Name: ____________________________________

Class Period: _______ Date: __________________

*QUIZ GRADE*
Personal Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns and the words
that go with the nouns. To avoid repeating nouns, you can replace nouns with
pronouns. Personal pronouns usually refer to persons.

Joanna studied the script. She studied at home.

Some pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence. A pronoun used as a

subject is called a subject pronoun.

The lines are difficult. They are hard to learn.

An object pronoun is used as the object of a verb or as the object of a

preposition, such as to, in, or at.

Roberto’s teacher helped him.

The teacher gave the script to him.

Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns

Singular Plural Singular Plural

Guided Practice: Underline the pronoun in each sentence. On the blank line,
write whether it is a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.

1. I asked Roberto for help. ______________________

2. He and Dan are working backstage. ______________________
3. They volunteered for the Stage Club. ______________________
4. The director handed us a script. ______________________
5. Mrs. Ross gave voice lessons to them. _____________________
6. You should study these lines. _____________________
7. Mrs. Ross will help you practice your part. _____________________

More Practice:
 A. Underline the personal pronoun in each sentence.

Example: The director asked her about the role.

8. The students asked if they could put on a play.

9. The principal said she wanted a good performance.

10. Mrs. Ross chose a play and said it was a comedy.

11. Joanna said that she wanted a leading role.

12. Roberto said that he would work backstage.

13. Mrs. Ross looked at Roberto and thanked him.

14. “Roberto, you will have to stay after school.”

15. Roberto replied, “I don’t mind working late.”

B. Draw one line under each personal pronoun. Label each pronoun as subject or
object .

Example: Every day we rehearsed after school.

16. The students worked hard, and they finished rehearsals.

17. Joanna had many lines, but she memorized them.

18. She remembered all the lines on opening night.

19. The whole school applauded her.

20. Joanna ran off the stage and hugged me.

21. We were both happy.

22. Joanna wrote to Tom to tell him the good news.

 Pronouns and Antecedents
Remember that pronouns take the place of nouns. The noun that a
pronoun refers to is called the antecedent (ant-a-see-dent). The
antecedent includes any words that go with the noun. Make sure that you
have a clear antecedent for every pronoun, or the meaning of your writing
will be unclear.

Emily wanted a good grade, and she worked hard.

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents. They must have the same
number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neutral).
Always use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular antecedent. Use a
plural pronoun to refer to a plural antecedent.

Singular: Emily went to the library, where she wrote a report.

Dad read the report and liked it.
Plural: The students cheered because they were happy.
When Emily and I write good reports, we feel proud.
Masculine: William studied his notes, and he made an A on his
quiz.
Feminine: Brenda planted flowers, and she was amazed at how
quickly they bloomed.
Neutral: That movie features Will Smith, and it starts at 4:00.

Guided Practice: Underline the pronoun in each sentence. On the blank line,
name its antecedent.

23. Emily called Bill and then wrote him a letter. ______________________

24. The student wrote a report and enclosed it. ______________________

25. Emily wrote to Dad and told him of the report. ______________________

26. Dad likes Emily’s reports and always

reads them aloud. ______________________

27. Emily went to the library, and she looked

up Alexander Graham Bell. ______________________
More Practice:
Underline the pronoun in each sentence. On the blank line, name its antecedent.

Example: The teacher asked the class to read to her. ______teacher_______

28. The students asked the librarian to help them. ______________________

29. The librarian said, “Please come to me for

any book.” ______________________

30. The librarian was helpful, and Emily said,

“Thanks, you have really helped.” ______________________

31. Emily admired Bell and wrote about him. ______________________

32. Bell taught deaf pupils because they wanted

to learn to speak. ______________________

33. Bell used “Visible Speech” because it helped

the deaf. ______________________

34. Watson and Bell worked together. They

carried out experiments on electricity. ______________________

35. Watson spoke into the telephone. It carried

the sound to Bell. ______________________

36. Bell had invented the telephone. People

congratulated him. ______________________

Using Pronouns Correctly

Pronouns can be used as subjects or objects in sentences.
 Subject Pronoun: She needs a pencil.
Object Pronoun: Todd lent her one.

