ABSTRACT
Pronouns are the substitutes, plain and simple. They link to nouns that came before them. These nouns are called the pronouns’ antecedents. An antecedent noun defines the pronoun as singular or plural and as first, second, or third person, and sometimes tells us its gender, male or female. For example, when you write a story about Marsha, pronouns give you a way to say something other than Marsha, Marsha, Marsha! We don’t have to repeat Marsha’s name in an endless loop. Instead, we can call in a sub. Since Marsha is female, the substitute is she for Marsha or hers for Marsha’s. In fact, pronouns’ main function is to give writers a way to clearly and concisely refer to characters or people without using their names over and over and over.
