Pronouns

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SOCC WRITING CENTER
PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns (words for persons,
places, things, or ideas). In fact, the word pronoun means for a noun.
Pronouns are short cuts that keep you from unnecessarily repeating
words in writing. The rules for pronoun use are as follows:
1. Reference rules
A pronoun must refer clearly to the word it replaces. A sentence may
be confusing and unclear if a pronoun appears to refer to more than
one word, as in this sentence:
An incorrect reference:
I locked my suitcase in my car, and then it was stolen.
What was stolen? It is unclear whether the suitcase
or the car was stolen.
A correct reference:
I locked my suitcase in my car, and then my car was stolen.
2. Agreement rules
A. A pronoun must agree in number with the word or words it
replaces. If the word a pronoun refers to is singular, the
pronoun must be singular; if the word is plural, the pronoun
must be plural. (Note that the word a pronoun refers to it
known as the antecedent.)
Lola agreed to lend me her Billie Holliday albums.
The gravediggers sipped coffee during their break.
In the first example, the pronoun her refers to the singular
word Lola; in the second example, the pronoun their refers to
the plural word gravediggers.
B. The following words, known as indefinite pronouns, are
always singular:
one nobody nothing each

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anyone anybody anything either
everyone everybody everything neither
someone somebody something
Note: Both always takes a plural verb.
3. Point-of-View rule:
Pronouns should not shift unnecessarily in point of view. When
writing a paper, be consistent in your use of first-, second-, or
third-person pronouns. The most common mistake people make is
to let a you slip into their writing after they start with another
pronoun.
Type of Pronoun Singular Plural
First-person pronouns I (my, mine, me) we (our, us)
Second-person pronouns you (your) you (your)
Third-person pronouns he (his, him) they (their, them)
she (her)
it (its)
Note: Any person, place, or thing, as well as any indefinite pronoun
like one, anyone, someone, and so on, is a third-person word.
4. Subject and Object Pronouns
Pronouns change their form depending on the place they occupy in
a sentence. Here is a list of subject and object pronouns.
Subject Pronouns
I
you
he
she
it
we
they
Object Pronouns
me
you
him
her
it
us
them
A. Subject pronouns are subjects of verbs.
Rule 1. Use a subject pronoun in a sentence with a
compound (more than one subject).

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Incorrect
Correct
Dwayne and me went shopping.
Dwayne and I went shopping.
If you are not sure which pronoun to use, try each
pronoun by itself in the sentence. The correct
pronoun will be the one that sounds right. For
example, “Me went shopping” does not sound right; “I
went shopping” does.
Rule 2. Use a subject pronoun after forms of the
verb be.
Forms of be include am, are, is, was, were,
has been, have been, and others.
For example,
It was I who telephoned.
It may be they at the door.
It is she.
The sentences above may sound strange to
you, since this rule is seldom actually followed in
conversation. When we speak with one another,
forms such as “It was me,” “It may be them,” and
“It is her” are widely accepted. In formal writing,
however, the grammatically correct forms are still
preferred. You can avoid having to use a subject
pronoun after be simply by rewording the
sentence. Here is how the preceding examples
could be reworded:
I was the one who telephoned.
They may be at the door.
She is here.
Rule 3. Use subject pronouns after than or as when a
verb is understood after the pronoun. For example,
You read faster than I (read). (The verb “read”
is understood after I.)
Tom is as stubborn as I (am). (The verb “am”
is understood after I.)

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We don’t go out as much as they (do). (The
verb “do” is understood after they.)
Notes:
a. Avoid mistakes by mentally adding the “missing”
verb at the end of the sentence.
b. Use object pronouns after as or than when a verb is
not understood after the pronoun.
For example,
The law applies to you as well as me.
Our boss paid Monica more than me.
5. Object Pronouns
Object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) are the objects of verbs or
prepositions. (Prepositions are connecting words like for, at, about,
to, before, by, with, and of.)
For example,
6. Relative Pronouns
Nika chose me (Me is the object of the verb
“chose.”)
Don’t mention UFO’s to us. (Us is the object of the
preposition “to.”)
We met them at the park. (Them is the object of the
verb “met.”)
Relative pronouns do two things at once. First, they refer to
someone or something already mentioned in the sentences.
Second, they start a short word group that gives additional
information about this someone or something. Here is a list of
relative pronouns, followed by some example sentences:
Relative Pronouns
who
whose
whom
which
that
The only friend who really understands me is moving away.
(Use who or whom, not that, for people.)
Chocolate, which is my favorite food, upsets my stomach.
I guessed at half the questions that were on the test.

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In the example sentences, who refers to “friend,” which refers to
“chocolate,” and that refers to “questions.”
In addition, each of these relative pronouns begins a group of
words that describes the person or thing being referred to. For
example, the words “which is my favorite food” give added
information about chocolate.
Point 1. Whose means belonging to whom. Be careful not to
confuse whose and who’s, which means who is.
Point 2. Who, whose, and whom all refer to people. Which
refers to things. That refers to things or to a group of
people (The board that).
Point 3.
Who, whose, whom, and which can also be used to
ask questions. When they are used in this way, they
are called interrogative pronouns.
Note: In informal usage, who is generally used instead of whom as
an interrogative pronoun. Informally, we can say or write,
“Who are you rooting for in the game?” Or “Who did the
instructor fail?” More formal usage would use whom. “Whom
are you rooting for in the game?” and “Whom did the
instructor fail?”
Point 4. Who or whom are used differently. Who is a subject
pronoun. Use who as the subject of a verb.
Whom is an object pronoun. Use whom as the object
of a verb or a preposition.
7. Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession.
Possessive Pronouns
my, mine
your, yours
his
her, hers
its
our, yours
your, yours
their, theirs
A possessive pronoun NEVER uses an apostrophe.

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8. Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point to or single out a person or thing.
Demonstrative Pronouns
this
that
these
those
Generally speaking, this and these refer to things close at hand;
that and those refer to things farther away.
9.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer to the subject of a
sentence.
Reflexive Pronou ns
myself herself ourselves
yourself itself yourselves
himself
themselves
Sometimes the reflexive pronoun is used for emphasis, for
example,
The president himself turns down the thermostat.
Adapted
from Langan, John. Sentence Skills, Form A. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.