Pronouns । Sahil Hasan

Pronouns

What is the Pronoun?

Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns in a sentence. The noun being replaced is known as the antecedent of the pronoun.

We commonly use pronouns in speech and writing to avoid sounding unnatural and repetitive by reusing the same noun in a sentence multiple time. Take, for example, the following sentence:

Sunil said that Sunil wants to use the computer that belongs to Sunil.

The sentence is awkward because Sunil is repeated so many times. Instead, we can use personal pronouns to stand in for the name of the antecedent to make the sentence sound more natural, as in:

Sunil said that he wants to use the computer that belongs to him.

In addition to making the sentence sound better, the pronouns provide specific information, telling us that Sunil is in the third person. If the sentence were in the first person, it would read:

I said that I want to use the computer that belongs to me.

(We never use our own names when we talk about what we’re doing in the first person, so we use the personal pronoun I instead of an antecedent.)

Types of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to represent people or things in a sentence. Unique among pronouns, personal pronouns experience a wide range of inflection, meaning they change form to reflect specific meaning in different contexts.

While personal pronouns often do indicate an actual person, they can also refer to animals, inanimate objects, or even intangible concepts.

You can find table below for the personal pronouns:-

Number	Person	Gender	Personal Pronouns	Personal Pronouns
			Subject	Object
Singular	1st	Male/Female	I	me
Singular	2nd	Male/Female	You	you
Singular	3rd	Male	He	him
Singular	3rd	Female	She	her
Singular	3rd	Neuter	It	it
Plural	1st	Male/Female	We	us
Plural	2nd	Male/Female	You	you
Plural	3rd	Male/Female/Neuter	They	them

Examples of Personal Pronouns

Personal Pronouns as Subject	Personal Pronouns as Object
I love coffee.	Sonia called me.
Do you like tea?	Mother loves you.
He plays cricket.	Ram fights with him.
She plays badminton.	Raju helped her.
It doesn’t work.	Can the man fix it.
We went home.	Neeraj sir guided us.
Do you need a table for three?	Did Rekha beat you?
They go to village.	We beat them.

Relative Pronouns

Who, whom, which, that, and whose can also be used as relative pronouns in declarative sentences. They are not considered interrogative in this form, because they are no longer associated with a question; rather, they are used to help clarify whom or what a sentence is talking about, or else give extra information about it. For example:

I helped the old man who lives down the road with his groceries.
Anuradha, who is a teacher, also works as a social worker.
The computer, which belonged to my brother, is very fast.
Could the person whose car is parked outside please move it?
A man who/whom I had never met before greeted me in the street.
Zeenat is the girl whom I was talking about.
The car that was stolen last month was found in a river.

A relative pronoun is a word that is used to connect an independent clause to a relative clause. Relative pronouns are meant to provide more information about the subject (noun or pronoun) it relates to. These relative pronouns function exactly like adjectives, and so the clauses they form can also be called adjective clauses.

Relative pronouns are used to form complex sentences. Examples of relative pronouns include who, whom, whose, which and that.

Who – Refers to a person (the noun/pronoun/subject which does the action)
Whom – Refers to the object (the noun or pronoun that receives the action)
Whose – Used to show possession of something or someone.
That – Used in a defining clause that refers to a person, animal or thing
Which – Used in a non-defining clause that refers to a person, animal or thing

In addition, the pronouns whoever, whichever, and whatever are also used as indefinite relative pronouns or sometime refer as compound relative pronouns. They are much more commonly used in this way in modern English than they are as interrogative pronouns. For example:

Do whatever you please; I don’t care.
Whatever he takes up, he finishes it in time.
Whoever decides to join us is more than welcome.
Whoever is ready can speak first.
Take whichever route is fastest.
You can take whichever sweet you like.
Whatsoever you do to others, it will be done to you.
Whosoever runs the fastest will win the race.

Whomever can also be used in this way when the pronoun functions as an object, as in:

Be with whomever makes you happy.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are pronouns that are used to show your possession or ownership of someone or something. They indicate that they belong to that particular person and no one else. Possessive pronouns can be used instead of a noun phrase to avoid any repetition.

