Plural Pronouns

Plural Pronouns

Steven and Stephanie went for a bike ride. Steven and Stephanie didn't stop for 3 hours. During the 3 hours of riding around, Steven and Stephanie saw a lot of interesting wildlife like porcupines, squirrels, and birds.

Did you get tired of reading the names Steven and Stephanie? They likely stuck out because they were repeated over and over again. When writing, or speaking, we are often taught not to use words over and over again because it will bore the person reading, or listening. But, how can using the same words be avoided, especially when talking about the same thing? One way to avoid this repetition is to use pronouns (a word that takes place of a noun). Some common pronouns are he, she, him, there, her, it, they. Even though this lesson will discuss pronouns, it will focus on a certain type, plural pronouns, or pronouns that refer to a plural noun.

Before going any further, it is important to clarify what a plural noun is. A plural noun is a noun that refers to more than one person, place, or thing. A few examples of plural nouns are Steven and Stephanie, dogs, cities, and people. As mentioned, a singular pronoun takes the place of a singular noun. For example, instead of using Steven and Stephanie in every sentence, it may be a good idea to replace the names with them, they, or their. Here is an example of what the opening passage could have been like if plural pronouns were used instead of Steven and Stephanie over and over:

Steven and Stephanie went on a bike ride. They didn't stop for 3 hours. During their 3 hour bike ride they saw a lot of interesting wildlife like porcupines, squirrels, and birds. The use of the pronouns, they and their give this piece of writing enough variation, and the words Steven and Stephanie didn't get overused, but it is still clear who went on the bike ride.

Examples

In this section, examples will be given, the first sentence will have regular nouns, the second sentence will modify the example with pronouns.

Bill and I went for a walk in the woods. When Bill and I got there, a cougar chased Bill and I.

Bill and I went for a walk in the woods. When we got there, a cougar chased us.

In this example, 'we' and 'us,' took the place of 'Bill and I' and prevents overuse.

Isaac and Mary are going to the mall. Isaac and Mary want to buy a present. Isaac and Mary are planning on going to a birthday party.

Isaac and Mary are going to the mall. They want to buy a present for their friend's birthday party.

In this example, 'they' and 'their' took the place of 'Isaac and Mary.'

Amy and Susan went to the zoo. When Amy and Susan looked at the lion cage, the lion growled at Amy and Susan.

Amy and Susan went to the zoo. When they looked at the lion cage, it growled at them.

In this example, 'they' and 'them' took the place of 'Amy and Susan,' while 'it' took the place of the lion.

While taking a hike, Sarah saw deer in the woods. The deer were drinking from a pond. Sarah thought the deer were peaceful and beautiful.

While taking a hike, Sarah saw deer in the woods. They were drinking from a pond. She thought they were peaceful and beautiful.

In this examples, it is important to note that 'deer' can be singular or plural. By looking at the context clues in the sentence, we can see that the use of 'were' when referring to the deer drinking means that they are plural. So, in this case, 'they' took the place of 'the deer,' and 'she' took the place of 'Sarah.'