Pronouns: barn owl
The Grammar Bit!
Read the three scintillating sentences opposite. They contain a variety of nouns and pronouns
- A noun is a person, animal, object or place.
- A pronoun is a word used to replace a noun e.g. he, she, it, they, etc.
Look at the first sentence. You’ll notice that instead of repeating the words ‘barn owl’, the pronoun ‘it’ is used.
Using a pronoun in this way avoids repetition (saying or writing something over and over again). Why might we want to avoid repetition in our writing?
With your talk partner, read the second and third sentences. Can you identify the pronouns that have been used and the nouns that they replace?
Scintillating Sentences
1) The barn owl has very good hearing because it has lopsided ears that can pinpoint the smallest sound.
2) Barn owls swallow their prey whole. Afterwards, they regurgitate (spit out) all the bones and fur in an owl pellet.
2) Voles and mice are a favourite food of the barn owl. They hide in the long grass to try to escape.
Did you know?
An adult barn owl eats up to four small mammals every night. That is about 1,460 mammals a year!