The term pronoun covers many words, some of which do not fall easily under the generic description of words that replace nouns. There are several different kinds of pronouns, including:
- Personal pronouns (e.g., he, they)
- Demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this, these)
- Interrogative pronouns (e.g., which, who)
- Indefinite pronouns (e.g., none, several)
- Possessive pronouns (e.g., his, your)
- Reciprocal pronouns (e.g., each other, one another)
- Relative pronouns (e.g., which, where)
- Reflexive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself)
- Intensive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself)
The Different Types of Pronouns
The term pronoun covers many words, some of which do not fall easily under the description "a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase."There are nine different kinds of pronouns. In general, these do not cause difficulties for native English speakers, but each type has its quirks, which are covered on the main page about pronouns. The list below is for quick reference. (There is a full lesson and test for each type.)
Personal Pronouns
The personal pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who. More often than not (but certainly not always), they replace nouns representing people. When most people think of pronouns, it is the personal pronouns that usually spring to mind.Examples:
- We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
- I bought some batteries, but they weren't included. (Comedian Steven Wright) (NB: This quotation plays on the idea that batteries are never included when power-powered items are bought.)
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are used to show possession. The possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs.Examples:
- The tickets are as good as ours.
- Shall we take yours or theirs?
- This is Sarah's English book. Have you seen her French book? (In this example, the pronoun her replaces Sarah's.)
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to demonstrate (or indicate). This, that, these, and those are all demonstrative pronouns.Examples:
- This is the one I left in the car. (In this example, the speaker could be indicating to a mobile phone, in which case, the pronoun this replaces the words mobile phone.)
- Shall I take those?
Indefinite Pronouns
Unlike demonstrative pronouns, which point out specific items, indefinite pronouns are used for non-specific things. This is the largest group of pronouns. All, some, any, several, anyone, nobody, each, both, few, either, none, one, and no one are the most common.Examples:
- Somebody must have seen the driver leave. (Somebody is not a specific person.)
- We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. (Oscar Wilde)
- I have nothing to declare except my genius. (Oscar Wilde)
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. Although they are classified as pronouns, it is not easy to see how they replace nouns. Who, which, what, where, and how are all interrogative pronouns.Examples:
- Who told you to do that?
- Which dog won the race?
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to add more information to a sentence. Which, that, who (including whom and whose), and where are all relative pronouns.Examples:
- Dr Adam Sissons, who lectured at Cambridge for more than 12 years, should have known the difference. (In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who studied at Cambridge for 12 years and refers back to Dr Adams Sissons.)
- The man who first saw the comet reported it as a UFO. (In this example, the relative pronoun who introduces the clause who first saw the comet and refers back to the man.)
- The dog bit itself. (In this example, the intensive pronoun itself refers back to the noun the dog.)
- Are you talking to yourself?
- John bakes all the bread himself. (In this example, the intensive pronoun himself refers back to the noun John.)
- The cat opened the door itself.
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun ends ...self or ...selves and refers to another noun or pronoun in the sentence (usually the subject of the sentence). The reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
Examples:
Intensive (or Emphatic) Pronouns
An intensive pronoun (sometimes called an emphatic pronoun) refers back to another noun or pronoun in the sentence to emphasize it (e.g., to emphasize that it is the thing carrying out the action).
Examples:
Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns are used for actions or feelings that are reciprocated. The reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another.Examples:
- They like one another.
- They talk to each other like they're babies.
Types Of Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over again. For example, "Jeremy ran so fast, you'd think his life was on the line." The pronoun "his" saved us from repeating the name Jeremy again.
Common pronouns include I, me, mine, she, he, it, we, and us. In truth, there are many different types of pronouns, each serving a different purpose.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used as a substitute for a person's name. There are two kinds: subjective and objective pronouns. That is, they either act as the subject of the sentence or the object of the sentence.
As the subject of a sentence, they are:
- I
- you
- he
- she
- it
- we
- they
For example:
- They went to the store.
- I don't want to leave.
- He runs a great shop in town.
- You can't leave, either.
As the object of the sentence, they are:
- me
- you
- her
- him
- it
- us
- them
For example:
- Please don't sit beside me.
- Go talk to her.
- Mary put the gift under it.
- Don't look at them.
For more, check out Subject Versus Object Pronouns.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession of a noun. They are:
- my
- our
- your
- his
- her
- its (note there is no apostrophe)
- their
For example:
- Is that my book?
- No, that's his book.
- That's its shelf.
- I'd like to see their bookshelves.
However, there are also independent possessive pronouns. These pronouns refer to a previously named or understood noun. They stand alone and aren't followed by any other noun. They are:
- mine
- ours
- yours
- his
- hers
- its
- theirs
For example:
- That's mine.
- Wrong. It's ours.
- So, I suppose those clothes are yours?
- No, it's theirs.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns don't point to particular nouns. We use them when an object doesn't need to be specifically identified. As such, it can remain indefinite. They include:
- few
- everyone
- all
- some
- anything
- nobody
For example:
- Most wealth is held by a select few.
- Everyone is here already.
- I don't have any paper napkins. Can you bring some?
- He's nobody.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. We often see them when we need to add more information. They are:
- who
- whom
- which
- whoever
- whomever
- whichever
- that
For example:
- The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
- I don't know which pair of shoes you want.
- Take whichever ones you want.
- No, not that one.
Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns emphasize, or intensify, nouns and pronouns. Typically, we find them right after the noun they're intensifying. These pronouns typically end in -self or -selves. They are:
- myself
- himself
- herself
- themselves
- itself
- yourself
- yourselves
- ourselves
For example:
- I myself like to travel.
- He himself is his worst critic.
- She approved the marriage herself.
- We went to hear W.B. Yeats himself speak.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns take the place of a noun that's already been mentioned. They can be singular or plural. There are five of them. They include:
- these
- those
- this
- that
- such
For example:
- These are ugly.
- Those are lovely.
- Don't drink this.
- Such was his understanding.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns do just what they say. They work in sentences that are posing a question. They are:
- who
- whom
- which
- what
- whoever
- whomever
- whichever
- whatever
For example:
- Who is going to arrive first?
- What are you bringing to the party?
- Which of these do you like better?
- Whatever do you mean?
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are similar to intensive pronouns. The difference between the two is that intensive pronouns aren't essential to a sentence's meaning. Meanwhile, reflexive pronouns are. Also, they're used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. These pronouns end in -self or -selves. They are:
- myself
- yourself
- himself
- herself
- itself
- ourselves
- yourselves
- themselves
For example:
- I told myself not to spend all my money on new shoes.
- You're going to have to drive yourself to the restaurant today.
- We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
- They bought themselves a new car.
A Pronoun-Testing Paragraph
See if you can locate all the pronouns in this paragraph:
No matter what your teachers may have taught you about pronouns, they don't always have it right. If your teachers ever warned you about the evils of gambling, however, they were right about that. You don't want someone breaking your kneecaps with his crowbar; it will hurt, the police might arrest you, and you may never forgive yourself.
Answers:
(Pronouns in bold)
No matter what your teachers may have taught you about pronouns, they don't always have it right. If your teachers ever warned you about the evils of gambling, however, they were right about that. You don't want someone breaking your kneecaps with his crowbar; it will hurt, the police might arrest you, and you may never forgive yourself.
More Topics
Transformation of Sentences
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