Transcript Pronouns

Pronouns
Prepared by:
Mrs. S. Irizarry
Singular and Plural Pronouns
• A pronoun takes the place of a noun. A personal
pronoun changes form depending on who or
what is referred to and on the role it plays in a
sentence.
He
Homer was a famous Greek writer. Homer lived
many hundreds of years ago.
• Pronouns help avoid repetition of the same word.
In the sentences above, the pronoun he is used
instead of the noun Homer. In this way Homer
does not need to be repeated.
• A personal pronoun is singular when it refers
to one person, place, or thing. The pronoun he
is singular.
He is famous for writing poems of adventure.
• A personal pronoun is plural when it refers to
more than one person, place, or thing. The
pronoun we is plural.
We are going to read about the adventures of
Odysseus.
Here is a list of the personal pronouns:
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I, me, mine
We, us, ours
You, yours
You, yours
He, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its
They, them, theirs
Exercise 1:
• Underline the personal pronoun in each sentence.
1. We still read stories from ancient Greece.
2. They frequently tell about gods and goddesses.
3. Some, however, tell us about the deeds of human
heroes.
4. Do you know much about Mount Olympus?
5. It was the home of the gods.
6. Aphrodite was a Greek goddess, and she was beautiful.
7. Have you heard of Odysseus?
8. His was an epic tale that included many adventures.
9. They were written about in two long poems by Homer.
10. One of them is called The Odyssey.
Personal Pronouns:
• A personal pronoun names the speaker, the
person spoken to, or the person, place, or
thing spoken about.
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
Singular
I, me, mine
You, yours
He, him, his, she,
her, hers, it, its
Plural
We, us, ours
You, yours
They, them, theirs
Exercise 1:
• Underline the first person pronoun in each
sentence.
1. We studied ancient Greece.
2. Our teacher assigned us a project.
3. She said that ours could be on mythology.
4. I chose the adventures of Odysseus as my
topic.
5. A partner joined me to work on the project.
Exercise 2:
• Underline the second person pronoun in each
sentence.
1. Have you ever read The Odyssey?
2. I told you about this wonderful story, didn’t
I?
3. When can you help me with this project on
The Odyssey?
4. Is this project yours?
Exercise 3:
• Underline the third person pronoun in each
sentence.
1. Odysseus wanted to go home after the Trojan War,
but he and the crew encountered many problems
along the way.
2. At one point they arrived at the island of Lotus
Eaters.
3. The people there gave them a magical flower to eat.
4. It made the crew forget about their homes and
wives.
5. Odysseus had to force the crew to return to the
ships, and thus he saved them from the flower’s
spell.
Subject Pronouns:
• A personal pronoun may be used as the
subject of a sentence. A subject pronoun
tells who or what the sentence is about.
SINGULAR
I
You
He, she, it
PLURAL
We
You
they
• To find the subject, ask who or what before
the predicate.
They came upon an island.
• Who came upon an island? The answer is
They. The pronoun They is the subject of the
sentence.
Pronouns as Subject Complements:
• A subject pronoun can also take the place of a
noun used as a subject complement. A subject
complement follows a linking verb and refers
to the same person, place, or thing as the
subject of the sentence.
The captain of the ship was he.
Exercise 1:
• Underline the pronoun used as a subject in each
sentence.
1. He landed on Circe’s island with his crew.
2. It was a beautiful island.
3. She was a bewitching enchantress.
4. They became friends.
5. I wondered about the dangers ahead on the trip.
6. Do you know the story of any of these dangers?
7. She encouraged him to stay on her island.
8. We can continue reading Odysseus’s stories.
9. If you like these stories, there are more in the library.
10. Usually, I find the moral of the stories relevant to my
life.
Exercise 2:
• Replace the noun or phrase in bold used as
subject in each sentence with the correct
pronoun.
1. The goddess Circe warned Odysseus to beware
of the singing Sirens.
2. Their music was both sweet and bewitching.
3. Ships tried to draw near the music but hit sharp
rocks.
4. Odysseus didn’t put wax in his ears as his men
did.
5. The song enticed him to join the Sirens.
6. Ropes, however, held him tightly to the mast.
Exercise 3:
• Underline the pronoun used as a subject
complement in each sentence.
1. The person who faced many dangers was he.
2. The creatures who enticed Odysseus were
they.
3. The sailors who bound Odysseus to the mast
were they.
4. The person Odysseus wanted to see again
was she.
Object Pronouns:
• A personal pronoun may be used as the object
of a verb. This is called object pronoun. Here is
a list of the object pronouns.
Singular
Plural
me
us
you
you
him, her, it
them
• Use object pronouns for direct objects. A direct
object names the receiver of the action of the
verb. To find a direct object, ask whom or what
after the verb.
Odysseus heard them.
