Identifying Pronouns

Reviewing Pronouns 6th Grade Standards Jan.2021

Today's Agenda

Review 6th grade standards associated with pronouns.

Review Reminders

Standard

ELAGSE6L1- Demonstrate command

of the conventions of Standard English

grammar and usage when writing or

speaking.

Standard's Elements

a. Ensure that pronouns are in the

proper case (subjective, objective, and

possessive).

b. Use intensive pronouns (e.g.,

myself, ourselves).

c. Recognize and correct inappropriate

shifts in pronoun number and

person.*

d. Recognize and correct vague

pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or

ambiguous antecedents).*

"I Can Statements"

a. I can ensure that subjective, objective, & possessive pronouns are in the

proper case.

b. I can use intensive pronouns such as

myself & ourselves.

c. I can recognize and correct inappropriate

shifts in pronoun number and

person.

d. I can recognize and correct vague

pronouns. Vague pronouns that are with unclear or have ambiguous antecedents.

Multiple Choice

Opening…

Which of the following sentences correctly uses an intensive pronoun?

• The teacher himself did not know the answer to the question.

• That is why he often has trouble making new friends.

• He told himself that everything would work out fine.

Mini-Lesson

• Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the clause because the subject of the action is also the direct or indirect object. Only certain types of verbs can be reflexive. You cannot remove a reflexive pronoun from a sentence because the remaining sentence would be grammatically incorrect.

• Intensive pronouns emphasize the subject of a clause. They are not the object of the action. The intensive pronoun can always be removed from a sentence without changing the meaning significantly, although the emphasis on the subject will be removed. Intensive pronouns can be placed immediately after the subject of the clause, or at the end of the clause.

Mini-Lesson Continues

• Reflexive Pronoun Examples (can NOT be removed)

  I told myself to calm down.

  You cut yourself on this nail?

  He hurt himself on the stairs.

• Intensive Pronoun Examples (can be removed)

• I made these cookies myself.

  You yourself asked Jake to come.

Mini-Lesson Continues

• A vague pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one possible antecedent. The vague pronoun does not specify as the working type of a pronoun. Rather, it causes confusion and errors in a written text. Vague pronouns should be avoided. This is because they can make the readers misinterpret the context of the text

Example of a Vague Pronoun

• Each of these sentences has the same problem: * Harry was always late for class, and it drove his teacher crazy. * Harry was always late for class, and this drove his teacher crazy. * Harry was always late for class, which drove his teacher crazy. That problem is vague pronoun reference. It, this, and which are pronouns, and they need to refer back to a specific noun, not to the whole idea of a previous statement. In these three sentences, the pronouns refer to the idea that Harry was always late, but they can’t logically refer back to either of the two nouns, Harry or class.

Antecedent..

• Remember, pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence.

  Examples: He, She, It, You, We, They, Us, Them, Him, Her and many more.

  The noun that the pronoun refers to is called an antecedent.

  Example: Bob loves to go ice-skating; however, he always slips and falls.

  He refers to Bob.

  After mom baked chocolate chip cookies, Sam ate three of them. Them refers to chocolate chip cookies.

Multiple Choice

Their finished off the ship with a carved dragon’s head and sent this amazing boat off to dominate new lands.

What is the correct way to rewrite the underlined part of the sentence?

• Them

• Theirs

• They're

• They

Correct Answer Rationale

• The subjective pronoun “they” is needed in this sentence.

Multiple Choice

The Vikings reached faraway places, such as Scotland, Iceland, and Ireland. Its secret was a special type of boat called a longship or drekar.

Which word correctly replaces the underlined word?

• Their

• Whose

• Them

• It

Correct Answer Rationale

• “Their” correctly replaces “its” because the

  word refers to the proper noun “Vikings” and

  agrees in number and case.

Multiple Choice

Using wide axes, these craftsmen would chop oak trees into long planks. Next, they were connected to the keel with iron nails.

Which revision of these sentences corrects the use of a

vague pronoun?

• Using wide axes, these craftsmen would chop oak trees into long planks. Next, the axes were connected to the keel with iron nails.

• Using wide axes, these craftsmen would chop oak trees into long planks. Next, the planks were connected to the keel with iron nails.

• Using wide axes, these craftsmen would chop oak trees into long planks. Next, they’re connected to the keel with iron nails

• Using wide axes, these craftsmen would chop oak trees into long planks. Next, the trees were connected to

  the keel with iron nails.

Correct Answer Rationale

• The pronoun “they” in the sentence is vague

  because it could refer to “axes,” “craftsmen,”

  “trees,” or “planks,” and the context clearly

  indicates that “the planks” is the best choice.

Multiple Choice

Men and women from all over the country came to assure that their voices would be heard, and we showed their belief in freedom for all Americans.

• he

• she

• they

• you

Correct Answer Rationale

• The pronoun they refers to "men and women."

  It is a third-person plural pronoun, while we is a

  first-person plural pronoun. To correct the

  inappropriate shift in pronoun person in this

  sentence, we should be changed to they.

Multiple Choice

That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr., stood on the memorial's steps and delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

Which choice shows the correct way to rewrite this sentence

so that it uses an intensive pronoun?

• That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr., stood on the memorial's steps himself and delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

• That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr., stood on the memorial's steps and delivered his "I Have a

  Dream" speech himself.

• That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr., himself

  stood on the memorial's steps and delivered his "I

  Have a Dream" speech.

• That same day, Martin Luther King, Jr., stood

  himself on the memorial's steps and delivered his "I

  Have a Dream" speech.

Correct Answer...

• Himself is used here to emphasize Martin

  Luther King, Jr., the subject of the sentence.

  Himself is the correct intensive pronoun for a

  singular masculine subject, and it appears

  directly after the noun it is emphasizing.

Multiple Choice

Him was inspired by a temple in Greece

called the Parthenon, which is evident if

you compare pictures of the two

structures.

Which choice shows the correct way to write the underlined

portion of the sentence?

• Theirs were

• His was

• They were

• He was

Correct Answer..

• He refers to the architect Henry Bacon (the

  subject of the sentence). This is the correct

  choice because he is a subjective pronoun that is singular and masculine.

Multiple Choice

The Lincoln Memorial has many interesting architectural features.

What is the BEST way to rewrite this sentence using an

intensive pronoun?

• The Lincoln Memorial myself has many interesting

  architectural features.

• The Lincoln Memorial itself has many interesting

  architectural features.

• The Lincoln Memorial has many interesting

  architectural features themselves.

• The Lincoln Memorial himself has many interesting

  architectural features.

Correct Answer...

• This sentence uses the correct intensive

  pronoun to emphasize the Lincoln Memorial.

Poll

Closing:

How comfortable are you with ensuring that pronouns are in the

proper case (subjective, objective, and

possessive)?

• Very Comfortable..I got this!!

• Somewhat ..

• Not at all comfortable..I need more practice.

Poll

Closing continues:

How comfortable are you with recognizing and correcting inappropriate

shifts in pronoun number and person?

• Very comfortable..I got this!!

• Somewhat..

• Not at all..I need more practice.

Poll

Closing continues:

How comfortable are you with recognizing and correcting vague

pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear or ambiguous antecedents)?

• Very comfortable..I got this!

• Somewhat..

• Not comfortable at all..I need more practice.

Poll

Closing continues:

How comfortable are you with using intensive pronouns such as

myself & ourselves?

• Very comfortable.. I got this!!

• Somewhat..

• Not at all comfortable..I need more practice.