Pronouns

This educational video provides a clear and friendly introduction to the grammatical concept of the possessive. The narrators, David and Paige, define possession simply as "owning something" and demonstrate how the apostrophe-s ('s) is used to condense complex phrases like "the carrot that belonged to the rabbit" into efficient forms like "the rabbit's carrot." They explore how this rule applies to both common nouns and proper nouns, using whimsical examples to keep the content engaging. The video then pivots to a crucial exception that often trips up students: possessive pronouns. The narrators clarify that while nouns rely on apostrophes to show ownership, possessive pronouns (like his, hers, ours, and its) never take an apostrophe. They illustrate this with side-by-side comparisons to reinforce the difference between a noun's possessive form and a pronoun's possessive form. Teachers can use this video to introduce or review the mechanics of possession in writing. It is particularly valuable for addressing the common error of adding apostrophes to possessive pronouns (e.g., writing "her's" instead of "hers"). The video's visual style—simple handwriting on a black background—focuses student attention directly on the spelling and punctuation changes being discussed.

This video provides a clear and engaging introduction to the concept of grammatical number in English, specifically focusing on the distinction between singular (one) and plural (more than one). The narrator uses handwritten text and simple drawings to visualize how nouns and pronouns must agree in number, explaining that "singular" refers to one thing while "plural" refers to multiple things. The video highlights how this concept is encoded into the language, particularly within pronouns like "me" versus "us." Key themes include pronoun-antecedent agreement, the importance of consistency in writing to avoid confusion, and specific exceptions to standard rules. The narrator uses humorous and memorable examples—such as a sci-fi cloning machine to explain the shift from "me" to "us," and a confusing scenario about sharing a single watch to illustrate agreement errors. The video also briefly touches upon "you" and "they" as flexible pronouns that can function as both singular and plural. For educators, this resource is excellent for introducing or reviewing the mechanics of pronoun usage and sentence structure. It moves beyond rote memorization by providing context for *why* grammar rules exist: to prevent ambiguity. Teachers can use the video's specific examples, like the "cantaloupe" test at the end, to help students identify antecedents and ensure their own writing maintains logical consistency between subjects and pronouns.

This video provides a clear and practical guide to mastering one of the most common confusion points in the English language: the difference between the homophones "there," "their," and "they're." Using a digital whiteboard format, the narrator visually breaks down each word's specific grammatical function—location, possession, and contraction—assigning a distinct color to each to aid memory retention. The lesson explores distinct strategies for identifying the correct word choice. For "there," the narrator demonstrates a "T to W" replacement trick to connect it to the question "Where?". For "their," the focus is placed on ownership and the question "Who does it belong to?". Finally, "they're" is explained through the mechanics of contractions, showing how it simply replaces "they are." Practical sentence examples are diagrammed on screen to reinforce these rules in context. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms ranging from upper elementary to middle school. It addresses a persistent writing error that affects students of all ages. Teachers can use this video as a hook for a grammar unit, a remediation tool for students struggling with mechanics, or a quick refresher before a writing assignment to encourage self-editing skills.

This concise grammar tutorial clarifies the difference between the commonly confused homophones "it's" and "its." Using a digital whiteboard, hosts David and Paige visually separate the two terms, defining "it's" (with an apostrophe) strictly as a contraction for "it is" or "it has," and "its" (without an apostrophe) as a possessive pronoun. The video utilizes humor, such as referencing popular song lyrics and drawing quirky illustrations, to make the definitions stick. The content explores key grammatical themes including the function of apostrophes in contractions versus their absence in possessive pronouns. It addresses the common misconception that all possessive words require apostrophes, explaining that pronouns like "his," "hers," and "its" are exceptions to the general rule used for nouns. A practical "substitution test" is introduced to help learners verify their word choice. For the classroom, this video serves as an engaging hook or review tool for writing and editing units. It provides students with a concrete strategy—replacing "its" with "his" or "her" to check for ownership—that they can immediately apply to their own writing. The conversational style and clear visual distinction between the two forms make it accessible for students struggling with these specific mechanics.

This educational video provides a clear and accessible explanation of subject-verb agreement, a fundamental concept in English grammar. The narrator uses the analogy of a "square peg in a square hole" to illustrate the necessity of matching sentence parts correctly. The video breaks down the differences between singular and plural subjects and how they dictate the form of the verb, specifically highlighting the counter-intuitive rule that while plural nouns often end in "s," third-person singular verbs also end in "s." The video explores key grammatical themes including conjugation, singular versus plural forms, and the specific rules governing third-person singular verbs. It directly addresses the common confusion students face regarding why an "s" is added to verbs for singular subjects (e.g., "The dog barks") but removed for plural subjects (e.g., "The dogs bark"). Additionally, the video touches upon indefinite pronouns like "anyone," explaining why they are treated as singular subjects despite implying a group context. For educators, this video serves as an excellent tool for introducing or reinforcing grammar rules in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. The step-by-step strategy provided—finding the subject, determining if it is singular or plural, and checking for the "s"—gives students a practical method for self-editing. The visual use of a blackboard with clear color-coded text helps visual learners grasp the patterns of agreement, making it a valuable resource for writing workshops and grammar mini-lessons.

