Pronouns

Imagine you're telling a story about your dog:

• Without pronouns: The dog wagged its tail excitedly. The dog ran around the house in circles. The dog barked happily.
  

This sentence is grammatically correct, but it gets tedious repeating "the dog" three times. It becomes clunky and loses its flow.

• With pronouns: The dog wagged its tail excitedly. It ran around the house in circles, barking happily.
  

Here, "it" replaces "the dog" the second and third time. It's clear what "it" refers to because we mentioned "the dog" first. This makes the sentence smoother and easier to read.

Pronouns help us avoid this repetition and make our writing or speech more concise and engaging.

By using pronouns, we can avoid repeating the same nouns over and over, which improves the flow of writing and speaking.

1. Personal Pronouns [replace names of people. Examples include I, you, they, him, her, etc.]

2. Possessive Pronouns [indicate ownership or possession. Examples include mine, yours, his, hers, etc.] 

3. Reflexive Pronouns [are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same person or thing. Examples include myself, herself, themselves, etc.]

4. Intensive Pronouns [emphasize a preceding noun. Examples include myself, herself, themselves, etc.]

5. Demonstrative Pronouns [point to a specific person, place, or thing. Examples include this, that, these, those.]

6. Interrogative Pronouns [are used to ask questions. Examples include who, whom, whose, which, what.]

7. Relative Pronouns [introduce relative clauses and connect them to the noun or pronoun they modify. Examples include who, whom, whose, which, that.]

8. Indefinite Pronouns [do not refer to a specific person, place, or thing. Examples include anybody, everybody, nobody, nothing, etc.]

9. Reciprocal Pronouns [indicate mutual action or relationship. Examples include each other, one another.] 

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1. Mike is a footballer. He plays for the Inter Milan. [The pronoun 'He' replaces the noun 'Mike',]
2. Kate and Sara are here. They are sleeping. [The pronoun 'They' replaces the noun phrase 'Kate and Sara']

Personal pronouns have different 'singular and plural forms', 'subject and object forms', and 'different forms for persons (first person, second person, & third person)'. Look at the following table:

Possessive Adjective:

'My', 'our', 'your', 'his', 'her', 'its' and 'their' are not pronouns because they modify nouns like adjectives. So, they are possessive adjectives, not pronouns. Look at the following examples:

1. I love my country.
2. We love our country.
3. They love their country.

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USE OF POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

 Possessive pronouns are used as subject or object. Study the following sentences.

Use of 'MINE'

Mine is a possessive pronoun. It replaces my + noun. 

1. Five dogs are playing in the field. Mine is black. (Mine = my dog; subject)
2. I like your dog. Do you like mine? (mine = my dog; object)

Use of 'OURS'

'Ours' is a possessive pronoun. It replaces 'our + noun'. 

1. Several cows are in the field. Ours are not here. (Ours = our cows; subject) 
2. Have you seen ours? (ours = our cows; object)

Use of 'YOURS'

'Yours' is a possessive pronoun. It replaces 'your + noun'. 

1. I have seen many gardens, but yours is the loveliest. (yours = your garden; subject)
2. I like yours. (yours = your garden; object)

Use of 'HIS'

'His' is a possessive pronoun. It replaces 'his+ noun'. 

1. My cat is black. His is red.  (His = his cat; subject)
2. He took my cat. I took his. (his = his cats; object)

Remember!

'His' can be both possessive adjective and possessive pronoun. If 'his' pre-modifies a noun, it is possessive adjective. If it doesn't follow a noun, it is possessive pronoun. 

1. Is this his car? ('his' pre-modifies the noun car. So, his is a possessive adjective/ possessive determiner.)
2. Yes, this is his. (his = his car; possessive pronoun) 

Use of 'HERS'

'Hers' is a possessive pronoun. It replaces 'her + noun'. 

1. My bag is old. Hers is new? (hers = her bag; subject.)
2. Kate took my bag. I took hers. (hers = her bag; object) 

Use of 'THEIRS'

Theirs is a possessive pronoun. It replaces' their + noun'.

• A: Is their horse white? 
• B: No, theirs is red. (theirs = their bag; subject.)

Use of 'WHOSE'  

Interrogative pronoun 'whose' can also be used as a possessive pronoun (Interrogative possessive pronoun). It replaces 'whose + noun'.

• I found a purse on the road. Can you say whose is this? (whose = whose purse)

Singular or Plural? 

Note that possessive pronouns can be both singular and plural. When they refer to singular antecedents, they are singular. But when they refer to plural antecedents, they are plural. 

1. I have four cars and Jim has three. Mine are in the garage. (Mine = my cars; plural)
2. John has a bike. I also have a bike. Mine is the red one. (Mine = my bike; singular)

Grammar Notes

1. Possessive Pronouns do not have an apostrophe. 

• This car is ours/yours/hers/theirs. (NOT our’s/your’s/her’s/their’s)

2. Possessive pronouns replace 'Possessive Adjective + Noun'. So, never write nouns after it. 

• My car is red. Yours is blue. (NOT Yours car is blue.) 

