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Note on pronoun for a primary 5 pupil. make it lenghty
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Note on Pronouns
(for Primary 5 pupils)
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a small word that takes the place of a noun. Instead of repeating a noun again and again, we use a pronoun so sentences are shorter and clearer.
Why we use pronouns
- To avoid repeating the same noun: "Sara likes Sara's bike" becomes "Sara likes her bike."
- To make sentences sound natural: "Tom and I went to the park. We had fun."
- To show who or what something belongs to: "That pencil is mine."
Types of pronouns and how to use them
Below are common types of pronouns you should know. Each type has simple explanations and many examples.
1. Subject pronouns
Use subject pronouns when the pronoun is doing the action in the sentence.
Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Examples:
- I read a book.
- You are my friend.
- He plays football.
- She is kind.
- It looks heavy.
- We like art.
- They are in the classroom.
Tip: The subject pronoun usually comes before the verb.
2. Object pronouns
Use object pronouns when the pronoun receives the action.
Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Examples:
- The teacher called me.
- I will help you.
- I saw him at school.
- She hugged her brother and hugged him.
- The ball hit it (the tree).
- The coach praised us.
- I gave them the books.
Tip: Object pronouns usually come after the verb or after a preposition (e.g., for, to, with).
3. Possessive adjectives (sometimes called possessive determiners)
These show who owns something. They come before a noun.
Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Examples:
- This is my pencil.
- Is that your bag?
- His hat is red.
- Her dress is pretty.
- The cat licked its paws.
- Our classroom is clean.
- Their house is big.
Tip: Possessive adjectives must match the owner (who owns the thing), not the thing.
4. Possessive pronouns
These also show ownership, but they replace the noun + possessive adjective + noun.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its (rare), ours, theirs
Examples:
- That pencil is mine.
- The big backpack is yours.
- The blue car is his.
- The seat by the window is hers.
- This sandwich is ours.
- The red bikes are theirs.
Tip: Use these when you do not repeat the noun. "This is my book." → "This is mine."
5. Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. They are used when the subject and the object are the same person or group.
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Examples:
- I taught myself to ride a bike.
- She dressed herself.
- He hurt himself.
- The dog barked at itself.
- We made ourselves lunch.
- They can help themselves.
Tip: Reflexive pronouns are not used when the subject and object are different people. (Wrong: She gave myself a gift.)
6. Demonstrative pronouns
These point to things. They can also be used as adjectives before nouns.
Demonstratives (used as pronouns): this, that, these, those
Examples:
- This is my pen. (near, singular)
- That is my school. (far, singular)
- These are tasty. (near, plural)
- Those were expensive. (far, plural)
Tip: Use this/these for things close to you, that/those for things farther away.
7. Interrogative pronouns
Use these to ask questions: who, whom, whose, which, what
Examples:
- Who is at the door?
- Whom did you see? (formal — many people say "Who did you see?")
- Whose book is this?
- Which is your hat?
- What happened?
8. Relative pronouns
Use these to join two sentences or to give more information about a noun: who, which, that, whose, whom
Examples:
- The boy who sits next to me is kind.
- The cake that she made was sweet.
- I have a friend whose mother is a nurse.
- The movie which we watched was funny.
9. Indefinite pronouns
These talk about people or things without saying exactly who or what: someone, anybody, everyone, none, nothing, many, few, all, some
Examples:
- Someone is at the door.
- Nobody knows the answer.
- Everyone clapped.
- I have few apples left.
- Something smells good.
Basic rules and tips
- A pronoun must match (agree with) the noun it replaces in number and gender.
- Singular noun → singular pronoun: The cat sleeps. It sleeps.
- Plural noun → plural pronoun: The dogs run. They run.
- If you talk about a girl → use she/her/hers; about a boy → use he/him/his.
- Be clear about the antecedent (the noun the pronoun stands for). If it’s not clear, the sentence is confusing.
- Confusing: When Sam told Alex that he was late, who is "he"? Sam or Alex?
- Clear: Sam told Alex, "You were late." or Sam told Alex that Alex was late.
- Use object pronouns after verbs and prepositions: Give it to me. Sit with us.
