English Pronouns

A pronoun (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, whoever, whose, someone, everybody, etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun.

There are three types of pronouns: subject (for example, he); object (him); or possessive (his).

English Pronouns

 

Subject Pronouns

Object Pronouns

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

1st Person

I

Me

My

Mine

Myself

2nd Person

You

You

Your

Yours

Yourself

3rd Person (male)

He

Him

His

His

Himself

3rd Person (Female)

She

Her

Her

Hers

Herself

3rd Person

It

It

Its

Its

Itself

1st Person (Plural)

We

Us

Our

Ours

Ourselves

2nd Person (Plural)

You

You

Your

Yours

Yourselves

3rd Person (Plural)

They

Them

Their

Theirs

Themselves

Types of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things and are divided into subject and object pronouns.

  • Subject Pronouns: These pronouns act as the subject of a verb.

    • Examples:
      • I (first person singular)
      • You (second person singular/plural)
      • He (third person singular, masculine)
      • She (third person singular, feminine)
      • It (third person singular, neutral)
      • We (first person plural)
      • They (third person plural)
    • Example Sentences:
      • I love reading.
      • She is a talented musician.
      • They are going to the park.
  • Object Pronouns: These pronouns act as the object of a verb or preposition.

    • Examples:
      • Me (first person singular)
      • You (second person singular/plural)
      • Him (third person singular, masculine)
      • Her (third person singular, feminine)
      • It (third person singular, neutral)
      • Us (first person plural)
      • Them (third person plural)
    • Example Sentences:
      • Can you help me with this?
      • I saw her at the concert.
      • The teacher gave them homework.

 

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession.

  • Possessive Adjectives: These are used before nouns to show ownership.

    • Examples:
      • My (first person singular)
      • Your (second person singular/plural)
      • His (third person singular, masculine)
      • Her (third person singular, feminine)
      • Its (third person singular, neutral)
      • Our (first person plural)
      • Their (third person plural)
    • Example Sentences:
      • This is my book.
      • Their house is beautiful.
  • Possessive Pronouns: These stand alone and replace nouns.

    • Examples:
      • Mine (first person singular)
      • Yours (second person singular/plural)
      • His (third person singular, masculine)
      • Hers (third person singular, feminine)
      • Its (third person singular, neutral)
      • Ours (first person plural)
      • Theirs (third person plural)
    • Example Sentences:
      • The red car is mine.
      • Is this book yours?

 

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence and are used when the subject and object are the same.

  • Examples:
    • Myself (first person singular)
    • Yourself (second person singular)
    • Himself (third person singular, masculine)
    • Herself (third person singular, feminine)
    • Itself (third person singular, neutral)
    • Ourselves (first person plural)
    • Yourselves (second person plural)
    • Themselves (third person plural)
  • Example Sentences:
    • I made this cake myself.
    • She taught herself to play the guitar.

 

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point to specific things or people.

  • Examples:
    • This (singular, near)
    • That (singular, far)
    • These (plural, near)
    • Those (plural, far)
  • Example Sentences:
    • This is my favorite shirt.
    • Those are the books I borrowed.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.

  • Examples:
    • Who (for people)
    • Whom (for people, formal)
    • Whose (indicating possession)
    • Which (for choices)
    • What (for information)
  • Example Sentences:
    • Who is coming to dinner?
    • Whose jacket is this?
    • What do you want to eat?

 

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses, which provide additional information about a noun in the main clause. They connect the clause to the noun it modifies.

  • Examples:
    • Who (for people)
    • Whom (for people, formal)
    • Whose (indicating possession)
    • Which (for animals or things)
    • That (for people, animals, or things)
  • Example Sentences:
    • The teacher who taught me is retiring. (The clause “who taught me” gives more information about “the teacher.”)
    • The book that I borrowed was fascinating. (The clause “that I borrowed” specifies which book.)
    • The woman whose car was stolen reported it to the police. (The clause “whose car was stolen” indicates possession.)
    • The movie which we watched last night was thrilling. (The clause “which we watched last night” provides more detail about the movie.)

