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College of science and engineering

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pronoun

next

example

[ pro + noun ]

is a word that takes the place of a noun.

Generally (but not always), pronouns refer to a noun, an
individual(s) or thing(s) (the pronoun's antecedent) whose
identity is made clear earlier in the text

without
pronoun
A 2200F capacitor is
loose. A 2200F
capacitor will cause a
student to fail.

With pronoun
A 2200F capacitor is
loose. It will cause a
student to fail.
*The it refers to the 2200F
capacitor

next

kinds

Kinds of

pronouns
personal

relative

intensive

demonstrative

reflexive

interrogative

indefinite

reciprocal

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuations

pronoun rules to remember

Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the

subject of the sentence.
Example:___ did the job.
I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever,etc., all qualify and are,
therefore, subject pronouns.

Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the

subject. They will follow to be verbs, such as is, are, was,
were, am, will be, had been, etc.
Example:
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.

When who refers to a personal pronoun (I, you, he,

she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that
pronoun.
Incorrect: It is I who is sorry.
Correct: It is I who am sorry. (I am)

Object pronouns are used everywhere else beyond

Rules 1 and 2 (direct object, indirect object, object of
a preposition). Object pronouns include me, him,
herself, us, them, themselves, etc
Jean saw him.
Him is the direct object.
Give her the book.
Her is the indirect object. The direct object is book.

The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or

plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular,
use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on
time.
The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.

Example: He is one of those men who are always on time.

The word who refers to men. Therefore, use the plural verb
are.
Pronouns that are singular require singular verbs.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Neither of them is available to speak right now.

To decide whether to use the subject or object

pronoun after the words than or as, mentally
complete the sentence.
Examples:
Which is correct? Fran is as smart as she. OR
Fran is as smart as her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say
Fran is as smart as she is. Therefore, she is the correct

The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours,

theirs, and whose never need apostrophes. Avoid
mistakes like her's and your's.

There is no apostrophe in oneself. Avoid "one's self," a

common error.

10

Don't use myself unless the pronoun I or me precedes it

in the sentence.
Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.
Correct: Please give it to John or me.

11

Avoid they and their with singular pronouns

Incorrect: Someone brought their lunch.
Correct: Someone brought her lunch.

11

Singular pronouns must stay singular throughout the

sentence.
Examples:
Incorrect: Someone has to do itand they have to
do it well.
Technically correct:Someone has to do itand he
or she has to do it well.
Rewritten: Someone has to do itand has to do it
well.

12

When a pronoun is linked with a noun by and, mentally

remove the and + noun phrase to avoid trouble.
Incorrect: Her and her friend came over.
If we remove and her friend, we're left with the ungrammatical
Her came over.
Correct: She and her friend came over.
Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.
If we remove my sister and, we're left with the
ungrammatical Bill asked I.
Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.

references
Fowler, H., Aaron, J. E., & Limburg, K. (1995). The Little, Brown Handbook. New York:
HarperCollins.
Grammar Rules. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ginger:
http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/personal-pronouns/
O'Brien, E. (n.d.). Reflexive Pronouns & Intensive Pronouns. Retrieved June 13,
2015, from Grammar Revolution: http://www.english-grammarrevolution.com/reflexive-pronouns.html
Quirk, R., & Greenbaum, S. (1993). A University Grammar of English. Essex:
Longman Group.
Simmons, R. L. (2015). Rules for Finding and Fixing Pronoun Agreement Errors.
Retrieved from Grammar Bytes!:
http://www.chompchomp.com/rules/proagreerules.htm
Straus, J. (2012, March 22). Pronouns. Retrieved from GrammarBook.com:
http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp
Usage - Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement. (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2015, from
Towson University: http://www.towson.edu/ows/pro_antagree.htm
What Is a Demonstrative Pronoun? (n.d.). Retrieved June 13, 2015, from Your
Dictionary: http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/pronouns/what-is-ademonstrative-pronoun.html

end

personal
pronouns

A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is

associated primarily with a particular
person, animal, or object [1]
The use of personal pronouns in
thesis/technical writing is generally
avoided.
[1] Personal pronouns may take on various forms depending on
number (singular or plural). They may also take different forms
depending on case, gender, or formality.

