Pronouns help us to avoid being overly repetitive and redundant.

John went to the store, but John forgot to buy milk.

John went to the store, but he forgot to buy milk.

Pronouns replace nouns but must keep the same meaning.

Antecedent = Original Noun

John went to the store, but he forgot to buy eggs. John = antecedent.

Can’t have a pronoun without an antecedent.

Your pronouns must agree with the antecedent:

◦ Number: Singular or Plural◦ Gender: Male, Female, Neutral

Usually, this isn’t hard.◦ Maria (antecedent) needs to buy her (pronoun)

mom a new coat.

If given a choice, make sure the pronoun is inclusive of both genders.◦ Every student needs to get his act together.

This is grammatically correct; however, it is reasonable to assume that there are female students.

◦ If given a choice, make the pronoun inclusive. Every student needs to get his or her act together. All students need to get their acts together.

Collective Nouns

Coordinating Conjunctions

Who/Whom

Pronoun Case

Collective nouns represent a group or multiple people. However, the collective noun is singular (i.e. the class, the Bahamas, the audience)◦ Incorrect: The Bahamas does not have a firm

plan for their tourism season.

◦ Correct: The Bahamas does not have a firm plan for its tourism season.

If you are referring to multiple parts of a collective noun, then use a plural pronoun.◦ The audience clapped their hands.

While the audience is singular, there are multiple hands.

The following pronouns are singular:◦ Anybody, Each, Everybody, Everyone, No one,

Nobody, Someone, Somebody, One.

◦ I hope someone brought his or her dog to the park on such a nice day.

◦ No one at St. Mary’s Girls Academy did her homework last night.

All, any, enough, more, most, none, and some can be singular or plural.

◦ Did you eat the cake? Yes, I ate all of it.◦ Did you eat all of the pieces of cake? Yes, I ate all

of them.

Certain conjunctions combine or separate subjects.

And – takes two singular subjects and makes them plural◦ Burt and Ernie kidnapped their neighbor, Mr.

Rogers.

Or & Nor keep subjects separate.

◦ Either Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny did his taxes in my kitchen last night.

◦ Neither Julia Roberts nor Demi Moore knows her own telephone number.

Subject Pronouns◦ Do the action of the

sentence

Singular Plural◦ I We◦ You You◦ He, She, It They

EX: He needs some chocolate!

Object Pronouns◦ Receive the action of

the sentenceSingular

Plural◦ Me Us◦ You You◦ Him, Her, It Them

EX: Will somebody get him some chocolate?

Comparisons – Use subject pronouns!◦ A comparison sentence compares two or more

people or things (uses more than, less than, as much as)

◦ She likes Halloween more than they.

◦ I am faster than he.

If you’re unsure which pronoun to use, cross out the word “and” and any other attached nouns to decide which pronoun to use.

My dad drove my sister and ___ (I/me).

Jose and ___ (he/him) will go to the store.

Who is a subject pronoun—think of it like “he.”

Whom is an object pronoun—think of it like “him.”◦ (Who/Whom) are you trying to call?

Are you trying to call him, or trying to call he?◦ (Who/Whom) solved the mystery?

He solved it, or him solved it