3. Possessive pronouns are derived from personal pronouns. They are very similar to possessive adjectives which are also derived from personal pronouns. 

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Reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the clause. Reflexive pronoun and its subject are the same person. The bold words in the following sentences are reflexive pronouns. 

• I saw myself in the mirror. ('I' and 'myself' are same person)
• He saw himself in the mirror. ('He' and 'himself' are same person)
• They saw themselves in the mirror. ('They' and 'themselves' are same person)

Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural). There are eight reflexive pronouns. They are myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself and themselves. 

'Myself', 'yourself', 'himself', 'herself' and 'itself' are singular. Ourselves,  'yourselves' and 'themselves' are plural. 

Singular Reflexive Pronouns:

1. Myself: I love myself.
2. Yourself: You need to take care of yourself.
3. Himself: He cut himself while shaving.
4. Herself: She blamed herself for her foolishness.
5. Itself: The cat bit itself.

Plural Reflexive Pronouns:

1. Ourselves: We should help ourselves.
2. Yourselves: Please help yourselves.
3. Themselves: They entertained themselves with fresh date juice.

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1. She will do the work herself. (Emphasizing that 'she will do it', not someone else.)
2. I myself witnessed the accident. (Emphasizing that 'the speaker personally witnessed it'.)
3. The cat opened the door itself. (Emphasizing that 'the cat managed to open the door independently'.)
4. We completed the project ourselves. (Emphasizing that 'no external help was needed'.)
5. You should be proud of yourselves. (Emphasizing the achievement of the group.)

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The choice of which demonstrative pronoun to use depends on the distance and number of the items being referred to.

Far & Near

1. ‘This’ & ‘these’ indicate nearness. ‘This’ is singular; ‘that’ is plural. 

• This is my book. 
• These are my books. 

2. 'That' & 'those' indicate remoteness. ‘That’ is singular; ‘those’ is plural.

• That is your book. 
  
• Those are your books. 

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1. Who broke the glass? 
2. Whom did you see there?
3. Whose is the book?
4. What is your name?
5. Which is your brother?

Interrogative pronouns can be subjects, objects, or possessives. Look at the table and remember their forms. 

WHO, WHOM & WHOSE

‘Who’, ‘whom’ and ‘whose’ stand for people. ‘Who’ can be both subject and object. 

Use of 'WHO'

‘Who’ as Subject

‘Who’ is used as subject. It is singular and plural. 

• A: Who wants to go there?
• B: John wants to go there.

[ Here who takes the place of the subject noun John. Who is singular.]

• A: Who want to go? 
• B: John and Marry want to go.

[Here ‘who’ takes the place of the subject noun ‘John and Marry’. ‘Who’ is plural.]

‘Who’ as Object

‘Who’ can be used as object. It is both singular and plural.

• A: Who did you see in the garden? 
• B: I saw Mike. 

[Here ‘who’ takes the place of the object noun ‘Mike’. ‘Who’ is singular.]

• A: Who are they calling?
• B: They are calling Willy and Paul. 

[Here ‘who’ takes the place of the object noun ‘Willy and Paul’. ‘Who’ is plural.]

Use of 'WHOM'

‘Whom’ is always used as object. It is both singular and plural.

• A: Whom did you see in the garden? 
• B: I saw Mike. 

[Here ‘whom’ takes the place of the object noun ‘Mike’. ‘Whom’ is singular.]

• A: Whom are they calling?
• B: They are calling Willy and Paul. 

[Here ‘whom’ takes the place of the object noun ‘Willy and Paul’. ‘Whom’ is plural.]

Use of 'WHOSE'

‘Whose’ can be Subject, Object and Possessive Adjective. It is both singular and plural.

• A: Whose goats are there? [‘Whose’ is an interrogative possessive adjective]
• B: Here is a purse on the table. Whose is this? [‘Whose’ is a possessive pronoun, and it is singular]
• C: Here are five purses on the table. Whose are these? [‘Whose’ is a possessive pronoun, and it is plural]

Use of 'WHICH'

Which can be both personal and non-personal. We use which when the choice is restricted. Which can be both pronoun and adjective.

• Which is your car? [Which is an interrogative pronoun] 
• Which car did you buy? [Which is an interrogative adjective]

Use of 'WHAT'

What is always non-personal. What can be both pronoun and adjective.

• What is your name? [What is an interrogative pronoun]
• What class are you in? [What is an interrogative adjective]

Assertive Verb Pattern [Subject + Verb]

When who, whose, what, and which are used as subject, they follow assertive verb pattern. 

• Who writes the letter? 
• Whose horse won the race?
• Which boy stood first in the exam?
• What made you angry?

Interrogative Verb Pattern [Verb + Subject]

When who, whom, whose, what, and which are used as object, they follow interrogative verb pattern. 

• Who is he talking to?
• Whom is he talking to?
• Whose car do you drive? 
• Which house has he chosen? 
• What class are you in?

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Relative Pronouns

Relative Clause

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses which function as adjective clauses. So, relative pronouns are also called "adjective clause pronouns".

• People who live in glass house should not throw stones at others. 

