[Lesson 21]

[Indefinite and Predicate Pronouns]

[GLCEs: W.GR.06.01]

[Getting the Idea]

Pronouns are words that stand for other nouns.

The most commonly used pronouns are:

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Subject pronouns are always the subject of a sentence or clause. Subject pronouns are also called predicate pronouns. Predicate pronouns are subjects in passive sentences. Here are some examples. Notice that the object pronouns in the active sentences become predicate pronouns in the passive sentences.

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Predicate pronouns also follow the verb to be to restate the subject.

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No one in class is as smart as he.

Yes, this is she.

It is I.

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Indefinite pronouns replace nouns like other pronouns do, but they do not indicate which particular noun they replace. They can be singular, plural, or both.

Singular indefinite pronouns include: one, anyone, someone, everyone, no one, anybody, somebody, everybody, nobody, another, either, neither, any, each, everything, nothing, something, and anything.

The following indefinite pronouns are plural: both, few, many, and several. Because they are plural, they take a plural verb.

Some pronouns can be either singular or plural: all, none, and some.

[Guided Example]

directions

Read this passage and answer the questions that follow.

Astronomy Lesson

Everyone wanted to look through the telescope.

“One at a time, please. All cannot look at once!” the guest astronomer said.

One of us asked, “Will we be able to see Jupiter or Saturn?”

“We should be able to see both,” the astronomer said.

“I want to see Saturn,” someone said. “Saturn has rings, but Jupiter does not.”

“Actually,” the astronomer said, “both have rings. But you need a very strong telescope to see Jupiter’s. Ours is not strong enough.”

The fact that Jupiter has rings was news to us. Nobody in our astronomy club would have guessed it!

Another asked, “Do all planets have rings?”

The astronomer replied, “Some do; some don’t. Does anyone know another planet with rings?”

It was anybody’s guess. There was a long silence.

Finally, someone shouted, “Neptune!”

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[Thinking It Through]

1. Read this sentence from the passage.

“We should be able to see both,” the astronomer said.

In this sentence, the predicate pronoun is

A. both

B. able

C. we

D. see

[Hint] Predicate pronouns act as subjects in sentences and clauses. Indefinite pronouns can also act as subjects. In this sentence from the passage, however, the indefinite pronoun is an object of the verb see.

2. The author wrote, “It was anybody’s guess.” In this sentence, the indefinite pronoun is

A. guess

B. anybody

C. was

D. it

[Hint] Indefinite pronouns show the possessive in the same way that regular nouns do. They both add an apostrophe –s.

[Lesson Practice]

[Guided Reading]

directions

Read the story below. While you are reading, practice identifying predicate and indefinite pronouns.

Poetry Scramble

Every year, our school has a poetry contest. The contest is open to everyone in grades six through eight. Two years ago, my classmate Vikram Bolivano won. We were both in sixth grade then. He won again last year. So of course, everyone expected him to win again this year. This year, though, something strange happened. [1]

As in previous years, we were allowed to write on any theme we chose. Nothing strange there. We just had to limit our poems to no more than twenty lines. The poems could be in any style. Again, nothing strange. Every year, too, we put together a little book with all the submitted poems. Still nothing strange. The strangeness started with the submission process.

In previous years, we wrote our poems on paper. Or typed them on the computer and then printed them out. This year, though, the student poetry committee asked everyone to send their poems by e-mail. The committee said that this would make it easier to keep track of all the submissions. The poetry contest was more popular than ever, they said. They also said that e-mail submissions would make it easier to put together the school poetry book. They would choose the winner and the runners-up, and then send the file containing everyone’s poems off to the printer. The printer would print and bind the books, and send everything back. [2]

To no one’s surprise, Vikram was again declared the winner. Everyone got a big surprise, though, upon opening the book. All the poems were scrambled! Somehow in the process, everything got all mixed up. The first poem in the book, Vikram’s, was not his at all! Oh sure, it contained one of the lines from his winning poem, but all the others were by someone else.

I turned to the page that was supposed to have my poem on it. The title was correct: “Saturn by Moonlight.” But all the other lines were from other students’ poems. Several were from Gennifleur Schlame’s poem, “Various Versions of Vicious Vultures.” Others were from Mirva Trevi’s “Untitled.” One was even from Vikram’s poem. But not a single line was my own! I turned to the other poems in the book. Each was a monstrous blend of all the others. [3]

Everyone scratched his or her head. How was it possible that everything had been scrambled? Luckily, the committee had saved everyone’s e-mail. They printed them all out, made copies, and then stapled everything together as in years past. So much for technology in the service of poetry!

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[Reading Guide]

[1] Which words in the story are indefinite pronouns?

[2] Which words in the story are predicate pronouns?

[3] Can you find examples of indefinite pronouns used as predicates? Can you find examples of indefinite pronouns used as possessives?

[Independent Practice]

directions

Use the story to answer each question. Circle the letter beside the best answer.

1. The word several is an example of a

A. plural indefinite pronoun.

B. plural possessive pronoun.

C. singular indefinite pronoun.

D. singular object pronoun.

2. The author wrote, “Each was a monstrous blend of all the others.” In this sentence, the word each refers to

A. Vikram’s poem.

B. the book.

C. the other poems.

D. the other poets.

3. Each is singular because

A. it is an indefinite pronoun.
B. it takes the singular verb was.
C. others is plural.
D. it refers to each one of the other poems.

4. The author wrote, “Everyone scratched his or her head.” Which word in the sentence is a predicate pronoun?

A. everyone

B. his
C. her
D. or