2. PRONOUNS
A pronoun is used to substitute a noun or a noun phrase that was mentioned earlier. For instance, Lily
likes the bag very much. She uses it almost everyday. The pronouns `she’ and `it’ are used to replace `Lily’
and `the bag’ respectively. There are many types of pronouns.
PRONUNS
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
POSSESIVE PRONOUNS
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
3. PERSONAL PRONOUNS
1. Personal pronouns are used to refer to people, animals, plants or things.
2. They are used based on the following conditions.
4. PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Number Person Gender
Used as
Subject
Pronoun
Used as
Object
Pronoun
I Me
Singular
First Male/ female
You You Second Male/ female
He Him Third Male
She Her Female
It It Neuter
We Us Plural First Male/ female
You You Second Male/ female
They Them Third Male/ female/neuter
5. We use subject pronouns as subject of the verb.
Examples:
➔ I can cook well.
➔ You must be very hungry.
➔ He works hard for his family
➔ She is a good friend of Mary’s
➔ It is challenging for Adam to live the frugal life.
➔ We are running out of water
➔ How did you all come?
➔ They don’t need the money.
6. We use object pronouns as object of the verb.
Examples:
➔ My mother gave it to me
➔ Ali volunteers to help you
➔ Please treat him with respect
➔ Sheila will meet with her next week.
➔ Can the plumber fix it?
➔ Do you mind telling us the cost?
➔ Hani plans to give all of you a surprise.
➔ Do not reveal the details to them
7. We use object pronouns after prepositions too.
Examples:
➔ My mother gave it to me.
➔ She will get it for you.
➔ Pass this to him.
➔ John is staring at her.
➔ Don’t take it from us.
➔ I spoke to them yesterday.
8. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
1. Demonstrative pronouns are used to indicate something.
2. In other words, they can be used in place of a noun, but the noun being
replaced need to be understood from the speaker’s point of view. Refer to
the examples later.
3. These pronouns can indicate items in space or time, and they can be
either singular or plural.
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS SINGULAR PLURAL
Near in distance or time This These
This is her book, not mine Do you have these?
Far in distance or time That Those
That sounds good. Those are more suitable for you.
9. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
1. Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership. In other
words, they can use to indicate that something belongs to
someone or has a direct relationship with someone else.
2. They are used in following conditions: .
10. POSSESSIVE
PRONOUNS
NUMBER PERSON GENDER
Mine Singular First Male/female
Yours Second Male/female
His Third Male
Hers Third Female
Ours Plural First Male/female
Yours Second Male/female
Theirs Third Male/Female/
Neuter
11. Possessive pronouns can be used as subjects.
➔ Mine is better than yours.
➔ All the paintings are good, but yours is the best.
➔ This is my laptop. His is with Muni.
➔ Here are our bottles. Hers is outside
➔ Ours are in this room. What you are holding are Leon’s.
➔ Yours are with me. Don’t worry
➔ Theirs were shortlisted for the Creative Media Prize.
12. Possessive pronouns can be used as objects.
➔ Do you like mine?
➔ I saw my ring, but I didn’t see yours.
➔ The house with a huge garden is his.
➔ Throw away all the old books except hers.
➔ Those are not your pens. They are ours.
➔ I don’t like my own drawing but I like yours.
➔ We couldn’t find your keys, but we found theirs.
13. REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
1. Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject of the
sentence.
2. They end in `-self’ or `-selves’
14. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS NUMBER EXAMPLES
Myself Singular I did it myself. No one helped me.
Yourself Be careful. You might cut yourself.
Himself He blamed himself for the mistake.
Herself She lost herself in the book she was reading.
Itself The dog hurt itself.
Ourselves Plural We are able to take care of ourselves.
Yourselves Can you help yourselves to the drinks!
Themselves They must experience it themselves.
3. There are eight reflexive pronouns.
15. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
1. Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to things that are not
specific.
2. A singular verb sometimes follows an indefinite pronoun
that is singular.
16. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS EXAMPLES
Somebody/someone Somebody is telling lies because the situation is not
possible.
Anybody/ anyone Anyone can put up a notice here
Nobody/ no one Nobody should move this table away.
Everybody/everyone Everybody is welcome to attend the meeting.
Something Can you say something? Don’t be silent.
Anything This blouse can match anything you wear.
Nothing Nothing beats the cheesecake you make.
Everything Please remove everything that is blocking the door.
17. RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
1. Reciprocal pronouns are used when each of two or more
subjects is acting in the same way towards each other.
Example: A is smiling at B. B is smiling at A. So, we say `A
and B are smiling at each other.’
In other words, the reciprocal pronoun is used to show an
action or feeling which is reciprocated.
18. RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
2. There are only 2 reciprocal pronouns.
RECIPROCAL PRONOUN EXAMPLE
Each other They helped each other answer the difficult
questions
One another The four students fighting one another.
3. We use `each other’ when discussing two people or things, and
`one another’ when discussing more than two people or things.
19. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
1. Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses
2. The relative pronoun we use depends on what we are
referring to and the type of relative clause.
a) `Who’ (subject) and `whom’ (object) are generally only for
people.
b) `Whose’ is for possession.
c) `Which’ is for things
d) `That’ can be used for things and people in defining relative
clauses (clauses that are essential)
20. RELATIVE PRONOUN EXAMPLES
Who The man who talked to you yesterday is my brother.
Whom The man whom you talked to yesterday is my brother.
Whose The lady whose car is red has just left.
Which Another car which he prefers is Honda.
That ➔ The boy that hit you just now is my neighbour. (refer
to a person)
➔ The shoes that she likes are very expensive . (refers
to a thing)
21. Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have
exactly the same number of hours per day that were
given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother
Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and
Albert Einstein. – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
