What Are Pronouns?

In the broadest terms, pronouns are words that replace or refer to nouns or noun phrases.
However, sometimes a pronoun does not refer to anything specific or anything at all!

Each sentence can have a subject and an object and they are all nouns. Sometimes repeating the nouns can make the conversation boring and repetitive, it can even complicate the sentence and confuse the listener. Pronouns are words that are used instead of the antecedents to avoid repetitions.

What Are Antecedents?

'Antecedents' are 'nouns' or 'noun phrases' that are replaced by pronouns to avoid repeating them. In most cases, we need to mention the antecedent first and then decide which pronoun to use to refer to it.

Example

Yesterday I saw John while he was trying to escape from the police.

Here in this example, 'John' is the antecedent which is replaced by the pronoun 'he' in the second clause.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns must agree with the number, gender, person, and the case of the antecedents. So, if the antecedents are plural, the pronouns should be plural and if they are singular, the pronouns have to be singular.

Example

We live in a beautiful house, we like our house.

Similarities and Differences Between Pronouns and Nouns

In some cases, nouns and pronouns follow the same rules, while in other cases they do not. For example, determiners can be added to modify nouns, but they cannot appear before pronouns. Take a look at the table for more information on their differences.

Pronouns

Example

Nouns

Example

determiners + pronoun✗

A he

determiners + noun✓

A man✓

pronoun + pronoun✗

his it

pronoun + noun✓

his car✓

noun + pronoun✗

car his

noun + noun✓

school bus✓

Nouns and pronouns are similar when it comes to using prepositions and verbs. Both can be used with prepositions and be followed by verbs to show actions. Now refer to the table for more information

Pronouns

Example

Nouns

Example

preposition + pronoun✓

For her✓

preposition + noun✓

For Sarah✓

pronoun + verb✓

They dance.✓

noun + verb✓

The children dance.✓

verb + pronoun✓

Play it.✓

verb + noun✓

Play the piano.✓

Pronouns: Types

There are two main types of pronouns in English:

2.

Impersonal pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns have grammatical features like person, number, case and, in some cases, gender. They refer to specific people or things and are used to substitute nouns in sentences. There are four types of personal pronouns as listed below:

Grammatical Features of Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns have some important characteristics that determine when and how they can be used. Take a look at the list below:

1.

Case: The 'case' of a pronoun indicates whether it functions as the subject or object of a sentence. For example:

Example

They did their best to establish a new company.

As you can see, 'they' functions as the subject here.

I told him not to call again.

As you can see, 'him' functions as the object here.

ThumbnailPhoto

Gender: English third-person singular pronouns can be categorized by gender, which traditionally refers to 'female', 'male', and 'neutral'. However, it is important to note that some people may not identify as either. For example:

Example

He was a nice police officer loved by many people.

Here, 'he' refers to anyone who identifies as 'male'.

It is only two-months old.

As you can see, 'it' is a neutral pronoun here that refers to a baby.

Tip!

It is important to remember that gender-neutral pronouns are available in all cases of English pronouns, including subject pronouns, object pronouns, and possessive pronouns. The singular gender-neutral pronoun can be used to refer to individuals who do not identify as male or female.

Number: The 'number' of a pronoun indicates whether it is singular or plural, depending on the number of 'people' or 'things' it refers back to. As you know, nouns can be either singular or plural, and it is important that pronouns agree with their antecedents in terms of number. For example:

Example

The old farmer has ten hens and they lay 50 eggs per day.

Here in this example, as the antecedent is plural (hens) the pronoun that is referring to it (they) is plural as well.

Although they had the best car ever, they sold it to buy a new house.

Person: Pronouns can be categorized by their 'person,' and can refer to 'the person speaking' (first-person), 'the person being spoken to' (second-person), or 'the person being spoken about' (third-person). For example:

Example

Pam and I were talking about the leaves of the trees and suddenly we saw a bear by the side of the river.

Emma and her friend both studied art at university. No surprise that they are opening their own art galley.

Agreement with the Verb

When two words agree with each other, it means they follow the same rules. An important point to remember about pronouns is that they agree with the verbs in terms of number and person.
For example, if the verb is in third-person singular, the pronoun must be in the third-person singular form as well.

Example

She drinks a lot, and it is not good for her child to see her like this.

Andy knows her.

Exception: Plural Pronouns with Singular Meanings

When someone's gender is not known, or when they identify as neither male nor female, the singular gender-neutral pronoun 'they' is used to refer to them. In this case, it's important to remember that the verb used with singular 'they' should be in the third-person plural form, even though it is referring to only one person.

