All About Pronouns and Antecedents

] When a young man complains that a young lady has no heart,

it’s pretty certain that she has his.
—George Dennison Prentice

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or a noun phrase

in a sentence. That noun is called an antecedent. This mini-lesson
focuses on the following types of pronouns:
• personal pronouns and antecedents • reflexive pronouns
• possessive pronouns • indefinite pronouns
Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Introduction
After briefly reviewing the definition of a pronoun, write the Prentice quote on the board and
discuss the pronouns in it. Ask: What noun does the pronoun she refer to? What noun does the
pronoun his refer to? Guide students to see that his is a possessive pronoun and that Prentice
means “his [the young man’s] heart.” Point out that the contraction it’s is the combination of the
subject and verb, not a possessive pronoun.

Teach Egdcdj ch
-/$%,
0!33
!'%
VcY6c
iZXZYZci
h
Hand out copies of the passage “Dear Mr. President” on page 13 or make a %FBS
.S
1S
FTJEFOU

transparency of it to display on the overhead. Call on a volunteer to read Everyone

Dear Pres
ident Oba
ma,

in my boo
k club is

aloud the passage while the rest of the students follow along. Then use
1
that you reading you
’re a won r book, Dre
derful writ 1
ams From
very dism er! We also My Fath
ayed to read agree that er. All of
your wor you deliver us agree
“You help ds in the speeches 2
ed shape 3 newspap that insp 2
Michelle er: ire us, so,
Many of and mys I was

the teaching guide on page 12 to discuss general tips on pronouns and

you have elf. Man
helped to y of you
grateful support us,4 have bee
n part of
to all of you through our child
.” thick and ren’s lives
Surely you through .
thin. And
Grammar

know, Mr. so I’m just

the subject Presiden very
t, that the

antecedents and how the writer used them in the passage.

I. In fact, reflexive
a reflexive pronoun
Activities

a sentenc pronoun myself can

e are the can only only be used
same. For be used with
instead of example, whe n the sub
That Really

“She vote a person ject and

d for her. would say the object
you should ” To mak (or write), of
have said e your than “She vote
is, “You k-you add d for hers
Grab ‘Em!,

helped shap ress gram elf”

A child mig e Michell matically
ht read wha e and me. correct, wha
incorrectly t you said ” t
and he or
Grades 6–8

in his or she might

Apply
her writing. 5 start to use
Please rem 6 refle xive pron
ember, Mr. ouns
Presiden
© 2010 by

t, we’re liste
Sincerely ning to eve
yours, ry word
you say!
Sarah Glassc

A Concern
ed Citizen
ock, Schola

6[ aUV` ]N`
`NTR f\b±Y

Give a copy of the list of the Types of Pronouns reproducible on page

Y `RR aUR S\
stic Teach

 ]R_` YY\dV[T af]

aURV_ \[NY ]_\[\b[` N[Q R` \S ]_\[\
N[aRPRQR[ b[`'
ing Resou

 _RSYRe a`  ]\``R``
VcR ]_\[\b VcR ]_\[\b
[` [`
rces

 V[QRSV[Va

16 to each student. Explain that this list is a good reference tool to keep
! # R ]_
4 ) \[\
6 ) b[`
Name ________ 49
________
________
________
________
&( ________
EGDCDJ ________
_____
CH/Ine Date ____

in their writing folders. Then tell students you’re going to introduce

____
Zhd[Egd ________
_

1FSTPOBM
1SP cdjch
SINGULA OPVOT

Subjective R
Objectiv PLURAL
e

an activity that focuses on indefinite pronouns. Start a call-and-response

1PTTFTTJWF

6 Subjective
Obj
1SPOPVOT
ZR ective
f\b dR SINGULA
f\b b` R
PLURAL
UR f\b ZfZV[R
UVZ f\b
`UR aURf \b_\b_`
f\b_f\b_`

activity that uses different indefinite pronouns with the same verb.
UR_ aURZ
aURf f\b_f\b_`
Va UV`UV`
Va aURZ
aURf aURV_aURV_`
aURZ UR_UR_`

aURV_aURV_`
Va`Va`
aURV_aURV_`
*OEF¾OJUF
1SP

Example:
NYY
OPVOT
BOE
5I
N[faUV[T

FJS
1PTTFTTJ
RcR_fO\
Qf
WF
'PSNT
N[\aUR_ RcR_fO\ Z\`a
Qf±`
N[\aUR_ O\aU [\[R
±` RcR_f\[ `RcR_NY
R
N[f RcR_f\[ ZbPU

Teacher: Who is singing?

R±`
RNPU [\aUV[T
RcR_faUV[T `\ZR
N[fO\Qf [RVaUR_
rces

N[fO\Qf±` RNPU \[R [RVaUR_±`
ng Resou

\[R
RNPU \[R±` SRd \[R±` `\ZRO\Qf
N[f\[R [\ \[R `\ZRO\Qf±`

stic Teachi

Student 1: Nobody is singing.

