What is a Pronoun?
In grammar, a pronoun is defined as a word or phrase that may be
substituted for a noun or noun phrase, which once replaced, is known as the
pronoun’s antecedent. How is this possible? In a nutshell, it’s because
pronouns can do everything that nouns can do. A pronoun can act as a subject,
direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, and more.
Without pronouns, we’d have to keep on repeating nouns, and that would make
our speech and writing repetitive, not to mention cumbersome. Most pronouns are
very short words. Examples include:
He
She
They
It
We
Who
As mentioned, pronouns are usually used to replace nouns, however they can
also stand in for certain adverbs, adjectives, and other pronouns. Anytime you
want to talk about a person, animal, place or thing, you can use pronouns to
make your speech or writing flow better.
Here are some examples:
INSTEAD OF: Luma is a good athlete.
She is a good athlete. (The pronoun she replaces Luma.)
INSTEAD OF: The beans and tomatoes are fresh-picked.
They are fresh-picked. (The pronoun they replaces the
beans and tomatoes.)
Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This noun is known as
the antecedent. A pronoun "refers to," or directs your thoughts
toward, its antecedent.
Let's call Luma and ask her to join the team. (Her is a
pronoun; Luma is its antecedent.)
To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that pronoun refers to.
What does her refer to in the sentence above—that is, who is the her? The her
in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma is the antecedent.
Types of Pronouns
Subjective Pronouns
Pronouns
A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence—it performs the
action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she, they, we, and
you.
He spends ages looking out the window.
After lunch, she and I went to the planetarium.
Objective Pronouns
An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentence—it receives the
action of the verb. The objective pronouns are her, him, it, me, them, us, and
you.
Cousin Eldred gave me a trombone.
Take a picture of him, not us!
Possessive Pronouns
A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The possessive pronouns
are hers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, and yours.
The red basket is mine.
Yours is on the coffee table.
Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative pronouns are
that, these, this, and those.
That is a good idea.
These are hilarious cartoons.
A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative adjective, but it is
used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a
noun.
Interrogative Pronouns
An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to ask about something.
The interrogative pronouns are what, which, who, whom, and compound words
ending in "ever," such as whatever, whichever, whoever, and whomever.
What on earth is that?
Who ate the last Fig Newton?
An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative adjective, but it
is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a
noun.
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general, person or thing.
Indefinite pronouns include all, any, both, each, everyone, few, many, neither,
none, nothing, several, some, and somebody.
Something smells good.
Many like salsa with their chips.
An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective, but it is used
differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a sentence, that
describes a noun. The relative pronouns are that, which, who, and whom.
You should bring the book that you love most.
That introduces "you love most," which describes the book.
Hector is a photographer who does great work.
Who introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive
pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and
yourselves. Each of these words can also act as an intensive pronoun (see
below).
I learned a lot about myself at summer camp. (Myself
refers back to I.)
They should divide the berries among themselves.
(Themselves refers back to they.)
Intensive Pronouns
An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun that comes before
it). The intensive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves,
themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as a reflective
pronoun (see above).
I myself don't like eggs.
The queen herself visited our class.
Pronoun Rules
There are a few important rules for using pronouns. As you read through
these rules and the examples in the next section, notice how the pronoun rules
are followed. Soon you’ll see that pronouns are easy to work with.
Subject pronouns may be used to begin sentences. For
example: We did a great job.
Subject pronouns may also be used to rename the subject.
For example: It was she who decided we should go to Hawaii.
Indefinite pronouns don’t have antecedents. They are
capable of standing on their own. For example: No one likes the sound of
fingernails on a chalkboard.
Object pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect
objects, and objects of prepositions. These include: you, me, him, her, us,
them, and it. For example: David talked to her about the mistake.
Possessive pronouns show ownership. They do not need
apostrophes. For example: The cat washed its whiskers.
Examples of Pronouns
In the following examples, the pronouns are italicized.
We are going on vacation.
Don’t tell me that you can’t go with us.
Anybody who says it won’t be fun has no clue what they
are talking about.
These are terribly steep stairs.
We ran into each other at the mall.
I’m not sure which is worse: rain or snow.
It is one of the nicest Italian restaurants in town.
Richard stared at himself in the mirror.
The laundry isn’t going to do itself.
Someone spilled orange juice all over the countertop!
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