SINGULAR
PLURAL

subjective

objective

possessive

1st person

me

mine

2nd person

you

you

yours

3rd person

he/she/it

him/her/it

1st person

we

us

ours

2nd person

you

you

yours

3rd person

they

them

theirs

his/hers/its

BACK kinds

demonstrative
pronouns

The demonstrative pronouns [1] modify

nouns - the most popular are this, that,
these and those.
In sentence structure, demonstrative
pronouns are not followed by nouns. They
stand alone as pronouns. [2]
[1] Not to be confused with demonstrative adjectives
[2] Demonstrative adjectives are followed by nouns

demonstrative

adjectives

v
S

demonstrative

pronouns

The program you are coding

looks really hard.

That program
looks really hard.

That looks really

hard.

Here, that is followed by a

noun program.

Here, that replaces the

program you are coding.

BACK kinds

indefinite
pronouns

The indefinite pronouns do not substitute for

specific nouns but function themselves as
nouns.
An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any
specific person, thing or amount. It is
vague and "not definite".[2]
[1] e.g. everybody, anybody, somebody, all, each, every, some, none, one
[2] Indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on its context.

indefinite pronouns reveal

hard engineering truths:

Everyone has experienced dealing with strict

deadlines and stricter professor(s). *IYKWIM*

In Engineering, few will pass; fewer

will graduate.

None is immune to an overnight project

session. *

* The pronoun none can either be singular or plural, depending on

the context. None can mean not any or not one.

BACK kinds

relative
pronouns

The relative pronouns who, which, and

that relate groups of words to nouns or
other pronouns.
The expanded form of the relative
pronouns whoever, whomever, whatever
are known as indefinite relative
pronouns.

A Computer Engineer
is someone who has a
clean Desktop and a
messy schedule.

Whoever has a clean

Desktop and a messy
schedule is a
Computer Engineer.

-- The Internet
The who relates to the computer
engineer as the subject of the sentence,
whereas whoever is indefinite to the
subject of the sentence.

BACK kinds

intensive
pronouns

The intensive pronouns (such as myself,

yourself, herself, ourselves, themselves) consist
of a personal pronoun plus -self or -selves and
emphasize a noun.
An intensive pronoun is different from a
reflexive, because the pronoun can be
removed without altering the meaning of the
sentence. [1]
[1] Since an intensive pronoun is used for emphasis, it is not necessary to the sentence

reflexive
pronouns

The reflexive pronouns [1] indicate that the

sentence subject also receives the action of the
verb.
These pronouns are objects that are used
to refer to the subject of the sentence. They
are a necessary part of the sentence.
[1] (which have the same forms as the intensive pronouns)

reflexive

Students who cheat on Sir Nakis

quizzes are only foolingthemselves.
There is no chance; failure is
inevitable.

By removing the pronoun themselves, the sentence did not make sense.

intensive

Rather than cry and mope, the students

themselves should invest time to study
and review lessons.

Intensive pronouns can be removed and the sentence would still make sense.

BACK kinds

reflexive

Students who cheat on Sir Nakis

quizzes are only fooling.
There is no chance; failure is
inevitable.

By removing the pronoun themselves, the sentence did not make sense.

intensive

Rather than cry and mope, the students

should invest time to study and review
lessons.

Intensive pronouns can be removed and the sentence would still make sense.

BACK kinds

interrogative
pronouns

The interrogative pronouns

(who/which/what) introduce questions.[1]
Like the relative pronouns, the interrogative
pronouns introduce noun clauses, and like the
relative pronouns, the interrogative pronouns
play a subject role in the clauses they introduce.
[1] Which is generally used with more specific reference than what

Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the answer to the ultimate question of
life, the universe, and everything? (42)
Who will be the teacher of this class?
(Your worst nightmare)

Which programming language will I use for the

Routh-Hurwitz application?
(Sadly, none will work -- just like your hopes and dreams)
For more information on the subject matter, consult an
Upperclassman.

BACK kinds

reciprocal
pronouns

The reciprocal pronouns are each other and

one another.

If more than two people are involved, one

another is often used. This rule (if it is one)
should be applied circumspectly. [2]
[1] They are convenient forms for combining ideas.
[2] E.g. The whole book club gave each other / one another books.

BACK kinds

researchers

panelists

Researchers and panelists often giveeach

otherconflicting ideas during oral presentations.
The researchers, as a group, and the panelists, as a collective critic, give conflicting ideas.

Researchers and panelists often giveone

anotherconflicting ideas during oral presentations.
All the members of the research group and the panelists individually give conflicting ideas.