 

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people or things. They do not point to a particular noun and can be singular or plural.

  • Examples:
    • Anyone, everyone, someone, no one (singular)
    • Something, anything, everything, nothing (singular)
    • Both, few, many, several (plural)
  • Example Sentences:
    • Everyone is invited to the party. (Refers to all people, but not specific individuals.)
    • Someone left their umbrella in the classroom. (Refers to an unspecified person.)
    • Nothing can stop us now. (Refers to no specific thing.)
    • Many have tried, but few have succeeded. (Refers to an unspecified number of people.)

 

Usage of Pronouns

  • Avoiding Repetition: Pronouns help to avoid redundancy in sentences.

    • Example: Instead of saying “Maria likes Maria’s dog,” you can say “Maria likes her dog.”
  • Clarifying Relationships: Pronouns can clarify relationships and ownership.

    • Example: “This is my car” indicates ownership.
  • Referring to Previously Mentioned Nouns: Pronouns can refer back to nouns mentioned earlier in the conversation or text.

    • Example: “John is a great cook. He makes dinner every night.”
  • Questions and Connections: Interrogative and relative pronouns are essential for forming questions and connecting clauses.

    • Example: “Do you know who is coming?” (interrogative)
    • Example: “The artist who painted this is famous.” (relative)

 

Forming Pronouns

  • Personal Pronouns: These are fixed forms and do not change based on context.
  • Possessive Pronouns: Formed by adding specific endings (e.g., “my” becomes “mine”).
  • Reflexive Pronouns: Formed by adding “-self” or “-selves” to personal pronouns (e.g., “I” becomes “myself”).
  • Demonstrative Pronouns: Fixed forms that indicate proximity (e.g., “this” for singular near, “those” for plural far).
  • Interrogative and Relative Pronouns: Fixed forms used for questioning or connecting clauses.
  • Indefinite Pronouns: These are also fixed forms and do not change based on context.

 

Examples in Sentences

  • Personal Pronouns:

    • Subject: They are going to the concert.
    • Object: Can you help us with this?
  • Possessive Pronouns:

    • Possessive Adjective: Their house is beautiful.
    • Possessive Pronoun: The red car is hers.
  • Reflexive Pronouns:

    • I made this cake myself.
  • Demonstrative Pronouns:

    • Those are my friends over there.
  • Interrogative Pronouns:

    • What do you want for dinner?
  • Relative Pronouns:

    • The artist who painted this is famous.
  • Indefinite Pronouns:

    • Everyone is invited to the event.

NOTE

Informal vs. Formal English

  1. Informal English:

    • In everyday conversation, many speakers use object pronouns (like “me,” “her,” “them”) in contexts where subject pronouns (like “I,” “he,” “they”) would be grammatically correct. This usage is widely accepted in casual speech and writing.
    • Examples:
      • “It could have been them.” (informal)
      • “It is just me at the door.” (informal)
  2. Formal English:

    • In more formal contexts, such as academic writing or formal speeches, the technically correct forms would use subject pronouns.
    • Examples:
      • “It could have been they.” (formal)
      • “It is just I at the door.” (formal)

Explanation of the Examples

  • “It could have been them.” vs. “It could have been they.”

    • In informal English, “them” is commonly used, and most people would understand and accept this usage. However, the formal version “they” is technically correct because it follows the linking verb “to be,” which requires a subject complement.
  • “It is just me at the door.” vs. “It is just I at the door.”

    • Similarly, “me” is used in informal contexts, while “I” is the correct form in formal English. The verb “to be” links the subject to the subject complement, which should be in the subject form.

 


 

While the informal usage of object pronouns in these contexts is widely accepted and understood, it is important to recognize the distinction and use the correct forms in formal writing or speech. Many English scholars and grammarians acknowledge this difference and accept the informal usage in everyday conversation.