Mine, yours, his, hers, its and theirs are the different possessive pronouns.

For the personal pronoun, ‘I’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘mine’.
- For example, to indicate that ‘I own that red car.’, it can be written as ‘That red car is mine.’
For the personal pronoun ‘we’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘ours’.
- For example, to indicate that ‘the project that won the first prize belongs to us’, it can be written as ‘The project that won the first prize was ours.’
Similarly, for the personal pronoun, ‘he’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘his’.
- For example: It is Kim’s pet dog. it can be written as ‘It is his pet dog.’
For the personal pronoun, ‘she’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘hers’.
- For example: The flowers Sunita brought were better than the flowers Reena brought. It can be written as ‘The flowers Sunita brought were better than hers.’
For the personal pronoun, ‘you’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘yours’.
- For example: Do you think my handwriting is better than your handwriting? it can be written as ‘Do you think my handwriting is better than yours?’
For the personal pronoun, ‘they’, the possessive pronoun would be ‘theirs’. If something belongs to a group of people, it is indicated by the possessive pronoun ‘theirs’.
- For example: The musical performance of the second group was more innovative than the fourth group. It can be written as ‘The musical performance of the second group was more innovative than theirs.’
Did you find the dog’s collar?
- Did you find its collar?

More examples of Possessive Pronouns

Juber is one of my brothers.
- Juber is brother of mine.
Does the chair belong to you?
- Is this chair yours?
That little girl is my daughter, and this one is her daughter.
- That little girl is my daughter, and this one is hers.
The chicken Seema cooked last week is not as good as your chicken.
- The chicken Seema cooked last week is not as good as yours.
Sunita liked my shirts more than your shirts.
- Sunita liked my shirts more than yours.
Sahil, is that your car?
- Sahil is that yours.
It was not your mistake, but it was their mistake.
- It was not your mistake, but theirs.
That is not their bus. This white and yellow one is their bus.
- That is not their bus. This white and yellow one is theirs.
Whose book is this? Is it his book?
- Whose book is this? Is it his?

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are pronouns used to replace nouns or noun phrases in a sentence, representing that which is nearby or far away in space or time.

Because demonstrative pronouns are less specific than the nouns or noun phrases they replace, you must use context to clarify what is being referred to. In spoken English, this can mean having to gesture toward, point to, or look at the thing or things indicated by the demonstrative pronoun. In written English, demonstrative pronouns are usually used to refer to previously mentioned nouns, ideas, or topics.

Here is a complete list of demonstrative pronouns:

This (Singular/nearby)
That (Singular/far away)
These (Plural/nearby)
Those (Plural/far away)
none (treat as singular and plural)
such
neither

Examples of demonstrative pronouns:

This isn’t mine. (Singular, nearby)
This is a pen. (Singular, nearby)
Give me that. (Singular, not nearby)
That is a pen. (Singular, not nearby)
These are really tasty. (Plural, nearby)
These are all mine. (Plural, nearby)
Those are tomatoes. (Plural, not nearby)
I forgot to bring those. (Plural, not nearby)

Demonstrative pronouns can also be used to indicate more abstract things, such as chronological events or ideas:

For examples:

I really love this! (This can possibly represent a physically close thing, a
current event, or a recently developed idea.)
That was so cool. (That can possibly represent a physically distant thing, a past event, or an old idea.)
These are the times I remember to stay calm. (These represents recently
occurring events in this sentence, made clear by the word times.)
Those were some fantastic days, right. (Those in this case represents past
events, made clear by the word days.)

Other demonstrative pronouns

The less commonly used demonstrative pronouns are none, such, and neither.
None and such can be used as both singular and plural demonstrative pronouns. For example:
- None of this makes sense. (None is singular because this is singular.)
- None of the people here seem to like the cake I made.” (None is plural because the people is plural.)
- Such is the way of life. (Such is singular because the way of life is singular.)
- Such are the rules. (Such is plural because the rules are plural.)
On the other hand, neither is always treated as a singular demonstrative pronoun, regardless of the presence of any plural nouns:
- Neither sounds good to me.
- I think neither of the twins wants a babysitter.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used in interrogative sentences to ask questions, functioning either as the subject or object of such sentences. There are five primary interrogative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, and what.