- Use possessive adjectives before nouns and possessive pronouns when the noun is left out: That is my book. That book is mine.
- Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same: She cut herself. Not: She cut himself.
- When unsure about gender or for a person you don’t know, you can use they/them as a singular pronoun in modern English: Someone left their umbrella.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Wrong: Me and John went to the shop. (Object pronoun used as subject)
Correct: John and I went to the shop.
- Wrong: The teacher gave it to John and I. (I used as object)
Correct: The teacher gave it to John and me.
- Wrong: The cat licked hisself.
Correct: The cat licked itself.
- Wrong: Its a good day.
Correct: It’s a good day. (It’s = it is; Its = belonging to it)
- Wrong: Everyone took their pencils. (This is widely accepted but be aware it uses singular everyone with plural their to avoid saying he or she; many teachers accept “Everyone took their pencils.”)
Fun activities and games to practise pronouns
1. Pronoun swap
- Take a short paragraph and rewrite it, replacing nouns with the correct pronouns.
2. Pronoun matching
- Make cards with nouns and another set with pronouns and match them correctly.
3. Pronoun treasure hunt
- Label objects and write sentences using pronouns to refer to the objects. Pupils find items.
4. Fill-in-the-gap race
- The teacher reads a sentence with a missing pronoun. Teams race to say the correct pronoun.
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct pronoun (subject or object):
1. _____ (Maria) is going to the zoo. _____ will bring her camera.
2. The dog followed _____ (Tom) home.
3. The ball went into the river. _____ (it) floated away.
4. Could you help _____ (me) with this homework?
5. James and I baked a cake. _____ (we) shared it.
Choose the correct possessive adjective or possessive pronoun:
6. This is _____ (my / mine) book.
7. That red bike is _____ (his / him).
8. The house belongs to Anna. It is _____ (her / hers).
9. Are these _____ (your / yours) shoes?
10. The green hats are _____ (their / theirs).
Rewrite each sentence using a pronoun in place of the underlined words:
11. The teacher praised the students.
12. Maria gave the cookies to John and Sarah.
13. The bicycle belonging to Sam is old.
14. The cats licked the cats’ paws.
Identify the type of pronoun in each sentence (subject, object, possessive adjective, possessive pronoun, reflexive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, indefinite):
15. Who is coming to the party?
16. Those are beautiful.
17. He found himself alone.
18. All were excited.
19. The boy who lost his hat cried.
Answers
1. She is going to the zoo. She will bring her camera. (Subject pronoun: She)
2. The dog followed him home. (Object pronoun: him)
3. The ball went into the river. It floated away. (Subject pronoun: it)
4. Could you help me with this homework? (Object pronoun: me)
5. James and I baked a cake. We shared it. (Subject pronoun: we; object pronoun: it)
6. This is my book. (possessive adjective: my)
7. That red bike is his. (possessive pronoun: his)
8. The house belongs to Anna. It is hers. (possessive pronoun: hers)
9. Are these your shoes? (possessive adjective: your)
10. The green hats are theirs. (possessive pronoun: theirs)
11. The teacher praised them. (object pronoun: them)
12. Maria gave the cookies to them. (object pronoun: them)
13. Sam’s bicycle is old. → It is old. (possessive adjective / subject pronoun)
14. The cats licked their paws. OR They licked their paws. (possessive adjective or subject pronoun)
15. Who — interrogative pronoun
16. Those — demonstrative pronoun
17. Himself — reflexive pronoun
18. All — indefinite pronoun
19. Who — relative pronoun (or "who lost his hat" uses "who" as relative)
Final tips for remembering pronouns
- If the word is doing the action, choose a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they).
- If the word is receiving the action or comes after a preposition, choose an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them).
- If something belongs to someone and you need a word before a noun, use possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their).
- If something belongs to someone and you do not repeat the noun, use possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).
- Read your sentence and ask: Who is doing the action? Who/what is receiving it? Who owns it? This will help you pick the right pronoun.
Keep practising with short sentences each day. The more you use pronouns correctly, the easier it becomes. If you want, I can give you more practice exercises or make a worksheet for your class—just tell me which types of pronouns you want to practise more.