• An object pronoun may be used as the object of
a preposition. A preposition shows a relationship
between two words in a sentence. An object of a
preposition follows a preposition, such as about,
at, between, by, for, from, in, into, of, on, to,
under, next to, and with.
The crew sailed with them.
Exercise 1:
• Underline the pronoun used as a direct object
in each sentence.
1. Odysseus visited the underworld, and an
oracle told him about a danger.
2. He thanked her for the warnings.
3. Odysseus and his men saw them in the
distance.
4. An area of water separated them.
5. Odysseus’s solution to avoid the dual dangers
interested us.
Exercise 2:
• Replace the noun or phrase in bold used as
direct object in each sentence with the
correct pronoun.
1. The whirlpool might pull the ship down.
2. The six-headed monster ate sailors.
3. The problem intrigued my friend and me.
Exercise 3:
• Underline the pronoun used as an object of a
preposition.
1. Circe gave warnings, and Odysseus listened
to her.
2. Odysseus saw two cliffs and had to sail
between them.
3. The ship could easily be swallowed by it.
4. The monster’s arms and heads were a danger
to him.
Indirect Objects:
• Some sentences contain two objects: a direct
object and an indirect object. The direct object is
the receiver of the action. The indirect object
tells to whom, for whom, to what, or for what the
action is done.
Circe gave him advice.
• The direct object answers whom or what after
the verb. Circe gave what? The answer is advice,
the direct object. To whom did Circe give advice?
The answer is him. Him is the indirect object. Him
tells to whom the advice was given.
• A noun used as an indirect object can be
replaced by an object pronoun.
Odysseus gave the sailors their orders.
Odysseus gave them their orders.
• Object pronouns are used as indirect objects:
me, us, you, him, her, it, and them.
• Can you identify the indirect object in this
sentence? What pronoun can replace the
indirect object?
Odysseus told Circe his story.
Exercise 1:
• Underline the personal pronoun used as an
indirect pronoun in each sentence. The direct
object is in bold.
1. Many books tell us the actions of the Greek
gods and goddesses.
2. The ancient Greeks gave them human qualities.
3. Homer brought us the stories of Odysseus.
4. The gods and goddess sent him help in his
journeys.
5. The librarian gave me a book of Greek and
Roman myths to read for class.
6. I agreed to show her the mythology section in
the library.
Exercise 2:
• Underline the pronoun used as an indirect object.
1. Prometheus stole fire from Olympus for humans and gave
them this gift.
2. Zeus had denied them fire and was angry at Prometheus for
disobeying.
3. Zeus sent him a cruel punishment.
4. Calling an eagle, he assigned it a task: to gnaw at
Prometheus’s body.
5. To punish humans, Zeus sent them a magical woman named
Pandora.
6. He gave her a beautifully decorated box with a heavy latch.
7. He told her the dangers of opening the box, but Zeus knew
she would not listen.
8. Pandora’s opening of the box brought them many evils, such
as greed and envy.
Uses of Pronouns:
• Pronouns are used in different ways in sentences. The
subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
Each can be used as the subject of a sentence or as a
subject complement.
I would like to read the adventures of Odysseus.
The owner of the book is he.
• The object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and
them. Each can be used as the direct object or the
indirect object of a sentence, or as the object of a
preposition.
I told them about Odysseus’s adventures.
I loaned her my copy of The Odyssey.
The stories about him are fascinating.
• Can you choose the correct pronoun to
complete the sentence?
My friend and (I, me) are doing a report on The
Iliad.
Practice Exercises:
• Complete each sentence with correct pronoun.
1. Will you lend (I, me) your copy of The Iliad?
2. (Me, I) need to go to the library for a copy.
3. (He, Him) arrived back in his country after 20
years.
4. No one recognized (he, him).
5. Penelope didn’t tell (they, them) her secret.
6. (She, Her) began to weave tapestry.
7. (They, Them) believed Penelope’s promise.
8. A goddess warned (he, him) of dangers.
9. Many suitors wanted to marry (she, her).
10.The beggar in Penelope’s home was (he, him).
Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives:
• A possessive pronoun shows possession or
ownership. A possessive pronoun takes the place of
a possessive noun.
This report on the Sirens is Lola’s. (possessive noun)
This report on the Sirens is hers. (possessive pronoun)
• Note: Unlike possessive nouns, possessive pronouns
do not contain apostrophes. A possessive pronoun
stands alone and is not followed by a noun.
• A possessive adjective also shows possession.
A possessive adjective always comes before a
noun.
This is her report.
• Remember that a possessive pronoun stands
alone, and a possessive adjective comes
before a noun.
The book is mine. (possessive pronoun)
This is my book. (possessive adjective)
Possessive Pronouns:
Singular
Plural
1st Person
mine
ours
2nd Person
yours
yours
3rd Person
his, hers, its
theirs
Possessive Adjectives:
Singular
Plural
1st Person
my
our
2nd Person
your
your
3rd Person
his, hers, its
their
Exercises 1 and 2:
• Underline the possessive pronoun once and the
possessive adjective twice in each sentence.
