Pronouns

Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or the words that stops the repetitions of nouns or words which are used instead of nouns are called pronouns.

E.g.:   Sanjay is late, so Sanjay cannot attend the class.

 Sanjay is late, so HE cannot attend the class. Here HE is pronoun.

Types of Pronouns:

1. Personal / Definite Pronouns:

Personal pronouns represent specific people or things.

They can of two types:

A. Subjective pronouns – Pronouns will act as the subject in the sentence.

B. Objective pronouns – Pronouns will act as the object in the sentence.

Here are the personal pronouns, followed by some example sentences:

number	person	gender	personal pronouns
			subject	object
singular	1st	male/female	I	me
	2nd	male/female	you	you
	3rd	male	he	him
		female	she	her
		neuter	it	it
plural	1st	male/female	we	us
	2nd	male/female	you	you
	3rd	male/female/neuter	they	them

Examples (in each case, the first example shows a subject pronoun, the second an object pronoun):

• I like coffee.
• John helped me.
• Do you like coffee?
• John loves you.
• He runs fast.
• Did Ram beat him?
• She is clever.
• Does Mary know her?
• It doesn't work.
• Can the engineer repair it?
• We went home.
• Anthony drove us.
• Do you need a table for three?
• Did John and Mary beat you at doubles?
• They played doubles.
• John and Mary beat them.

2. Indefinite Pronouns:

An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing or amount. It is vague and "not definite". Some typical indefinite pronouns are:

all, another, any, anybody/anyone, anything, each, everybody/everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody/someone.

Most indefinite pronouns are either singular or plural. However, some of them can be singular in one context and plural in another (antecedent indefinite pronouns). The list of the pronouns is given as below:

pronoun	meaning	example
singular
another	an additional or different person or thing	That ice-cream was good. Can I have another?
anybody/anyone	no matter what person	Can anyone answer this question?
anything	no matter what thing	The doctor needs to know if you have eaten anything in the last two hours.
each	every one of two or more people or things, seen separately	Each has his own thoughts.
either	one or the other of two people or things	Do you want tea or coffee? / I don't mind. Either is good for me.
enough	as much or as many as needed	Enough is enough.
everybody/everyone	all people	We can start the meeting because everybody has arrived.
everything	all things	They have no house or possessions. They lost everything in the earthquake.
less	a smaller amount	"Less is more" (Mies van der Rohe)
little	a small amount	Little is known about his early life.
much	a large amount	Much has happened since we met.
neither	not one and not the other of two people or things	I keep telling Jack and Jill but neither believes me.
nobody/no-one	no person	I phoned many times but nobody answered.
nothing	no single thing, not anything	If you don't know the answer it's best to say nothing.
one	an unidentified person	Can one smoke here? | All the students arrived but no one is missing.
other	a different person or thing from one already mentioned	One was tall and the other was short.
somebody/someone	an unspecified or unknown person	Clearly somebody murdered him. It was not suicide.
something	an unspecified or unknown thing	Listen! I just heard something! What could it be?
you	an unidentified person (informal)	And you can see why.
plural
both	two people or things, seen together	John likes coffee but not tea. I think both are good.
few	a small number of people or things	Few have ever disobeyed him and lived.
fewer	a reduced number of people or things	Fewer are smoking these days.
many	a large number of people or things	Many have come already.
others	other people; not us	I'm sure that others have tried before us.
several	more than two but not many	They all complained and several left the meeting.
they	people in general (informal)	They say that vegetables are good for you.
singular or plural (antecedent)
all	the whole quantity of something or of some things or people	All is forgiven. All have arrived.
any	no matter how much or how many	Is any left? Are any coming?
more	a greater quantity of something; a greater number of people or things	There is more over there. More are coming.
most	the majority; nearly all	Most is lost. Most have refused.
none	not any; no person or persons	They fixed the water so why is none coming out of the tap? I invited five friends but none have come.
some	an unspecified quantity of something; an unspecified number of people or things	Here is some. Some have arrived.
such	of the type already mentioned	He was a foreigner and he felt that he was treated as such.

3. Possessive Pronouns:

We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things (the "antecedent") belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or thing/things).

Below are the possessive pronouns, followed by some example sentences. Notice that each possessive pronoun can:

• be subject or object
• refer to a singular or plural antecedent

number	person	gender (of "owner")	possessive pronouns
singular	1st	male/female	mine
	2nd	male/female	yours
	3rd	male	his
		female	hers
plural	1st	male/female	ours
	2nd	male/female	yours
	3rd	male/female/neuter	theirs

• Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject = My picture)
• I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object = my flowers)
• I looked everywhere for your key. I found John's key but I couldn't find yours. (object = your key)
• My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject = Your flowers)
• All the essays were good but his was the best. (subject = his essay)
• John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her passport)
• John found his clothes but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her clothes)
• Here is your car. Ours is over there, where we left it. (subject = Our car)
• Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. (subject = Our photos)
• Each couple's books are colour-coded. Yours are red. (subject = Your books)
• I don't like this family's garden but I like yours. (subject = your garden)
• These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. (subject = Their children)
• John and Mary don't like your car. Do you like theirs? (object = their car)

4. Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive (adj.) [grammar]: reflecting back on the subject, like a mirror

We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause. Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).

