Learn about Various Kinds of Pronouns with Examples
A pronoun is a word that stands in a place of a noun. Pronouns are one of the eight parts of speech. A different pronoun is required relying on the noun being replaced and the function that the noun has in the sentence. It is generally used to avoid the repeated use of nouns. Pronouns have different forms for the different ways of using it. Below is the list of 6 various kinds of pronouns with examples.
1. Personal Pronouns-
Personal pronouns are used to refer to humans and animals. It can be categorized into 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person in the following way:
| First Person | Second Person | Third Person |
| Singular | ||
|---|---|---|
| I(I am cooking a dinner) | You(You are cooking a dinner) | He, She, It(He/ She is cooking dinner)(It is raining) |
| Plural | ||
| We(We are going for a picnic) | You(You, as a team, should be proud of your work) | They(They studied in the same school) |
Here, note that the pronoun You remains the same both in the singular and plural forms. The form of the pronoun changes according to the function in the sentence. Let’s look at some cases.
| Pronoun Cases | ||
| Subjective Case | Objective Case | Possessive Case |
| I | Me | My, Mine |
| You (Singular) | You | Your, Yours |
| He, She, It | Him, Her, It | His, Her, Hers, Its |
| We | Us | Our, Ours |
| You (Plural) | You | Yours |
| They | Them | Their, Theirs |
1.1 Subjective case:
In this case, the pronoun is the subject of a sentence. Following are some situation where you can use subjective case:
- Use the subjective case for the subject of a sentence.
Ex- He is doing homework.
- Use the subjective case after the verb is, are, was, were.
Ex- It is I who did this painting.
- Use the subjective case in comparisons between subjects that are implied.
Ex- Mary is taller than I (am).
1.2 Objective case:
In this case, the pronoun becomes the object of the verb in a sentence. Following are some situation where you can use the objective case:
- Use an objective case for the object of a verb.
Ex- I called him for a party at my house.
- Use the objective case for the object of a preposition.
Ex- I laughed at her.
- Use the objective case in comparisons between objects of verbs that are implied.
Ex- He calls you more than (he calls) me.
1.3 Possessive case:
In this case, the pronoun expresses possession.
Ex- This pen is mine.
That bike is ours.
These toys are not hers.
2. Relative Pronoun-
A relative pronoun is used to refer to some noun going before it, known as its antecedent. It is used to introduce phrases. Some relative pronouns are who, whose, which, whom, that, what where, when, whoso, whichever, whatever whoever, and whatsoever.
Ex- I know a place which is very beautiful.
I admire a person who is successful in their career.
The pen that is on the table belongs to my friend.
I first saw her in New York where I lived for three months.
3. Indefinite Pronoun-
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that is not very clear about which noun it refers to. This pronoun doesn’t denote any particular person or thing. Some indefinite pronouns are anything, everything, something,another, anyone, everyone, someone, no one, nothing, neither, either.
Ex- There is nothing to say now.
I was ready for anything.
Everyone needs time to unwind.
We finally moved to another city.
The were staying in someone’s apartment.
Both, few, several, and many are indefinite pronouns which are always plural while others such as all, most, none and some can be used singular as well as plural.
Ex- may I ask a few questions?
None could match her creativity.
A few of the employees were absent from the meeting.
Several letters arrived this morning.
4. Demonstrative Pronoun-
A demonstrative pronoun is used to point out the objects to which it refers. Some different demonstrative pronouns are this, that, these, those, etc.
Ex- This is the captain speaking.
These are the people who need medicine.
Those birds are flying to north.
That is the car I was talking about.
5. Reflexive Pronoun-
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun used when the action performed by the subject reflects upon the subject. The reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
Ex- Tim introduced himself as Peter.
Mrs. Bella was kindness itself.
They injured themselves.
She baked the cake by herself.
6. Emphatic Pronoun-
An emphatic pronoun is a pronoun that used to give emphasis on the subject. It is also known as an intensive pronoun. Both reflexive and emphatic pronouns are made by adding –self to my, him, her, your, it (Singular) and –selves to your, them, our (Plural).
Ex- I hurt myself by accident.
She had to defend herself.
He himself paid for the car.
Some countries are unable to look after themselves.
Read other blogs on English Grammar from here
Hope it helps!! Happy Learning
Written by,
Jaini Bhavsar (There’s always room for bliss.)
19th June 2020
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