He/Him, She/Her, They/Them: Mastering Pronouns

They've been in the news a lot recently. I love to see a part of speech blow up. But even before that, pronouns were extremely important elements of the English Language! Getting pronouns right has always been essential to ensure clarity of communication, fluency of speech and writing and to add richness and flexibility to our language, enabling us to communicate more effectively and naturally. Learning about pronouns is important to be able to converse fluently and without any misunderstanding.

Pronouns streamline communication by avoiding repetitive use of nouns. The sentence "I went to the mall with my sister to buy myself a jacket" is far better and more precise than "Mr. Jack went to the mall with Mr. Jack's sister to buy Mr Jack a jacket."

There are many different types of pronouns, but what they always do is replace a noun. Instead of saying 'Mr. Jack', I often say 'I' or 'me'. Instead of saying 'The King' or 'Prince William', the Royal Family often say 'one'...🤴

In the table below, you can see examples and explanations of all the different types of pronoun.

Examples:

1. Personal Pronoun: Mr. Jack thought he had left his briefcase at the office, but he found it in his car.

2. Demonstrative Pronoun: Look at that! Mr. Jack just received an award for Employee of the Month.

3. Possessive Pronoun: Mr. Jack is proudly displaying his award on his desk.

4. Reflexive Pronoun: Mr. Jack reminded himself to submit the report before the deadline.

5. Intensive Pronoun: Mr. Jack himself stayed late to ensure the success of the project.

6. Relative Pronoun: The colleague who helped Mr. Jack with the project deserves recognition.

7. Interrogative Pronoun: Whom did Mr. Jack consult for advice on the new project?

8. Indefinite Pronoun: Everybody in the office congratulated Mr. Jack on his achievement.

9. Reciprocal Pronoun: Mr. Jack and his colleague congratulated each other on a job well done.

10. Indicative Pronoun: Something seems to be bothering Mr. Jack, but nobody knows what it is.

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

'Antecedent' may be a new word for you. It comes from Latin: 'Ante' means before, and 'cedere' means to go. So, 'antecedent' means 'go before'. In English grammar, it is used to describe a word or phrase to which a pronoun refers.

Let's look at some examples.

Mr. Jack decided to redecorate his living room. He chose a vibrant color scheme that reflected his energetic personality.

In the sentence above, 'Mr. Jack' is the antecedent and 'he/him' are the pronouns.

It is very important that it is clear what the antecedent of a pronoun is.

I took my books out of my locker and then put them into my bag. - Correct – we replaced the plural noun ‘books’ with the plural pronoun ‘them’. It is clear that ‘them’ mean ‘the books’.

Mike and Sian went to the restaurant; they wanted a delicious meal. – Correct – we replaced ‘Mike and Sian’ with the plural pronoun ‘they’. It is clear that ‘they’ means ‘Mike and Sian’.

I took the books out of the boxes and then put them in the cupboard. – Wrong - it is not clear whether we put the books or the boxes in the cupboard – books and boxes are both plural. It is not clear what the antecedent of ‘them’ is.

Cathie told Jenny she was pretty. – Wrong - it is not clear who is pretty, Cathie or Jenny? It is not clear what thhe antecedent of ‘she’ is.

In Oman, they have many farmers. – Wrong – ‘Oman’ is not plural so ‘they’ must be incorrect.

Don't be vague!

A 'vague pronoun' is a common mistake made by English learners. It is when it is not clear what the pronoun refers to...this causes confusion and poor communication.

These sentences have vague pronouns...see if you can correct them (answers below).

1. Sarah gave a gift to Mary, and she loved it.

2. The team won the championship, which made them ecstatic.

3. Alex and Jordan bought new bikes; they were very expensive.

4. Lisa and her brother planted a garden, and it flourished.

If you need further explanation, or have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch here or through any of our other channels (WhatsApp, Insta DMs - @englishwithmr.jack etc.). Remember: there is no such thing as a silly question, and we are always here to help! You can also book tutoring sessions, and courses are coming soon!

Answers

1. Sarah gave a gift to Mary, and she loved it. - This is wrong because it is not clear who 'she' is. It should be 'Sarah gave a gift to Mary, and Mary loved it'.

2. The team won the championship, which made them ecstatic. This is wrong because the subject of the the sentence is 'the team' not 'the championship'. The pronoun must clearly replace the subject. It should be 'The team's victory in the championship made them ecstatic.'

3. Alex and Jordan bought new bikes; they were very expensive. 'They' is meant to refer to 'bikes' but the subject is Alex and Jordan. Are Alex and Jordan expensive? Or the bikes? It should read: Alex and Jordan bought new bikes; the bikes were very expensive.'

4. Lisa and her brother planted a garden, and it flourished. Lisa and her brother are the subject of the sentence, so 'it' can't be correct here. It should read 'Lisa and her brother planted a garden, and the garden flourished' or 'The garden was planted by Lisa and her brother, and it has flourished.'