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

Making pronouns clear

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

  1. Choose the word that fits: 'Jack and Jill forgot ___ buckets.'

    • his
    • her
    • their

  2. Choose the word that fits: 'Nadia forgot ___ water bottle on the bus.'

    • she
    • it
    • her

  3. Ella took Ella's dog to Ella's garden. This sentence uses pronouns well.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Choose the correct word: 'I built the fort all by ___.'

    • itself
    • myself
    • himself

  5. Which sentence is clear just as it is?

    • Sara told Amy she was late.
    • After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands.
    • Sara and Amy lost her ball.

  6. Rewrite this to fix the repeated name: 'Leo grabbed Leo's jacket before Leo left.'

    • Leo grabbed his jacket before he left.
    • Leo grabbed their jacket before they left.
    • Leo grabbed it jacket before it left.

  7. In 'Mum asked Dad to fix his bike,' the word his is clear.

    Circle one:   True   False

  8. Choose the correct reflexive pronoun: 'Aisha taught ___ to ride a bike.'

    • himself
    • itself
    • herself

  9. Which sentence uses a reflexive pronoun incorrectly?

    • He made the sandwich hisself.
    • She poured herself some juice.
    • We served ourselves first.

  10. Jude wants to say that Kai got off the bus. His sentence is: 'Jude waved at Kai when he got off the bus.' Which rewrite makes his meaning clear?

    • Jude waved at Kai when he got off the bus.
    • Jude waved at Kai when Jude got off the bus.
    • Jude waved at Kai when Kai got off the bus.
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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 · The buckets belong to Jack and Jill together, two people, so the word must be their.
  2. her · The bottle belongs to Nadia, so the word must show that belonging: her water bottle.
  3. False · Ella's name is repeated three times and no pronoun is swapped in, so the sentence does not use pronouns at all.
  4. myself · Since I am the one who built it, the reflexive pronoun must match I, so it's myself.
  5. After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands. · Only Sara appears in After Sara ate her lunch, she washed her hands, so she can point to just one person.
  6. Leo grabbed his jacket before he left. · Swapping Leo for his and he keeps the meaning clear without repeating the name three times.
  7. True · His can only point to Dad, because Dad is the only man in the sentence, so the word is clear.
  8. herself · Aisha is one girl and she is both teaching and learning, so the reflexive pronoun is herself.
  9. He made the sandwich hisself. · Hisself is not a real word. The reflexive pronoun that matches he is himself.
  10. Jude waved at Kai when Kai got off the bus. · Saying Kai's name again in place of he makes it certain that Kai is the one who got off the bus.
Worksheet · LightMySky