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Repeating nouns while talking makes the conversation boring. This is why learning pronouns can be helpful. Let us learn more about this type of words.
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!
As you know, a sentence can have a subject or an object and they are all nouns. Sometimes repeating the nouns can make the conversation boring and repetitive.
Even in some cases, repeating nouns makes a long complicated speech which confuses the listener. Pronouns are words that are used instead of the antecedents to avoid repetitions.
What Are Antecedents?
'Antecedents' are words that are replaced by pronouns to avoid repeating them and they are all 'nouns' or 'noun phrases.' In most cases, we first have to mention the antecedent and then decide which pronoun to use instead of it.
Yesterday I saw
Here in this example, 'John' is the antecedent which is replaced by the pronoun 'he' in the following statement.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns must agree on 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.
Similarities and Differences Between Pronouns and Nouns
Sometimes, nouns and pronouns follow the same rules, while other times they do not. For example, determiners can be added to modify nouns, but they cannot appear before pronouns. Refer to the table for more information on their similarities and differences.
| Pronouns | Example | Nouns | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| determiners + pronoun✗ |
|
determiners + noun✓ | A man✓ |
| pronoun + pronoun✗ |
|
pronoun + noun✓ | his car✓ |
| noun + pronoun✗ |
|
noun + noun✓ | school bus✓ |
Nouns and pronouns are similar when it comes to using prepositions and verbs. Both can be used with prepositions. They can also 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✓ | In the park✓ |
| pronoun + verb✓ | They dance.✓ | noun + verb✓ | Children play.✓ |
| verb + pronoun✓ | Sing me a song.✓ | verb + noun✓ | Sing a song.✓ |
Pronouns: Types
In general, there are two types of pronouns in English:
- Personal pronouns
- Impersonal pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns have grammatical features like person, number, and, in some cases, gender. They refer to specific people or things and are used to substitute for nouns in sentences. There are four types of personal pronouns as listed below:
Grammatical Features of Personal Pronouns
In terms of personal pronouns, there are some important characteristics that you should know. So take a look at the list below:
- Case: The 'case' of a pronoun indicates whether it is functioning as the subject or object of a sentence. For example:
As you can see, 'they' functions as the subject here.
I told
As you can see, 'him' functions as the object here.
Using 'I' as the Subject Pronoun
- Gender: pronouns can also 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:
Here, 'he' refers to anyone who identifies as 'male'.
As you can see, 'it' is a neutral pronoun here.
Tip!
It is important to remember that gender-neutral pronouns are available in all types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (subject case), object pronouns, and possessive pronouns. This includes singular gender-neutral pronouns that 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 to. As you know, nouns can be either singular or plural, and it is important that pronouns agree with their antecedents in number. For example:
The old farmer has ten
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
- Person: Pronouns can be categorized by their 'person,' which refers to 'who is speaking' (first-person), 'who is being spoken to' (second-person), or 'who is being spoken about' (third-person). For example:
Pronouns Agree with the Verbs
When we say two things agree with each other, it means that they follow the same rules. You must know, pronouns agree with the verbs.
For example, if the verb is third-person singular, the pronoun must be in the third-person singular form.
Exception: Plural Pronouns with Singular Meanings
When we are not sure about a person's gender, or when they identify as neither male nor female, we are supposed to use the singular gender-neutral pronoun 'they' to refer to them. In this case, it's important to remember that the verb used with 'they' should be in the third-person plural form, even though it is referring to only 'one person.'
Each student had a gift delivered to
We have found a credit card, the person who owns it must come to get it,
Impersonal Pronouns
Impersonal pronouns unlike personal pronouns do not have any grammatical person. There are six types of these 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 which ones are being referred to. For example:
- 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:
- Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns, including words like 'everyone,' 'someone,' 'anything,' and 'nothing,' refer to unspecified or unidentified individuals, quantities, or things. For example:
- 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:
They hugged
The teams compete against
- 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:
- 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:
The person
The book
Dummy Pronouns
In this article, we have mentioned that pronouns should refer to something. But here is the thing, it is not always like this. Dummy pronouns are those 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 and they complete the meaning of the sentences. But remember, usually, the dummy pronoun 'there' refers to the existence of something. Check out the examples for more clarification:
Here the dummy pronoun 'it' refers to the time.
Review
Pronouns are the substitutes for nouns. As a result, they can be used instead of nouns to avoid unnecessary repetition.
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