r\nher<\/td>\r\nher<\/td>\r\nhers<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            it<\/td>\r\nit<\/td>\r\nits<\/td>\r\nits<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                            Plural<\/td>\r\nthey<\/td>\r\nthem<\/td>\r\ntheir<\/td>\r\ntheirs<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
                            \r\n

                            Practice<\/h3>\r\nIn each sentence, fill in the blank with\u00a0the correct pronoun. Identify why you selected the pronoun you did:\r\n
                              \r\n \t
                            1. Andr\u00e9\u00a0told me that it was ___\u00a0box of cereal, but I couldn't remember having bought ___.<\/li>\r\n \t
                            2. Amelia and Ajani still haven\u2019t arrived. I should make sure ___\u00a0texted ___.<\/li>\r\n \t
                            3. You shouldn't be so worried about what other people think. The only person ___\u00a0need to please is ___.<\/li>\r\n \t
                            4. George Washington\u00a0was the first president of the United States. ___\u00a0set the standard of only serving two terms of office. However, ___\u00a0wasn't illegal to serve over two terms\u00a0until 1951.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"436221\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"436221\"]\r\n
                                \r\n \t
                              1. The context of the sentence gives hints that Andr\u00e9 thinks the box of cereal belongs to the speaker of the sentence. The correct sentence would be \"Andr\u00e9\u00a0told me that it was my<\/strong>\u00a0box of cereal, but I couldn't remember having bought it<\/strong>.\"\r\n
                                  \r\n \t
                                • My<\/em>\u00a0is a possessive, singular, first-person pronoun. It is followed by the noun\u00a0box of cereal<\/em>, so it appears in its\u00a0adjective form, rather than as mine<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                • It<\/em>\u00a0is a subject case, singular, neutral\u00a0third-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                • There are two sentence that make sense here: \"Amelia and Ajani still haven\u2019t arrived. I should make sure I<\/strong>\u00a0texted them,<\/strong>\" or \"Amelia and Ajani still haven\u2019t arrived. I should make sure they<\/strong> texted me<\/strong>.\" The correct sentence depends on who did (or didn't do) the texting.\r\n
                                    \r\n \t
                                  • I<\/em> is a subject case, singular, first-person pronoun.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
                                  • They<\/em>\u00a0is a subject case, plural, third-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                  • Them<\/em>\u00a0is a\u00a0object case, plural, third-person pronoun.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
                                  • Me<\/em>\u00a0is a object case, singular, first-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                  • You shouldn't be so worried about what other people think.\u00a0The only person you<\/strong> need to please is you<\/strong>.\r\n
                                      \r\n \t
                                    • You<\/em> is an subject\u00a0case, singular, second-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                    • You<\/em> is an object case, singular, second-person pronoun.\u00a0Yourself\u00a0<\/em>would also be ok here, since the subject and object of the sentence are the same.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                    • George Washington was the first president of the United States. He<\/strong> set the standard of only serving two terms of office. However, it<\/strong> wasn't illegal to serve over two terms until 1951.\r\n
                                        \r\n \t
                                      • He<\/em>\u00a0is a subject case, singular, masculine\u00a0third-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                      • It<\/em>\u00a0is a subject case, singular, neutral\u00a0third-person pronoun.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

