Pronouns

Because a pronoun is used to replace a noun or nouns in a sentence, it must agree in number with its antecedent (the noun that it replaces).

1) When a pronoun replaces two or more nouns connected by "and," use a plural pronoun.

            Sara and Paula believe they have been invited to the party.

2) When a pronoun replaces two or more nouns connected by "or" or "nor," the pronoun agrees with the noun it is closer to.

            Neither the dog nor the cats ate their dinner. (cats = their)
            Either the cats or the dog spilled his food. (dog = his)

3) When nouns or pronouns are followed by words enclosed in commas, ignore the words inside the commas.

            Ms. Smith, along with her friends, volunteers her services at the church bazaar. (Ms. Smith = her)

4) Most of the indefinite pronouns are singular and therefore are replaced by a singular pronoun.
            each, every, one
            either, neither
            anyone, anybody, anything
            everyone, everybody, everything
            someone, somebody, something

            Everybody brought his or her lunch to the picnic.   (everybody = his/her)

            Each of the students did his or her homework.       (each = his/her)

5) Some pronouns can be either singular or plural. These are known as the SAMMAN pronouns. The antecedent for this pronoun is often found in the prepositional phrase directly following it.

           SAMMAN = some, any, more, most, all, none

            Some of the girls left their books at school. (girls = their)

            Most of the pie was eaten before it was served at the party. (pie = it)

        Make sure that all pronouns refer clearly to their antecedents.

                    Paula told Sara that she needed to wash her car. (This is unclear. Does "she" and "her" refer to Paula or to Sara?)

                    They say that going to college is difficult. (Who are "they"?)

The nurse took the reports from the patients, and then she discussed them with the doctor. (Does "them" refer to the reports or to the patients?)

It is very important that all pronouns can be accurately linked back to their antecedents.

Pronouns have three different cases, and each case has certain uses in a sentence. The cases are subjective, objective, and possessive.

1) The subject pronouns are

                 I, you, he, she, it
                 we, you, they
                 who, whoever

        Use the subjective case as the subject of a verb.

               I am very tired. They went home.   Who called?

        Use the subjective case after the words "than" and "as" in a comparison when there is an implied verb after the pronoun.

            She is taller than I. (am)

            They are not working as hard as we. (are)

        Use the subjective case after all parts of the "be" verb (is, are, am, was, were, been, being, to be):

                It is I. It was they who called.   Is that he by the fountain?

        2) The object pronouns are
                    me, you, him, her, it
                    us, you, them
                    whom, whomever (see #4 below for when to use "who/whoever" or "whom/whomever")

        Use the objective case when the pronoun is the object of a preposition.

                    Give the book to me.      She left the building after him.

        Use the objective case when the pronoun is the object of a verb.

                    He threw me the ball.     She called them yesterday morning.   Whom did she call?

3) The possessive pronouns are

                    my, mine         our, ours
                    your, yours      his, her, hers, its
                    their, theirs     whose

        Use the possessive case to show ownership.

                    The book is mine.   Sara left her book in the car. (mine and her signal ownership)

        Use the possessive case before verbals that end in "ing."

                    He was disturbed about my losing the map.     Are you upset about their asking so many questions?

4) Using "who" or "whom"

Remember that "who" and "whoever" are subject pronouns, whereas "whom" and "whomever" are object pronouns. Knowing whether the pronoun functions as a subject or as an object is the key to knowing which pronoun to use. If you are not sure how the pronoun is functioning, try this:

Look for all the verbs in the sentence. If all the verbs have subjects, then use "whom" or "whomever." If all the verbs DO NOT have subjects, then use "who" or "whoever."

Look at the example below:

Ms. Faulkner is the instructor (who, whom) the students selected as "Teacher of the Year."

The verb "is" has a subject: "Ms. Faulkner." The verb "selected" has a subject: "students." Therefore, you would use "whom."

Here is another example:

I need to speak with (whoever, whomever) will be attending the workshop.

The verb "need" has a subject: "I." The verb "will be attending," however, does not have subject. Therefore, you would use "whoever."

And one more:

Do you know (who, whom) Charles is working with?

The verb "do know" has a subject: "you." The verb "is working" has a subject: "Charles." Therefore, you would use "whom."