Pronouns
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repeating it, such as 'he', 'she', 'it', 'they', 'we' or 'them'. Year 4 pupils learn to use pronouns accurately so that it is always clear which noun each pronoun refers to, improving the flow and clarity of their writing.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Find the noun (person, place or thing) that has already been named in the sentence or an earlier sentence.
- Choose a pronoun that matches it: 'he'/'she' for a specific person, 'it' for a thing or animal, 'they' for plural nouns.
- Replace the repeated noun with the pronoun so the writing does not sound repetitive.
- Check the pronoun clearly refers back to one noun, not several, so the reader is not confused.
- Keep subject and object forms correct, using 'I/he/she/they' as the doer and 'me/him/her/them' as the receiver of the action.
- Reread the sentence to make sure it is obvious who or what each pronoun means.
Worked example
Rewrite this sentence to avoid repeating the noun, using pronouns: 'Sam picked up the ball and Sam threw the ball to Priya.'
- Identify the repeated nouns: 'Sam' is repeated, and 'the ball' is repeated.
- Replace the second 'Sam' with the pronoun 'he' because Sam is one male person.
- Replace the second 'the ball' with the pronoun 'it' because the ball is a single thing.
- Check the sentence still makes sense and it is clear who 'he' and 'it' refer to.
- Final answer: 'Sam picked up the ball and he threw it to Priya.'
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Rewrite the sentence below, replacing the repeated noun with a suitable pronoun: 'The teacher smiled because the teacher was proud of the class.'
Explain why this sentence is confusing, then suggest a correction: 'When Amir met Josh, he gave him his jacket.'
Complete the passage below with the correct pronouns from the choices given: 'Grandma baked a cake. (She/Her) let (I/me) help. (It/Its) smelled wonderful when (we/us) took it out of the oven.'
Free printable worksheet
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