                                        Demonstrative Pronouns<\/h2>\r\nDemonstrative pronouns substitute for things being pointed out. They\u00a0include\u00a0this<\/em>,\u00a0that<\/em>, these<\/em>, and those<\/em>. This<\/em>\u00a0and that<\/em>\u00a0are singular;\u00a0these\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0those<\/em> are plural.\r\n\r\n\"IconThe difference between\u00a0this<\/em> and\u00a0that<\/em> and between\u00a0these<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> is a little more subtle.\u00a0This<\/em> and\u00a0these<\/em> refer to something that is \"close\" to the speaker, whether this closeness is physical, emotional, or temporal.\u00a0That<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> are the opposite: they refer to something that is \"far.\"\r\n
                                          \r\n \t
                                        • Do I actually have to read all of this<\/em>?\r\n
                                            \r\n \t
                                          • The speaker is indicating a text that is close to her, by using \"this.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                          • That<\/em>\u00a0is not coming anywhere near me.\r\n
                                              \r\n \t
                                            • The speaker is distancing himself from the object in question, which he doesn't want to get any closer. The far pronoun helps indicate that.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                            • You're telling me you sewed all of these<\/em>?\r\n
                                                \r\n \t
                                              • The speaker and her audience are likely looking directly at the clothes in question, so the close pronoun is appropriate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                              • Those\u00a0<\/em>are all gross.\r\n
                                                  \r\n \t
                                                • The speaker wants to remain away from the gross items in question, by using the far \"those.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
                                                  \r\n\r\nNote:<\/strong> these pronouns\u00a0are often combined with a noun. When this happens, they act as a kind of adjective instead of as a pronoun.\r\n
                                                    \r\n \t
                                                  • Do I actually have to read all of this\u00a0<\/em>contract?<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                  • That<\/em> thing is not coming anywhere near me.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                  • You're telling me you sewed all of these<\/em> dresses?<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                  • Those<\/em>\u00a0recipes are all gross.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe antecedents of\u00a0demonstrative\u00a0pronouns (and sometimes the pronoun it<\/em>)\u00a0can be\u00a0more complex than those of\u00a0personal pronouns:\r\n
                                                      \r\n \t
                                                    • Animal Planet's\u00a0puppy cam has been taken down for maintenance.<\/strong> I never wanted this<\/em> to happen.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                    • I love Animal Planet's panda cam. I watched a panda eat bamboo for half an hour.<\/strong>\u00a0It<\/em>\u00a0was amazing.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn the first example, the antecedent for\u00a0this<\/em> is the concept of the puppy cam being taken down. In the second example, the antecedent for\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0in this sentence is the experience of watching the panda. That antecedent isn't explicitly stated in the sentence, but comes through in the intention and meaning of the speaker.\r\n
                                                      \r\n

                                                      Practice<\/h3>\r\nIn the following sentences, determine if this<\/em>, that<\/em>, these<\/em>, or those<\/em> should be used.\r\n
                                                        \r\n \t
                                                      1. Lara looked at her meal in front of her. \"____ looks great!\" she said.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                      2. Tyesha watched\u00a0the \u201967 Mustang drive down the street. \"What I wouldn't give for one of ____.\"<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                      3. \"What do you think of ____?\" Ashley asked,\u00a0showing me the\u00a0three paint samples\u00a0she had picked out.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"727295\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"727295\"]\r\n
                                                          \r\n \t
                                                        1. Lara looked at her meal in front of her. \"This<\/strong> looks great!\" she said.\r\n
                                                            \r\n \t
                                                          • The meal is right in front of Lara, and there is only one meal.\u00a0This<\/em> is the correct pronoun.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                          • Tyesha watched the \u201967 Mustang drive down the street. \"What I wouldn't give for one of those<\/strong>.\"\r\n
                                                              \r\n \t
                                                            • The Mustang is far away (and\u00a0getting further away as it drives off). The phrase \"one of ____\" requires a plural word in the blank. Those<\/em> is the correct pronoun.\u00a0A singular version of the sentence would be something like \"What I wouldn't give to own that<\/strong>.\" That<\/em>\u00a0is the correct pronoun for singular things that are far away.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                            • \"What do you think of these<\/strong>?\" Ashley asked, showing me the three paint samples\u00a0she had picked out.\r\n
                                                                \r\n \t
                                                              • The paint samples\u00a0are in immediate focus (whether Ashley is holding them or looking at them online), and there are three of them.\u00a0These<\/em> is the correct pronoun.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

