1. What Is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun to avoid repetition.
Example:
Instead of saying “Maria went to Maria’s car,” we say “She went to her car.”
2. Types of Pronouns
🔹 1. Personal Pronouns
Refer to specific people or things.
| Subject | Object |
|---|---|
| I | me |
| you | you |
| he | him |
| she | her |
| it | it |
| we | us |
| they | them |
Example: He loves football. I gave it to him.
2. Possessive Pronouns
Show ownership or possession.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| mine | ours |
| yours | yours |
| his | theirs |
| hers | Â |
| its | Â |
3. Reflexive Pronouns
Refer back to the subject of the sentence.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| myself | ourselves |
| yourself | yourselves |
| himself | themselves |
| herself | Â |
| itself | Â |
4. Demonstrative Pronouns
Point to specific things.
-
This, that (singular)
-
These, those (plural)
Example: This is delicious. Those are my shoes.
5. Interrogative Pronouns
Used to ask questions.
-
Who, whom, whose, which, what
Example: Who called you? What is your name?
6. Relative Pronouns
Introduce relative clauses.
-
who, whom, whose, which, that
Example: The girl who won is my cousin. This is the book that I read.
7. Indefinite Pronouns
Refer to non-specific people or things.
| Singular | Plural | Singular/Plural (depends) |
|---|---|---|
| anyone, nobody | many, few, others | all, some, none |
| each, everything | several | Â |
3. Subject vs. Object Pronouns
| Role | Pronoun Example |
|---|---|
| Subject | She is reading a book. |
| Object | I saw her at school. |
Rule: Use subject pronouns as the subject of the sentence.
Use object pronouns after action verbs or prepositions.
4. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in:
-
Number (singular/plural)
-
Gender (masculine/feminine/neutral)
-
Person (first/second/third)
Example:
Incorrect: Every student must bring their pencil.
Correct: Every student must bring his or her pencil.
Correct (plural): All students must bring their pencils.
