Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. The English
personal pronouns are:
Singular
Plural
First Person I we
Second Person you you
Third Person he, she, it they
Notice that you is both singular and plural. When speaking
to one person, say you. When speaking to two or more persons, say you:
- Tim, you are a very good student.
- Bruno and Rene, you have to study more.
Just as nouns have gender, pronouns also do. I, we,
and you can be used by males or females. He is always masculine, she
is always feminine, and it is always neuter. The plural of the
third-person pronouns is always they, whether masculine, feminine, or
neuter. And just like nouns, pronouns can be used as:
- the subject of a sentence
- a direct object
- an indirect object
But when used as a direct object or indirect object, some of the pronouns
change:
Subject Direct
Object Indirect Object
I me
me
you you
you
he him
him
she her
her
it it
it
we us us
you (plural) you
you
they them
them
If a pronoun replaces a noun in the sentence, it must have the same
characteristics as the noun: the same number (singular or plural), the same
gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and the same use in the sentence
(subject, direct object, or indirect object). Look at these examples where the
pronoun replaces the italicized noun:
Joseph is a hard worker. >> He
is a hard worker.
(singular masculine noun/subject) (singular
masculine pronoun/subject)
Do you know the girls? >> Do
you know them?
(plural noun/direct object) (plural
pronoun/direct object)
We gave Mrs. Jones some flowers. >> We gave her some flowers.
(singular feminine noun/ indirect object) (singular feminine pronoun/indirect object)
Notice that the nouns and pronouns are in the third person. This
is true when a pronoun replaces a noun. But
when a noun or pronoun is combined with the first-person singular pronoun
I, it is replaced by the first-person plural pronoun we :
- You and I have work to do. >> We have work to do.
- He helps the girls and me. >> He helps us.
When
you change a direct object noun to a direct object pronoun, you must add to
or for before
the indirect object noun or pronoun. The indirect object becomes the object of
the preposition to or
for. Place the prepositional phrase
after the direct object. For example:
- I gave Jay a book. >> I gave it to Jay.
- We buy her flowers. >> We buy them for her.
Nouns or pronouns can be used to
complete a prepositional phrase. That is a phrase made up of a
preposition and a noun or a pronoun. Here are some of the most commonly used
prepositions:
after,
behind, between, for, from, in, near, on, of, through, to, with, without
Look at these sample prepositional
phrases:
after the concert behind me
between the girls for you
from a friend in him
near the city on it
of a book through her
to a student with us
without the money without them
In a prepositional phrase, use the same
form of the pronoun that is used as a direct or indirect object:
Subject Pronoun Direct or Indirect Object Prepositional Phrase
I me
after
me
you you
behind
you
he him
for
him
she her
from
her
it it
in
it
we us
between
us
they them
near
them
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