What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes place of a noun.
he, she, it, they, someone, who
Pronouns can do all of the things that nouns can do.
They can be subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, object of the prepositions, and more.
he, she, it, they, someone, who
Pronouns can do all of the things that nouns can do.
They can be subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, object of the prepositions, and more.
*Personal Pronouns*
Personal pronouns take the place of specific nouns (the names of people, places or things). Basically, they are used instead of a specific name to avoid repetition and to help ease the flow of sentences. We usually inject personal pronouns into a sentence when the name of the noun has been previously mentioned, so hat the reader will know what is being referred to. For example: Richard bought a new laptop three months ago. He absolutely loves it.
In the second sentence, there are two personal pronouns. The personal pronoun "he" takes the place of "Richard" while the personal pronoun "it" takes the place of "laptop."
In this article, we provide a list of personal pronouns, as well as examples of their various uses.
List of Personal Pronouns There are two types of personal pronouns: subject and object.
1) Subject Pronouns - I, You, He, She, It, They, We Subject pronouns replace the name of the subject in the sentence. Example: Mrs. Yen did not come to school yesterday. She had to go to the doctor. "Mrs. Yen" is the subject and "she" is the subject pronoun.
2) Object Pronouns - Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them Object pronouns take the place of the object in the sentence (the noun that receives the action in a sentence). Example: After Colleen bought a bike, it got stolen within a week, "it" is the object pronoun used to replace "bike."
In the second sentence, there are two personal pronouns. The personal pronoun "he" takes the place of "Richard" while the personal pronoun "it" takes the place of "laptop."
In this article, we provide a list of personal pronouns, as well as examples of their various uses.
List of Personal Pronouns There are two types of personal pronouns: subject and object.
1) Subject Pronouns - I, You, He, She, It, They, We Subject pronouns replace the name of the subject in the sentence. Example: Mrs. Yen did not come to school yesterday. She had to go to the doctor. "Mrs. Yen" is the subject and "she" is the subject pronoun.
2) Object Pronouns - Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them Object pronouns take the place of the object in the sentence (the noun that receives the action in a sentence). Example: After Colleen bought a bike, it got stolen within a week, "it" is the object pronoun used to replace "bike."
*Possessive Pronoun*
Possessive pronouns helps English speakers and writers to be more concise and use less words to explain the same idea. You have to consider that the more concise you can be, the greater the chance that the readers will understand. Look at the examples below and see if you can understand one more than the other:
Now that you understand how they work, try using some possessive pronouns in a sentence. “I” becomes “my,” “you” becomes “your” or “yours,” “he” becomes “his,” “her” becomes “hers,” and “it” becomes “its.” Keep reading for some more practice with understanding what is a possessive pronoun.
EXAMPLES:
- My mother’s best friend’s neighbor’s dog that is named Pookie had a heart attack yesterday.
- It had a heart attack yesterday.
Now that you understand how they work, try using some possessive pronouns in a sentence. “I” becomes “my,” “you” becomes “your” or “yours,” “he” becomes “his,” “her” becomes “hers,” and “it” becomes “its.” Keep reading for some more practice with understanding what is a possessive pronoun.
EXAMPLES:
- My cat is the most adorable cat in the world.
- Her jeans are ripped on the knees.
- The jewelry that the police accused her of stealing turned out to be in fact hers all along.
- After spending hours of his time in the kitchen, he realized he had burned his dinner.
*Reflexive Pronoun*
Reflexive pronouns usually refer back to the subject of the clause and are used to talk about action where the subject and object are the same person. Study the following:
-self / -selves for emphasis
We sometimes use reflexive pronouns to emphasise the subject or object when we want to draw attention to that person or thing. When the reflexive pronoun emphasises the subject, it is more usual to place it at the end of the clause rather than immediately after the subject itself, though both positions are possible. Study the following:
Do you know all of the following expressions? They all make use of an imperative for instructions/suggestions where the subject is implied.
- Jamie was in such a hurry that he cut himself shaving this morning. (Not: cut me…)
- She decided to end her life and killed herself by swallowing rat poison.
- I must get myself a new pair of trainers. These are falling apart.
- Nobody offered to serve Kevin so he helped himself to the vegetables. (he = Kevin himself)
-self / -selves for emphasis
We sometimes use reflexive pronouns to emphasise the subject or object when we want to draw attention to that person or thing. When the reflexive pronoun emphasises the subject, it is more usual to place it at the end of the clause rather than immediately after the subject itself, though both positions are possible. Study the following:
- We ourselves prepared and cooked the five-course meal. Nobody helped us.
- We prepared and cooked the five-course meal ourselves. Nobody helped us.
- You yourself won't be expected to attend the meeting, though your deputy will be.
- What wonderful soup! Did you make it yourself?
Do you know all of the following expressions? They all make use of an imperative for instructions/suggestions where the subject is implied.
- Enjoy yourselves! ( said to friends / relations when they are leaving you)
- Behave yourselves! ( said to children when they are leaving you)
- Help yourself! ( said to a guest when you are offering him/her food or drink or other facilities in your home)
- Come in. Make yourself at home! ( said when a guest arrives at your house)
*Relative Pronoun*
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it modifies. Here is an example:
Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession. Which is for things. In non-defining relative clauses, that is used for things. In defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information) that can be used for things and people**.
- The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.
- relates to "person", which it modifies
- introduces the relative clause "who phoned me last night"
Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession. Which is for things. In non-defining relative clauses, that is used for things. In defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information) that can be used for things and people**.