PRONOUN

 DEFINITION

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns. A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which," "none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.

These tables show a list of pronouns for the following types of pronouns:

personal, relative, demonstrative, indefinite, reflexive, intensive, interrogative, possessive, subject and object

---

List of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns These take the place of common and proper nouns.	Singular	Plural
First Person: The person or people speaking or writing	I me	we us
Second Person: The person or people being spoken or written to	you	you
Third Person: The person, people, or things being spoken or written about	she, her he, him it	they them

Relative Pronouns These relate subordinate adjective clauses to the rest of the sentence.

that, which, who, whom, whose, whichever, whoever, whomever

Demonstrative Pronouns These represent a thing or things.	Singular	Plural
Refers to things that are nearby	this	these
Refers to things that are far away	that	those

	Indefinite Pronouns These refer to something that is unspecified.
Singular	anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something
Plural	both, few, many, several
Singular or Plural	all, any, most, none, some

Reflexive Pronouns These end in self or selves.	Singular	Plural
First Person: The person or people speaking or writing	myself	ourselves
Second Person: The person or people being spoken or written to	yourself	yourselves
Third Person: The person, people, or things being spoken or written about	himself, herself, itself	themselves

Interrogative Pronouns These are used to ask questions.

what, who, which, whom, whose

Possessive Pronouns These are used to show ownership.	Singular	Plural
Used Before Nouns These actually function as adjectives. Crazy!	my your his, her, its	our your their
Used Alone	mine yours his, hers	ours yours theirs

Subject and Object Pronouns These are used as either the subject or the object in a sentence.	Singular	Plural
Subjects tell us whom or what the sentence is about.	I you she, he, it	we you they
Objects: direct objects, indirect objects, objects of prepositions	me you her, him, it	us you them

Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Personal Pronouns

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

Subjective Personal Pronouns

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they."

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun and acts as the subject of the sentence:

Ø  I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack.

Ø  You are surely the strangest child I have ever met.

Ø  He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

Ø  When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner.

Ø  After many years, they returned to their homeland.

Ø  We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m.

Ø  It is on the counter.

Ø  Are you the delegates from Malagawatch?

Objective Personal Pronouns

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

In the following sentences, each of the bold words is an objective personal pronoun:

Ø  Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

The objective personal pronoun "her" is the direct object of the verb "forced" and the objective personal pronoun "him" is the object of the preposition "with."

Ø  After reading the pamphlet, Judy threw it into the garbage can.

The pronoun "it" is the direct object of the verb "threw."

Ø  The agitated assistant stood up and faced the angry delegates and said, "Our leader will address you in five minutes."

In this sentence, the pronoun "you" is the direct object of the verb "address."

Ø  Deborah and Roberta will meet us at the newest café in the market.

Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will meet."

Ø  Give the list to me.

Here the objective personal pronoun "me" is the object of the preposition "to."

Ø  I'm not sure that my contact will talk to you.

Similarly in this example, the objective personal pronoun "you" is the object of the preposition "to."

Ø  Christopher was surprised to see her at the drag races.

Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see."

Possessive Personal Pronouns

A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive personal pronouns are "mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs." Note that possessive personal pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives like "my," "her," and "their."

In each of the following sentences, the bold word is a possessive personal pronoun:

Ø  The smallest gift is mine.

Here the possessive pronoun "mine" functions as a subject complement.

Ø  This is yours.

Here too the possessive pronoun "yours" functions as a subject complement.

Ø  His is on the kitchen counter.

In this example, the possessive pronoun "his" acts as the subject of the sentence.

Ø  Theirs will be delivered tomorrow.

In this sentence, the possessive pronoun "theirs" is the subject of the sentence.

Ø  Ours is the green one on the corner.

Here too the possessive pronoun "ours" function as the subject of the sentence.

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby either in space or in time, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away in space or time.

The demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those." "This" and "that" are used to refer to singular nouns or noun phrases and "these" and "those" are used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases. Note that the demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative adjectives, though, obviously, you use them differently. It is also important to note that "that" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

In the following sentences, each of the bold words is a demonstrative pronoun:

Ø  This must not continue.

Here "this" is used as the subject of the compound verb "must not continue."

Ø  This is ; that is the tree I want.

In this example "this" is used as subject and refers to something close to the speaker. The demonstrative pronoun "that" is also a subject but refers to something farther away from the speaker.

Ø  Three customers wanted these.

Here "these" is the direct object of the verb "wanted."

Interrogative Pronouns

An interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns are "who," "whom," "which," "what" and the compounds formed with the suffix "ever" ("whoever," "whomever," "whichever," and "whatever"). Note that either "which" or "what" can also be used as an interrogative adjective, and that "who," "whom," or "which" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

You will find "who," "whom," and occasionally "which" used to refer to people, and "which" and "what" used to refer to things and to animals.

"Who" acts as the subject of a verb, while "whom" acts as the object of a verb, preposition, or a verbal.

The bold word in each of the following sentences is an interrogative pronoun:

Ø  Which wants to see the dentist first?