(for Primary 5 pupils)
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a small word that takes the place of a noun. Instead of repeating a noun again and again, we use a pronoun so sentences are shorter and clearer.
Why we use pronouns
- To avoid repeating the same noun: "Sara likes Sara's bike" becomes "Sara likes her bike."
- To make sentences sound natural: "Tom and I went to the park. We had fun."
- To show who or what something belongs to: "That pencil is mine."
Types of pronouns and how to use them
Below are common types of pronouns you should know. Each type has simple explanations and many examples.
1. Subject pronouns
Use subject pronouns when the pronoun is doing the action in the sentence.
Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Examples:
- I read a book.
- You are my friend.
- He plays football.
- She is kind.
- It looks heavy.
- We like art.
- They are in the classroom.
Tip: The subject pronoun usually comes before the verb.
2. Object pronouns
Use object pronouns when the pronoun receives the action.
Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Examples:
- The teacher called me.
- I will help you.
- I saw him at school.
- She hugged her brother and hugged him.
- The ball hit it (the tree).
- The coach praised us.
- I gave them the books.
Tip: Object pronouns usually come after the verb or after a preposition (e.g., for, to, with).
3. Possessive adjectives (sometimes called possessive determiners)
These show who owns something. They come before a noun.
Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Examples:
- This is my pencil.
- Is that your bag?
- His hat is red.
- Her dress is pretty.
- The cat licked its paws.
- Our classroom is clean.
- Their house is big.
Tip: Possessive adjectives must match the owner (who owns the thing), not the thing.
4. Possessive pronouns
These also show ownership, but they replace the noun + possessive adjective + noun.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its (rare), ours, theirs
Examples:
- That pencil is mine.
- The big backpack is yours.
- The blue car is his.
- The seat by the window is hers.
- This sandwich is ours.
- The red bikes are theirs.
Tip: Use these when you do not repeat the noun. "This is my book." → "This is mine."
5. Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. They are used when the subject and the object are the same person or group.
Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Examples:
- I taught myself to ride a bike.
- She dressed herself.
- He hurt himself.
- The dog barked at itself.
- We made ourselves lunch.
- They can help themselves.
Tip: Reflexive pronouns are not used when the subject and object are different people. (Wrong: She gave myself a gift.)
6. Demonstrative pronouns
These point to things. They can also be used as adjectives before nouns.
Demonstratives (used as pronouns): this, that, these, those
Examples:
- This is my pen. (near, singular)
- That is my school. (far, singular)
- These are tasty. (near, plural)
- Those were expensive. (far, plural)
Tip: Use this/these for things close to you, that/those for things farther away.
7. Interrogative pronouns
Use these to ask questions: who, whom, whose, which, what
Examples:
- Who is at the door?
- Whom did you see? (formal — many people say "Who did you see?")
- Whose book is this?
- Which is your hat?
- What happened?
8. Relative pronouns
Use these to join two sentences or to give more information about a noun: who, which, that, whose, whom
Examples:
- The boy who sits next to me is kind.
- The cake that she made was sweet.
- I have a friend whose mother is a nurse.
- The movie which we watched was funny.
9. Indefinite pronouns
These talk about people or things without saying exactly who or what: someone, anybody, everyone, none, nothing, many, few, all, some
Examples:
- Someone is at the door.
- Nobody knows the answer.
- Everyone clapped.
- I have few apples left.
- Something smells good.
Basic rules and tips
- A pronoun must match (agree with) the noun it replaces in number and gender.
- Singular noun → singular pronoun: The cat sleeps. It sleeps.
- Plural noun → plural pronoun: The dogs run. They run.
- If you talk about a girl → use she/her/hers; about a boy → use he/him/his.
- Be clear about the antecedent (the noun the pronoun stands for). If it’s not clear, the sentence is confusing.
- Confusing: When Sam told Alex that he was late, who is "he"? Sam or Alex?
- Clear: Sam told Alex, "You were late." or Sam told Alex that Alex was late.
- Use object pronouns after verbs and prepositions: Give it to me. Sit with us.
