PERSONAL PRONOUN

Personal Pronoun

Subject

1st person singular

Object

Possessive

me

my, mine

1st person plural

we

us

our, ours

2nd person singular

you

you

your, yours

2nd person plural

you

you

your, yours

he, she, it
-one, -body, -thing

him, her, it

his, her, hers, its

they

them

their, theirs

3rd person singular

3rd person plural

RELATIVE PRONOUN
Subject

Object

Possessive

who

whom

whose

whoever

whomever

whoevers

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun

words that substitute for the name of a person, place, or thing mentioned elsewhere
in your sentence or paragraph

Antecedent

the word that a pronoun substitutes for

Pronoun
Tom had his own way of doing things.
Antecedent

____________________________________________________________________________
Three common problems:
1) Relative Pronouns
2) Pronouns Ending in one, -body, -thing
3) Unclear Reference
1) Relative Pronouns: who/whom/whose; which; that
Circle the pronoun and antecedent

The player who was injured had to be taken to the hospital.

The students that were present supported the deans proposal.
The moose that I met looked hostile.
Her report, which is due today, will address most of the concerns that the union
raised.

Complete the rule

Who (subject), whom (object), and whose (possessive) refer to ___________
That refers to _________________________________

introduces essential information

Which refers to ____________________________________

Introduces additional information; usually separated by commas

PracticeCorrect the sentences where necessary

1 Clive is the only one that wants his picture hung in the board room.
3

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

2 Everyone that went to the party had a good time, though a few had more punch than
was good for them.
3 Is this the dog which bit the mail carrier that carries a squirt gun?
4 The path led me past the home of a hermit that lives all alone in the forest which
surrounds our town.

5 A filmmaker that stays within budget on every production will always have work, no
matter how mediocre his movies might be.

2)

Pronouns Ending in one, -body, -thing

-one
anyone
everyone
no one
someone
each (one)

-body
anybody
everybody
nobody
somebody

-thing
anything
everything
nothing
something

Rule:

Antecedents ending in one, -body, and thing are singular

o They must be referred to by singular pronouns: he, she, it; his, her, its

Practice: Underline the correct word in parentheses.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Each of the women would prefer to answer the charges (herself, themselves.)
Would someone kindly lend (his, their, a) copy of the text to Jan?
Any one of us would be happy to take (his, her, his or her, their, the) time to help you.
I expect everyone to do (his, her, his or her, their) best in this course.
Everyone is expected to pay (his or her, their, a) portion of the expenses.

3) Unclear Reference

Ann told Kathy that she was losing her looks.

o Who is losing her looks, Ann or Kathy?
Ann told Kathy that Kathy was losing her looks.
4

Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

Bill threw his guitar on the floor and cracked it.

o Did Bill crack the guitar or the floor?
Bill cracked his guitar when he threw it on the floor.

Rule:

A pronoun must clearly refer to the correct antecedent.

Correct vague references by:
o Using proper names more often
o Changing the sentences around
o Making sure that each pronoun has an antecedent and they are either both
plural or singular

Practice: Correct the following sentences where necessary.

1) Max is a good skater, which he practices daily.

2) Every time David looked at the dog, he barked.

3) Whenever Rudolph and Biff met, he acted in a relaxed, friendly fashion so that no one would
suspect he hated him.

Person Agreement
Rule:

Be consistent.
Dont mix persons unless meaning requires it.
Ex. If you begin a sentence with a second-person pronoun, you must use second-person all

the way through.

Most common error mixing second-person you with third-person one

Practice: Correct the sentences so the persons are in agreement

1. When one has completed all the sentences in an exercise, dont forget to check your
answers in the back of the book.

2. I wonder why people always long for what they dont have, even when she has what she
needs.

3. Ken collects art because, if one knows something about it, you can always get your money
back on his investment, and one can sometimes make a profit.