EXERCISE 3. WHAT PRONOUN CAN YOU USE TO AVOID REPEATING THE ITALICIZED...
5. Ask the bus driver. The bus driver will be only too glad to help you.
Personal Pronouns
The personal pronouns are
I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
They are called personal pronouns because, except for it, they all refer to persons.
These pronouns are among the most troublesome words in our language.
Question:
Why are the personal pronouns troublesome?
Answer:
Most of these pronouns change in form, depending on the way they are
used in a sentence. On the other hand, the nouns that these pronouns
stand for do not change.
For example, take the noun George. We can use George as either a subject, a direct ob-
ject, or an indirect object.
George can be a
SUBJECT
:
George complained.
S.
V.
George can be a
DIRECT OBJECT
:
The noise bothered George.
S.
V.
D.O.
George can be an
INDIRECT OBJECT
:
The noise gave George a headache.
S.
V.
I.O.
D.O.
Obviously, the noun George does not change in form, whether used as a subject, a di-
rect object, or an indirect object.
But most pronouns change in form, depending on their use. For example, he can be
used as a subject, but not as a direct object or an indirect object.
He can be a
SUBJECT
:
He complained.
For a
DIRECT OBJECT
, we must use him:
The noise bothered him.
Also, for an
INDIRECT OBJECT
we must use him:
The noise gave him a headache.
The Different Forms of the Personal PronounsIf we need a pronoun as a
SUBJECT
, we can use one of the following:
I
you
he
she
it
we
they
If we need a pronoun as a
DIRECT OBJECT
or an
INDIRECT OBJECT
, we can use one of the
following:
me
you
him
her
it
us
them
If we need a pronoun
TO SHOW POSSESSION
, we can use one of the following:
my,
your,
his
her,
its
our,
their,
mine
yours
hers
ours
theirs
Note:
Only you and it have the same form for subject, direct object, and indirect object.