In the above sentence, "who" is a relative pronoun and "who live in glass house" is a relative clause or adjective clause. 

Use of Relative Pronouns

Use of 'Who'

"Who" as Subject

"Who" is a subject pronoun, and it stands for persons. There is no difference between male and female. We can use "that" in place of "who".

The girl who stood first is my sister. [who = the girl = female]
The girl that stood first is my sister. [that = who]

The man who built this house has died. [who = man = male]
The man that built this house has died. [that = who]

Use of 'Whom'

"Whom" is always object. There is no difference between male and female. We can use "that" in place of "whom". We can omit the relative pronoun when it is used an object. 

1. This is the boy whom I saw in the room. [Here "whom" is the object of the verb "saw"; I saw whom] 
2. This is the boy that I saw in the room. [Here "that" is the object of the verb "saw"; I saw that]
3. This is the boy I saw in the room. [This is the boy whom I saw in the room.]
4. The girl whom you like is married. [Here "whom" is the object of the verb "like"; you like whom]
5. The girl that you like is married. [Here "that" is the object of the verb "like"; you like that]
6. The girl you like is unmarried. [The girl whom you like is unmarried.]

"Whom" as Object of Preposition

"Whom" can be the object of prepositions. If you put the preposition before the relative pronoun, it must be "whom". If you use the preposition at the end of the clause, you can use "whom", or "who", or "that", or no pronoun.

1. The man with whom you work is not honest.
2. The man whom you work with is not honest.
3. The man who you work with is not honest.
4. The man that you work with is not honest.
5. The man you work with is not honest.

Use of 'Whose'

"Whose" is the only possessive relative pronouns. "Whose" is most often used before the head noun it modifies. 

1. The man whose house has broken down now lives in the street. 
2. Roka whose car is red has come first. 
3. The girl whose name is Linda lost her bag. 
4. This is the bag whose owner is unknown. 

Use of 'Which & That'

'Which' stands for things. It can be both subject and object. We can replace 'which' with 'that'. We can omit the pronoun when it is used as an object. 

A drone is a robot which can fly in the sky.
A drone is a robot that can fly in the sky.

This is the car which ran over the dog.
This is the car that ran over the dog.

'Which' as Object of Verb

The book which I bought is lost.
The book that I bought is lost.
The book I bought is lost. [The book which I bought is lost.]

This is the dog which you bought from me.
This is the dog that you bought from me.
This is the dog you got from me. [This is the dog which you got from me.]

"Which" as Object of Preposition

We can use "which" as object of preposition. We can put the preposition just before "which", or move it at the end of the clause.

The school in which he reads is very good.
The school which he reads in is very good.

We can use "that" in place of "which" only when the preposition is moved to the end of the clause.

• Correct: The school in which he reads is very good.
  
• Incorrect: The school in that he reads is very good.

Use of 'What'

"What" is one of the most versatile words in English. 

Use of "what" as Relative Pronoun

Here are some cases where "what" can be used as a relative pronoun in specific constructions, although these instances are less common and more informal.

Antecedent

Remember that "what" is absolutely different from other relative pronouns. We use "what" when the antecedent is unknown, or we do not want to mention it. Read the following sentences.

1. Tell me what you want. 
2. I do what I like. 

If the antecedent is mentioned, we use "which" or "that" in place of "what".

1. Tell me what you want. = Tell me the thing which you want. 
2. I do what I like. = I do the things which I like.

Here, "what = something which"

Indirect Questions

"What" can be used in indirect questions that are reported speech or embedded within another sentence. For example:

1. He asked me what time it was.
2. She wondered what the weather would be like tomorrow.
3. I'm not sure what he wants for his birthday.

What Clauses

Many people do not accept "what" as a relative pronoun, because unlike a relative pronoun, "what" forms noun clauses, not adjective clauses. 

1. What she said made me angry. (subject)
2. I don't understand what you mean. (object)
3. His main concern is what others think of him. (complement)

Other Uses of "what"

Interrogative Pronoun

"What" is commonly used as an interrogative pronoun to ask questions about specific information or details. For example:

1. What is your name?
2. What time is it?
3. What did you eat for breakfast?

Interrogative Adjective

"What" can also function as an interrogative adjective, modifying a noun to ask about its nature or identity. In this case, it is followed by a noun. For example:

1. What book are you reading?
2. What color is your car?
3. What type of music do you like?

Exclamatory Sentences

"What" can be used in exclamatory sentences to express surprise, astonishment, or disbelief. This usage is followed by a noun or noun phrase. For example:

1. What a beautiful sunset!
2. What a great idea!
3. What a mess you've made!

"What" is not typically used as a relative pronoun in standard English. Instead, relative pronouns "which," and "that" are commonly used. Therefore, it's advisable to use the more common relative pronouns in formal writing or when aiming for a more standard form of English.

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9. Distributive Pronouns

Distributive pronouns are 'each', 'either' and 'neither'. 

Same Words Used as Both Pronouns & Adjectives

Some words can function as both pronouns and adjectives, depending on how they are used in a sentence. Knowing about them is very necessary for advanced level students.

Online Quiz

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