Who is coming to the party tonight? (subject)
Whom did you ask to fill in for Mr. Smith? (object)
Whose is this computer? (subject)
Which came first? (subject)
What do you expect me to do, exactly? (object)

Each of the interrogative pronouns is used to ask very specific questions (direct or indirect) about a particular something or someone. The interrogative pronouns – who, whom and whose refer only to people, whereas the interrogative pronouns – what and which can refer to things/objects or people. You would have noticed that the same words are also used as relative pronouns, often found in complex sentences.

Who was the keynote speaker?
Answer: Sunil was the keynote speaker. (In the above example, Sunil is the subject, and the interrogative pronoun ‘who’ can therefore be said to be the subject pronoun.)
Whom did you speak to?
Answer: I spoke to Rajeev. (In the example, ‘Rajeev’ is the object that the subject ‘I’ has spoken to. So, it can be said that the interrogative pronoun ‘whom’ is an object pronoun.)
Whose is this black bag?
Answer: It is mine. (In the example, the pronoun ‘it’ refers to the black bag, and so it can be said that the interrogative pronoun ‘whose’ is an object pronoun.)
What do you want? (Referring to an object)
Answer: I want happiness.

See some more examples using what and which.

What do you prefer? chicken or meat? (Referring to an object)
What do you prefer? Tea or coffee? (Referring to an object)
What is your name? (Referring to a person)
Which is your favorite story? (Referring to an object)
Which one of you did not do your homework? (Referring to a person)
Which one do you like better? The red one or the yellow one? (Referring to an object)

Note that we sometimes use the suffix “-ever” to make compounds from some of these pronouns (mainly whoever, whatever, whichever). When we add “-ever”, we use it for emphasis, often to show confusion or surprise. Look at these examples:

Whoever would want to do such a nasty thing?
Whatever did he say to make her cry like that?
They’re all fantastic! Whichever will you choose?

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that is used to substitute nouns that are not specific. Indefinite pronouns can be used in the singular and plural forms.

Table of Indefinite Pronouns

People vs things	Singular	Plural	Singular or Plural
Either people or things	another	both	all
	one (quantifier)	few	any
	each	fewer	more
	either	many	most
	other	others	neither
		several	none
			plenty
			some
People Only	anybody/anyone	they
	everybody/everyone
	one (impersonal pronoun)
	nobody/ no one /no-one
	somebody/someone
	whoever/whosoever
	whomever/whomsoever
	you
Things Only	anything		such
	enough
	everything
	less
	little
	much
	nothing
	something
	such
	this
	whatever
	whichever

Singular vs. Plural

Many pronouns that refer to more than one—e.g., everything, everyone, much, etc.—are considered singular. This is because, grammatically, they function as a single unit (like the collective nouns team, group, collection, etc., which are made up of multiple people or things). As a result, they must take a singular verb and have agreement with the rest of the text. For example:

Hi guys, everyone is invited.
I hope everything is alright; I would hate if it wasn’t.

Likewise, the plural pronouns must have plural agreement with their verbs and other parts of the text:

Many are in agreement with their peers.

Some pronouns can function either as singular or plural, depending on context and usage; thus, their verb agreement changes accordingly. For example:

All are welcome should they wish to attend. (plural)
All is right with the world. (singular)

People vs Things

Both people and things can be identified in a sentence by an indefinite pronoun.

People

Would anyone like drink? (Here, anyone is standing in for any person, but it doesn’t specify who that person is or might be—it could be anyone!)
I don’t think anybody/anyone wants to dance.
Everybody/everyone is leaving early.
One would hope that this sort of behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.
You are going there.
I can’t believe nobody/no one/no-one came to my lecture!
She’s hoping somebody/someone will help her with her work.
Whoever/whosoever would like to join us is more than welcome.
Hire whomever/whomsoever you think would be the most appropriate for the job.
They say you should always wear a helmet on a bicycle.

