This document discusses pronouns and provides examples of their proper usage. It defines pronouns as words that take the place of nouns, and lists some common pronouns like he, she, it, we. The document then discusses the different types of pronouns, including personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and relative pronouns. It also covers the three pronoun cases - subjective, objective, and possessive. The document concludes by discussing some common pronoun problems and their solutions.

1. Pronouns
A Speech in Writing Lecture
Daniel A. Jimenez
MAED - English Studies
Roosevelt College 2010

2. What is a pronoun?
A pronoun takes the place of a
noun or a group of nouns.
Some examples are: he, him,
she, her, it, we, some, someone,
they, them, any, who, which.

3. Just like new ingredients to make gourmet coffee, pronouns are
used to avoid unnecessary repetition of nouns, providing a little
variety. It is a relief from repeating the same noun, not to
mention the same brew over again.

4. Consider this:
“Louie looked across the room from Gelly and wondered why
Gelly was so beautiful yet single after all those years. Gelly
looked back at Louie with interest. It seemed that the reunion
was held just for Louie and Gelly as they moved closer not
minding the participants chatting the night away. The
participants hawked at Louie and Gelly who finally were a foot
apart. With eyes affixed, Louie and Gelly said hello, then
laughed suddenly at the unintended choreograph.”

5. With pronouns:
“Louie looked across the room from Gelly and wondered why
she was so beautiful yet single after all those years. She looked
back at him with interest. It seemed that the reunion was held
just for them as they moved closer not minding the other
participants chatting the night away. They hawked at them
who finally were a foot apart. With eyes affixed, they said hello
then laughed suddenly at the unintended choreograph.”

6. A word or words a pronoun refers to is an
antecedent.
Example: Gelly explained why she was single.
(Gelly is the antecedent, she is the pronoun)
Gelly asked Louie to give her a ride.
(her is the pronoun referring back to Gelly, Gelly is the antecedent)
When Gelly read the letter, she realized that she must change her
Valentines plans to go on vacation. (she, her are pronouns, Gelly is the
antecedent)
Awkward: Louie called Gelly and invited Gelly to go to Starbucks with
Louie.
Correct: Louie called Gelly and invited her to go to Starbucks with him.
him, her are pronouns (antecedent of her is Gelly, antecedent of him is
Louie)

7. Four Important Pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns – Refers to the person speaking, the person being
spoken to, or the person or thing being spoken about.
Common Personal Pronouns are: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we,
us, they, them.
Person speaking: I, me, we, us.
Person being spoken to: you
Person or thing being spoken about: he, him, she, it, they, them.
Pronouns can be either singular or plural. A pronoun should
match its antecedent in number.
“You” is both singular and plural.

8. Four Important Pronouns
2. Interrogative Pronouns – Pronouns that introduce a question in an
interrogative sentence.
Five interrogative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, what.
The question may be direct with the sentence ending
with a question mark.
Example: What do you feel like having at Starbucks?
The question may be indirect, ending with a period.
Example: Louie asked Gelly what she wanted for coffee.
what is the interrogative pronoun. She is the personal pronoun.

9. Four Important Pronouns
3. Indefinite Pronouns – Refers to an unspecified person, place, thing
or idea.
Examples are: all, anyone, anything, both, each, everybody,
many, no one, some, someone.
Sample sentences are:
All are invited to this afternoon’s announcement.
Everybody is welcome.
No one should feel shy about attending.

10. Four Important Pronouns
4. Relative Pronouns – Used to introduce a subordinate clause*.
Five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that.
Sample sentences:
Louie was the last in class who got engaged to another batch
mate.
Gelly was unaware that Louie was not in church.
*cannot stand alone as a sentence.

11. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Three Pronoun Cases
1. the subjective case – used when a pronoun is a subject or a subject
complement.
When the pronoun is the subject of the verb, it should be used in
the subjective case.
Subjective case personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
They got engaged three years ago.
they is the pronoun, subject of the verb “engaged”.
The most heartbroken of the batch is she.
she is the pronoun, a subject complement.

12. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Three Pronoun Cases
2. the objective case – Used when a direct object, an indirect object, or the object of a
preposition.
Objective case personal pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
Direct object – Receives the action of the verb (transitive). In a sentence with a
transitive verb, the action flows from the subject, through the verb to the object
which receives the action of the verb.
Indirect object – Tells who or what the action is being done to or for. It does not
receive the action of the verb directly. The indirect object will appear between the
verb and the direct object. If it is a pronoun, it should appear I the objective case.
Object of a preposition – Prepositions like in, of, for, about, by, with, between,
after, etc. are all those that connect what follows to the rest of the sentence. If
the preposition is followed by a pronoun (object of the preposition). It should be
used in the objective case.
Samples:
The batch rejected him. (verb – rejected, subject of the verb “rejected” –
batch, direct object of the verb “rejected” – him)
Gelly sang us a secret. (verb – sang, subject of the verb “sang” – Gelly, direct
object of the verb “sang” – secret, indirect object of the verb “sang” – us)
Gelly named her cat after him. (pronoun, object of the preposition “after” –
him, verb – named subject – Gelly, direct object – cat)

13. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Three Pronoun Cases
3. the possessive case – used when a pronoun shows possession or
ownership.
Possessive case pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its,
our, ours, their, theirs.
Two ways to use possessive case pronouns:
A. like an adjective to modify a noun. It comes before the
noun use: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Example: Dr. Chan drove his car to Gelly’s home in a
hurry. (Possessive pronoun – his, noun – car)
B. standing alone, and not modifying a noun: mine, yours,
his, hers, ours, theirs
Example: Gelly asked Dr. Chan if the fault of the
miscarriage was hers. (Possessive pronoun – hers)
“hers” is not followed by a noun but act like nouns
themselves and stands alone.

14. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Problem Pronouns

15. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Problem 1: When to use the pronouns who and whom
Solution:
1. Note: who and whom can be used in more than one way. Both can
be used as interrogative pronouns as well as relative pronouns.
2. Remember that “who” is in the subjective case and must be used
as the subject of a verb.
3. Remember that “whom” is in the objective case and must be used
as the direct object of a verb or as the object of a preposition.
4. Tip: Find the verb and ask, “Who or what is the subject of the
verb?” The answer will tell you whether who or whom should be
used correctly.
5. Rule: If the subject is who or whom, use “who”. If the subject is
not who or whom, use “whom”.

16. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Problem 1: When to use the pronouns who and whom?
Solution:
6. Examples on Who and Whom:
a. in the interrogative form:
(Who, Whom) is your most memorable batch mate? (Verb – is,
subject of the verb – who, subjective form is used not the
objective form in the sentence.)
(Who, Whom) did you invite to the next reunion? (Verb – invite,
subject of the verb – you, object of the verb – (the one being
invited, the one receiving the action of the invitation. Since
the pronoun is the object of the verb, the correct pronoun is
“whom”.)
b. in the relative form:
She is the one (who, whom) left with Louie. (verb – left,subject
of the verb – who, who is in subjective case)
She is the one (who, whom) I love. (verb – love, subject of the
verb – I, object of the verb – whom, whom is used in the
objective case)

17. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Problem 2: Choosing the right pronoun in elliptical clauses
beginning with “than” or “as”
Solution:
1. Note: An elliptical clause is a clause from which a few words hav
been omitted since the clause is understandable without those words.
Examples are: than, as.
2. Tip: When a pronoun is used in this kind of clause, fill in the omitted
words.
3. Remember: You can then tell whether the pronoun is the subject of the
verb or the object of the verb. If it is the subject of the omitted verb, it
should be in the subjective case. If it is the object of the verb it should
be in the objective case.
Examples:
Gelly is more dedicated than (I, me). (Complete sentence: Gelly is more
dedicated than I. [am]. Bringing back “am” reveals the right
pronoun to use. Incorrect: Gelly is more dedicated than me. ( me
[am] is incorrect))
My cat rubs at Louie as much as (I, me). (Complete sentence: My cat
rubs at Louie as much as [she rubs at] me. Incorrect: My cat rubs at
Louie as much as I.)
Dr. Chan spoke with him more than (I, me). (Complete sentence: Dr,
Chan spoke with him more than [he spoke with] me. Complete
sentence: Dr. Chan spoke with him more than I [did]. Choosing the
correct pronoun I or me makes a difference as to what he sentence
says.)

18. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Problem 3: When a pronoun is used in a compound
subject or a compound object
Solution:
1. Note: Use the same case as if the subject or object
were not compound. Compound (two or more
subjects or objects usually joined by “and”.
2. Tip: Break the sentence into two sentences with
two subjects or objects and choose the pronoun that
sounds correct.
Example:
(She, Her) and Louie spent the afternoon talking in
Starbucks once more. (Compound subject - She or
Her, Louie. Break down the sentence into two
separate sentences: Louie spent the afternoon
talking in Starbucks once more. She spent the
afternoon talking in Starbucks once more. It
becomes obvious to use the pronoun “she”.

19. For Discussion:
Problem Pronouns
Practice makes perfect.
Just like a barista into gourmet coffee, a teacher needs to practice in
order to master the right placement of pronouns and other parts of
speech in sentences. It makes all the difference when faced with
everyday challenges.
“Despite all implications whatever remains, however improbable must be true.”
- Sherlock Holmes

20. Thank you.