Person<\/h2>\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):\n- First-person<\/strong> is the speaker or writer him- or herself. The first person is personal (I<\/em>, we<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\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>\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>\n<\/ul>
Person<\/th>\n Pronouns<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> First<\/td>\n I, me,\u00a0we, us<\/td>\n<\/tr> Second<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr> Third<\/td>\n Male<\/td>\n he, him<\/td>\n<\/tr> Female<\/td>\n she, her<\/td>\n<\/tr> Neutral<\/td>\n it, they, them<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\nPractice<\/h3>\nSelect the response from the list that best completes the sentence.\n- Sandra often put other people's needs before her own. That's why people loved (her \/ me) so much.<\/li>\n \t
- Vindira and Frank always let us know when\u00a0(he \/ they)\u00a0were coming into town.<\/li>\n \t
- I told Bruno (he \/ it)\u00a0will need three things in order to be successful: determination, discipline, and dexterity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"808310\"]Show Answers[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"808310\"]\n
- Sandra often put other people's needs before her own. That's why people loved her<\/strong> so much.\n
- Her<\/em> is the correct choice because it is a singular feminine third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Vindira and Frank always let us know when they<\/strong> were coming into town.\n
- They<\/em>\u00a0is the correct choice because it is a plural\u00a0third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- I told Bruno he<\/strong> will need three things in order to be successful: determination, discipline, and dexterity.\n
- He<\/em>\u00a0is the correct choice because it is a singular masculine third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Number<\/h2>\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).\nPerson<\/th>\n Number<\/th>\n Pronouns<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> First<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n I,\u00a0me<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n we,\u00a0us<\/td>\n<\/tr> Second<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr> Third<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n he,\u00a0him<\/td>\n<\/tr> she,\u00a0her<\/td>\n<\/tr> it<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n they,\u00a0them<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>Case<\/h2>\nEnglish personal pronouns have two cases: subject<\/strong> and object<\/strong> (there are also possessive pronouns, which we'll discuss next). Subject-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when the pronoun is doing the action. (I like to eat chips, but she does not). Object-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me but not her). This video will further clarify\u00a0the difference between subject- and object-case:\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/q5HmV3Czl6g\n\nPractice<\/h3>\nSelect the response from the list that best completes the sentence.\n- I don't know if I should talk to (he \/ him). (He \/ Him) looks really angry today.<\/li>\n \t
- Enrico and Brenna\u00a0are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. (They \/\u00a0Them) will be here at 6:00.<\/li>\n \t
- Melissa loves music. (She \/ Her) listens to it when I drive (she \/ her) to work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"387333\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"387333\"]\n
- I don't know if I should talk to him<\/strong>. He<\/strong>\u00a0looks really angry today.<\/li>\n \t
- Enrico and Brenna are coming over for dinner tomorrow night. They<\/strong> will be here at 6:00.<\/li>\n \t
- Melissa loves music. She<\/strong> listens to it when I drive her<\/strong>\u00a0to work.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Reflexive\u00a0Pronouns<\/h3>\nReflexive pronouns\u00a0<\/strong>are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.\n- Jason<\/b>\u00a0hurt himself<\/b>. (Jason<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of himself<\/em>)<\/li>\n \t
- We<\/b> were teasing each other<\/b>. (we<\/em> is the antecedent of each other<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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.\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/Zoh8XpfcF-c\n\n
Practice<\/h3>\nRead\u00a0at the following sentences. Should the reflexive pronoun be used? Why or why not?\n- Aisha let (her \/ herself)\u00a0in when she arrived.<\/li>\n \t
- Feel free\u00a0to let (you \/ yourself) in\u00a0when you get here!<\/li>\n \t
- Andr\u00e9s asked Jada if she would let (him \/ himself) in when (she \/ herself) arrived.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[practice-area rows=\"4\"][\/practice-area]\n[reveal-answer q=\"653330\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"653330\"]\n
- Aisha let herself<\/strong> in when she arrived.\n
- Aisha is the subject and object of the sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Feel free to let yourself<\/strong>\u00a0in when you get here!\n
- You<\/em> is the implied subject of the sentence, so the reflexive\u00a0yourself<\/em> is appropriate as the object of the sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n \t
- Andr\u00e9s asked Jada if she would let him<\/strong> in when she<\/strong>\u00a0arrived.\n
- While Andr\u00e9s<\/em>\u00a0is the subject of the sentence, Andr\u00e9s<\/em>\u00a0is 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>\n \t
- She<\/em> is the subject of the clause \"when she arrived.\" Since it's a subject, the reflexive cannot be used.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Possessive Pronouns<\/h3>\nPossessive pronouns are used to indicate possession (in a broad sense). Some occur as independent phrases: mine<\/em>, yours<\/em>, hers<\/em>, ours<\/em>, yours<\/em>, theirs<\/em>. For example, \"Those clothes are mine<\/strong>.\"\u00a0Others must be accompanied by a noun: my<\/em>, your<\/em>, her<\/em>, our<\/em>, your<\/em>, their<\/em>, as in \"I lost my<\/strong> wallet.\"\u00a0His<\/em> and its<\/em> can fall into either category, although its<\/em> is nearly always found in the second.\n\nBoth types replace possessive noun phrases. As an example, \"Their crusade to capture our attention\" could replace \"The advertisers' crusade to capture our attention.\"\n\nThis video provides another explanation of possessive pronouns:\n\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/bhzh8VDykc4\n\nPractice<\/h3>\nSelect the response from the list that best completes the sentence.\n- Hey, that's (my \/ mine)!<\/li>\n \t