                                                                Indefinite Pronouns<\/h2>\r\n\"dotted\r\n\r\nIndefinite pronouns, the largest group of pronouns, refer to one or more unspecified persons or things,\u00a0for example: Anyone<\/b> can do that.<\/i>\r\n\r\nThese pronouns can be\u00a0used in a couple of different ways:\r\n
                                                                  \r\n \t
                                                                • They can\u00a0refer to members of a group separately rather than collectively. (To each<\/b> his or her own.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                • They can\u00a0indicate the non-existence of people or things. (Nobody<\/b> thinks that.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                • They can\u00a0refer to a person, but are not specific as to first, second or third person in the way that the personal pronouns are. (One<\/b> does not clean one's<\/b> own windows.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPlease note that\u00a0all of these pronouns are singular. The\u00a0table below shows the most common indefinite pronouns:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
                                                                  anybody<\/td>\r\nanyone<\/td>\r\nanything<\/td>\r\neach<\/td>\r\neither<\/td>\r\nevery<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                                                                  everybody<\/td>\r\neveryone<\/td>\r\neverything<\/td>\r\nneither<\/td>\r\nno one<\/td>\r\nnobody<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                                                                  nothing<\/td>\r\nnobody else<\/td>\r\nsomebody<\/td>\r\nsomeone<\/td>\r\nsomething<\/td>\r\n\u00a0one<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
                                                                  \r\n\r\nNote:<\/strong> Sometimes\u00a0third-person personal pronouns are sometimes used without antecedents\u2014this applies to special uses such as dummy pronouns and generic they<\/i>, as well as cases where the referent is implied by the context.\r\n
                                                                    \r\n \t
                                                                  • You know what\u00a0they<\/em> say.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                  • It's<\/em> a nice day today.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                                                                    \r\n

                                                                    Practice<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the indefinite pronouns in the following sentences. Is the best indefinite\u00a0used, or is there another indefinite that would fit better?\r\n
                                                                      \r\n \t
                                                                    1. Everyone\u00a0should take the time to critically think about what he or she\u00a0wants out of life.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                    2. If I had to choose between singing in public\u00a0and swimming with leeches, I would choose neither.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                    3. Yasmin<\/span> knew everything\u00a0was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                    4. If nobody else enrolls in this class, it will be cancelled this semester.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"565632\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"565632\"]\r\n
                                                                        \r\n \t
                                                                      1. Everyone<\/strong> is the indefinite pronoun.\u00a0He or she<\/em> is a pronoun with the antecedent\u00a0everyone<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                      2. The indefinite pronoun\u00a0neither<\/strong>\u00a0is used in this sentence. It is likely being used correctly, indicating that the speaker does not want to complete the actions stated earlier in the sentence. However, if the speaker thought that both singing in public and swimming with leeches were fun, the indefinite pronoun\u00a0either<\/em> would\u00a0be the appropriate word to use.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                      3. The indefinite pronoun\u00a0everything<\/strong>\u00a0is used in this sentence. However, based on the rest of the sentence, it doesn't quite fit. If everything is wrong,\u00a0you wouldn't need to figure out exactly what's happening. The indefinite pronoun\u00a0something<\/em> would fit better here.\r\n
                                                                          \r\n \t
                                                                        • Yasmin knew something<\/strong>\u00a0was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIf everything is, in fact, wrong, perhaps the word\u00a0what<\/em> needs to be changed.\r\n
                                                                            \r\n \t
                                                                          • Yasmin knew everything was wrong, but she couldn't figure out how it had happened<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                          • Yasmin knew everything\u00a0was wrong, but she couldn't figure out why<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                          • The indefinite pronoun nobody else<\/strong>\u00a0is used in this sentence.\u00a0If there are already some students enrolled in the class, then\u00a0nobody else<\/em> is being used correctly. If there aren't any students in the course, then\u00a0nobody<\/em> should be used instead.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                                                                            \r\n

                                                                            Singular They<\/em><\/h3>\r\nAs we've just seen, indefinite pronouns demand singular pronouns, like in \"To\u00a0each his or her own.\" However, in informal speech, you'll often hear things like\u00a0\"To each their own\"\u00a0or \"Someone is singing in the hallway. If they haven't stopped in five minutes, I'm going to have to take drastic measures.\" If you think about your own speech, it's very likely that you\u00a0use\u00a0they<\/em> as a singular pronoun for someone whose gender you don't know.\r\n\r\nSo why do people use they<\/em> this way, even though it's a plural? It likely stems from the clunkiness of the phrase \"he or she.\" It is also possible that\u00a0they<\/em> is following the same evolution as the word\u00a0you<\/em>. In Early Modern English,\u00a0you<\/em> was used as either a plural, second-person pronoun or as a polite form for the more common, singular\u00a0thee<\/em>. However,\u00a0you<\/em> eventually overtook almost all of the second-person pronouns, both singular and plural.\r\n\r\nWhile this use of the singular\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0is still not \"officially\" correct\u2014and you definitely shouldn't use this in your English papers\u2014it's interesting to watch English change before our very eyes.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