Use a subject pronoun as the subject of a sentence.

Correct: They are new pencils.

Incorrect: Them are new pencils.

Use an object pronoun when the pronoun is the object of a verb or the object
of a preposition.

Correct: Todd spoke with her.

Incorrect: Todd spoke with she.

Use a subject pronoun even when the pronoun is part of a compound subject.

Correct: Todd and she spoke with the teacher.

Incorrect: Todd and her spoke with the teacher.

Use an object pronoun even when the pronoun is part of a compound object.

Correct: The teacher helped Todd and me.

Incorrect: The teacher helped Todd and I.

Check your usage by saying the sentence aloud with only the pronoun in it. Your
ear will be your guide.

Correct: The teacher helped me.

Incorrect: The teacher helped I.

In formal writing, use the subject pronoun after a linking verb when the
pronoun identifies or renames the subject of a sentence. Common linking verbs
are am, is, are, was, and were.

Example: The winner was she. (not her)

Guided Practice: Choose the correct pronoun for each sentence below. Write it
on the blank line.

37. (He, Him) wrote a letter to his friend. ______________________

 38. Todd also wrote to (she, her). ______________________

39. (She, Her) met Todd at camp. ______________________

40. Her counselor at camp was (he, him). ______________________

41. Todd and (they, them) are friends. ______________________

More Practice:
Write the pronoun that could replace the underlined word or words.

Example: Amy met Kate at school (she, her) _______her_________

42. Todd met Amy and Kate at Camp Dune. (they, them) _________________

43. Todd, Amy, and Kate liked each other. (They, Them) __________________

44. Kate planned some bike trips. (She, Her) ____________________

45. Kate wrote Todd a note. (he, him) ____________________

46. “Amy and I will see you on Sunday morning.”

(We, Us) ____________________

47. Todd answered Amy and Kate. (they, them) _____________________

48. “Look for Rob and me at the lake.” (we, us) ____________________

Pronouns in Compound
Subjects and Objects

Sometimes you use a pronoun as part of a compound subject. A compound

subject is two or more simple subjects that are joined by and or or and have
the same predicate. Always use a subject pronoun when the pronoun is part
of a compound subject.

Amy and John wrote often. Amy and he wrote often.

Use an object pronoun when the pronoun is part of a compound direct object
or a compound object of a preposition.

She missed John and Amy. She missed John and her.
Sue wrote to Amy and John. Sue wrote to Amy and him.

If you use the pronoun I or me in a compound subject or compound object, it

is polite to put it last.

Amy and I wrote often.

Pam wrote to Amy and me.

Guided Practice: Underline the correct pronoun for each sentence.

49. My friends and (I, me) have pen pals.

50. My pen pal John and (I, me) have never met.

51. (He, Him) and his parents live in England.

52. John writes to Holly and (I, me).

53. He tells our friends and (we, us) about his life.

54. In return, we tell (he, him) and his friends about life here in America.

More Practice:
Choose the correct word in parentheses to complete each sentence. Write it on the
blank line.

Example: My friends and (I, me) have pen pals. _________I_____

55. Ms. Long told my friends and (I, me) about pen pals. _____________________

56. (She, Her) and Mr. Hortz talked about letter writing. _____________________

57. (Holly and I, I and Holly) want to write good letters. ______________________

58. (Her, She) and I make lists of ideas to include. ______________________

59. Will my ideas interest John’s friends and (he, him)? ______________________

60. Mr. Hortz encouraged my classmates and (we, us). _____________________

61. The teachers and (us, we) discussed our rough drafts. _____________________

62. My dad and (I, me) signed up for the race. _____________________________

63. Mom told Sonya and (I, me) to hold the door for her. ______________________

64. (My sister and I, I and my sister) are best friends. ________________________

65. Jenna and (they, them) took the test. __________________________________

66. Kurt chose (me and you, you and me) for his lab partners. _________________

Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show who or what owns something.

Mary Smith’s books were on the table.

