Pronoun Definition and Examples

In English grammar, a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause. The pronoun is one of the traditional  parts of speech. A pronoun can function as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence. Unlike nouns, pronouns rarely allow modification. Pronouns are a closed word class in English: new members rarely enter the language. To understand how to recognize and correctly use pronouns, it can be helpful to review the types of pronouns that exist in English. Demonstrative Pronouns A  demonstrative  pronoun points to a particular  noun  or to the noun it replaces. These pronouns can indicate items in space or time, and they can be either singular or plural, says  Ginger Software. When used to represent a thing or things, demonstrative pronouns can be either near or far in distance or time, says the online grammar, punctuation, and spelling checker, offering these examples: Near in time or distance:  this, theseFar in time or distance:  that, those There are three basic rules for using demonstrative pronouns: They always identify nouns, such as: I can’t believe this. The writer does not know what this  is, but it exists.They often describe animals, places, or things but  they can also describe people, such as:  This  sounds like Mary singing.They stand alone, distinguishing them from demonstrative adjectives, which qualify (or modify) nouns. Demonstrative pronouns can be used in place of a noun, so long as the noun being replaced can be understood from the pronoun’s context: This  was my mother’s ring.These  are nice shoes, but they look uncomfortable.None  of these answers is correct. Indefinite Pronouns An indefinite pronoun refers to an unspecified or unidentified person or thing. Put another way, an indefinite pronoun doesnt have an  antecedent. Indefinite pronouns include  quantifiers  (some, any, enough, several, many, or much);  universals  (all, both, every, or  each); and  partitives  (any, anyone, anybody, either, neither, no, nobody, some, or  someone). For example: Everyone  did as  he  pleased.Both  of us match the donation.Some coffee  is  left. Many of the indefinite pronouns can function as  determiners. Interrogative Pronouns The term  interrogative pronoun  refers to a  pronoun  that introduces a  question. These words are also called a  pronominal interrogative. Related terms include  interrogative,  wh-word, and  question word, although these terms are usually not defined in precisely the same way.  In English,  who, whom, whose, which,  and  what  commonly function as interrogative pronouns, for example: Even if you do learn to speak correct English,  whom  are you going to speak it to?- Clarence Darrow When immediately followed by a  noun,  whose, which, and  what  function as  determiners  or interrogative adjectives.  When they start a question, interrogative pronouns  have no antecedent, because  what they refer to is precisely what the question is trying to find out. Reflexive Pronouns A  reflexive pronoun  ends  in  -self  or  -selves  and is  used as an  object  to refer to a previously named  noun  or pronoun in a sentence. It can also simply be called a  reflexive. Reflexive pronouns usually follow  verbs  or  prepositions. For example: Good breeding consists of concealing how much we think of  ourselves  and how little we think of the other person.-  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Mark Twain Reflexive pronouns, which have the forms  myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, oneself, and  themselves, are essential to the meaning of a sentence. Intensive Pronouns An  intensive pronoun  ends in  -self  or  -selves  and emphasizes its  antecedent. It is also known as an  intensive reflexive pronoun. Intensive pronouns often appear as  appositives  after  nouns  or other pronouns, for example: He wondered, as he had many times wondered before, whether he  himself  was a lunatic.- George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four Intensive pronouns have the same forms as  reflexive pronouns:  myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, oneself, and  themselves. Unlike reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns are not essential to the basic meaning of a sentence. Personal Pronouns A  personal pronoun  refers to a particular person, group, or thing. Like all pronouns, personal pronouns can take the place of  nouns  and  noun phrases. These are the personal pronouns in English: First-person singular:  I  ( subject), me (object)First-person plural:  we  (subject), us (object)Second-person singular and plural:  you  (subject  and  object)Third-person singular:  he, she, it  (subject),  him, her, it  (object)Third-person plural:  they  (subject),  them  (object) Note that personal pronouns  inflect  for  case  to show whether they are serving as  subjects  of clauses or as  objects  of verbs or prepositions. All the personal pronouns except  you  have distinct forms indicating  number, either  singular  or  plural. Only the third-person singular pronouns have distinct forms indicating  gender: masculine (he, him), feminine (she, her), and neuter (it). A personal pronoun (such as  they) that can refer to both masculine and feminine entities is called a  generic pronoun. Possessive Pronouns A possessive pronoun can take the place of a  noun phrase  to show ownership, as in, This phone is  mine. The  weak  possessives (also called  possessive determiners) function as  determiners  in front of  nouns, as in, My  phone is broken. The weak possessives are  my, your, his, her, its, our, and  their. In contrast, the  strong  (or  absolute)  possessive pronouns  stand on their own:  mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours,  and  theirs. The strong possessive is a type of  independent genitive. A possessive pronoun never takes an  apostrophe. Reciprocal Pronouns A reciprocal pronoun expresses a mutual action or relationship. In English, the reciprocal pronouns are  each other  and  one another, as in this example: Leadership and learning are indispensable to  each other.- John F. Kennedy, in a speech prepared for delivery on the day of his  assassination, Nov. 22, 1963 Some  usage  guides insist that  each other  should be used to refer to two people or things, and  one another  to more than two. Relative Pronouns A  relative pronoun  introduces an  adjective clause  (also called a  relative clause), as in: Spaghetti at her table,  which  was offered at least three times a week, was a mysterious red, white, and brown concoction.- Maya Angelou, Mom Me Mom The standard relative pronouns in English are  which, that, who, whom,  and  whose.  Who  and  whom  refer only to people.  Which  refers to things, qualities, and ideas—never to people.  That  and  whose  refer to people, things, qualities, and ideas. Source What is a Demonstrative Pronoun? Ginger Software, 2019.