N[f\[R±` RVaUR_ [\ \[R±` \aUR_
`\ZRaUV
RVaUR_±` ZN[f \aUR_±` [T
[\O\Qf
ock, Schola

[\O\Qf±` \aUR_`

\aUR_`± `bPU
Sarah Glassc

Student 2: Many are singing.

3F¿FYJWF
1S
SINGULA
POPVOT
R
© 2010 by

Zf`RYS PLURAL

f\b_`RYS \b_`RYcR
Grades 6–8

`
UVZ`RYS UR f\b_`RYcR`
_`RYS Va`
RYS

Record the responses on the board. After every student has had a
aURZ`RYc
Grab ‘Em!,

R`
That Really

chance to respond, go over the pronouns and verb forms in each

Activities

&+
Grammar

response. Point out that not every indefinite pronoun has a possessive form.
Ask: Which indefinite pronouns are singular? Which are plural?

11
Personal Pronouns and Antecedents
A pronoun takes the place of a noun. It must agree with its noun antecedent.
KEY POINTS
• In replacing a noun with a pronoun, a writer
has to think about person, number, case, and
gender: Should I use the first person, second
person, or third person? Is the noun singular
or plural? Is the noun a subject, an object, or
possessive? Does the noun refer to a male or a
female, or is it neutral?
• The discussion about how we should refer to
males and females shows how changes in ideas
and beliefs affect grammar.
Possessive Pronouns
Like a possessive noun, a possessive pronoun indicates who or what possesses something.
KEY POINTS
• Possessive pronouns have two forms: my/mine,
your/yours, his/his, her/hers, its/its, our/ours,
your/yours, their/theirs.
• The decision about which form to use depends
on the noun’s role in the sentence:
Tessa’s cap is covered by bees!
Her cap is covered by bees!
The hat covered by bees is Tessa’s!
The hat covered by bees is hers!
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun ends in –self and refers back to the subject of the sentence.
KEY POINTS
• The reflexive pronouns—myself, yourself,
himself, herself, itself, themselves—never appear
as subjects.
• A reflexive pronoun is used only when the
subject and the object of a sentence are
the same.
• A reflexive pronoun appears immediately after
a verb or a preposition: He spoke softly to
himself, so no one else could hear his words.
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun refers to one or more, or all, of an unspecified group or class of people,
animals, things, or ideas.
KEY POINTS
• Some indefinite pronouns have possessive
forms, which are formed by adding apostrophe
–s: another’s, everyone’s, nobody’s.
• An indefinite pronoun that ends in –one or
–body is singular.
12
TEACHING WITH THE MODEL PASSAGE
5 In this sentence, he or she is used because a
child really means any child. It doesn’t matter
whether the child is a boy or a girl. Another way
to write the sentence is by making the nouns and
pronouns plural: “Children read what you said, and
they might start to use reflexive pronouns in their
own writing.”
Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources
TEACHING WITH THE MODEL PASSAGE
3 The words your and you’re are homophones.
Although they sound the same, they mean
different things. You’re is a contraction, combining
the pronoun you and the verb are. Your is a
possessive pronoun.
6 To avoid the clumsy phrasing his or her, we
might say, “A child might read what you said
and start to use reflexive pronouns in their
own writing,” which is incorrect. When writing
formally, try using plural nouns and/pronouns
instead of singular nouns and pronouns.
TEACHING WITH THE MODEL PASSAGE
4 The letter writer explains the rules about using
a reflexive pronoun: (a) A reflexive pronoun
is never the subject of a sentence. (b) Use a
reflexive pronoun when the subject and object of
the sentence are the same. In this sentence, the
subject you and the object myself don’t refer to the
same person.
TEACHING WITH THE MODEL PASSAGE
1 The subject Everyone is a singular indefinite
pronoun, so it takes the singular verb is reading.
2 The subject All is a plural indefinite pronoun,
so it takes the plural verb agree.
 MODEL PASSAGE

Pronouns and Antecedents

Dear Mr. President

Dear President Obama,

Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Everyone in my book club is reading your book, Dreams From My Father. All of us agree
1 1 2 2
that you’re a wonderful writer! We also agree that you deliver speeches that inspire us, so, I was
very dismayed to read your words in the newspaper:
3
“You helped shape Michelle and myself. Many of you have been part of our children’s lives.
4
Many of you have helped to support us, through thick and through thin. And so I’m just very
grateful to all of you.”
Surely you know, Mr. President, that the reflexive pronoun myself can only be used with
the subject I. In fact, a reflexive pronoun can only be used when the subject and the object of
a sentence are the same. For example, a person would say (or write), “She voted for herself”
instead of “She voted for her.” To make your thank-you address grammatically correct, what
you should have said is, “You helped shape Michelle and me.”
A child might read what you said and he or she might start to use reflexive pronouns
5
incorrectly in his or her writing.
6
Please remember, Mr. President, we’re listening to every word you say!