Her books were on the table.
 There are two forms of possessive pronouns. One form is used before
nouns. The other always stands alone.

Their rulers were missing. Theirs were missing.

Possessive Pronouns
Used before nouns Used alone
my our mine ours
your your yours yours
his her its their his hers its theirs

Remember that, unlike contractions, possessive pronouns do not have

apostrophes.

Possessive your its their

Pronouns
Contractions you’re it’s they’re
(you are) (it is) (they are)

Guided Practice: Circle the pronoun that correctly completes each sentence.
Example: Mary discussed (her, hers) subject with Jane. Her

67. Jane’s topic is smoke signals, but (her, hers) is not.

68. Your topic is easy, but (my, mine) is difficult.

69. (Their, They’re) topic is the telegraph.

70. (Her, Hers) teacher wants oral, not written, reports.

More Practice: Write the possessive pronoun in each sentence and indicate whether
it comes before a noun or stands alone by placing a check mark in the correct place on
the chart.

Possessive Before Stands

Pronoun a noun alone
Example Ours is a history project. Ours 
:
 71. His project requires a lot of
research.
72. The Pony Express is the subject of
my report.
73. I think that mine is the most
interesting topic.
74. The Pony Express had a major role
in our mail service.
75. Its purpose was to carry mail to
California.
76. A rider changed his horse in two
minutes.
77. The responsibility for the mailbag
was his.
78. Young riders rode their horses at top
speed.
79. Theirs was an important mission.

Circle the correct word to complete each sentence below.

80. (Her, Hers) was a long letter.

81. (He’s, His) response came quickly.

82. “(Your, You’re) topic sounds interesting,” he replied.

83. “Perhaps (our, ours) neighborhood library can help.”

84. “(It’s, Its) collection on history is excellent.”

85 “(Our, Ours) is not a big library,” Mary thought.

Indefinite Pronouns
Remember that a noun referred to by a pronoun is called the antecedent of
the pronoun. An indefinite pronoun, however, refers to a person, place,
thing, or idea that may not be specifically named.

Someone left the window open.

Anybody could have done that.
 Some indefinite pronouns are singular; others are plural.

Indefinite Pronouns
Singular Plural
Anybody Everybody Nothing All Most
Anyone Everyone Somebody Both Others
Anything Everything Someone Few Several
Each Nobody Something Many Some

Use the singular possessive pronouns his, her, and its with singular indefinite
pronouns. Use the plural possessive pronoun their with plural indefinite pronouns.

Everybody should bring his or her textbook to class Today.

All students should bring their textbooks to class Today.

Remember that when an indefinite pronoun is used as a subject, the verb must
agree with it.

Singular: Everyone is cold.

Plural: Some are shivering.

Guided Practice: For each sentence, underline the indefinite pronoun and circle
the word in parentheses that agrees with it.

86. Someone (has, have) left the tent flap open.

87. Everybody (is, are) freezing in here.

88. Few (has, have) warm enough clothing.

89. Everything outside (is, are) covered with snow.

More Practice: Write the verb that agrees with each underlined indefinite pronoun.

Example: Someone (has, have) sent me three notes. _________has_____

90. All (was, were) addressed , “Dearest Nicole.” _____________________

91. Some (was, were) decorated with hearts. __________________________

 92. Something (tells, tell) me I have a secret admirer.

93. In the tent at camp everyone (wonders, wonder)_______________________

94. Several of the campers (guess, guesses) about it.

95. Someone (say, says) Kyle wrote the note. ___________________________

96. All (enjoys, enjoy) the guessing game.

97. Both of my sisters (thinks, think) it might be Kyle. ____________________

98. Others (believes, believe) Jake is responsible. _______________________

99. Nothing (gets, get) me more excited than a good mystery. ______________

100.Each of my friends (enjoys, enjoy) a challenge like this. _______________

Singular Plural
Possessive Pronouns his or hers, its their
Verbs Is Are
Was Were
Has Have
Tells Tell
Wonders Wonder
Guesses Guess
Says Say
Enjoys enjoy