Pronouns
Pronouns: A Comprehensive Guide
A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun, representing a person, place, or thing without explicitly naming it. Pronouns streamline language and avoid redundancy. They can be classified based on their function and usage.
Classification of Pronouns
Pronouns can be categorized into the following types:
Personal Pronouns
Compound Personal Pronouns (Self-Pronouns)
Adjective Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Interrogative Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns indicate the person speaking, the person spoken to, or the person, place, or thing spoken of. They are divided into three groups:
a) First Person (The Speaker)
Case | Singular | Plural |
Nominative | I | we |
Possessive | my, mine | ours |
Objective | me | us |
b) Second Person (The Person Spoken To)
Case | Singular | Plural |
Nominative | thou | you |
Possessive | thy, thine | yours |
Objective | thee | you |
Note: Thou, thy, thine, and thee are archaic forms still found in poetry and solemn contexts.
c) Third Person (The Person, Place, or Thing Spoken Of)
Case | Singular | Plural |
Nominative | he, she, it | they |
Possessive | his, hers, its | their, theirs |
Objective | him, her, it | them |
Case of Personal Pronouns
1. Nominative Case
Used as the subject or predicate nominative.
I am ready. (Subject)
It is I. (Predicate nominative)
Poor you! (Nominative of exclamation)
2. Possessive Case
With nouns: my, thy, your, our, her, their.
My brother has arrived.
Their turn has come.
Without nouns: mine, thine, ours, yours, hers, theirs.
The fault is mine.
That field is theirs.
His can be used in both forms:
His hair is black.
The book is not his.
3. Objective Case
Used as objects of verbs or prepositions.
Take it from him.
I will find you.
He gave me a dollar.
2. Compound Personal Pronouns (Self-Pronouns)
These pronouns are formed by adding -self (singular) or -selves (plural) to certain personal pronouns.
Forms
Singular | Plural |
myself | ourselves |
yourself | yourselves |
himself | themselves |
herself | themselves |
itself | themselves |
Uses
Intensive Pronouns: Emphasize the subject.
I myself will go.
The king himself took the field.
Reflexive Pronouns: Used as objects when the subject and object are the same.
I hurt myself.
She was talking to herself.
Special Notes
Yourself is singular, while yourselves is plural.
These pronouns are reflexive because they reflect back on the subject.
3. Adjective Pronouns
Some words function as both adjectives and pronouns, depending on usage. These are called adjective pronouns.
Types of Adjective Pronouns
a) Demonstrative Pronouns
This, that, these, those: Point out specific persons or things.
As adjectives:
This sailor saved my life.
Those trees are dying.
As pronouns:
This is a fine morning.
Those are cats.
b) Indefinite Pronouns
Each, every, either, neither, some, any, none, other, another.
Examples:
Each child received a gift.
None of the answers is correct.
4. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns connect clauses and refer to antecedents. Examples: who, whom, whose, which, that, what.
Usage
Refers to an antecedent:
This is the sailor who saved my life.
Functions in its own clause:
The servant whom you discharged has returned.
What = that which:
Harry remembers what he learns.
Agreement and Case
A relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender, number, and person.
It is I who am wrong.
Its case depends on its own clause, not the antecedent.
The man whom you called is here.
5. Interrogative Pronouns
Used for asking questions. Examples: who, whom, whose, which, what.
Usage
As pronouns:
Who is your neighbor?
What is lacking?
As adjectives:
Which street should I take?
What village is this?
Forms
Who: Has possessive (whose) and objective (whom) forms.
Which and what: Not inflected.
6. Indefinite Pronouns
Point out persons or things in a less specific manner. Examples: some, any, none, all, each, few, many, several.
Usage
As Pronouns:
Some are missing.
None were found.
As Adjectives:
Some people are late.
Many problems were solved.
Special Notes
None can be singular or plural:
Singular: None of the cake is left.
Plural: None of the students are absent.
Each other and one another are compound pronouns used for mutual relationships:
The friends helped each other.
Key Points to Remember
Pronouns simplify sentences by replacing nouns.
Proper agreement and case usage are crucial for grammatical accuracy.
Reflexive pronouns always refer back to the subject.
Demonstrative and indefinite pronouns can also function as adjectives.
Relative pronouns serve dual roles as pronouns and connectives.
Interrogative pronouns are essential for framing questions.