Pronouns for clarity · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
En anglais

Making pronouns clear

English · Grammar & Punctuation · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. The buckets belong to Jack and Jill together. Complete: 'Jack and Jill forgot ___ buckets.'

    • his
    • her
    • their

  2. Nadia uses she. Read: 'Nadia waved. She smiled.' Which name does She replace?

    • smiled
    • waved
    • Nadia

  3. 'Ella took Ella's dog to Ella's garden' avoids repeating Ella's name by using pronouns.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Choose the word that means I had no help: 'I built the fort all by ___.'

    • itself
    • myself
    • himself

  5. Sara and Amy both use she. Based only on the named people, which sentence has a clear reference for she?

    • Sara told Amy that she had finished eating her lunch.
    • After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands.
    • Sara called Amy after she had finished eating lunch.

  6. Leo uses he and his. Replace the repeated names in 'Leo grabbed Leo's jacket before Leo left.'

    • Leo grabbed his jacket before he left.
    • Leo grabbed his jacket before she left.
    • Leo grabbed her jacket before he left.

  7. In 'Dad bought a bicycle. Mum asked Dad to ride it,' it refers to the bicycle.

    Circle one:   True   False

  8. Aisha uses she and her. Ben and Aisha are different people. Replace only Aisha in 'Ben taught Aisha to swim': 'Ben taught ___ to swim.'

    • himself
    • herself
    • her

  9. For Standard English school writing, replace hisself in 'He made the sandwich by hisself.'

    • himself
    • herself
    • yourself

  10. Jude and Kai use he. Read: 'Jude thanked Kai because he brought a map.' A reader says he must mean Kai because Kai is nearer. Which judgment fits?

    • He must mean Jude because Jude starts the sentence.
    • He must mean Kai because Kai is nearer to he.
    • He could mean either person without more context.
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Making pronouns clear W1-mt_9yFAtUkoYr-s1

  1. their · Their shows that the buckets belong to Jack and Jill together.
  2. Nadia · She replaces Nadia as the person smiling.
  3. False · The sentence repeats Ella's name and does not replace it with any pronouns.
  4. myself · By myself means without help. Myself matches I.
  5. After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands. · Only Sara is named in 'After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands.' The other sentences name two people who use she.
  6. Leo grabbed his jacket before he left. · His shows Leo's ownership, and he names Leo as the person leaving.
  7. True · The bicycle is the only named thing that Dad can ride. It refers back to the bicycle.
  8. her · Ben teaches another person, Aisha. Use the object form her to replace Aisha, rather than a reflexive referring back to the doer.
  9. himself · The Standard English form matching he is himself.
  10. He could mean either person without more context. · A pronoun does not always refer to the nearest name. Either person could have brought the map.
Worksheet · LightMySky