Pronouns
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person), number (singular, or
plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, gender neutral).
Person:
First Person
My roommate doesn't understand that I need music to study.
·
The first person possessive pronoun my agrees in person with the pronoun I.
Second Person:
You shouldn't forget to set your alarm when you have an 8:00 a.m. class.
·
The second person possessive pronoun your corresponds to its antecedent you.
Third Person
Sarah does poorly on homework assignments, but she always aces the tests.
·
The third person pronoun she corresponds to the antecedent Sarah.
Number:
Singular:
My dog Chester chews his tennis ball into tiny pieces.
·
The singular possessive pronoun his agrees with the singular noun antecedent Chester.
Plural:
Many of the fans lost their voices during the final minutes of the exciting playoff game.
·
The plural possessive pronoun their agrees with the plural noun fans.
Indefinite:
I told everyone to bring their coats since the temperature is falling. (INCORRECT)
·
The plural pronoun their does not agree with the singular indefinite pronoun antecedent everyone.
I told everyone to bring his or her coat since the temperature is falling. (CORRECT)
The Indefinite Pronouns ("-one," "-body," and "-thing" words, "either," "neither," and "each.") are
always singular, even if it sounds strange to you. Part of the problem is the way we speak. Few would notice
anything wrong if they heard someone say,
o
o
Everyone needs to take their dog to the vet regularly.
Everybody was enjoying their vacation.
These sentences sound okay, right? Maybe so, but they're wrong if you're writing. Words like "everyone" and
"everybody" are always singular, so the plural pronoun their can‛t agree with them. The correct versions are:
o
o
Everyone needs to take his or her dog to the vet regularly.
Everybody was enjoying his or her vacation.
Gender
Masculine:
Carlos flew to Chicago for his family reunion.
Feminine:
Andrea had the best game of her career last night.
Neutral:
The coffee table only looks antique; actually, it is a reproduction.
Gender-Specific, but unspecified (Use the phrase his or her in place of a gender-specific pronoun):
Usually, the student who does well in this class is the one who completed his or her class-work.
Pronoun Case
Subjective case – I, you, he, she, it, we, they (this pronoun is the subject of the sentence and is
completing the action of the sentence)
Objective case – me, you, him, her, it, us, them (this pronoun is the object – it is receiving the action –
something is being done to or for this pronoun)
Her and me fought over the telephone.
This is incorrect. The pronouns should be subjective since the pronouns are doing the action of the sentence
– fighting over the telephone. This sentence should be written: She and I fought over the telephone.
Peggy ran after John and she.
This is incorrect. Peggy is the subject of this sentence. The pronoun is the object – something is being done
to this pronoun (this pronoun is being chased). Therefore, this sentence should be written: Peggy ran after
John and her.
Possessive Case: (my, mine, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs, your, yours, whose):
The possessive case pronoun indicates possession.
Example: That is my baseball.
That baseball is mine.
Her pleasure at receiving the award was apparent.
The pleasure was all hers.
Using Pronouns with “to be” verbs
Even though it will sound funny to you – pronouns following “to be” verbs (is, am, are, was, were) are always
subjective.
It was I.
It is they.
It was he.
Pronouns in comparisons (“as” and “than”)
Pronouns following the words “as” or “than” when comparing people or things are always subjective. This may
also sound strange to you. The reason they are subjective is because there is an “understood” verb in the
sentence. For example: (“understood” verbs are in parentheses)
Peggy is shorter than I. (am)
I am as noisy as she. (is)
Compound Structures
When there are two pronouns or a noun and a pronoun, drop the other noun for a moment. Then you
can see which case you want.
INCORRECT: Bob and me travel a good deal. (Drop “Bob” - You wouldn‛t say, "me travel.")
CORRECT: Bob and I travel a good deal.
INCORRECT: Bill gave flowers to Jane and I. (Drop “Jane” - You wouldn‛t say, "Bill gave flowers to I.")
CORRECT: Bill gave flowers to Jane and me.
NOT: Us men like the coach. (Drop “men” - You wouldn‛t say, "us like the coach.")
CORRECT: We men like the coach.
Also Remember:
People are “who” not “that” or “it.”