Things

Is there something you’d like to say?
I don’t care what I eat, so just order me anything.
think she has had enough.
He wanted to buy everything in the shop.
The less you know, the better.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I know very little.
There was nothing she felt like doing.
There is still much to be done.
I’m sure that I’m forgetting something.
She finds tourists very irritating and she hates being treated as such when she travels.
He had this to say in his defense.
I’ll just have whatever you’re having.
It’s your money, so buy whichever you like.

People and Things

Come on, let’s get another!
Each will get a turn to speak.
I think either will do for now.
Few came to the service, in the end.
There are fewer than I remember.
Many are voicing their concerns.
One likes to play the guitar, while the other prefers the piano.
There are a few others that still need to be collected.
Most have left, but several are still here.
There were plenty there.
All are accounted for.
I don’t think there are any left.
There’s a bit more to be done still.
Neither seems willing to negotiate.
There are none left.
Save some for me!

Reflexive Pronouns

The word ‘reflexive’ means something that is directed towards the self. A reflexive pronoun, therefore, is expected to do the same thing. It reflects, back on the pronoun. It takes the place of a subject pronoun and an object pronoun in a sentence.

A reflexive pronoun is used to denote that an action is done and received by the same subject. It reflects the action on itself and does not involve another object.

Examples of Reflexive Pronouns

Personal Pronouns	Reflexive Pronouns
I	myself
You	yourself/yourselves
He	himself
She	herself
They	Themselves
We	ourselves
It	itself
One	oneself

Examples:

I learned to drive a car by myself.
I wish you could hear yourselves right now!
She admitted to herself that she was wrong.
The vole hides itself beneath the ground for safety.
One should strive to better oneself every day.

On a final note, a reflexive pronoun can never be used as the subject of a verb— it can only act as the object, and only when the person or thing it represents is already being used as the subject.

Reciprocal Pronouns

reciprocal (adj.): given or done in return; [grammar] expressing mutual action.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to refer to two or more people who are or were the subject of the same verb, with both or all parties mutually receiving or benefiting from that action in the same way. Reciprocal pronouns always function as the objects of verbs, referring back to the two or more people who are or were the subject(s).

The two reciprocal pronouns in English are each other and one another.

Each other

Ruhi and Suhi hate each other.
Sunil and Seema love each other.
They were not able to see each other.
Sahil and Sam could not stand each other.
They can’t see each other.
We gave each other gifts.
The children were fighting with each other.
Both teams played hard against each other.
Students were playing with each other.
My neighbor and I spent a lot of time at each other’s houses when we were kids.

One another

My brother and my cousin were blaming one another.
Ravi and Jesan gave one another gifts.
The criminals blamed one another.
The students were sent off in pairs to correct one another’s assignments.

Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are identical to reflexive pronouns — myself, yourself, ourselves, himself, herself, itself, and themselves. However, intensive pronouns do not serve a grammatical function in a sentence; instead, they add emphasis by reiterating the subject of the sentence (known as the pronoun’s antecedent).

You can find the below table useful for that.

Intensive Pronouns	Type of intensive Pronouns	Examples of Intensive Pronouns
Myself	Singular Intensive Pronoun	I can operate the TV remote myself, thank you very much.
Yourself	Singular Intensive Pronoun	Did you yourself finish the whole lasagna?
Himself	Singular Intensive Pronoun	Nobody could believe that he himself would break his own door.
Herself	Singular Intensive Pronoun	She herself found the solution to the never-ending conundrum.
Itself	Singular Intensive Pronoun	The parrot itself somehow opened the cage and flew away.
Yourselves	Plural Intensive Pronoun	I do not know what to do with you. You yourselves go and talk to the concerned authorities about what you have done.
Ourselves	Plural Intensive Pronoun	We ourselves have to find a way out of this mess.
Themselves	Plural Intensive Pronoun	They themselves took care of it and informed the police about the theft in their house.