Pronouns

• Pronouns when a noun is singular or plural: When a noun is singular, use singular pronouns only. When a noun is plural, use plural pronouns only
• they and their pronouns: They and their can be used as singular or plural pronouns
• pronouns when they identify a noun or another pronoun:

  1. Subjective pronouns act as the subject in a sentence and tell the reader who or what the sentence is about
  2. An objective pronoun acts as an object that receives the action
• pronouns renaming the subject following a be verb: When pronouns follow be verbs, the pronoun will be subjective
• compound personal pronouns:

  1. end in self or selves and can direct the action expressed by a verb back to the subject
  2. Do not use a compound personal pronoun unless the noun or pronoun referenced is expressed in the same sentence
• Who and Whom:

  1. use who whenever he, she they, I, or we can be substituted as the subject of the verb
  2. Use whom whenever him, her, them, me, or us can be substituted as the object of the verb
• Who, which, and that:

  1. "Who" and "that" are used when referring to people. Use who when the individual person or the individuality of a group is meant and that when a class or type is meant
  2. "Which" and "that" are used when referring to places, objects, and animals. "Which" is for introducing nonessential clauses and "that" is for introducing essential clauses
• forming possessives with pronouns:

  1. possessive forms of personal pronouns don't require an apostrophe since they are their own word
  2. Possessive forms of indefinite pronouns do require an apostrophe