2. The pronoun is a word used in place of one or more nouns.
It may stand for a person, place, thing, or idea.
s
Indefinite Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns
n oun anybody this
ro
nal P , mine each
that
P erso , my urs
e yo either
I, m , your, ers, none these
you , her, h
she it, its urs someone, one, etc. Interro those
o
ur,
s, o , their
, gative P
,u
we them ronoun
, s who s
they their
elf whom
mys elf
rs what
you
which
whose
3. Personal pronouns
They replace nouns which refer directly to
persons and are of two kinds, those
functioning as subjects and those
functioning as objects in sentences. The
personal pronouns which function as
subjects are I, you, he, she, it, we, and
they while those which function as objects
are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
4. Possessive pronouns
They are used to express possession.
Singular Plural
Mine Ours
Yours Yours
His
Hers Theirs
its
5. The possessive pronouns cannot be used
before nouns because they replace them.
So, they can stand alone without the
nouns. They are used to avoid repeating
the nouns.
EXAMPLES:
My pen is like yours.
Their car moved before ours.
This book is mine.
Is that book yours?
6. Demonstrative pronouns
These point to the nouns they replace. Demonstrative
pronouns are this, that (singular) these, and those
(plural).
The demonstrative pronouns are used without the
nouns. They point to the place of the person or thing
that is referred to. “this” and “these” refer to objects
that are close to the speaker; “that” and “those” refer
to objects that are far away from the speaker.
Examples:
This is my book.
Those are his pens.
That is your desk.
7. Interrogative pronouns:
These pronouns are used to ask questions and they
are who, whom, whose, what, and which.
EXAMPLES
Who initiated the scheme?
Whom can we consult about the matter?
Whose is this bright idea?
What has been done for the unprivileged in society?
Which is the shortest route to the campus?
8. Indefinite pronouns
They are used to refer to people or things
in a very general way. Among the
common indefinite pronouns are
someone, somebody, something, anyone,
anybody, anything, everything, nobody,
nothing, none, each, some, both, all,
several, few, many, much, more, little,
less, other, others, one, two, three, and so
on.
9. EXAMPLES
Someone must have tampered with the lock.
Anybody who will not work to earn a living deserves to
go hungry.
Everything that needs to be done has been done.
None among those involved wishes to make a
complaint.
Several of us have applied for the scholarship.
Much needs to be done to improve conditions.
Others will be affected if you make a mistake.
Among many students, three have scored distinctions.
10. Reciprocal pronouns
They refer to two or more nouns in a
reciprocal relationship. The two
reciprocal pronouns are each other and
one another.
All the staff members compete with one
another for the annual awards.
These two friends do not trust each
other.
11. Reflexive Pronouns
The reflexive pronouns are
Singular Plural
Myself Ourselves
Yourself Yourselvs
Himself
Herself themselves
Itself
12. Use of Reflexive Pronouns
The reflexive pronouns are used in the following cases:
1. They are used to show that the subject and the object are identical the
same person or thing). In this case the reflexive pronoun usually follows
the verb.
Examples:
I hit myself
The child washed himself yesterday.
2. They are used to express emphasis. It is placed directly after the subject
or at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
I myself sent the letter.
She cooked the food herself.
The student himself did the assingment.
3. They are sometimes preceded by the word “by” to mean “alone” or
“without help”
Examples
The students did the assignment by themselves.
The machine works by itself.
13. SAY AND DON’T SAY
Don’t say: I and you.
Say: You and I.
Don’t say: My brother and me.
Say: My brother and I.
Don’t say: This is between you and I.
Say: This is between you and me.
Don’t say: Ali is a friend of me.
Say: Ali is a friend of mine.
Don’t say: They saw my brother and I.
Say: they saw my brother and me.
