Courseversity

Nouns and pronouns

Primary EducationGrade 3English & Language ArtsCV-PRI-G03-ELA-U06-L0145–60 min

You will learn

  • Name common and proper nouns.
  • Make plural nouns.
  • Use subject pronouns.
  • Use object pronouns.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. A noun names a person, place, thing or idea.
  2. Proper nouns start with capital letters.
  3. A pronoun replaces a noun.
  4. Subject: I, he, she, we, they. Object: me, him, her, us, them.

Words to know

noun
a word that names a person, place, thing or idea
proper noun
the special name of a person or place
pronoun
a word that takes the place of a noun
plural
more than one

1. Discover: The bus to Lagos

Ama and Kofi went to Lagos. They took a bus. The bus was full, so Ama gave her seat to an old man. He thanked her. Kofi smiled at them both.

Think: Which words are nouns? Which are pronouns?

2. Understand: Nouns and pronouns

Idea 1: Nouns

A noun names a person, place, thing or idea: bus, seat, man, kindness. A proper noun has a capital letter: Ama, Lagos.

Idea 2: Plurals

Plural nouns mean more than one: bus→buses, seat→seats, man→men.

Idea 3: Pronouns

A pronoun replaces a noun. Subject pronouns: I, he, she, we, they. Object pronouns: me, him, her, us, them.

Remember: Nouns name things; pronouns replace nouns; subject pronouns do the action and object pronouns receive it.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Proper noun

Name a proper noun.

  1. Capital letter.

Answer: Ama (or Kofi, Lagos)

Example 2 (We do it together): Pronoun

What does They stand for?

  1. Who went?

Answer: Ama and Kofi

Example 3 (You try): Object

Which pronoun is in He thanked her?

Show the steps and answer
  1. Object.

Answer: her

Did you know?

English pronouns I and me look different because they have different jobs in a sentence.

Why this matters

Nouns and pronouns make sentences clear without repeating names.

4. Explore: Pronoun swap

Swap names for pronouns.

  1. Write a sentence with names.
  2. Replace names with pronouns.
  3. Check it still makes sense.
  4. Read it aloud.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can use pronouns correctly.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • The noun is ___.
  • The proper noun is ___.
  • The pronoun ___ stands for ___.
  • The plural of ___ is ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. A word that names a person, place or thing is a ___.

noun

Question 2. The special name of a person is a ___ noun.

proper

Question 3. A word that takes the place of a noun is a ___.

pronoun

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. A word that names a person, place or thing is a ___.
  2. The special name of a person is a ___ noun.
  3. A word that takes the place of a noun is a ___.
  4. More than one is ___.
  5. Ama and Kofi went to ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Replace Ama with a pronoun: ___ gave her seat.
  2. Plural of man.
  3. Plural of bus.

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Is Lagos a proper noun?
  2. Is they a pronoun?
  3. Is bus a noun?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Write six sentences using nouns and pronouns correctly.

Show a sample answer

six sentences

Another one. Write six sentences using proper nouns, plural nouns and pronouns.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can name common and proper nouns.
  • I can make plural nouns.
  • I can use subject pronouns.
  • I can use object pronouns.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. A noun names a ___.

2. A proper noun begins with a ___ letter.

3. A pronoun takes the place of a ___.

4. Which is a proper noun?

5. Which is a pronoun?

6. What does They stand for?

7. Which is an object pronoun?

8. Which is a subject pronoun?

9. The plural of bus is ___.

10. The plural of man is ___.

11. Which sentence is correct?

12. Which sentence is correct?

Challenge 1. Which pronoun fits? Ayo and I played. ___ had fun.

Challenge 2. Which pronoun fits? The teacher helped Ama and me. She helped ___.

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • A noun names a person, place, thing or idea.
  • Proper nouns start with capital letters.
  • A pronoun replaces a noun.
  • Subject: I, he, she, we, they. Object: me, him, her, us, them.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Verbs and tense. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What is a noun? [1 mark]
  2. What is a pronoun? Give two. [3 marks]
  3. Write the plural of church and man. [2 marks]
  4. Underline the proper noun: Ama visited Accra. [2 marks]
  5. Explain the difference between subject and object pronouns. [3 marks]

Total: 11 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. a word that names a person, place, thing or idea [1]
  2. takes the place of a noun [1]; he [1]; they [1]
  3. churches [1]; men [1]
  4. Ama [1]; Accra [1]
  5. subject do the action [1]; object receive it [1]; examples [1]

Score guide: 10 to 11 = secure. 7 to 9 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 7 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. A word that names a person, place or thing is a ___.
  2. The special name of a person is a ___ noun.
  3. A word that takes the place of a noun is a ___.
  4. More than one is ___.
  5. Ama and Kofi went to ___.
  6. Replace Ama with a pronoun: ___ gave her seat.
  7. Plural of man.
  8. Plural of bus.
  9. Is Lagos a proper noun?
  10. Is they a pronoun?

Homework

Write six sentences using proper nouns, plural nouns and pronouns.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. A word that names a person, place or thing is a ___. noun 1
2. The special name of a person is a ___ noun. proper 1
3. A word that takes the place of a noun is a ___. pronoun 1
4. More than one is ___. plural 1
5. Ama and Kofi went to ___. Lagos 1
6. Replace Ama with a pronoun: ___ gave her seat. She 1
7. Plural of man. men 1
8. Plural of bus. buses 1
9. Is Lagos a proper noun? yes 1
10. Is they a pronoun? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 noun; 2 proper; 3 pronoun; 4 plural; 5 Lagos. Level 2: 1 She; 2 men; 3 buses. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Name common and proper nouns Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Make plural nouns Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Use subject pronouns Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Use object pronouns Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: name common and proper nouns; make plural nouns; use subject pronouns; use object pronouns.

Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 2 nouns and pronouns.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 11-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 3 » Language. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core L.3.1a (explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences) and L.3.1b, L.3.1c; Cambridge Primary English Stage 3 (grammar). These sources informed the lesson.

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