Pronouns are words that stand in for or replace nouns. Pronouns are those words that are going to take the place of a noun. Pronouns will rename nouns in order essentially to reduce repetition (she, he, it, his, her, their, they).
There are nine categories of pronouns:
Subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. As their name implies, subject pronouns always function as subjects of a sentence.
Number | Person | Gender | Pronoun |
---|---|---|---|
Singular | 1st | Female/male | I |
Singular | 2nd | Female/male | You |
Singular | 3rd | Female | She |
Male | He | ||
Neuter | It | ||
Plural | 1st | Female/male | We |
Plural | 2nd | Female/male | You |
Plural | 3rd | Female/male/neuter | They |
This category of subject pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the pronouns listed are the complete set. No changes or additions exist.
Objective pronouns include me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Objective pronouns always function as objects in a sentence, for example:
Number | Person | Pronoun |
---|---|---|
Singular | 1st | Me |
Singular | 2nd | You |
Singular | 3rd | Him/Her/It |
Plural | 1st | Us |
Plural | 2nd | You |
Plural | 3rd | Them |
This category of object pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the pronouns listed are the complete set. No changes or additions occur.
Indefinite pronouns can function as either:
They're called indefinite pronouns because they're not specific. They refer to nothing specifically. They're general. They're generic.
Singular or plural verbs ?: They can be also singular or plural or both (depending on the context in which they are used). The reason this is most important is because the number of the pronoun determines the number of the verb to be used.
Indefinite pronouns | Number | Note |
---|---|---|
that end in –one | singular | Example: anyone, everyone, someone, and one. |
that end in –body | singular | Example: anybody, somebody, and nobody |
both, many, others, and several | plural | |
any, more, most, and some | singular or plural | depending on how they are used |
Example:
Relative pronouns include, most commonly:
Relative pronouns introduce Adjective clauses.
Demonstrative pronouns include This, That, These, and Those and can function as:
Demonstrative pronouns have only two characteristics:
Number | Near in Distance or Time | Far in Distance or Time |
---|---|---|
Singular | This | That |
Plural | These | Those |
This category of demonstrative pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. No changes or additions occur.
Below are several examples of sentences using demonstrative pronouns as subjects.
The following sentences use demonstrative pronouns as objects.
Below are two sentences that use demonstrative pronouns as adjectives.
Possessive pronouns are pronouns used to refer to subjects in sentences that are:
belonging to a person/people [and sometimes to an animal(s) or thing(s)].
Possessive pronouns function as subjects, objects, and adjectives.
Number | Person | Gender | Possessive Pronoun |
---|---|---|---|
Singular | 1st | Female/male | My/Mine |
Singular | 2nd | Female/male | Your/Yours |
Singular | 3rd | Female | Her/Hers |
Male | His | ||
Neuter | Its | ||
Plural | 1st | Female/male | Our/Ours |
Plural | 2nd | Female/male | Your/Yours |
Plural | 3rd | Female/male/neuter | Their/Theirs |
Sentence examples using possessive pronouns as objects include.
The following examples use possessive pronouns as adjectives.
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.
These pronouns represent the thing that isn’t known (what the question is asking about). Interrogative pronouns can stand in for subjects.
If the Subject is a … | Use this pronoun… |
---|---|
Person | Who |
Thing | What |
Person/thing | Which |
Person | Whose |
Not where
This category of interrogative pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. There will be no changes or additions.
Example:
See intensive
Reflexive and Intensive pronouns each use the same forms.
Number | Person | Reflexive Pronoun | Intensive Pronoun |
---|---|---|---|
Singular | 1st | Myself | Myself |
Singular | 2nd | Yourself | Yourself |
Singular | 3rd | Himself Herself Itself | Himself Herself Itself |
Plural | 1st | Ourselves | Ourselves |
Plural | 2nd | Yourselves | Yourselves |
Plural | 3rd | Themselves | Themselves |
This category of reflexive and intensive pronouns is a closed category. In other words, the ones listed are the complete set. There will be no changes or additions.
Reflexive pronouns function as objects in a sentence; they show subjects performing actions on themselves.
Below are two sentences using reflexive pronouns as objects.
Intensive pronouns emphasize another noun or pronoun. See the following examples.