English Language Arts
Grade 5
15 min
Identify pronouns
Identify pronouns
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define the term 'personal pronoun' and its purpose in writing.
Identify personal pronouns within sentences and short paragraphs.
Differentiate between subject pronouns (e.g., I, she, they) and object pronouns (e.g., me, her, them).
Locate the antecedent for a given personal pronoun.
Replace a noun with the correct personal pronoun to improve sentence flow.
Categorize personal pronouns by person (first, second, and third).
Correctly use personal pronouns in their own persuasive and narrative writing.
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In this tutorial, we will learn how to identify special words called perso...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
PronounA word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.Instead of 'The dog wagged the dog's tail,' you can say 'The dog wagged its tail.' 'Its' is the pronoun.
Personal PronounA specific type of pronoun that refers to a person or thing. They change form depending on who is speaking (person), how many (number), and their job in the sentence (case).I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them.
AntecedentThe noun that a pronoun replaces or refers back to. 'Ante-' means 'before.'In 'Maria threw the ball, and it soared,' 'Maria' is the antecedent of 'she' (implied) and 'ball' is the antecedent of 'it'.
Subject PronounA personal pronoun that is the subject...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The Antecedent Agreement Rule
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine/neuter).
Use this rule to choose the right pronoun. If the antecedent is 'the students' (plural), you must use a plural pronoun like 'they' or 'them'. If the antecedent is 'Sarah' (singular, feminine), you must use 'she' or 'her'.
The Subject vs. Object Rule
Use a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) when the pronoun performs the action. Use an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them) when the pronoun receives the action.
To decide which to use, ask 'Who or what is doing the verb?' If the pronoun is the answer, it's a subject pronoun. If it's having the verb done to i...
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Challenging
Which of the following sentences has a vague antecedent, making the pronoun's meaning unclear?
A.After the dog chased the squirrel, it ran up a tree.
B.The car has a scratch on its door.
C.Mariah was happy when she received a gift.
D.The players knew they had won the championship.
Challenging
Which sentence correctly uses a pronoun after the word 'than'?
A.My brother is much stronger than me.
B.She can run faster than him.
C.You are a better artist than I.
D.They finished the race sooner than us.
Challenging
The sentence 'Each of the girls brought their own water bottle' has a common pronoun error. Which sentence below revises it to follow the Antecedent Agreement Rule strictly?
A.Each of the girls brought her own water bottle.
B.Each of the girls brought them own water bottle.
C.Each of the girls brought his own water bottle.
D.Each of the girls brought its own water bottle.
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