Pronouns Cheatsheet

Cheatsheet Content

### Personal Pronouns Refer to specific persons or things. They change form based on number (singular/plural), person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), gender (masculine/feminine/neuter for 3rd person singular), and case (subject/object/possessive). #### Subjective Case (perform the action) - **1st Person:** I, we - *Example:* **I** went to the store. **We** are studying. - **2nd Person:** you - *Example:* **You** are a great student. - **3rd Person:** he, she, it, they - *Example:* **He** studies hard. **She** loves to read. **It** rained all day. **They** arrived late. #### Objective Case (receive the action) - **1st Person:** me, us - *Example:* Give the book to **me**. The teacher taught **us**. - **2nd Person:** you - *Example:* I saw **you** at the library. - **3rd Person:** him, her, it, them - *Example:* I called **him**. She helped **her**. We watched **it**. The dog chased **them**. #### Possessive Pronouns (show ownership) - **1st Person:** mine, ours - *Example:* That book is **mine**. The victory was **ours**. - **2nd Person:** yours - *Example:* Is this pen **yours**? - **3rd Person:** his, hers, its, theirs - *Example:* The car is **his**. The idea was **hers**. The cat licked **its** paw. The house is **theirs**. *Note: Possessive pronouns stand alone. Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) modify nouns.* ### Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns Both end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural). #### Reflexive Pronouns Refer back to the subject of the sentence, indicating that the subject is both performing and receiving the action. - **Forms:** myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves - *Example:* She taught **herself** to play guitar. I hurt **myself**. They enjoyed **themselves** at the party. #### Intensive Pronouns Emphasize the subject or antecedent. They can be removed from the sentence without changing its core meaning. - **Forms:** myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves - *Example:* The president **himself** delivered the speech. I **myself** will finish the project. ### Demonstrative Pronouns Point to specific people, places, or things. They indicate proximity (near or far) and number (singular or plural). - **Forms:** this, that, these, those - **Singular:** - **This** (near): **This** is my favorite song. - **That** (far): **That** is a beautiful painting. - **Plural:** - **These** (near): **These** are my keys. - **Those** (far): **Those** are the books I borrowed. *Note: Demonstrative pronouns stand alone. Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those) modify nouns.* ### Interrogative Pronouns Used to ask questions. - **Forms:** who, whom, whose, which, what - **Who** (subject): **Who** is coming to the party? - **Whom** (object): To **whom** did you send the letter? - **Whose** (possession): **Whose** book is this? - **Which** (choice from a group): **Which** is your favorite color? - **What** (general inquiry): **What** do you want for dinner? *Tip: Use "who" when you can substitute "he/she" and "whom" when you can substitute "him/her."* ### Relative Pronouns Introduce a dependent (relative) clause that describes a noun or pronoun. They connect two ideas. - **Forms:** who, whom, whose, which, that - **Who** (refers to people, subject of clause): The student **who** aced the test received a scholarship. - **Whom** (refers to people, object of clause): The person to **whom** I spoke was very helpful. - **Whose** (refers to possession): I met a girl **whose** brother is an astronaut. - **Which** (refers to things/animals, usually with non-essential clauses): The car, **which** is red, belongs to my sister. - **That** (refers to people, things, or animals, usually with essential clauses): This is the book **that** I recommended. ### Indefinite Pronouns Refer to non-specific people, places, or things. Many indefinite pronouns are always singular, some are always plural, and some can be either. #### Always Singular - **Forms:** another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something - *Example:* **Everyone** is invited to the celebration. **Nothing** was left on the table. **Each** of the students has a book. #### Always Plural - **Forms:** both, few, many, others, several - *Example:* **Both** of the answers are correct. **Many** attended the concert. #### Singular or Plural (depending on context) - **Forms:** all, any, more, most, none, some - *Example (Singular):* **All** of the cake was eaten. **Some** of the sugar is gone. - *Example (Plural):* **All** of the students passed. **Some** of the apples are ripe. ### Reciprocal Pronouns Express mutual actions or relationships. - **Forms:** each other, one another - **Each other** (typically for two people/things): John and Mary helped **each other**. - **One another** (typically for more than two people/things): The team members supported **one another**. ### Common Pronoun Errors Pronouns can be tricky. Here are some of the most frequent mistakes and how to fix them. #### Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement - A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine/neuter). - *Incorrect:* Every student should bring **their** own lunch. (Antecedent "student" is singular, "their" is plural) - *Correct (formal):* Every student should bring **his or her** own lunch. - *Correct (informal/rephrased):* All students should bring **their** own lunch. (Changed antecedent to plural) - *Incorrect:* The company announced **their** new policy. (Antecedent "company" is singular, "their" is plural) - *Correct:* The company announced **its** new policy. #### Subject vs. Object Pronoun - Use subjective pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) when the pronoun is the subject of a verb or a subject complement. - Use objective pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) when the pronoun is the object of a verb or a preposition. - *Incorrect:* Between you and **I**, this is a secret. ("Between" is a preposition, so its object needs to be objective case) - *Correct:* Between you and **me**, this is a secret. - *Incorrect:* My friend and **me** went to the store. ("My friend and me" is the subject of "went") - *Correct:* My friend and **I** went to the store. (Test: Try removing "my friend and" – "I went to the store" sounds right, "Me went..." does not.) - *Incorrect:* The prize was awarded to John and **she**. ("To" is a preposition) - *Correct:* The prize was awarded to John and **her**. #### Who vs. Whom - **Who** is a subject pronoun (like "he," "she," "they"). - **Whom** is an object pronoun (like "him," "her," "them"). - *Incorrect:* **Whom** is at the door? (Asking about the subject of "is") - *Correct:* **Who** is at the door? (Test: If you can answer with "He is at the door," use "who.") - *Incorrect:* **Who** did you give the gift to? ("To" is a preposition, its object needs to be objective case) - *Correct:* **Whom** did you give the gift to? (Test: If you can answer with "You gave the gift to him," use "whom.") #### Misplaced or Ambiguous Pronouns - Ensure that it's clear what noun a pronoun is referring to. - *Ambiguous:* Sarah told Mary that **she** needed to leave. (Who needed to leave? Sarah or Mary?) - *Clear:* Sarah told Mary, "Mary, you need to leave." OR Sarah told Mary, "I need to leave." - *Ambiguous:* When the dog chased the cat, **it** ran up a tree. (Did the dog or the cat run up the tree?) - *Clear:* When the dog chased the cat, the cat ran up a tree. ### Practice Problems Identify the correct pronoun or correct the pronoun error in each sentence. 1. Neither of the boys brought (his/their) lunch. 2. My sister and (I/me) are going to the concert. 3. (Who/Whom) should I address this letter to? 4. The team celebrated (its/their) victory. 5. The car hit the tree, but (it/the car) was not badly damaged. 6. She bought (herself/her) a new book. 7. Everyone in the class completed (his or her/their) assignment. 8. This is the student (who/whom) the professor praised. 9. Between you and (I/me), I think the answer is C. 10. The teacher, (who/whom) is usually very strict, gave us an extension. #### Answer Key 1. **his** (Neither is singular) 2. **I** (My sister and I are the subject) 3. **Whom** (Object of the preposition "to") 4. **its** (Team is singular here, referring to the team as a single unit) 5. **the car** (To avoid ambiguity, clarify what "it" refers to) 6. **herself** (Reflexive pronoun, subject is also the object) 7. **his or her** (Everyone is singular; "their" is often used informally but "his or her" is formally correct) 8. **whom** (Object of the verb "praised") 9. **me** (Object of the preposition "between") 10. **who** (Subject of the verb "is")