OBJECTIVE:
Pronouns are important for writers because they allow writers to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over again.

Pronouns are words used in place of a noun. The noun a pronoun replaces is called the antecedent.

In this lesson, we are only going to focus upon personal pronouns that refer to persons or things.

MODEL SENTENCE:
“Nothing is interesting unless you are interested.” -Helen MacInness

There are possessive pronouns that indicate ownership:

MODEL SENTENCE:
“Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses; women for their strengths.” -Helen MacInness

Interrogative Pronouns introduce questions:

MODEL SENTENCE:
“I wonder who will be the next president”

Demonstrative Pronouns identify nouns:

MODEL SENTENCE:
“An iceberg the size of Rhode Island broke off from the arctic ice sheet today; this is one of the many effects of climate change. ”

Creating descriptive sentences in FREESTYLE mode on piclits.com is a great way to practice selecting pronouns (both personal and possessive) from the word bank and choosing the right pronoun to make your descriptive sentence less repetitive.

INCORRECT AND CORRECT:
Incorrect: The new Lexus sedan’s six-cylinder engine consumes amazingly little oil. Consuming small amounts of oil is one reason for the popularity of the Lexus sedan.
Correct: The new Lexus sedan’s six-cylinder engine consumes amazingly little oil; this is one reason for the popularity of the car.
–note how “this” replaces “consuming small amounts of oil”

MODEL PIC-LIT:

GUIDED PRACTICE WRITING PROMPT:

1. Go to piclits.com
2. Sign in with your e-mail and password
3. Select a picture from the gallery of pictures
4. In FREESTYLE mode, CREATE a sentence with at least ONE PRONOUN.
   Remember to label the pronoun in parentheses as in the model PIC-LIT above.