Need to brush up on your pronouns?  Here’s a quick guide to its different forms.

Pronouns, being the elements of speech that take the place of nouns, can be very effective when used with appropriate form and case.  They allow you to refer to the same subject without sounding awkward and repetitive.  When used poorly, however, they can end up being distracting to the reader.

There are three common forms of pronouns, namely:

Subject. These are pronouns used as subjects of sentences or subordinate clauses, as in “You remind me of my daughter,” where “you” play the subject pronoun.

Object. These pronouns are used as objects of either verbs or prepositions, as in “The teacher showed us the solution,” where “us” play the object pronoun.

Possessive. These pronouns show ownership, as in “Her hair is so soft,” where “her” is used as the possessive pronoun.

The important thing to remember when dealing with pronouns is to use them as intended, showing their role as subject, object or as an indicator of possession.    A little practice on this end – your English grammar software might have some included – can go a long way, so try doing exercises related to this if it’s an area you find yourself struggling with.

Sentences containing the phrase “as such” are frequent sites of unclear writing.  For some reason, the structure created when employing the phrase is very prone to vague antecedents (i.e. the specific noun that a pronoun refers to).

That pronoun “such” (as used in “as such) is typically used in longer sentences, where it appears as part of a compound or complex structure.  When employed, “such” always refers to a subject in the parts of the sentence before it.  If you have several clauses appearing prior to using it, though, the whole thing can end up just a little strange-looking.

Under the guidelines of clear writing, the antecedent should be easily identifiable once the pronoun is encountered.  If a reader could interpret it in more than one way, then you’ve failed to put together a clearly-written text.  Take this sentence as an example:

“During the last episode of Dexter, where FBI profiler Lundy was killed, Quinn got back with his reporter girlfriend who has been using him as a source and, as such, spent the rest of the show with a shit-eating grin on his face.”

In the above sentence, the pronoun “such” can refer to “being used as a source” or “Quinn getting back with his reported girlfriend.”  It actually refers to the latter, but figuring that out can take more than just a cursory glance.  In such situations, you can end up forcing the reader to pause and sort out your mess of words before being able to proceed with the rest of the material.  Make sure to fix these instances, especially when your English proofreading software points them out.

There are three cases for pronouns in the English language, namely nominative, accusative and genitive.  While the genitive form, which denotes ownership (e.g. my, your, his, its, your), is generally well-understood, the other two are usually fodder for frequent mistakes.

The nominative case is used for the subject of a finite verb and is employed when referring to the person who is performing the action (e.g. I, you, they, who, he, she, it, we).  As such, you say “He walked the dog this morning” and “I ate the remaining piece of cake.”  It is also employed with the verbs “to be,” “to feel,” and “to seem,” as in “It is I who ate that piece of cake.” Do note that modern usage is a bit more loose, basically letting transgresses like “It is me who ate that piece of cake” slide by.  Technically, though, that is the wrong case to employ and will be flagged so by your English grammar software.

The accusative case, on the other hand, is used to refer to the direct or indirect object of a verb (e.g. me, you, them, us, whom, him, her).  In such instances, you write that “I owe him money” and “Send the money to them.”  It is also similarly employed for the object of a preposition, as in “That money is from her and me.”

When writing any sort of piece, whether it be an article or a report, using the right words can mean the difference between a compelling read and a tedious bore.  Unnecessarily repeating words, even when they bear the correct meaning, can leave your writing bland and wanting in quality.

Take this paragraph as an example:

Gadget freaks, rejoice!  The company has announced that the gadget will shoot videos in native HD resolution, which you can then stream to your HD-ready TV sets for full HD enjoyment.

Contrast it to this, which replaces repeated words across the text:

Gadget freaks, rejoice!  The company has announced that the device will shoot videos in native 1080p resolution, which you can then stream to your HD-ready TV sets for a complete high-def viewing experience.

How many times can you repeat a word?  Generally, avoiding use of the same word within the same sentence or the one immediately after it can endow your piece with added readability.   In its place, you can use a pronoun or another term that carries the same meaning.

When trying to find words that can express the same idea, there’s no better tool to use than a thesaurus.  Simply look for the word you’re intending to substitute and look for a suitable replacement.  Many English grammar software applications come with a built-in thesaurus that you can use as reference while writing your piece.  The software will also likely recognize excessive repetition in your text and suggest replacements from it.

This simple trick of avoiding use of the same words over and over can facilitate tremendous improvements in your writing.  Try it today!