                                                                            Relative Pronouns<\/h2>\r\nThere are five relative pronouns in English:\u00a0who<\/em>,\u00a0whom<\/em>,\u00a0whose<\/em>, that<\/em>,\u00a0and\u00a0which. <\/em>These pronouns are used to connect different clauses together. For example:\r\n
                                                                              \r\n \t
                                                                            • Belen, who<\/strong> had starred in six plays before she turned seventeen, knew that she wanted to act on Broadway someday.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                                                            • My daughter wants to adopt the\u00a0dog that<\/strong>\u00a0doesn't have\u00a0a tail.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThese pronouns behave differently from the other categories we've seen. However, they are pronouns, and it's important to learn how they work.\u00a0Two\u00a0of the biggest confusions with these pronouns are\u00a0that<\/em> vs.\u00a0which<\/em> and\u00a0who<\/em> vs.\u00a0whom<\/em>. The two following videos help with these:\r\n

                                                                              That vs. Which<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/6Js8tBCfbWk\r\n

                                                                              Who vs. Whom<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/bPqMLKXoEac\r\n
                                                                              \r\n

                                                                              Practice<\/h3>\r\nDoes the following paragraph\u00a0use\u00a0relative pronouns correctly? Explain why or why not for each relative pronoun.\r\n

                                                                              Katerina, whom had taken biology\u00a0once\u00a0already, was still struggling to keep\u00a0the steps of cellular respiration straight. She knew the process took place in animals, which take in oxygen and put out carbon dioxide. She also knew that plants underwent the process of photosynthesis. However, the individual steps of the process seemed beyond her understanding.<\/p>\r\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"35641\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"35641\"]There are three relative pronouns in this passage:\r\n

                                                                              Katerina, whom<\/strong> had taken biology\u00a0once\u00a0already, was still struggling to keep\u00a0the steps of cellular respiration straight. She knew the process took place in animals, which<\/strong> take in oxygen and put out carbon dioxide. She also knew that<\/strong> plants underwent the process of photosynthesis. However, the individual steps of the process seemed beyond her understanding.<\/p>\r\nWhom<\/em> is incorrect; the object case is not needed here. The sentence should\u00a0start with \"Katerina, who had taken biology once already. . . .\"\u00a0Which\u00a0<\/em>is used correctly. Which<\/em> is appropriate to use with the noun animals<\/em>, and\u00a0the clause is set off with commas.\u00a0That<\/em> is used correctly. It connects\u00a0knew<\/em> with what she knew.\r\n\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

                                                                              A pronoun stands in the place of a noun. Like nouns, pronouns can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: they are the things sentences are about.\u00a0Pronouns include words like\u00a0he<\/em>,\u00a0she<\/em>, and\u00a0I<\/em>, but they also include words like this<\/em>, that<\/em>, which<\/em>, who<\/em>, anybody<\/em>, and\u00a0everyone<\/em>. Before we get into the different\u00a0types of pronouns, let’s look at how they work in sentences.<\/p>\n

                                                                              Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun\u00a0is called the\u00a0antecedent<\/strong>. Let’s look at the first sentence of this paragraph\u00a0again:<\/p>\n

                                                                              Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its<\/strong> meaning is dependent on the noun that it<\/strong>\u00a0is replacing.<\/p>\n

                                                                              There are two\u00a0pronouns here:\u00a0its <\/em>and\u00a0it<\/em>.\u00a0Its<\/em> and\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0both have the same antecedent: “a pronoun.” Whenever you use a pronoun,\u00a0you must also include its antecedent. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won’t be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to. Let’s look at a couple of examples:<\/p>\n