Example

Each student had a gift delivered to them.

We have found a credit card, the person who owns it must come to get it themselves.

Impersonal Pronouns

Impersonal pronouns, unlike personal pronouns, do not have any grammatical person. There are six types of impersonal pronouns which are as follows:

Demonstrative pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns, such as 'this,' 'that,' 'these,' and 'those,' point to specific objects or groups of objects in a sentence, indicating their distance and number. For example:

Example

This is the book I was talking about.

These are the shoes I want to buy.

Interrogative Pronouns: Interrogative pronouns, like 'who,' 'whom,' 'whose,' 'what,' and 'which,' are used to ask questions and gather information about people or things. For example:

Example

Who is coming to the party tonight?

What did you see?

Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns, including 'everyone,' 'someone,' 'anything,' and 'nothing,' refer to unspecified or unidentified individuals, quantities, or things. For example:

Example

Somebody left their umbrella here.

Nothing can stop us now.

Reciprocal Pronouns: Reciprocal pronouns, such as 'each other' and 'one another,' are used to show that two or more people or things are performing an action on each other. For example:

Example

They hugged each other after the game.

The teams compete against one another fiercely.

Impersonal Pronouns: Impersonal pronouns, like 'one,' 'you,' and 'they,' are used to create a sense of generality or neutrality in statements or commands, often without specifying a particular person or thing. For example:

Example

They say it's going to be a hot summer.

One should always strive for excellence.

Relative Pronouns: Relative pronouns, including 'who,' 'whom,' 'whose,' 'which,' and 'that,' introduce relative clauses and connect them to the main clause, providing additional information about a noun in the sentence. For example:

Example

The person who won the race is my friend.

The book that I'm reading is really interesting.

Dummy Pronouns

The general rule about pronouns is that they refer back to something, that is, an antecedent. But this is not always the case. Dummy pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to anything. In other words, dummy pronouns do not have antecedents as other pronouns do. They are words that act like pronouns, but do not replace a noun or noun phrase.
There are two dummy pronouns in English.

Dummy pronouns 'it' and 'there' are used on many occasions to complete the meaning of the sentences by providing a subject. The dummy pronoun 'there' refers to the existence of something and the dummy pronoun 'it' is used in sentences about time, date, and weather. Check out the examples for more clarification:

Example

It is 01:00 AM and you are still awake.

Here, the dummy pronoun 'it' refers to the time.

There are fifty-two apples in the basket.

Review

Pronouns are the substitutes for nouns, so they can be used instead of nouns to avoid unnecessary repetition. English pronouns can be categorized as:

Subject pronouns

Object pronouns

Reflexive pronouns

Possessive pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Reciprocal Pronouns

Impersonal Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Quiz:


1.

Which of the following sentences uses a pronoun with the correct antecedent?

A

The teacher gave the students their assignments.

B

Sarah was angry at John because she forgot his book.

C

The cat chased the dog, but they managed to escape.

D

My friends enjoyed the game, and you talked about it all day.

2.

Which of the following is NOT true about the similarities and differences between pronouns and nouns?

A

Pronouns can be used with prepositions just like nouns.

B

Determiners can modify both pronouns and nouns.

C

Pronouns can appear before verbs, similar to nouns.

D

Pronouns and nouns can both follow verbs to show actions.

3.

Choose the sentence where the pronoun agrees with the verb in number and person:

A

They was excited about the festival.

B

She sings beautifully every evening.

C

The player are wearing his jersey.

D

We has our tickets ready.

4.

Match each type of pronoun with its correct example.

Reflexive Pronouns
Dummy Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns
Object Pronouns
Reciprocal Pronouns
The two friends hugged each other.
These are the flowers I picked this morning.
There is a strange noise coming from the attic.
He saw himself in the mirror.
The teacher praised them for their hard work.
5.

John and I were walking to the park when we saw Sarah. She smiled at

and waved.

The weather is perfect today.

is sunny and warm outside.

Everyone brought

own lunch to the picnic.

The children helped

with their homework.

left their keys on the table.

I know a man

can help us.

each other
us
It
Somebody
who
their
there
6.

Complete the table by choosing the correct type of pronoun based on the description.

has person, number, case, and sometimes gender

does not have grammatical person

shows distance and number

used to ask questions and gather information

provides more information about a noun

does not refer to any specific antecedent

Impersonal Pronoun
Demonstrative Pronoun
Personal Pronoun
Interrogative Pronoun
Relative Pronoun
Dummy Pronoun

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