When we communicate, our goal is to share a clear message in a way that captures people’s attention. Read this paragraph. What do you notice?
Octopuses are smart and strange-looking. Octopuses’ bodies are soft, and the bodies have eight arms and three hearts. People enjoy looking at octopuses. People enjoy eating octopuses, too.
If you read this paragraph out loud, it probably will sound strange to you. You might have thought it was repetitive or awkward. Luckily, there is an easy way to make this sound a whole lot better. Read on to learn how to use pronouns to add variety to your sentences.
What Do I Know?
What do you already know about pronouns? Take this quiz to find out.
Building Blocks
Grammar is a complex system and structure of language. Mizzou Academy Grammar Lab spotlights one skill (or block) at a time. It is also helpful to see how each skill works together with other, related blocks to build the language structure as a whole. You may find the following resource topics helpful as context for this lesson:
The most basic type of pronoun is the personalpronoun.
A personal pronoun takes the place of a noun. It refers to the person speaking, the person being spoken to, or the person, place, or thing spoken about.
Click on each tab below to learn more about personal and possessive pronouns.
Personal pronouns are stated in three points of view – first-, second-, and third-person point of view.
I/we love to visit the aquarium. (1st)
You can go to the aquarium with me. (2nd)
She/He/They might come with us, as well. (3rd)
A personal pronoun can play the role of a subject or an object of a verb or preposition.
Subject pronouns work with the verb to describe the main idea in a sentence. In simple active sentences, subjects perform the action that the verb describes.
I love to visit the aquarium.
Object pronouns receive the action of active verbs or the orientation of a preposition in the sentence.
Please come to the aquarium with me.
Singular
Plural
Example
1st-Person, subject
I
We
I am looking forward to the holiday this weekend!
We are looking forward to the holiday this weekend!
1st-Person, object
Me
Us
Will you go with me to the beach?
Will you go with us to the beach?
2nd-Person, subject
You
You
You are going to love paddleboarding in the ocean.
2nd-Person, object
You
You
My brother will teach you how to surf.
3rd-Person, subject
He (masculine) She (feminine) They (gender neutral) It (nonhuman/ inanimate)
Like subject and object pronouns, possessives also have a point of view. They are first, second, or third person.
Unlike subject and object pronouns, possessives have an alternative form that occurs when it doesn't sit in front of the noun it possessives.
Possessive
Possessive Alternate
Example
1st-Person, singular
my
mine
Surfing is my favorite activity.
Surfing is a favorite activity of mine.
1st-Person, plural
our
ours
Our goal is to stay on the surfboard.
Staying on the surfboard is a goal of ours.
2nd-Person, singular or plural
your
yours
Your ability to ride the waves is amazing!
Riding the waves is an amazing ability of yours.
3rd-Person, singular, feminine
her
hers
Her eyes searched the ocean for the next, best wave.
When the best wave began to build, she knew the opportunity for a great ride would be hers.
3rd-Person, singular, masculine
his
his
His eyes searched the ocean for the next, best wave.
When the best wave began to build, she knew the opportunity for a great ride would be his.
3rd-Person, singular
nonhuman/inanimate
its
* we don’t usually use “it” in this way
The wave reached its full height.
3rd-Person, singular, gender neutral
their
theirs
My friend said their surfboard was the best.
I have to admit-- I like theirs a lot.
3rd-Person, plural
their
theirs
Their eyes searched the ocean for the next, best wave.
When the best wave began to build, they knew the opportunity for a great ride would be theirs.
Gender Neutral Language
Gender neutral language is inclusive and makes sentences less clunky.
Let’s say that you found a wallet in the hallway and didn’t know who left it there. Instead of saying, “Someone left his or her wallet behind.” Instead, you can say, “Someone left their wallet behind.” The word “they” includes all possible genders for the person who lost their wallet – and it makes the sentence much easier to say and understand.
We should not make assumptions about someone’s gender identity. It is respectful to use the correct pronouns (he/she/they or him/her/their) in our communication. Strive for gender inclusivity in speaking and writing.
Grammar Moment
“Its” and “your” can be tricky. Its and your are pronouns, but it’s and you’re are contractions.
Pronoun
Contraction
Its vs. It's
Its time is up!
(Its possesses the time. The time it had is up.)
It’s time to go.
(It’s is a contraction for it is. It is time to go.)
your vs. you're
Your time is coming soon.
(Your possesses the time. The time you have is almost here.)
You’re almost there.
(You’re is a contraction for you are. You are almost there.)
Do I Get It?
Complete the review activity below to check your understanding of pronouns. Chose the best pronoun to replace the word(s) in bold.
Collective Nouns Subject, Object, and Possessive Pronouns