JERICHO NAME MRS MCDERMOTT E S H CHOOL IGH PERIOD …

[Pages:3]JERICHO

E

HIGH

SCHOOL ENGLISH

NAME ____________________________ PERIOD ___________ DATE ___________

MRS. MCDERMOTT GRAMMAR,

MECHANICS & USAGE

The "Renowned" Noun

Types of Nouns

1. A singular noun is a word that names one person, place, thing, or idea: brother, classroom, pig, and

joy. A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea: brothers, classrooms, pigs, and

joys.

2. A collective noun names a group. When the collective noun refers to the group as a whole, it is singular. When it refers to the individual group members, the collective noun is plural. For example: The class meets two days a week. (singular) The board of trustees come from all walks of life. (plural)

3. A common noun names a general class of people, places, things, or ideas: soldier, country, month, or theory. A proper noun specifies a particular person, place, thing, event, or idea. Proper nouns are always capitalized: General Lee, America, July, Big Bang Theory.

4. A concrete noun names an object that occupies space or that can be recognized by any of the senses: tuba, music, potato, and aroma. An abstract noun names an idea, a quality, or a characteristic: courage, sanity, power, and memory.

5. A possessive noun shows possession, ownership, or the relationship between two nouns: Raul's house, the cat's fur, and the girls' soccer ball.

The Pronoun

What is a pronoun? It is a word that stands in for a noun. Alison gave Alison's dog the dog's bath.

Alison gave her dog its bath.

The person named Swetha sitting in that chair is friends with the person named Irene sitting in that chair.

She is friends with her.

Here are the ways we use pronouns: ? to name specific people or things: You look like him. ? to point to non-specific people or things: Everyone enjoyed the party, but nobody remembered to thank the hostess. ? to point to something: This is the dress I want to wear to the prom. ? to refer back to the subject: Jon laughed at himself. ? to show mutual action: Sagar and Jeremy were talking to each other. ? to add emphasis: I myself love grammar. ? to ask a question: Who studied for the test? ? to show ownership: That's not yours; it's mine!

A pronoun takes the place of a noun. The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun takes the place of or stands for.

I am Taylor. I is a pronoun. Who or what does it stand for? It stands for Taylor. The antecedent of I is Taylor.

Brandon gave his teacher her notebook. His is a pronoun. Who does it stand for? It stands for Brandon, so the antecedent of his is Brandon. The word her is also a pronoun and it stands for teacher. The antecedent of her is teacher.

When is John a "him" and when is he a "he"? Which is correct?

I like you better than him. I like you better than he. Both are correct, but they mean entirely different things. I like you better than him = I like you better than I like him. I like you better than he = I like you better than he likes you.

Pronouns come in three groups called cases.

Subjective or Nominative case ? the doer (subject) of the action: I throw the ball.

Objective case ? the receiver (object) of the action: Throw the ball to me.

Possessive case ? shows ownership: My throw to third base won the game!

Subjective/ Nominative Case

Objective Case

Possessive Case

I sing.

Sing to me.

my song

You sing. She sings. He sings.

Joe sings to you. Sing to her. Sing to him.

your song her song his song

It sings.

Sing to it.

its song

We sing. They sing. Who sings?

Sing to us. Sing to them. To whom does Joe sing?

our song their song whose song

Pronouns can be tricky. Check your knowledge by determining what is wrong with these sentences: 1. Mom cooked dinner for Brian and I. 2. Her and I went to Broadway Mall after school. 3. Us tenth graders are studying grammar in College Prep Writing. 4. She is taller than me.

Each of the underlined pronouns is wrong. How can you tell? Determine whether to use a subjective pronoun or an objective pronoun by adding more words to the sentence (or deleting words).

Add words:

Mom cooked dinner for Brian and [for] I.

Sounds wrong.

Mom cooked dinner for Brian and [for] me. Grammatically correct!

Add words:

Her [went] and I went to Broadway Mall after school. Sounds wrong.

She [went] and I went to Broadway Mall after school. Grammatically correct!

Delete words:

Us [tenth graders] are studying grammar in College Prep Writing. Sounds wrong.

We [tenth graders] are studying grammar in College Prep Writing. Grammatically correct!

Add words:

She is taller than me [am tall]. Sounds wrong.

She is taller than I [am tall]. Grammatically correct!

Here is another trick to use when you are confused: turn the sentence around. For example: In English, the best students are Pat and [me/I].

Turn it around: Me am the best student. Not with grammar like that you're not! I am the best student. Correct!

Right: In English, the best students are Pat and I.

Polite Pronouns It is considered polite to put yourself second. Wrong:

Me and Mike want to go to town.

Polite/Right: Mike and I want to go to town.

Wrong: Mom gave the cookies to her and I.

Polite/Right: Mom gave the cookies to her and me.

Quick Tip "It's me," may sound right but technically it is always wrong. You would not say "me am it," but "it's me" is so commonly used that it is gaining acceptance (at least in spoken language).

The Ubiquitous You Ubiquitous means that something is everywhere. You is one of the most overused words in our language. In formal writing, be careful not to over use it. When using the word you, the writer should really mean "you, the reader," not someone, anyone, or everyone.

Informal/not wrong, but not great: If you add one and one, you get two.

Formal/Better: One plus one equals two.

Informal: If you're late for school, you'll get in trouble.

Formal/Better: Students who are late for school will get in trouble.

Informal: You have to pay taxes when you grow up.

Formal: All people have to pay taxes when they grow up

Pronoun Independent Practice: Find the errors in these sentences and correct them. 1. Susan remembered to bring Lois's jacket to school but forgot her gloves. 2. They don't allow students to throw snowballs at each other in the schoolyard. 3. When doing a plie, the ballerina should keep her knees over her toes. You shouldn't allow your knees to turn inward or one could damage one's knees and ankles. 4. I gave Todd a new bike and a video game; it made him happy. 5. Hello. You want to speak to Irene. This is her. 6. We had a great time in Puerto Rico; they have so much to do there. 7. The teacher told we kids to be quiet. 8. We're going out to dinner alone--just Erica and me. 9. It was him who ate all the cheese doodles. 10. Jordan is a friend of Eric's and me

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