Pithy Pronouncements on Pronouns by Susan Thurman
The textbook definition of a pronoun is “a word that takes the place of a noun.” Okay, just what does that mean? Read this paragraph:
When Mrs. Anne Shreiner came into the room, Mrs. Anne Shreiner thought to Mrs. Anne Shreiner's self, “Is the situation just Mrs. Anne Shreiner, or is the temperature really hot in here?” Mrs. Anne Shreiner went to the window and opened the lower part of the window, only to have a number of mosquitoes quickly fly right at Mrs. Anne Shreiner. Mrs. Anne Shreiner said a few choice words, and then Mrs. Anne Shreiner began swatting the pesky mosquitoes, managing to hit a few of the mosquitoes when the mosquitoes came to rest on Mrs. Anne Shreiner's arm.
Isn't that the most boring paragraph you've ever read? That's because no pronouns were used. Now read the same paragraph, but with pronouns inserted in the right places:
When Mrs. Anne Shreiner came into the room, she thought to herself, “Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?” She went to the window and opened the lower part of it, only to have a number of mosquitoes quickly fly right at her. She said a few choice words, and then she began swatting the pesky mosquitoes, managing to hit a few of them when they came to rest on her arm.
What a difference a few pronouns make!
Like nouns, pronouns are divided into various classifications. To determine a pronoun's classification, follow a simple rule that will help you with all of the parts of speech: Look at the way the word is used in a sentence. Personal pronouns, one of the classifications, represent people or things: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, them.
I came to see you and him today.
Possessive pronouns show ownership (possession): mine, yours, hers, his, theirs, ours.
“These parking spaces are yours; ours are next to the door,” the teachers explained to the students.
Demonstrative pronouns point out (demonstrate) someone or something: this, that, these, those.
This is his umbrella; that is yours.
Relative pronouns relate one part of the sentence to another: who, whom, which, that, whose.
The man whom I almost hit last night was taken to the police station.
(Whom relates to man.)
One country that I'd like to visit someday is France.
(That relates to country.)
Reflexive pronouns (or intensive pronouns) reflect to someone or something else in the sentence: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
(Myself relates back to I.)
You must ask yourself what you would do in such a situation.
(Yourself relates back to you.)
One of the most pretentious mistakes writers and speakers make is using a reflexive pronoun when a simple personal pronoun (I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, them) will do. A simple rule to follow is to refrain from using a reflexive pronoun in a sentence if you haven't already specified whom or what you're talking about. Say what? For instance:
Please call Allan Contlesworth and myself at your earliest convenience.
You haven't said who “myself” is. The word myself should be replaced with me so that the sentence should be written:
Please call Allan Contlesworth and me at your earliest convenience.
Interrogative pronouns ask a question.
Whom can I turn to in times of trouble?
What in the world was that politician talking about?
Try the interactive quizzes on pronouns at these Web sites:
tinyurl.com/tfvys |
tinyurl.com/v4lfy |
tinyurl.com/y8q54s |
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Indefinite pronouns, contrary to their label, sometimes refer to a definite (specific) person, place, or thing that has already been mentioned in the sentence. Indefinite pronouns include all, another, any, anyone, anything, everybody, everything, few, many, more, most, much, neither, no one, nobody, none, nothing, one, other, others, several, some, someone, and something.
Keep in mind that all, any, more, most, none, and some sometimes are singular and sometimes are plural.
