Pronouns are one of the important parts of speech used in the English language. To learn English grammar effectively and to communicate in English without making any mistakes, it is essential to master the concepts of parts of speech, which are the basic concepts. In this article, we are going to learn What a Pronoun is and the various types and examples of pronouns.
Do You Know What a Pronoun Is?
To define a pronoun, the pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun while writing a sentence. To avoid repetition of the same noun many times in a sentence, the pronoun replaces a noun. Some examples of pronouns are:
- I
- We
- You
- He
- It
- She
- They
- Our
- Myself
- Who
- This
- That
- These
Types of Pronouns
There are many types of pronouns. They can be categorized into the following types:
- Personal Pronouns
- Possessive Pronouns
- Reflexive Pronouns
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Relative Pronouns
- Interrogative pronouns
- Reciprocal pronouns
- Universal Pronouns
- Distributive Pronouns
- Indefinite pronouns
Personal Pronouns
There are three persons in English grammar. Personal pronouns are the pronouns that speak about the three persons. They are:
- First-person: that is the person who is speaking. The pronouns used are I, WE.
- Second- Person: that is the person spoken to. The pronoun used is YOU.
- Third-person: they are persons other than the two. The pronouns used are HE, SHE, IT, THEY.
Possessive Pronouns
Some of the personal pronouns listed above can be categorized as Possessive as they show to whom something belongs. They are:
- My
- Mine
- Your
- Yours
- His
- Her
- Hers
- Its
- Their
- Theirs
Reflexive Pronouns
When a pronoun consists of a reflection of the self, it is a reflexive pronoun. For example,
- He hurt himself.
- She herself turned up to the event.
Demonstrative Pronouns
These pronouns demonstrate and point out to the objects that are spoken in the sentence. For example,
- This
- These
- That
- Those
- Such
Indefinite Pronouns
When the pronoun describes a general phenomenon and no one specific in a sentence, that is an indefinite pronoun. For example,
- One
- All
- Some
- No one
- Nobody
- Somebody
- Any
- Other
- Many
- Anyone
- Everyone
- Someone, etc.
Distributive Pronouns
Distributive pronouns describe one thing at a time in a sentence. It is important to note that the distributive pronoun is always singular. Each, either, neither are some examples of distributive pronouns.
- Neither of the two was present in the class. (Were should not be used)
- Either this or that option fits the schedule. (The plural ‘fit’ should not be used)
Relative pronouns
A relative pronoun is a word that is related to the noun mentioned before in the sentence. The relative pronoun also works as a conjunction in the sentence, thus acting as a link between various sentences.
- He works in that room which is also like his bedroom.
- The man whose bike was stolen came to the police station today.
- It is the best movie that I ever watched.
- I have a friend whom I treat as my teacher.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used for asking questions in the sentences. Examples of such pronouns are
- What
- Who
- Which
- When
- Where
- Why, etc.
Reciprocal Pronouns
There are two reciprocal pronouns. They are Each other and One another.
Read more about pronouns:
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