Introduction to Subject Pronouns

TL;DR

Subject pronouns replace nouns that are doing an action in a sentence. They're essential for making your writing clear and avoiding repetition. Knowing when to use "I," "he," "she," "it," "we," "you," and "they" makes your sentences flow better.

1. The Mental Model

Think of subject pronouns as stand-ins for the main character in your sentence. Instead of repeating that character's name, you use a pronoun to keep things smooth. They're always the ones performing the verb.

2. The Core Material

What's a Pronoun?

Photo by Airam Dato-on on Pexels

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. Instead of saying "Sarah went to the store," you can say "She went to the store." "She" is the pronoun replacing "Sarah."

What's a Subject Pronoun?

Photo by Thirdman on Pexels

A subject pronoun specifically replaces the noun that is performing the action (the subject) in a sentence. It's the "who" or "what" that is doing the verb.

Here are the main subject pronouns:

• I: used when you are doing the action.
  • Example: I like to read.
• You: used when talking to someone who is doing the action. (Can be singular or plural).
  • Example: You are a good listener.
• He: used for a male person doing the action.
  • Example: He plays soccer.
• She: used for a female person doing the action.
  • Example: She sings beautifully.
• It: used for an animal, object, or idea doing the action.
  • Example: The dog barked. It was hungry.
• We: used when you and others are doing the action.
  • Example: We went to the park.
• They: used for multiple people, animals, or things doing the action.
  • Example: The birds flew south. They were migrating.

graph TD
    A["Noun doing action"] --> B["Replace with Subject Pronoun"]
    B --> C["'I' (yourself)"]
    B --> D["'You' (who you're talking to)"]
    B --> E["'He' (male person)"]
    B --> F["'She' (female person)"]
    B --> G["'It' (object/animal/idea)"]
    B --> H["'We' (you + others)"]
    B --> I["'They' (others/multiple things)"]

Why Do We Use Them?

Photo by Ann H on Pexels

Using subject pronouns prevents your writing from sounding repetitive. Imagine saying "John went to the store. John bought milk. John came home." It's much smoother to say, "John went to the store. He bought milk. He came home."

3. Worked Example

Let's take a sentence and identify the subject, then replace it with the correct subject pronoun.

Original sentence: "My sister and her friend are baking cookies."

1. Identify the action: The action is "are baking."
2. Identify who is doing the action (the subject): "My sister and her friend" are doing the baking.
3. Determine the correct subject pronoun: Since it's two people (plural) and neither of them is "I" (you), the correct pronoun is "they."

New sentence with subject pronoun: "They are baking cookies."

4. Key Takeaways

• Subject pronouns always perform the action in a sentence.
• The main subject pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they.
• Use subject pronouns to avoid repeating nouns and make your writing smoother.
• "You" can be singular (one person) or plural (more than one person).
• "It" is for non-human subjects or abstract ideas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels

• Don't confuse subject pronouns with object pronouns (like "me," "him," "her"). For example, it's "He gave it to me," not "He gave it to I."
• Avoid using "them" when you should use "they" as a subject (e.g., "Them went to the store" is incorrect; it should be "They went to the store").
• Don't forget that "it" is for things/animals, while "he" and "she" are for people.
• Be careful with "we" versus "us." If you're doing the action, it's "We," not "Us." (e.g., "Us went to the movie" is wrong).

5. Now Try It

Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the underlined noun(s) with the correct subject pronoun. You've got about 15 minutes to do this.

1. The cat slept all day.
2. My friends and I played basketball.
3. Did Sarah finish her homework?
4. The books are on the shelf.
5. You and John should come over.

What success looks like: You'll have five new sentences where the underlined noun(s) have been correctly replaced by "it," "we," "she," "they," and "you" (in that order).