Pronouns: Common errors and commonly confused pronouns

Pronouns: Common errors and commonly confused pronouns

​Plan for today

1. Finding errors in pronoun use

2. Identifying commonly confused pronouns

Pronouns

• Definition: Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns in a sentence.

• Examples: he, she, it, they, we, you, me, him, her, us

• Function: Pronouns help avoid repetition and make sentences less cumbersome.

Common Pronoun Errors

Subject Pronoun/Object Pronoun Confusion

• Mistakes arise when subject and object pronouns are interchanged, affecting sentence clarity and correctness.

• Example:

  • Incorrect: Me and John went to the store.

  • Correction: John and I went to the store.
    

​Understanding Subject and Object Pronouns

Common Pronoun Errors

Incorrect Pronoun Agreement

Errors in pronoun agreement occur when the pronoun does
not agree in number or gender with its antecedent (a thing
that precedes another).

Example:

Incorrect: Each student should complete their homework.

Correction: Each student should complete his/her homework.

All students should complete their homework.

Common Pronoun Errors

Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

• An unclear or ambiguous reference to a pronoun in a sentence leads to confusion about the intended referent.

• Example: Tom told Sam that he should be ready.

  Ambiguity: It's unclear who "he" refers to—Tom or Sam.

  Correction: Tom told Sam that Sam should be ready.
  

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains an ambiguous pronoun reference?

• The teacher handed Sarah her test results.

• Alex and Jordan went to the movies, and he bought popcorn.

• Each student submitted their project on time.

• My sister and I are planning to visit her next weekend.

Categorize

Options (4)

One of the students has to give up their seat.

Jessica told Linda that she would help her with the project.

Between you and I, this secret is safe.

Everyone must bring his or her own pencils.

Match the Following: Which sentence has which pronoun error?

Incorrect Pronoun Agreement

Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

Subject Pronoun/Object Pronoun Confusion

No error

Reorder

Reorder the following to make a complete sentence:

• Neither of

• the students

• finished

• their assignments.

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

​Identifying commonly confused pronouns

Clear communication relies on precise pronoun use.

Let us explore the nuances and ensure accuracy in pronoun usage such as "its" and "it's," "your" and "you're," and "they're," "their," and "there.

​Pronoun Pair 1 - "Its" vs. "It's"

• Use 'its' when something belongs to or is a
  part of something else.

  Example: The dog wagged its tail.

• Use it's when you can replace it with "it is"
  or "it has" in a sentence.

  Example: It's raining outside.

​Pronoun Pair 2 - "Your" vs. "You're"

• Use 'your' when referring to something owned by the person you're speaking to.

  Example: Is this your book?

• Use 'you're' when you can replace it with "you are" in the sentence.

  Example: You're going to love this movie!

​Pronoun Pair 3 - "They're" vs. "Their" vs. "There"

• 'They're' is a contraction for 'they are.' It is used when talking about actions or states of being of more than one person.

• 'Their' is a possessive pronoun, indicating that something belongs to a group of people.

• 'There' is an adverb that denotes location. It can also introduce a sentence or clause.

​Pronoun Pair 4 - "Whose" vs. "Who's"

• Use "who's" when you can replace it with "who is" or "who has" in your sentence.

  Example: Who's coming to dinner?

  
  

• Use "whose" when you are talking about something belonging to someone.

  Example: Whose coat is this?

Drag and Drop

Fill in the blank with the correct pronoun:
This is

Placeholder

house, and that is hers.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

their

they're

there

Multiple Choice

Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun usage?

• Their going to the park with there friends.

• You're book is on the shelf.

• He doesn't know who's bag this is.

• She returned the laptop to its owner.

​Summary of the lesson

Common Errors

• Subject-Object Pronoun Confusion

• Incorrect Pronoun Agreement

• Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

Commonly Confused Pronouns

• 'its' and 'it's', 'your' and 'you're', 'their', 'they're', and 'there,' as well as 'who's' and 'whose.'