                                                                                \n
                                                                              • Jason likes it\u00a0when\u00a0people look to him for leadership.<\/li>\n
                                                                              • Trini does\u00a0her hair and make up every\u00a0day\u2014with no exceptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                                So, what are the antecedents and pronouns in these sentences?<\/p>\n

                                                                                  \n
                                                                                • Jason<\/em> is the antecedent for the pronoun him<\/em>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                • Trini<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0her<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                  \n

                                                                                  Practice<\/h3>\n

                                                                                  Identify the antecedents and pronouns in the following\u00a0examples:<\/p>\n

                                                                                    \n
                                                                                  1. Itzel and\u00a0Camila were the top ranking\u00a0doubles team\u00a0at OSU.\u00a0They hadn’t been defeated\u00a0all year.<\/li>\n
                                                                                  2. People asked\u00a0Jorge\u00a0to review their papers so often that he started a\u00a0small editing business.<\/li>\n
                                                                                  3. Henry called his parents every week.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
                                                                                    Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n
                                                                                    \n
                                                                                      \n
                                                                                    1. Itzel and\u00a0Camila<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0They<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                    2. There are two pronoun\/antecedent pairs in this sentence. People<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for their<\/strong>, and\u00a0Jorge<\/strong>\u00a0is the antecedent for he<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                    3. Henry<\/strong>\u00a0is the\u00a0antecedent for\u00a0his<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

                                                                                      So far, we’ve only looked at\u00a0personal pronouns, but there are a lot of other types, including demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. Let’s discuss each of these types in further depth:<\/p>\n

                                                                                      Personal Pronouns<\/h2>\n

                                                                                      \"anThe following sentences give examples of\u00a0personal\u00a0pronouns used with antecedents:<\/p>\n

                                                                                        \n
                                                                                      • That man<\/b> looks as if he<\/b> needs a new coat. (the noun phrase that man<\/em> is the antecedent of he<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                                                                      • Kat<\/b>\u00a0arrived yesterday. I met her<\/b> at the station. (Kat<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of her<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                                                                      • When they<\/b> saw us, the lions<\/b> began roaring (the lions<\/em> is the antecedent of they<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                                                                      • Adam\u00a0and I<\/b> were hoping no one would find us<\/b>. (Adam\u00a0and I<\/em> is the antecedent of us<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                                                        Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Pronouns like\u00a0I<\/em>,\u00a0we<\/em>, and\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0don’t always require an explicitly stated antecedent. When a speaker\u00a0says something like “I told you the zoo was closed today,” it’s implied that the speaker is the antecedent for\u00a0I<\/em> and the listener is the antecedent for\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/div>\n

                                                                                        Reflexive pronouns\u00a0<\/strong>are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.<\/p>\n

                                                                                          \n
                                                                                        • Jason<\/b>\u00a0hurt himself<\/b>. (Jason<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of himself<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                                                                        • We<\/b> were teasing each other<\/b>. (we<\/em> is the antecedent of each other<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                                          This is true even if the subject is only implied, as in the sentence “Don’t hurt yourself.”\u00a0You<\/em> is the unstated subject of this sentence.<\/p>\n

                                                                                          Reflexive pronouns include\u00a0myself<\/em>,\u00a0ourselves,<\/em> yourself<\/em>,\u00a0yourselves<\/em>\u00a0himself<\/em>,\u00a0herself<\/em>,\u00a0itself<\/em>,\u00a0themselves.<\/em>\u00a0They can only be used\u00a0as the object of a sentence\u2014not as the subject. You can say “I\u00a0jinxed myself,” but\u00a0you can’t say\u00a0<\/em>“Myself jinxed me.”<\/p>\n

                                                                                          \n

                                                                                          Note:<\/strong>\u00a0When the the first- or\u00a0second-person reflexive pronoun is appropriate, object-case and reflexive pronouns can often be used interchangeably:<\/p>\n

                                                                                            \n
                                                                                          • The only person\u00a0I’m\u00a0worrying about today is me<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                          • The only person I’m worrying about today is myself<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                          • You don’t need to make\u00a0anyone happy except you<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
                                                                                          • You don’t need to make anyone happy except yourself<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                                            Why do you think this is? When would you use one or the other?<\/p>\n