Sincerely yours,

A Concerned Citizen

In this passage, you’ll see the following types of pronouns:

• p
 ersonal pronouns and • possessive pronouns
their antecedents
• reflexive pronouns • indefinite pronouns

13
 WRITING PROMPTS

Pronouns
Teachers: Duplicate these prompts on sturdy paper and then cut them apart. You may also write the prompts on the board or display them onscreen.
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----------------------------------------------- - - - - - - -
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date _______________

He, She, or It?

Write! In some languages, such as Spanish, endings often indicate
gender—whether a noun is masculine, feminine, or neutral. For
Wr ite yo ur
example, the Spanish word for school, escuela, ends in an –a so it’s ful l resp on se

Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources
a feminine noun. English uses pronouns to indicate the gender of a on a sepa ra te
noun—he, she, it; him, her, it. Explain whether you think places, such sh eet of pa per.

as schools, or ideas, such as liberty, should be identified as masculine,

feminine, or neutral. Give specific examples.

With the Rest of the Class: Discuss your examples. If you speak another language, share
how that language uses gender.

$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----------------------------------------------- - - - - - - -
Name _______________________________________________________________ Date _______________

My Best Friend
Write! Who’s your best friend? Do you have more than one
Wr ite yo ur
best friend? What do you like to do together? What qualifies this
ful l resp on se
friend or these friends to be the best? Write a short description. on a sepa ra te
With the Rest of the Class: Talk about any problems you sh eet of pa per.

encountered in deciding whether to use the personal pronouns him, her,

or them or the possessive pronouns his, her/hers, or their/theirs.

14
 Activities: Pronouns and Antecedents
Who Said That? A New Spin on an Old Tale

Have students refashion a favorite fairy tale or folktale. Give the following directions:
• Read the story several times and then write your own version of the story—but don’t use
any nouns to name the main characters. Use only pronouns.
• Exchange stories with your writing partner. Do you recognize your partner’s story—even
though the main characters aren’t identified by name?
• Then revise your partner’s story by adding proper nouns. As you revise, think about how
to balance the use of nouns and pronouns. Also make sure that each pronoun clearly
represents a specific noun.
Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources

With the Class: Ask students to reveal the technique they used to write their stories: Did you
write a draft that included nouns and then substitute pronouns for them? Did you plunge right in
and tell the story using only pronouns? If so, how did you keep the characters clear in your mind as
you wrote?

Respect Yourself!
Materials: examples of hip-hop or rap lyrics from a source such as Kids Rap Radio
Explain that hip-hop, or rap, lyrics rhyme and have a rhythmic, 4/4 beat. After
students listen to some examples of hip-hop or rap lyrics, ask them to work in groups
to write their own. There’s a catch: Each group has to use reflexive pronouns in its
lyrics. Once a group is satisfied with the song, students can present it to the rest of the class.
With the Class: Talk about the different ways in which groups used reflexive pronouns. Explain
why we use the reflexive pronoun yourself in an imperative sentence such as Respect yourself.

Building a Story, Pronoun by Pronoun

Materials: (for each group) number cube, list of pronouns (page 16), spinner divided into four
equal sections and labeled Personal Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns, and
Reflexive Pronouns, scissors, pencil, paper clip

Share the following directions for building a story

with groups:

• You and your group are going to build a story, pronoun by pronoun, sentence by sentence.
• To decide the order of storytellers, each member tosses the number cube. The storytellers
go in order from least number to greatest number.
• The first storyteller spins. He or she must use that type of pronoun in the beginning
sentence of your story. (Use the list of pronouns to give you ideas.)
• The next storyteller spins and must use that type of pronoun to build the next sentence.
• Continue spinning and building your story until you decide that it’s finished.
With the Class: Encourage groups to read aloud their stories and discuss the challenges they
faced in building their stories.

15
 ACTIVITY

Name _____________________________________________________________ Date _________________

PRONOUNS: Types of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns Possessive Pronouns

SINGULAR PLURAL
Subjective Objective Subjective Objective SINGULAR PLURAL

I me we us my/mine our/ours
you you you you your/yours your/yours

Grammar Activities That Really Grab 'Em © Sarah Glasscock, Scholastic Teaching Resources
he him they them his/his their/theirs
she her they them her/hers their/theirs
it it they them its/its their/theirs

Indefinite Pronouns and Their Possessive Forms

all anything everybody/ most none several
everybody’s
another/ both everyone/ much nothing some
another’s everyone’s
any each everything neither/ one/ somebody/
neither’s one’s somebody’s
anybody/ each one/ few no one/ other/ something
anybody’s each one’s no one’s other’s
anyone/ either/ many nobody/ others/ such
anyone’s either’s nobody’s others’

Reflexive Pronouns
SINGULAR PLURAL
myself ourselves
yourself yourselves
himself, herself, itself themselves

16