There are eight reflexive pronouns:

	reflexive pronoun
singular	myself yourself himself, herself, itself
plural	ourselves yourselves themselves

Examples:

	reflexive pronouns
the underlined words are NOT the same person/thing	the underlined words are the SAME person/thing
John saw me.	I saw myself in the mirror.
Why does he blame you?	Why do you blame yourself?
David sent him a copy.	John sent himself a copy.
David sent her a copy.	Mary sent herself a copy.
My dog hurt the cat.	My dog hurt itself.
We blame you.	We blame ourselves.
Can you help my children?	Can you help yourselves?
They cannot look after the babies.	They cannot look after themselves.

 

Intensive pronouns

Notice that all the above reflexive pronouns can also act as intensive pronouns, but the function and usage are different. An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent. Look at these examples:

• I made it myself. OR I myself made it.
• Have you yourself seen it? OR Have you seen it yourself?
• The President himself promised to stop the war.
• She spoke to me herself. OR She herself spoke to me.
• The exam itself wasn't difficult, but exam room was horrible.
• Never mind. We'll do it ourselves.
• You yourselves asked us to do it.
• They recommend this book even though they themselves have never read it. OR They recommend this book even though they have never read it themselves.

5. Reciprocal Pronouns

We use reciprocal pronouns when each of two or more subjects is acting in the same way towards the other. For example, A is talking to B, and B is talking to A. So we say:

• A and B are talking to each other.

The action is "reciprocated". John talks to Mary and Mary talks to John. I give you a present and you give me a present. The dog bites the cat and the cat bites the dog.

There are only two reciprocal pronouns, and they are both two words:

• each other – only two people or things
• one another – more than two people or things

When we use these reciprocal pronouns:

• there must be two or more people, things or groups involved (so we cannot use reciprocal pronouns with I, you [singular], he/she/it), and
• they must be doing the same thing

Look at these examples:

• John and Mary love each other.
• Peter and David hate each other.
• The ten prisoners were all blaming one another.
• Both teams played hard against each other.
• We gave each other gifts.
• Why don't you believe each other?
• They can't see each other.
• The gangsters were fighting one another.
• The boats were bumping against each other in the storm.

6. Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it modifies. Here is an example:

• The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.

In the above example, "who":

• relates to "person", which it modifies
• introduces the relative clause "who phoned me last night"

There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that

Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession.  Which is for things. In non-defining relative clauses, that is used for things. In defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information) that can be used for things and people.

How to Use Who, Which, And That

WHO:  -- refers only to people, never to things

-- used in either restrictive or non‑restrictive clauses

Examples:

Restrictive clause: I don't like people who are always criticizing others.

Non-restrictive clause: My father, who loves antiques, collects old books.

WHICH: -- refers only to things, never to people

   -- used in both restrictive and non‑restrictive clauses, but more often in non‑restrictive clauses

Examples:

Restrictive clause: The plane which arrived late was from London.

Non-restrictive clause: My car, which is very old, breaks down often.

THAT: -- refers to people or things

-- used in restrictive clauses only

            -- used to identify a specific person, place, or thing

Examples:

The book that I read was very exciting.

The man that lives next door is very helpful.

Note: a relative pronoun (who, which, or that) is always placed next to the word, phrase or clause to which it refers. (This can be seen in all the examples above.)

Restrictive Relative Clauses

• provide essential information to identify a specific person or thing
• cannot be left out of a sentence without changing the meaning
• are not separated from the sentence with commas
• are introduced with "that" or  “which” if referring to things, or with “who” if referring to a person

Examples:

 Sidewalks that are cracked and uneven are dangerous to pedestrians.

 Sidewalks which are cracked and uneven are dangerous to pedestrians.

 Pedestrians who must use damaged sidewalks are in danger.

Non‑ Restrictive Relative Clauses

• add extra information to a sentence
• are always enclosed by commas
• can be introduced by "who" (for a person) or  "which" (for a thing), but never by "that"

Examples:

My mother, who lives in Ottawa, is coming to visit.

My bicycle, which I’ve owned for years, needs some repairs.

The Use of Who and Whom, Whoever And Whomever

All these pronouns can refer to one person or to many people.

• The word who acts as a subject. Like the pronouns she, I, and we, it refers to the person or people doing something.
• Who is used in questions (when identity is unknown) or in restrictive clauses (to identify the person).

Examples:

 Who is arriving today?

 The woman who gave the lecture is a very good speaker.

• The word whom is used in the objective case. Like the pronouns her, me, and us, it refers to the person or people affected by or receiving an action. Whom is often seen in restrictive clauses and in questions.

Examples:

There are the women whom we met yesterday.        

This is the man to whom the package was sent.

To whom did you submit your paper?

• The words whoever and whomever are used when the identity of a person is entirely unknown or unspecified.
• Whoever acts as a subject, while whomever is used in the objective case.

Examples:

Whoever did this should be punished.

Give it to whomever you choose.