Ø  "Which" is the subject of the sentence.

Ø  Who wrote the novel Rockbound?

Ø  Similarly "who" is the subject of the sentence.

Ø  Whom do you think we should invite?

Ø  In this sentence, "whom" is the object of the verb "invite."

Ø  To whom do you wish to speak?

Here the interrogative pronoun "whom " is the object of the preposition "to."

Ø  Who will meet the delegates at the train station?

In this sentence, the interrogative pronoun "who" is the subject of the compound verb "will meet."

Ø  To whom did you give the paper?

In this example the interrogative pronoun "whom" is the object of the preposition "to."

Ø  What did she say?

Here the interrogative pronoun "what" is the direct object of the verb "say."

Relative Pronouns

You can use a relative pronoun is used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The relative pronouns are "who," "whom," "that," and "which." The compounds "whoever," "whomever," and "whichever" are also relative pronouns.

You can use the relative pronouns "who" and "whoever" to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, and "whom" and "whomever" to refer to the objects of a verb, a verbal or a preposition. In each of the following sentences, the bold word is a relative pronoun.

Ø  You may invite whomever you like to the party.

The relative pronoun "whomever" is the direct object of the compound verb "may invite."

Ø  The candidate who wins the greatest popular vote is not always elected.

In this sentence, the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb "wins" and introduces the subordinate clause "who wins the greatest popular vote." This subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying "candidate."

Ø  In a time of crisis, the manager asks the workers whom she believes to be the most efficient to arrive an hour earlier than usual.

In this sentence "whom" is the direct object of the verb "believes" and introduces the subordinate clause "whom she believes to be the most efficient". This subordinate clause modifies the noun "workers."

Ø  Whoever broke the window will have to replace it.

Here "whoever" functions as the subject of the verb "broke."

Ø  The crate which was left in the corridor has now been moved into the storage closet.

In this example "which" acts as the subject of the compound verb "was left" and introduces the subordinate clause "which was left in the corridor." The subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying the noun "crate."

Ø  I will read whichever manuscript arrives first.

Here "whichever" modifies the noun "manuscript" and introduces the subordinate clause "whichever manuscript arrives first." The subordinate clause functions as the direct object of the compound verb "will read."

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun referring to an identifiable but not specified person or thing. An indefinite pronoun conveys the idea of all, any, none, or some.

The most common indefinite pronouns are "all," "another," "any," "anybody," "anyone," "anything," "each," "everybody," "everyone," "everything," "few," "many," "nobody," "none," "one," "several," "some," "somebody," and "someone."

Note that some indefinite pronouns can also be used as indefinite adjectives.

The bold  words in the following sentences are indefinite pronouns:

Ø  Many were invited to the lunch but only twelve showed up.

Here "many" acts as the subject of the compound verb "were invited."

Ø  The office had been searched and everything was thrown onto the floor.

In this example, "everything" acts as a subject of the compound verb "was thrown."

Ø  We donated everything we found in the attic to the woman's shelter garage sale.

In this sentence, "everything" is the direct object of the verb "donated."

Ø  Although they looked everywhere for extra copies of the magazine, they found none.

Here too the indefinite pronoun functions as a direct object: "none" is the direct object of "found."

Ø  Make sure you give everyone a copy of the amended bylaws.

In this example, "everyone" is the indirect object of the verb "give" -- the direct object is the noun phrase "a copy of the amended bylaws."

Ø  Give a registration package to each.

Here "each" is the object of the preposition "to."

Reflexive Pronouns

You can use a reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject of the clause or sentence.

The reflexive pronouns are "myself," "yourself," "herself," "himself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves." Note each of these can also act as an intensive pronoun.

Each of the bold words in the following sentences is a reflexive pronoun:

Ø  Diabetics give themselves insulin shots several times a day.

Ø  The Dean often does the photocopying herself so that the secretaries can do more important work.

Ø  After the party, I asked myself why I had faxed invitations to everyone in my office building.

Ø  Richard usually remembered to send a copy of his e-mail to himself.

Ø  Although the landlord promised to paint the apartment, we ended up doing it ourselves.

Intensive Pronouns

An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used to emphasize its antecedent. Intensive pronouns are identical in form to reflexive pronouns.

The bold words in the following sentences are intensive pronouns:

Ø  I myself believe that aliens should abduct my sister.

Ø  The Prime Minister himself said that he would lower taxes.

Ø  They themselves promised to come to the party even though they had a final exam at the same time.

SENTENCE & PRONOUN DIAGRAM

Sentence diagramming is a visual way to show how the words in a sentence are related to each other. Pronouns can do many things in a sentence, and the way they are diagrammed depends on the way that they are acting in each sentence.

Here are some of the jobs that pronouns can do: subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, and predicate noun.

You can learn more about diagramming by going to the grammar exercise page, which will take you step-by-step through diagramming.

I hope this has helped you learn a bit more about pronouns!

