What Are Pronouns In English? Definition, Usage, & Examples


List of Pronouns In English

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What are pronouns?

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in sentences. They can refer to people, places, things, or ideas. Pronouns help to make sentences shorter and clearer, as they stand in for nouns that have already been mentioned or are easily understood in context.

Examples of pronouns are he, she, who, and themselves.

In the example:

  • Mike likes his daughter.

Mike and his daughter can be replaced by he and her:

  • He likes her

Importance of pronouns in communication

Here is an example of how pronouns help us avoid repetitions and why they are crucial for concise writing:

Consider this example without pronouns:

  • "John went to the store to buy John's groceries. When John was at the store, John realized that John forgot John's wallet."

Now let's look at the same example using pronouns:

  • "John went to the store to buy his groceries. When he was at the store, he realized that he forgot his wallet."

It makes a difference! Doesn't it?

In the first example, the repetition of "John" makes the sentence difficult to read and unnecessarily long. By using pronouns in the second example, the sentence becomes more concise and easier to read. The use of pronouns also helps to avoid confusion by making it clear that it is the same person (John) who is buying groceries and forgot his wallet.

List of the types of pronouns in English

Here is a list of pronouns in English:

Now, let's have an overview of these types in more detail:

Types of pronouns (definitions and examples)
Type of Pronoun
Definition
Examples
Subject Pronouns Used as the subject of a sentence I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Object Pronouns Used as the object of a sentence or preposition me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Reflexive Pronouns Used as the object of a sentence to reflect back to the subject myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Possessive Pronouns Used to show ownership or possession mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
Demonstrative Pronouns Used to point out specific people, places, or things this, that, these, those
Relative Pronouns Used to connect clauses or phrases and to introduce relative clauses who, whom, whose, that, which
Interrogative Pronouns Used to ask questions who, whom, whose, which, what
Indefinite Pronouns Used to refer to a non-specific person, place, or thing anyone, anyone, anything, everybody, everything, nobody, nothing, somebody, something
Dummy Subject Pronouns Used to fulfill the requirement of a subject in a sentence, without adding any additional meaning it, there

Examples of pronouns in sentences

Subject Pronouns:

  • I went to the store.
  • We arrived late.

Object Pronouns:

  • She gave me the book.
  • They offered help to us.

Reflexive Pronouns:

  • I saw myself in the mirror.
  • She did the job by herself.

Possessive Pronouns:

  • That car is mine.
  • The book is hers.

Demonstrative Pronouns:

  • These are my kids.
  • This is incredible.

Relative Pronouns:

  • The person who helped me was kind.
  • The book which is on the table is mine.

Interrogative Pronouns:

  • Who is coming to the party?
  • What are you doing?

Indefinite Pronouns:

  • Nobody knows the answer.
  • Somebody called the police.

Dummy Subject Pronouns:

  • It is raining outside.
  • There is plenty of coffee left.

Pronoun agreement

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents. This means that pronouns need to match their antecedents in number, gender, and person. In other words, the pronoun must agree with the noun it is replacing in terms of whether it is singular or plural, male or female, and first, second, or third person.

For example, if the antecedent is a singular noun, the pronoun that replaces it should also be singular. If the antecedent is a female noun, the pronoun that replaces it should be a feminine pronoun. If the antecedent is in the third person, the pronoun should also be in the third person.

Here are some examples of correct and incorrect pronoun agreement:

Correct:

  • John said he would be here soon. (The pronoun "he" agrees with the antecedent "John" in gender and person.)
  • The dog chased its tail. (The pronoun "its" agrees with the antecedent "dog" in number.)

Incorrect:

  • The participants won his game. (The pronoun "his" does not agree with the antecedent "participants" in number, since "participants" is plural.)
  • Maria took their umbrella. (The pronoun "their" does not agree with the antecedent "Maria" in gender and number, since "Maria" is singular and feminine.)

By making sure that your pronouns agree with their antecedents, you can avoid confusion and ensure that your writing is clear and grammatically correct.

Common mistakes

It is easy to get confused about using pronouns. Some mistakes when using pronouns may go undetected if you don't pay attention. Here are some examples of common pronoun mistakes to pay attention to in speaking or writing:

Incorrect use of personal pronouns:

Sometimes, you may get confused about which personal pronoun to use. It is important to use the right personal pronouns on the basis of the subject or object of the sentence.

Example:

  • "Her and me went to the store" instead of "She and I went to the store" is incorrect.

Misuse of reflexive pronouns:

Another mistake that you may make is the misuse of reflexive pronouns. Reflexive pronouns should only be used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same.

Example:

  • "She gave the book to myself" instead of "She gave the book to me" is incorrect.

Ambiguous use of pronouns:

You have to be clear about what or whom the pronoun is referring to.

Example:

"They told him to give it to her" without specifying who "they", "him", and "her" refer to can be confusing.

Inconsistent use of pronouns:

Remember to use the same pronouns consistently throughout your writing or speech. Switching between first-person and third-person pronouns, for example, can be jarring and confusing for the reader or listener.

Confusing "it's" and "its":

This one is made by even native speakers. "It's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has", while "its" is a possessive pronoun. Using "it's" in place of "its" or vice versa can change the meaning of a sentence.

Confusing "they're" and "their":

This is another common mistake. "They're" is a contraction of "they are " while "their " is a possessive adjective. Using "they're" instead of "their" or vice versa can change the meaning of a sentence.

Overusing pronouns:

While pronouns are a useful tool for avoiding repetition, overusing them can make a sentence confusing. Make sure that it is clear what the pronoun is replacing.

Conclusion

Pronouns replace nouns that have already been mentioned or are easily understood in context.

There are several different types of pronouns, including subject pronouns, object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, relative pronouns, interrogative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and dummy subject pronouns.

Understanding the different types of pronouns and their uses is essential for effective communication in English.

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