NIRA A.

Pronouns: The Rules

Pronouns are words used to replace a noun. Without pronouns, spoken and
written English would be very repetitive.

Nicola loves to play golf. She finds it very relaxing.

Sam heard a noise from the cave. There was definitely

something inside it.
 Personal Pronouns: The Rules
Personal pronouns represent people, places and things. They refer back to
either the object or subject of the sentence. Personal pronouns often signal
whether the noun they refer back to is singular or plural and its gender.

He pointed at her. She giggled

at him.
them him you

it you I

we she they

he me us
 Indefinite Pronouns: The Rules
Indefinite pronouns do not refer to any specific person or thing, but still
can take the place of a noun.

somebody someone nobody all

something anybody nothing another

anyone anything no one whose

each many most other

some few none such

There isn’t anyone at home.

Subject Pronouns
Subject Pronouns
Subject Pronouns
I - You - He - She - It - We - They

We use these pronouns when the noun is the subject of the sentence. That
means that the pronoun is the person or thing doing the action.

E.g.
I love cats (I do the action of ‘love’. The cats receive the love.)
We play football. (We do the action of ‘play’. Football is the thing that we play).
They are from France. (We are describing where ‘they’ are from).

Remember: ‘They’ can be for plural people or plural objects or animals.

Complete the sentences with the correct subject pronoun.

1. This is my sister. She is a teacher.

2. “I like your phone.” “Thanks! It is new.”

3. “How old is your brother?” “ He is ten years old.”

4. I live with my family. We live in a small house.

5. I love the band BTS. They are from South Korea.

6. “Do you have a pet? “Yes, I do!”

7. “Do you play tennis?” “No, I don’t!”

Show Answers
Remember:

We use a noun or a pronoun, we don’t use both!

So:
My sister she is a teacher.

My sister is a teacher.

She is a teacher.
A pronoun goes in the place of a noun.
Match the pictures with the pronouns:
A B
I A

You B

He C
C D E
She D

It E

We F F G

They G

Show Answers
Object Pronouns
Object Pronouns

me us

you you

him, her, it them

We use an object pronoun when the noun isn’t doing the action, it is
receiving the action.

e.g.
I love she. I love her.

I love he. I love him.

Complete the sentences with the correct object pronoun.

1. “Do you like my new hat?” “Yes, I love it !”

2. “Hi, my name is Tom.” “Nice to meet you , Tom!”

3. Can you help me , please? I have a problem.

4. Sarah has a problem. Can I go and help her ?

5. James has a problem. Can I go and help him ?

6. Kelly and I are going to the cinema. Do you want to come with us ?

7. “Do you like cats?” “Yes, I love them !”

Show Answers
Match the subject pronoun with the object pronoun.

I Her

You Him

He Them

She It

It You

We Us

They Me

Show Answers
Possessive
Possessive Pronouns & Adjectives

She
 Possessive Pronouns: The Rules
Possessive pronouns/adjectives show you the ownership of something.
*Possessive pronouns don’t need an apostrophe.
*Possessive adjectives go before nouns.

The bike was hers./This is her bike.

Mine/my Yours/your His/his

Hers/her Its/its Ours/our

Theirs/their
We use a possessive adjective/pronoun when describing who owns an
object.

e.g.
This is me pen. This is my pen./This pen is mine.

This is she book. This is her book./This book is hers

Match the subject pronoun with the possessive adjective.

I Your

You His

He Their

She Her

It My

We Its

They Our

Show Answers
Complete the sentences with the correct pronoun.

1. My car is broken. Its door doesn’t open!

2. I live with my brother, and we have a cat. Our cat is called Nina.

3. “Is this your phone?” “Yes, thank you! I need my phone!”

4. My parents live in France. Their house is really beautiful.

5. I have a dog. My dog is very friendly.

6. This is Russel and his wife, Danielle.

7. This is Jessica and her son, Paul.

Show Answers
Common Questions!

Is ‘you’ formal or informal? Singular or plural?

We use ‘you’ for formal and informal situations.

It can be plural or singular. When it’s plural, we can say ‘you all’.
E.g.
“Hello mum! How are you today?” (informal singular)
“Hello Mr President. How are you today?” (formal singular)
“Hello, children. How are you all today? (informal plural)
“Thank you for listening to my presentation.” (formal plural)
Common Questions!

What pronouns do we use for animals?

