PRONOUN BASICS
In the sentence “Tom has a dog. He plays with it every day.” — Who is he?
Tom
“This book is great. It helps me understand grammar.” — What word avoids repetition?
It
“The man who lives next door is a doctor.” — Does who refer to a person or a thing?
Person
“He didn’t come to class. That made me worried.” — What does that refer to?
He didn’t come to class
“This is my book. Its cover is blue.” — What does its refer to?
the book (the cover of the book)
“The book is new. It is very interesting.” — What does it refer to?
The book
“Lisa bought a car. This surprised everyone.” — What does this refer to?
Lisa buying a car
“The car which is parked outside is mine.” — Does which refer to a person or a thing?
Thing
“It is important to study. It helps you improve.” — What does the second it refer to?
Studying
“Her brother is a teacher. I met him yesterday.” — Who does him refer to?
her brother (direct object = the brother)
“Maria and Ana are friends. They study together.” — Who are they?
Maria and Ana
“The teacher gave us homework. That was unexpected.” — What does that refer to?
The teacher giving homework
“The woman whose son is famous is here.” — What type of word is whose showing?
Possession
“The teacher told a joke. Everyone laughed at it.” — What does it refer to?
The joke
“They found their keys. They lost them at the park.” — What does them refer to?
their keys (the keys = direct object)
“I met John’s parents. They were very kind.” — Who are they?
John’s parents
“The dogs barked loudly. These were my neighbor’s pets.” — What does these refer to?
The dogs
“The book that you lent me was excellent.” — What does that refer to?
The book
“There was an earthquake. This caused a lot of fear.” — What does this refer to?
The earthquake
“The students submitted their essays; the teacher graded them.” — What does them refer to?
the essays (direct object plural)
“Look at that storm! It looks dangerous.” — What does it refer to?
The storm
“John lost his wallet, and this worried him a lot.” — What does this refer to?
The fact that John lost his wallet
“The student whose homework was missing explained everything.” — What is the referent of whose?
The student
“The museum was closed, which disappointed us.” — What does which refer to?
The fact that the museum was closed
“John’s idea convinced Sarah because his proposal was clear; she accepted it immediately.” — What do his and it refer to?
his → John (possessive adjective: John’s proposal). it → his proposal (the proposal = direct object).