Welcome to the World of Pronouns!

Have you ever read a story where the writer used the same name over and over again? It can sound a bit repetitive, right? That is where pronouns come to the rescue! In these notes, we will learn how pronouns help our writing flow and how different types of pronouns show ownership or link ideas together.

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. We use them so we don't have to keep repeating the same person, place, or thing.

Imagine saying: "Sarah went to the park because Sarah wanted to play on Sarah's new bike."
That’s a lot of "Sarahs"! Instead, we use pronouns:
"Sarah went to the park because she wanted to play on her new bike."

Common Pronouns

Here are some of the most common pronouns you will use: I, me, you, he, she, it, him, her, we, us, they, them.

Quick Tip: Cohesion
Using pronouns helps with cohesion. This is just a fancy word for making sure your sentences stick together nicely and make sense as a whole. By using a pronoun like "they" instead of repeating "the three massive dragons" every time, your writing becomes much smoother to read.

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun is a special type of pronoun that shows ownership (who something belongs to). These are usually taught in Year 4.

The main possessive pronouns are:
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

Examples:
"That coat is mine."
"The victory was ours!"
"I found a glove; is it yours?"

Wait, is it "its" or "it's"?
Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Its (without an apostrophe) is the possessive pronoun. It's (with an apostrophe) is a contraction for "it is" or "it has." If you are showing that something belongs to an "it," you don't need the apostrophe!
Example: "The dog wagged its tail."

Key Takeaway:

Possessive pronouns stand alone to replace a noun phrase. You don't say "That is mine coat"; you say "That coat is mine."

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to connect a relative clause to a noun. You will usually learn these in Year 5. They give us more information about a person or thing we have already mentioned.

The main relative pronouns you need to know are:
who, which, where, when, whose, that

How they work:
1. who – used for people ("The girl who won the race...")
2. which – used for things or animals ("The cake, which was delicious...")
3. where – used for places ("The school where I study...")
4. when – used for times ("The year when I was born...")
5. whose – used to show possession ("The boy whose dog barked...")
6. that – used for people or things ("The car that sped past...")

Did you know?
Sometimes the relative pronoun can be omitted (left out) if the sentence still makes sense.
Example: "The book that I am reading is great" can also be "The book I am reading is great."

Check Your Understanding

To master pronouns, try to spot them when you are reading your favorite books. Ask yourself:
1. Which noun is this pronoun replacing? (This helps with cohesion).
2. Is the pronoun showing ownership? (If yes, it's a possessive pronoun).
3. Is it starting a new bit of information about a noun? (If yes, it's likely a relative pronoun).

Common Mistake to Avoid:
Be careful not to confuse them and those. In Standard English, we say "Look at those shoes" (where 'those' is a determiner), not "Look at them shoes." However, we can say "I like them" when 'them' is the pronoun replacing 'the shoes'.

Section Summary:

• Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition.
• Possessive pronouns (like mine, theirs) show who owns what.
• Relative pronouns (like who, which, that) start relative clauses to give more detail.
• Using pronouns correctly helps create cohesion across your writing!

Note: For more on how these words build bigger sentences, see the chapters on G3 Clauses and G3 Expanded noun phrases.