1. Helena was a beautiful woman. According to
tradition, the fault for the Trojan War was hers.
2. Hercules was superhuman. An extraordinary strength
was his.
3. The ability to tame horses was one of his gifts.
4. My favorite story is about Bellerophon and Pegasus
defeating the Chimera.
5. Atlas was a powerful creature defeated by Zeus; his
was the job of holding up the world.
6. Pegasus was a flying horse. Its job was to carry Zeus’s
thunderbolts.
Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns:
SINGULAR
PLURAL
1st person
myself
ourselves
2nd person
yourself
yourselves
3rd person
Himself, herself, itself
themselves
- An intensive pronoun is used to emphasize a noun that
comes before it.
Odysseus himself devised a plan to win the Trojan War.
- A reflexive pronoun is used as the direct or indirect
object of a verb or as the object of a preposition. It
generally refers to the subject of the sentence.
Odysseus earned himself a reputation as a smart leader.
Exercise 1:
• Identify the intensive or reflexive pronoun in each
sentence. Tell what word each pronoun refers to.
1. Zeus himself, the chief god, was the father of Hephaestus.
2. Hera herself, the chief goddess, was his mother.
3. The gods often bickered among themselves.
4. Once Hephaestus tried to break up a quarrel between his
parents and was thrown to earth by the angry Zeus
himself.
5. Hephaestus injured himself badly when he fell from
Mount Olympus.
6. From then on, Hephaestus couldn’t walk by himself.
7. He built himself two special robots of gold and silver who
were able to think for themselves.
8. The powerful Hephaestus himself was actually most
famous as the blacksmith for the gods.
Exercise 2:
• Complete the sentences with intensive or reflexive
pronouns. Each should refer to the word in bold.
1. We decided on our project for the unit among
___________.
2. I made a chart of the gods by _________.
3. Amy __________ could name 20 gods and goddesses.
4. Mr. Peterson ___________ praised our work.
5. Those students are very proud of __________.
6. The projects ________________ show a lot of hard
work.
Antecedents:
• The word to which a pronoun refers to is its
antecedent. The antecedent is the word that
the pronoun replaces.
Did Odysseus return home? Yes, he did, but only
after many difficulties.
The Iliad is an epic poem. It was written by
Homer.
• The pronoun must agree with its antecedent
in person and number and in whether it refers
to a male, a female, or a thing.
• What are the antecedents of the pronouns in
this set of sentences?
Donna worked on a project on Odysseus. She
looked for information about him on the
internet.
Exercise 1:
• Underline each pronoun and draw an arrow to its
antecedent.
1. Orpheus was a figure in Greek myth, and he had
an interesting story.
2. Orpheus had a special ability. It was to make
beautiful music.
3. His mother was one of the Muses. They were
patron goddesses of such art as painting, dance,
and music.
4. When Orpheus was grown, he brought music to
the earth.
5. His music was so lovely that even trees moved
to listen to it.
Exercise 2:
• Circle the antecedent for each underlined
pronoun.
1. One day a snake bit Eurydice; it had a deadly
poison.
2. Eurydice fell to the ground, where she died.
3. Hermes, the messenger god, came for Eurydice,
and he gently carried her to the underworld.
4. Orpheus was sad, and he lost all joy in life.
5. He searched for the underworld’s entrance and
found it.
6. As he walked, Orpheus played sad music.
Pronouns and Contractions:
• Personal pronouns can be joined with some
verbs to form contractions. An apostrophe (‘)
replaces the missing letter or letters in
contractions.
I am= I’m
you are= you’re
we are= we’re
they are= they’re
he is/ has= he’s
it is/has= it’s
I have- I’ve
you have= you’ve
we have= we’ve
they have= they’ve
she is/has= she’s
• Will can also be joined with pronouns to form
contractions: I’ll, you’ll, we’ll, she’ll, he’ll, and
they’ll.
I’ve read about World War I. = I have read about World War I.
• Possessive adjectives are often confused with
contractions. Possessive adjectives express
possession but do not contain apostrophes.
PRONOUN + VERB
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE
You’re = You are late.
Your report is late.
It’s= It is long.
Its title is “Greek Gods”.
They’re= They are old.
Their story is long.
Exercise 2:
• Underline the contraction in each sentence. Then write
the words that make up the contraction.
1. I’ve read an interesting Greek myth.
2. It’s about two strong brothers, Otus and Ephiatles.
3. I’m worried about Otus and Ephiatles,” said Zeus.
4. “They’re more than 60 feet tall and still growing.”
5. We’re going to write a play based on our favorite
Greek myths.”
6. If you’re going to be in the play, please sign up here.
7. We drew straws to see which parts we’ll each play.
8. He’s playing Otus, and Jay is playing Ephiatles.