Pronoun Case Pronouns (and nouns) in English display "case" according to their function in the sentence. Their function can be:       subjective (they act as the subject)       objective (they act as the object)       possessive (they show possession of something else) The following table shows the different forms for pronouns depending on case. subjective case objective case possessive case personal pronouns singular 1st I me mine 2nd you you yours 3rd he she it him her it his hers its plural 1st we us ours 2nd you you yours 3rd they them theirs relative/interrogative pronouns who whom whose whoever whomever which/that/what which/that/what indefinite pronouns everybody everybody everybody's

Exercise 1

Read the following passage. Write the missing subject and object pronouns in the blank spaces.

My name is Charlie.               have two brothers.                 are both older than               . Sometimes they take me to the park and               play football together. I like playing football with                          because they are very good. We are going to the park today. Would you like to come with               ?               can all play together. Afterwards,   can come to my house if                                        want to. I think                       will like my dad. He is very funny and                                              makes great pizzas. Do                            like pizza?

Exercise 2

Write a short sentence using each of the interrogative pronouns below.

Example:  

Who

  

 Who is this man?          

Who               

Whose

What          

Which

Whom    ____________________________

Exercise 3

Read the following passage. Write the missing demonstrative pronouns in the blank spaces.

Henry and I went for a walk on the beach. “What’s                                  over there?” I asked. “It looks like broken glass,” said Henry. He gave me a bag. “Put it in                                   ,” he said. I put the broken glass into the bag. “We’d better put                                     in the trash,” I said. He took the bag from me. “You have to hold it like        ,” said Henry, “so that you don’t cut your hand.”

Exercise 4

Write the missing possessive pronouns in the blank spaces to complete the sentences.

1.  I chose this seat first so it’s   .

2.  Can we borrow  your coloring  pens? We’ve lost              .

3.  We live in the city and they live in the countryside. Our house is smaller than             .

4.  John, is this pencil  _____?

5.  Sally is looking for her gloves. Are these gloves                 ?

6.  Can Julie use your bike?      is broken.

7.   Tom got the books mixed up. He thought mine was         and his was_____________

Exercise 5

Circle  at least one indefinite pronoun in each sentence.

1.  One never knows who might be listening.

2.  Many are called but few are chosen.

3.  I finished my cookie and asked for another.

4.  Both were punished for the crime they committed.

5.  Several applied for the job, but no one was hired.

Exercise 6 : Translate the following Bahasa Indonesia into appropriate English sentence. Use them after conjunctions ( kata-kata sambung) such as because ( karena) , but ( tetapi) and if ( jika) . 1. Teman-teman saya baik ( good= adjective) tetapi mereka sangat malas ( lazy= adjective) . 2. Saya berada di rumah hari ini karena saya sakit ( ill= adjective) . 3. Saya menyimpan buku-buku saya di dalam tas ( bag= noun) karena mereka sangat penting  ( important= adjective) . 4. Daisy berada di dalam sebuah film ( movie= noun/ ket. tempat) karena dia seorang aktris  ( actress= noun) . 5. Seorang dokter ( doctor= noun) berada di rumah sakit ( in hospital= ket. tempat) karena dia adalah seorang dokter. 6. Dari Senin sampai Sabtu kami berada di sekolah ( at school= ket. tempat) karena kami adalah murid-murid. 7. Tony dan David adalah teman-teman saya tetapi mereka sangat nakal ( naughty= adjective) . 8. Ditha dan Jocelle adalah murid-murid tetapi jika mereka tidak berada di sekolah ( at school= ket. tempat) , mereka sangat sedih ( sad= adjective) . 9. Banyak orang-orang berada di Tunjungan Plaza tiap hari jika mereka bukan murid-murid dan mereka sangat kaya ( rich= adjective) . 10. Sebuah pesawat ( plane= noun) sangat berat ( heavy= adjective) tetapi ia berada di ( in= preposition) langit ( sky= noun/ ket. tempat) . 11. Jocelle berada di bawah ( under= preposition) meja karena dia sangat malu ( shy= adjective) . 12. Seekor macan ( tiger= noun) berada di dalam kebun binatang ( zoo= noun/ ket. tempat) karena dia sangat berbahaya ( dangerous= adjective) . 13. Rumah kami besar ( big= adjective) dan rumah saya sangat bagus. 14. Buku-buku sangat mahal karena buku-buku sangat berguna ( useful= adjective) . 15. Anjing saya kecil tetapi dia sangat lucu ( cute= adjective) . 16. Hercules sangat besar karena dia adalah seorang raksasa ( giant= noun) . 17. Ali berada di dalam sebuah mobil sebab/ karena dia adalah seorang supir ( driver= noun) . 18. Mobil-mobil sangat mahal tetapi mereka sangat bagus. 19. Seekor burung ( bird= noun) berada di dalam sebuah kurungan ( cage= noun) dan dia sangat sedih ( sad= adjective) . 20. Ibu saya dan saya sangat capai ( tired= adjective) tetapi kami sangat senang ( happy= adjective) .

Exercise 7 : Pronouns

Write 10 sentences of your own. Underline all the pronouns you used.