- Use possessive adjectives before nouns and possessive pronouns when the noun is left out: That is my book. That book is mine.
- Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same: She cut herself. Not: She cut himself.
- When unsure about gender or for a person you don’t know, you can use they/them as a singular pronoun in modern English: Someone left their umbrella.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Wrong: Me and John went to the shop. (Object pronoun used as subject)
Correct: John and I went to the shop.
- Wrong: The teacher gave it to John and I. (I used as object)
Correct: The teacher gave it to John and me.
- Wrong: The cat licked hisself.
Correct: The cat licked itself.
- Wrong: Its a good day.
Correct: It’s a good day. (It’s = it is; Its = belonging to it)
- Wrong: Everyone took their pencils. (This is widely accepted but be aware it uses singular everyone with plural their to avoid saying he or she; many teachers accept “Everyone took their pencils.”)
Fun activities and games to practise pronouns
1. Pronoun swap
- Take a short paragraph and rewrite it, replacing nouns with the correct pronouns.
2. Pronoun matching
- Make cards with nouns and another set with pronouns and match them correctly.
3. Pronoun treasure hunt
- Label objects and write sentences using pronouns to refer to the objects. Pupils find items.
4. Fill-in-the-gap race
- The teacher reads a sentence with a missing pronoun. Teams race to say the correct pronoun.
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct pronoun (subject or object):
1. _____ (Maria) is going to the zoo. _____ will bring her camera.
2. The dog followed _____ (Tom) home.
3. The ball went into the river. _____ (it) floated away.
4. Could you help _____ (me) with this homework?
5. James and I baked a cake. _____ (we) shared it.
Choose the correct possessive adjective or possessive pronoun:
6. This is _____ (my / mine) book.
7. That red bike is _____ (his / him).
8. The house belongs to Anna. It is _____ (her / hers).
9. Are these _____ (your / yours) shoes?
10. The green hats are _____ (their / theirs).
Rewrite each sentence using a pronoun in place of the underlined words:
11. The teacher praised the students.
12. Maria gave the cookies to John and Sarah.
13. The bicycle belonging to Sam is old.
14. The cats licked the cats’ paws.
Identify the type of pronoun in each sentence (subject, object, possessive adjective, possessive pronoun, reflexive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, indefinite):
15. Who is coming to the party?
16. Those are beautiful.
17. He found himself alone.
18. All were excited.
19. The boy who lost his hat cried.
Answers
1. She is going to the zoo. She will bring her camera. (Subject pronoun: She)
2. The dog followed him home. (Object pronoun: him)
3. The ball went into the river. It floated away. (Subject pronoun: it)
4. Could you help me with this homework? (Object pronoun: me)
5. James and I baked a cake. We shared it. (Subject pronoun: we; object pronoun: it)
6. This is my book. (possessive adjective: my)
7. That red bike is his. (possessive pronoun: his)
8. The house belongs to Anna. It is hers. (possessive pronoun: hers)
9. Are these your shoes? (possessive adjective: your)
10. The green hats are theirs. (possessive pronoun: theirs)
11. The teacher praised them. (object pronoun: them)
12. Maria gave the cookies to them. (object pronoun: them)
13. Sam’s bicycle is old. → It is old. (possessive adjective / subject pronoun)
14. The cats licked their paws. OR They licked their paws. (possessive adjective or subject pronoun)
15. Who — interrogative pronoun
16. Those — demonstrative pronoun
17. Himself — reflexive pronoun
18. All — indefinite pronoun
19. Who — relative pronoun (or "who lost his hat" uses "who" as relative)
Final tips for remembering pronouns
- If the word is doing the action, choose a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they).
- If the word is receiving the action or comes after a preposition, choose an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them).
- If something belongs to someone and you need a word before a noun, use possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their).
- If something belongs to someone and you do not repeat the noun, use possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).
- Read your sentence and ask: Who is doing the action? Who/what is receiving it? Who owns it? This will help you pick the right pronoun.
Keep practising with short sentences each day. The more you use pronouns correctly, the easier it becomes. If you want, I can give you more practice exercises or make a worksheet for your class—just tell me which types of pronouns you want to practise more.
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