Define and explain the meaning of pronoun, it’s types with examples.
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence. The noun that is replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent. For example, in the sentence I love my dog because he is a good boy, the word he is a pronoun that replaces the noun dog.
Pronouns can do all of the jobs that nouns do and many of them are shorter and more versatile. Pronouns let us say things like I am proud of myself or It is time to ask somebody for help. Pronouns are a major part of speech and correctly using them will drastically improve your speech and writing.
Generally speaking, pronouns allow us to shorten our sentences and make them sound less repetitive. For example,
The construction workers are building the office. The construction workers are making good progress. The construction workers should finish the project in no time.
The construction workers are building the office. They are making good progress. They should finish the project in no time.
You can see that the second set of sentences is both shorter and sounds less repetitive than the first set of sentences.
Grammatically, pronouns function much like nouns: they can be used both as subjects and objects; they refer to people, places, and things; they can be singular or plural; and they can be modified by adjectives. The “noun” in pronoun will help you remember that pronouns behave much the same way that nouns do.
Pronoun list
He
It
You
I
They
We
Who
Him
Them
Whoever
Anyone
Something
Nobody
We use a bunch of different pronouns in our writing and in speech. Listed below are just some of the pronouns that we use every day:
I
me
you
he
she
it
we
they
us
them
who
what
this
that
anyone
nobody
something
Pronoun examples
The following examples show how we use pronouns in sentences.
We looked for Britney at her house, but she wasn’t there.
I took my car to the mechanic to get it fixed.
This is the best birthday ever!
Someone donated #5000 to our charity.
Andy thinks that mayonnaise goes well with anything.
Types of pronouns
There are many different types of pronouns that we use in writing and speech. For now, we will briefly look at each of these different types. If you want to explore each one in more detail, we have provided an extensive guide to each type of pronoun in the links below:
Possessive pronouns
Personal pronouns
Relative pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns
Intensive pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns
Common types of pronouns
Possessive pronouns
A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that expresses possession, ownership, origin, relationship, etc.
Possessive pronoun examples
mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Possessive pronouns used in sentences
That toy on the shelf is mine.
All of the houses in our neighborhood look the same, but ours is the only one with a satellite dish.
Wendy and Ronald separated the french fries into two piles: the left one was hers and the right one was his.
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are pronouns that we use to refer to people and, sometimes, animals. The pronouns it, they, and them can also apply to objects.
Personal pronoun examples
I, you, she, he, it, we, they, me, us, them
Personal pronouns used in sentences
I am afraid of mice.
The toaster gets really hot when it heats bread.
My cats are friendly, so you can safely pet them.
Do you know the history behind using they and themself as singular pronouns? Find out more and why they are making a comeback now.
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns connect dependent clauses to independent clauses.
Relative pronoun examples
who, whom, which, what, that
Relative pronouns used in sentences
I need to find a person who can read Swedish.
She doesn’t want to eat a meal that is too spicy.
This book, which ends on a cliffhanger, is really exciting.
Reflexive pronouns
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun used as an object of a verb that refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the verb.
Reflexive pronoun examples
myself, yourself, itself, herself, himself, ourselves, themselves
Reflexive pronouns used in sentences
Ken looked at himself in the mirror.
I like to cheer myself up with desserts.
The silly clowns made fools of themselves.
Intensive pronouns
Intensive pronouns refer back to the subject in order to add emphasis. Intensive pronouns are identical in appearance to reflexive pronouns.
Intensive pronoun examples
myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, themselves
Intensive pronouns used in sentences
I built my house myself.
The children made the cookies themselves.
Often, the stress of giving a speech is worse than the speech itself.
Indefinite pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that doesn’t specifically identify who or what it is referring to.
Indefinite pronoun examples
some, somebody, anyone, anywhere, nothing, everybody
Indefinite pronouns used in sentences
This note could have been written by anybody.
Someone ate my lunch.
The water splashed everywhere.
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific things.
Demonstrative pronoun examples
this, that, these, those
Demonstrative pronouns used in sentences
This is my favorite shirt.
I don’t know what that is, but it definitely isn’t friendly.
I need you to fix these.
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are pronouns used to ask questions about unknown people or things.
Interrogative pronoun examples
who, whom, what, which, whose
Interrogative pronouns used in sentences
Who wrote this letter?
What is an amphibian?
Which is the correct answer?
Reciprocal pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns express mutual relationships or actions.
Reciprocal pronoun examples
each other, one another
Reciprocal pronouns used in sentences
My sister and I love each other.
The members of the team support one another.
The two fishermen love to compete with each other.
Types of pronouns chart
Singular and plural pronouns
Like nouns, pronouns can either be singular or plural.
Singular pronouns
Singular pronouns refer to a single person or thing. Like singular nouns, singular pronouns must use singular verbs.
Singular pronoun examples
I, he, she, it, one, this, someone, something, anyone, nobody
Singular pronouns used in sentences
Melanie is so good at movie trivia that she never gets a single question wrong.
Somebody is standing next to the window.
This is the best cake I have ever eaten.
Plural pronouns
Plural pronouns refer to multiple people or things. Plural pronouns must use plural verbs.
Plural pronoun examples
we, they, us, them, ourselves, themselves, those, these, many, several, others
Plural pronouns used in sentences
We go to the gym every day.
These paintings aren’t as old as those are.
Several of the ducks know that children like to feed them bread.
All of these are Examples of Pronoun.
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