This educational video provides a clear and accessible introduction to pronoun-antecedent agreement, a fundamental concept in English grammar. The narrators, David and Beth, begin by breaking down the etymology of the word "antecedent" to help students understand its meaning as "something that goes before." Through a digital whiteboard demonstration, they illustrate how pronouns function as stand-ins for nouns and why they must align logically with the words they replace. The video explores two primary types of agreement: gender and number. Using the example of a character named Jillian, the lesson demonstrates how to select the correct gendered pronouns (she/her) to avoid confusion. It then moves to a plural example involving snowballs and monkeys to explain number agreement, showing why "they" is the correct pronoun for a plural noun while "it" would be incorrect. The narrators use humor and simple illustrations to make these abstract grammatical rules concrete and memorable. For educators, this resource serves as an excellent tool for introducing or reviewing sentence structure and mechanics. It addresses common student errors in writing, particularly the mismatch between singular nouns and plural pronouns or vice versa. The visual nature of the explanation, where words are highlighted and connected with arrows on screen, provides a strong scaffold for visual learners to grasp the relationship between different parts of speech.

A clear and concise grammar tutorial that breaks down the components of a sentence: subjects, direct objects, and indirect objects. Through a casual dialogue between two narrators, the video uses handwritten examples on a digital whiteboard to visually map out sentence structures. The lesson moves from simple subject identification to the more complex relationship between direct and indirect objects, offering concrete tests to verify which is which. The video explores key grammatical themes including sentence analysis, the roles of nouns and pronouns, and the functional relationships between words. It specifically addresses how action verbs transfer energy to direct objects and how indirect objects function as the recipients of those actions. The narrators also demonstrate how to differentiate an indirect object from a prepositional phrase using a simple transposition test. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms introduced to sentence diagramming or syntax analysis. It clarifies a common point of confusion for students—distinguishing between the thing being acted upon and the recipient of that action. Teachers can use this video to introduce the concept of transitive verbs or as a remediation tool for students struggling with sentence structure and pronoun usage.

This video provides a clear and practical guide to understanding and correctly using reflexive pronouns in English grammar. The narrator, David, breaks down the difference between personal pronouns (like 'me', 'us', 'him') and reflexive pronouns (like 'myself', 'ourselves', 'himself') by creating a visual chart comparing the two forms across first, second, and third-person perspectives. He explains the fundamental rule that reflexive pronouns are only used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. The content explores key grammatical themes including subject-verb-object agreement, the function of object pronouns in the predicate, and the distinction between singular and plural forms (e.g., 'yourself' vs. 'yourselves'). Through specific examples involving characters like Janelle and Roderick, the video illustrates how changing the object of a sentence from a different person to the subject itself necessitates the switch to a reflexive pronoun. It clarifies that these words are 'do-ees' (receivers of action) rather than 'do-ers'. For the classroom, this video is highly valuable for addressing common writing pitfalls, particularly the misuse of reflexive pronouns in compound objects (e.g., 'Talk to Vidya or myself'). The narrator offers a simple, foolproof 'substitution test' that students can use to check their own writing. This makes it an excellent resource for upper elementary and middle school language arts lessons focused on sentence structure, editing skills, and formal standard English usage.

This educational video clarifies the often-confusing grammatical distinction between the relative pronouns "that" and "which." It begins by framing the discussion within the broader linguistic debate between prescriptivists, who value strict adherence to rules, and descriptivists, who observe how language is actually used. The narrator positions himself in the middle, offering a practical synthesis to help writers make the right choice. The video explores two primary distinctions to guide usage. First, it demonstrates how "that" functions with restrictive clauses and explains why it should generally not be used with commas (non-restrictive clauses), using clear sentence examples about a carrot. Second, it uses a memorable mnemonic involving a cranky "witch" to explain why "which" should not be used when referring to people. The content covers restrictive vs. non-restrictive clauses, comma usage, and pronoun-antecedent agreement. For educators, this video provides an accessible tool for teaching complex grammar mechanics without getting bogged down in overly technical jargon. It is excellent for middle and high school English classes, particularly during writing workshops or editing phases. The visual examples and humorous mnemonics make abstract grammatical rules concrete and easier for students to retain and apply in their own writing.

In this concise grammar tutorial, the narrator introduces relative pronouns—who, whom, whose, that, and which—and explains their primary function: linking independent and dependent clauses. The video breaks down the specific usage rules for each pronoun, distinguishing between those used for people (who, whom, whose, that) and those used for inanimate objects or concepts (whose, that, which). Key grammatical rules are demonstrated through clear, handwritten examples on a blackboard style background. The video specifically highlights the flexibility of the word "that" (usable for both people and things) while cautioning against the common error of using "which" to refer to people. Through examples like "The man who sold the world" and "The salad that I bought," viewers see practical applications of these rules in sentence construction. This resource is highly valuable for English Language Arts classrooms as it addresses a specific, common pain point in student writing: sentence variety and correct pronoun usage. It provides a foundational understanding that helps students combine simple sentences into complex ones, improving the flow and sophistication of their writing while clarifying the often-confused distinction between "who," "that," and "which."

This educational video provides a clear and concise explanation of emphatic pronouns, also known as intensive pronouns. The narrator begins by reviewing reflexive pronouns to establish a baseline, explaining how they are used when a subject performs an action on themselves. He then pivots to the main topic, demonstrating how the same words (myself, himself, herself) function differently when used for emphasis rather than as essential grammatical objects.

This educational video provides a clear and structured explanation of possessive pronouns, distinguishing between those that function as adjectives and those that function as nouns. The narrator, David, uses a blackboard style presentation to visually categorize common pronouns like 'my/mine,' 'our/ours,' and 'your/yours' into a helpful T-chart, demonstrating how their usage changes based on sentence structure.