If we don’t know the gender of an animal, we use ‘it’ and ‘they’

E.g. with ants, spiders, zebras

If the animal is a pet, or the gender is obvious, we can use ‘he’ or ‘she’.
E.g. with cats, some birds.
 Pronouns: The Tricky Bits
The two most commonly misused personal pronouns are:

me I

Me and Danielle worked at the computer.

This sentence is incorrect. Think about it… would ‘me worked at the
computer’ be grammatically correct?

Danielle and I worked at the computer.

‘I’ is the correct pronoun to use. Always place the other person first.
 Pronouns – Quiz Question 1

Underline six pronouns in the following passage.

Bob and Bert went shopping for camping equipment. They bought a tent
for themselves. It came with free sleeping bags. Bob gave his
to someone else because he already had one.
Pronouns – Quiz Question 2
Add a possessive pronoun to this sentence:

“You can’t play with the train – it’s mine ”.

 Pronouns – Quiz Question 3
Rewrite the sentences, replacing the underlined nouns with the
correct pronouns.

Sara played Scrabble even though Sara doesn’t really like Scrabble.

Sara played Scrabble even though she doesn’t really like it.

Some Australian spiders are venomous so be careful not to

approach the spiders.

Some Australian spiders are venomous so be careful not to

approach them.
 Spot the Pronouns
Read the sentences below and spot the pronouns.
Try to decide if they are personal or possessive pronouns.

“Those eggs are ours. You need to collect them,” said Anita.

“Is the bobble hat mine or yours?” asked Charlotte.

First he signed the paper and then he walked inside.

The responsibility is yours to make sure that you are lining up correctly.
 Spot the Pronouns Answers
Were you able to spot the pronouns?
Could you decide if they were personal or possessive pronouns?

“Those eggs are ours. You need to collect them,” said Anita.

“Is the bobble hat mine or yours?” asked Charlotte.

First he signed the paper and then he walked inside.

The responsibility is yours to make sure that you are lining up correctly.
 Which Pronoun Fits?
Read the sentences below and add in the missing pronouns. Will they be
personal or possessive pronouns? Will more than one option fit?

“ snapped my pencil!” screamed Sandra.

“ don’t know who did it, ask ,” retorted Bradley.

"The chewing gum is , not ," lied Sayid.

“This group is . is over there,”

snapped Keisha.
 Which Pronoun Fits?
Read the sentences below and add in the missing pronouns. Will they be
personal or possessive pronouns? Will more than one option fit?

“She snapped my pencil!” screamed Sandra.

“I don’t know who did it, ask them,” retorted Bradley.

“The chewing gum is theirs, not mine,” lied Sayid.

“This group is ours. Yours is over there,” snapped Keisha.

 Pair of Pronouns
Use your memory skills to uncover these pronouns. Can you match the
personal pronoun to the corresponding possessive pronoun?
Tick off each word as you match them.

? ? ? ? ? ?
I you they hers ours he

? ? ? ? ? ?
yours his mine theirs we she

I they ours
you hers he
 Spin the Wheel!
Next Slide

Spin the wheel to select a pronoun. Spin Next Slide

Spin the spinner to choose a

pronoun. On your whiteboards,
write your own sentence about this
picture which includes that pronoun.
 Spin the Wheel!
Next Slide

Spin the wheel to select a pronoun. Spin Next Slide

Spin the spinner to choose a

pronoun. On your whiteboards,
write your own sentence about this
picture which includes that pronoun.
 Spin the Wheel!
Next Slide

Spin the wheel to select a pronoun. Spin Next Slide

Spin the spinner to choose a

pronoun. On your whiteboards,
write your own sentence about this
picture which includes that pronoun.
 Pronouns Quick Quiz
Take a quiz to see if you are an expert!

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

You must stop lying to me.

personal possessive

You’re correct.
 Pronouns Quick Quiz

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

We would love to come to the party.

personal possessive

You’re correct!
 Pronouns Quick Quiz

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

Sorry, that cat is mine.

personal possessive

You’re correct!
 Pronouns Quick Quiz

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

Please stop talking to me whilst I work.

personal possessive

You’re correct!
 Pronouns Quick Quiz

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

They went on and on about it for hours.

personal possessive

You’re correct!
 Pronouns Quick Quiz

Is the pronoun underlined in this sentence a

personal pronoun or a possessive pronoun?

If the pots are yours, you need to wash them.

personal possessive

You’re correct!
THANK YOU!