- Carla gave Peter\u00a0(her \/ hers) phone number.<\/li>\n \t
- Remember\u00a0to leave (their \/ theirs) papers on the table.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[reveal-answer q=\"685429\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\n[hidden-answer a=\"685429\"]\n
- Hey, that's mine<\/strong>!<\/li>\n \t
- Carla gave Peter\u00a0her<\/strong> phone number.<\/li>\n \t
- Remember to leave their<\/strong>\u00a0papers on the table.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/hidden-answer]\n\n<\/div>\n
Review<\/h2>\nThe table below includes all of the personal pronouns in the English language. They are organized by person, number, and case:\n
Person<\/th>\n Number<\/th>\n Subject<\/th>\n Object<\/th>\n Reflexive<\/th>\n Possessive<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> First<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n I<\/td>\n me<\/td>\n myself<\/td>\n my<\/td>\n mine<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n we<\/td>\n us<\/td>\n ourselves<\/td>\n our<\/td>\n ours<\/td>\n<\/tr> Second<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n yourself<\/td>\n your<\/td>\n yours<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n yourselves<\/td>\n your<\/td>\n yours<\/td>\n<\/tr> Third<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n he<\/td>\n him<\/td>\n himself<\/td>\n his<\/td>\n his<\/td>\n<\/tr> she<\/td>\n her<\/td>\n herself<\/td>\n her<\/td>\n hers<\/td>\n<\/tr> it<\/td>\n it<\/td>\n itself<\/td>\n its<\/td>\n its<\/td>\n<\/tr> Plural<\/td>\n they<\/td>\n them<\/td>\n themselves<\/td>\n their<\/td>\n theirs<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\u00a0","rendered":"![\"an](\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2232\/2017\/07\/20162754\/people-e1468271064362.png\")
Personal pronouns are what most people think of when they see the word pronoun<\/em>. Personal pronouns include words like\u00a0he<\/em>,\u00a0she<\/em>,\u00a0and\u00a0they<\/em>.\u00a0The following sentences give examples of\u00a0personal\u00a0pronouns used with antecedents (remember, an antecedent is\u00a0the noun that a pronoun refers to!):<\/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>\nNote:<\/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
Pronouns may be classified by three categories: person, number, and case.<\/p>\n
Person<\/h2>\n
Person<\/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):<\/p>\n\n- First-person<\/strong> is the speaker or writer him- or herself. The first person is personal (I<\/em>, we<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\n
- 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>\n
- 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>\n<\/ul>\n
\n\n\nPerson<\/th>\n Pronouns<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\nFirst<\/td>\n I, me,\u00a0we, us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nSecond<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nThird<\/td>\n Male<\/td>\n he, him<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nFemale<\/td>\n she, her<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nNeutral<\/td>\n it, they, them<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\nPractice<\/h3>\n
Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.<\/p>\n
\n- Sandra often put other people’s needs before her own. That’s why people loved (her \/ me) so much.<\/li>\n
- Vindira and Frank always let us know when\u00a0(he \/ they)\u00a0were coming into town.<\/li>\n
- I told Bruno (he \/ it)\u00a0will need three things in order to be successful: determination, discipline, and dexterity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nShow Answers<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n- Sandra often put other people’s needs before her own. That’s why people loved her<\/strong> so much.\n
\n- Her<\/em> is the correct choice because it is a singular feminine third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Vindira and Frank always let us know when they<\/strong> were coming into town.\n
\n- They<\/em>\u00a0is the correct choice because it is a plural\u00a0third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- I told Bruno he<\/strong> will need three things in order to be successful: determination, discipline, and dexterity.\n
\n- He<\/em>\u00a0is the correct choice because it is a singular masculine third-person pronoun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Number<\/h2>\n
There 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\nPerson<\/th>\n Number<\/th>\n Pronouns<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\nFirst<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n I,\u00a0me<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPlural<\/td>\n we,\u00a0us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nSecond<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPlural<\/td>\n you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nThird<\/th>\n Singular<\/td>\n he,\u00a0him<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nshe,\u00a0her<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \nPlural<\/td>\n they,\u00a0them<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nCase<\/h2>\n
English personal pronouns have two cases: subject<\/strong> and object<\/strong> (there are also possessive pronouns, which we’ll discuss next). Subject-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when the pronoun is doing the action. (I like to eat chips, but she does not). Object-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me but not her). This video will further clarify\u00a0the difference between subject- and object-case:<\/p>\n
| Person<\/th>\n | Pronouns<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First<\/td>\n | I, me,\u00a0we, us<\/td>\n<\/tr> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second<\/td>\n | you<\/td>\n<\/tr> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Third<\/td>\n | Male<\/td>\n | he, him<\/td>\n<\/tr> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Female<\/td>\n | she, her<\/td>\n<\/tr> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neutral<\/td>\n | it, they, them<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> \n Practice<\/h3>\nSelect the response from the list that best completes the sentence.\n
|