DTW GED PREP

Understanding Pronouns for the GED® Test

The correct use of pronouns is essential for clear communication and is a frequent topic on the GED® Reasoning Through Language Arts test. You may be asked to identify or correct errors in pronoun usage. This guide covers the types of pronouns and how to use them properly.

1. What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun, a group of words acting as a noun, or another pronoun to avoid repetition.

2. Types of Pronouns

A. Personal Pronouns

These refer to specific people or things. They vary by number (singular or plural) and case (subjective or objective).

Subjective	Objective	Example Sentence
I, you, he, she, it, we, they	me, you, him, her, it, us, them	She went swimming. / Betty saw her first. / Call us when you can.

B. Possessive Pronouns

These indicate ownership. Some are used before nouns; others stand alone.

Used before nouns	Stand alone
my, your, his, her, its, our, their	mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs

Examples:

• My name is Carlos. (modifies “name”)
• This jacket is mine. (used alone)

C. Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Formed by adding –self or –selves to certain personal pronouns.

Reflexive	Intensive
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves	same forms, but used for emphasis

• Reflexive: She taught herself to play guitar. (herself refers to she)
• Intensive: The manager herself approved the request.

D. Relative Pronouns

These introduce subordinate clauses and relate to a noun previously mentioned.

Subject	Object	Possessive
who, which, that	whom	whose

Examples:

• The student who won the award is here.
• The artist whom we hired arrived early.
• The house whose lights were on looked empty.
• Her plan, which worked well, saved us time.

3. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in both number (singular/plural) and gender (male/female/neutral).

Example	Explanation
Abraham Lincoln gave his address.	“His” refers to Lincoln (singular, male).
The lion and her cubs spent their day playing.	“Them” refers to both lion and cubs (plural).
Each of the boys brought his lunch.	“Each” is singular, so “his” is used.

Common Pitfall: Don’t let words between the subject and pronoun confuse you. Always match the pronoun to its true antecedent.

1.10 PRONOUN USAGE

Directions: Write C next to each sentence that is correct and I next to any sentence that contains incorrect pronoun usage.

    _____ 1. Veronica asked Beverly and me to watch her dance in the final awards competition.
    _____ 2. She and me have been going to ballet lessons for years, but she is much better than I am.
    _____ 3. I thought Ted had gone to the play with they, but he was in the house playing video games.
    _____ 4. Lucille and Danny lost ourselves in their hobbies.
    _____ 5. Learning to swim turned out to be surprisingly difficult for my brother and I when we first tried.
    _____ 6. Participants in this marathon must train in all weather, for you cannot predict what the weather will be like here in April.

Next task:
Correct the following paragraph for pronoun errors.

Mariana wanted to learn to play the piano, but you knew how difficult learning the piano is for a beginner. Still she worked hard at it and oftentimes gave up your free time. She spent less time at the mall with your friends. In the end, she was pleased with yourself.

1.10 PRONOUN USAGE

Pronoun Usage Identification

_____ 1. Veronica asked Beverly and me to watch her dance in the final awards competition.
✅ Answer: C
Explanation: “Me” is correctly used as the object of the verb “asked.” Removing “Beverly and” still results in “Veronica asked me,” which is correct.

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_____ 2. She and me have been going to ballet lessons for years, but she is much better than I am.
❌ Answer: I
Explanation: “Me” should be “I” because it’s the subject along with “she” (“She and I have been…”). “I have been going” is correct grammar.

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_____ 3. I thought Ted had gone to the play with they, but he was in the house playing video games.
❌ Answer: I
Explanation: “They” should be “them” because it is the object of the preposition “with.” → “with them.”

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_____ 4. Lucille and Danny lost ourselves in their hobbies.
❌ Answer: I
Explanation: “Ourselves” is a reflexive pronoun for “we/us.” The sentence needs a third-person pronoun to match “Lucille and Danny.” Correct form: “Lucille and Danny lost themselves in their hobbies.”

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_____ 5. Learning to swim turned out to be surprisingly difficult for my brother and I when we first tried.
❌ Answer: I
Explanation: “I” should be “me” because it is the object of the preposition “for.” Remove “my brother and”—you wouldn’t say “for I,” but “for me.”

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_____ 6. Participants in this marathon must train in all weather, for you cannot predict what the weather will be like here in April.
✅ Answer: C
Explanation: The general use of “you” is acceptable here to refer to anyone. It is often used in generalizations and is grammatically correct.

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Corrected Paragraph for Pronoun Errors

Original Paragraph (with pronoun issues):

Mariana wanted to learn to play the piano, but you knew how difficult learning the piano is for a beginner. Still she worked hard at it and oftentimes gave up your free time. She spent less time at the mall with your friends. In the end, she was pleased with yourself.

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Corrected Paragraph:

Mariana wanted to learn to play the piano, but she knew how difficult learning the piano is for a beginner. Still, she worked hard at it and oftentimes gave up her free time. She spent less time at the mall with her friends. In the end, she was pleased with herself.

Explanation:

• Changed you → she to maintain third-person point of view.
• Replaced your → her (twice) for correct ownership by Mariana.
• Replaced yourself → herself, the correct reflexive pronoun to match “she.”