A pronoun stands in for a noun, so we don’t repeat it (Kinds of Nouns). Instead of “Mia said Mia lost Mia’s hat,” we write “Mia said she lost her hat.”
Personal pronouns change their form for person (who is speaking or spoken about), number (one or more) and case (the job in the sentence).
| Subject | Object | Possessive (before a noun) | Possessive (alone) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | I | me | my | mine |
| 2nd | you | you | your | yours |
| 3rd singular | he, she, it | him, her, it | his, her, its | his, hers |
| 1st plural | we | us | our | ours |
| 3rd plural | they | them | their | theirs |
Key idea
Use the subject form for a subject (She laughed), the object form after a verb or preposition (Grandma hugged her; a note for her), and a possessive form to show ownership (her hat; the hat is hers).
Why it works
Pronouns keep writing smooth, but only if the reader can tell what each one stands for and what job it does. The forms carry that information: he is doing something; him is receiving it.
Worked example: Replace the nouns
“Ana and Leo thanked Grandpa for Grandpa’s help.” Replace the repeated nouns with pronouns.
- Ana and Leo is the subject, more than one, spoken about: They.
- Grandpa’s shows ownership before a noun: his.
Answer: “They thanked Grandpa for his help.”
Common mistake
Getting stuck when two books disagree about my, your and her before a noun. Some grammars call them possessive pronouns, some call them possessive adjectives, and some call them determiners. All agree on what matters: they show ownership and come before a noun. Mine, yours and hers stand alone.