Word Swappers: Using Pronouns

Read these two sentences: 'Maya loves football. Maya practises football every day after Maya comes home from school.' Something sounds strange, right? The name Maya is repeated three times. It starts to sound like a robot talking! Can you think of a word that could replace one or more of the Maya's? That word is called a pronoun — and today you will find out exactly how it works.

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Nouns are naming words — like Maya, Tom, the dog, or the book. When you use a pronoun instead of a noun, your writing sounds smoother and less repetitive. Here are the most common pronouns: • I, you, he, she, it, we, they — these are called subject pronouns. You use them when the pronoun is the person or thing doing the action. Example: 'She ran fast.' • me, you, him, her, it, us, them — these are called object pronouns. You use them when the pronoun receives the action. Example: 'The teacher helped him.' • my, your, his, her, its, our, their — these are called possessive pronouns. They show who owns something. Example: 'That is her bag.' How do you choose the right pronoun? First, find the noun you want to replace. Then ask: Is this noun doing the action, receiving the action, or owning something? Pick the pronoun type that matches. One more tip: if you replace a person's name, check whether that person is male, female, or if you do not know (or they prefer 'they'). Choose the pronoun that fits.