Grammar, usage, and punctuation (grade 6) · lesson

I or me? She or her?

💡 Use subject pronouns for who does the action and object pronouns for who receives it.

Subject pronouns do the action: I, he, she, we, they. Object pronouns receive the action or come after words like "to" and "for": me, him, her, us, them.

When a pronoun is paired with a name, cover the name. Read the pronoun alone and see what sounds right.

Polite order puts yourself last: "Lily and I," not "I and Lily."

🧠 Let's work it out

"Dad drove Kai and ___ to camp."

Cover "Kai and."
"Dad drove I to camp" sounds wrong.
"Dad drove me to camp" sounds right.
So the answer is "me."
Now try "___ and Kai ate lunch."
"Me ate lunch" is wrong, so use "I."

What do you think comes next?

subject pronoun: a pronoun that does the action, like I or she
object pronoun: a pronoun that receives the action, like me or her

🔗 Khan Academy: Grammar: pronouns (grade 6) · Khan Academy ↗

Myself, herself, themselves

💡 A -self pronoun must point back to someone named earlier in the same sentence.

A reflexive pronoun is needed. It shows the subject did something to or for itself: "He fed himself." "She poured herself some juice." Take it out and the sentence breaks, or you lose who the action was for.

An intensive pronoun only adds emphasis. It usually sits right after the noun it stresses: "The chef herself served us." Take it out and the meaning stays exactly the same.

Never use a -self pronoun in place of "I" or "me." "Send it to myself" is wrong unless "I" is the subject.

🧠 Let's work it out

"The coach himself drove the bus."

Remove "himself": "The coach drove the bus."
Still complete, so it is intensive.
"Tom hurt himself." Remove it: "Tom hurt."
Broken, so it is reflexive.

What do you think comes next?

reflexive pronoun: a -self pronoun that is needed and points back to the subject
intensive pronoun: a -self pronoun that only adds emphasis

Clear pronouns, no shifts

💡 A reader should always know who a pronoun means, and the pronouns should not switch person.

A pronoun is vague if it could mean more than one person. "When Ava called Jen, she laughed." Who laughed? Fix it by using a name.

Do not shift person in the middle of a sentence. If you start with "students" or "a person," stay with "they" or "he or she." Do not switch to "you."

🧠 Let's work it out

"If a player is late, you have to run laps."

It starts with "a player" (third person) and shifts to "you" (second person).
Fix: "If players are late, they have to run laps."
Now both parts are third person.

What do you think comes next?

vague pronoun: a pronoun that could refer to more than one person or thing
shift in person: switching between I, you, and they in one sentence

Commas, parentheses, and dashes

💡 Extra information inside a sentence needs a mark on both sides, so the sentence still works without it.

Sometimes a sentence has an extra detail in the middle. You could cut it, and the sentence would still make sense.

Set off the extra part with a pair of commas, a pair of parentheses, or a pair of dashes. Commas are calm. Parentheses whisper. Dashes stand out.

Both marks must be there, and they must wrap the whole extra part. Never put just one comma between the subject and its verb.

🧠 Let's work it out

"Our cat, a big orange tabby, sleeps all day."

Cut the part between the commas: "Our cat sleeps all day."
Still a full sentence, so the commas are in the right spots.
The same works with dashes: "Our cat — a big orange tabby — sleeps all day."

What do you think comes next?

parentheses: the marks ( ) that hold extra information
dash: a long line — that sets off or breaks into a sentence

Spelling tricky words

💡 Memory tricks and spelling rules help you get tricky words right every time.

Some words are hard to spell because they don't sound the way they look. A memory trick helps. Look for a smaller word hidden inside. "Separate" has "a rat" in it.

The rule "i before e, except after c" works for many words: believe, piece, ceiling. A few words break it, like "weird."

When you add -ly, keep the whole base word: final + ly = finally, careful + ly = carefully.

🧠 Let's work it out

Is it "beleive" or "believe"?

There is no c before the ie, so use i before e: "believe."
Then type the word exactly.

What do you think comes next?

memory trick: a short saying that helps you remember a spelling