PRONOUN

Definition:
 A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.
 Pronouns make up a small subcategory of nouns. The distinguishing
characteristic of pronouns is that they can be substituted for other nouns.
 Pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over again.
 Pronouns change depending on person, number, and function in a sentence.
Pronouns are used to ask questions, to draw attention to certain objects, and to
show ownership.

Types of Pronouns:
1. Personal Pronouns - are those that refer to people, places, things, and ideas.
Personal pronouns are always specific and are often used to replace a proper
noun or a collective group of people or things.
a. Subjective Pronoun - They are used as the subject of a verb. They do
the action.
Examples
 They went to the store.
 I don't want to leave.

b. Objective Pronoun - They are always the object of the verb, preposition,
or infinitive. To whom or what the action is being done to.
Examples
 Go talk to her.
 Mary put the gift under it.

c. Possessive Pronoun - are used with a noun in a sentence to show

possession or ownership.
Examples
 Is that my book?
 No, that's his book.
3. Demonstrative Pronoun - points out a specific person, place, or thing.
Examples
 These are ugly.
 Those are lovely.

4. Reflexive Pronoun - refers to another noun or pronoun in the sentence, adds

information by pointing back to a noun or another pronoun and usually end in self
or selves.
Examples
 We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
 They bought themselves a new car.

myself himself yourselves

yourself itself themselves
herself ourselves

5. Indefinite Pronouns - refer to persons, places, or things without specifying for

certain which one. This is the largest group of pronouns.
Examples
 Most wealth is held by a select few.
 Everyone is here already.

All Several Each

Some Everybody Both
Any Nobody Few

6. Interrogative Pronoun - used to ask a question

Examples
 Who is going to arrive first?
 What are you bringing to the party?

Who What

Where Which
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

An antecedent is a word for which a pronoun stands.  (ante = "before")

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.
Rule: A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a
plural noun.
1.  A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number
of the antecedent.

                    
2.  Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

 Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.   

 Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.

                    

 Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be

either singular or plural. 

          EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL:  some, any, none, all, most

              

3.  Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.

                         

4.  With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closer to the pronoun.

                          

                          

5.  Collective Nouns  (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or

plural, depending on meaning.    

                          

6.  Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a

singular referent.

                              

                                

7.  Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent.  (news,

measles, mumps, physics, etc)
                            

8.  Every or Many a  before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.

                            
9.  The number of   vs  A number of  before a subject:

 The number of is singular.  

                           

 A number of is plural.

                                    

Pronoun Rules:

Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.
You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a
simple sentence.

Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They will follow to
be verbs, such as is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been, etc.

Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when who refers to a personal
pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.

Rule 4. In addition to subject pronouns, there are also object pronouns, known more
specifically as direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition (for more detail,
see the definition of a verb in the Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects section). Object
pronouns include me, him, herself, us, them, themselves.
Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the
subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

Rule 6. Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody,
no one, nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs.
This rule is frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither,
followed by of. Those three pronouns always take singular verbs.

Rule 7. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or
as, mentally complete the sentence.

Rule 8. The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never
need apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like her's and your's.

Rule 9. The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
The only time who's has an apostrophe is when it means who is or who has. There is no
apostrophe in oneself. Avoid "one's self," a common error.

Rule 10. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called reflexive pronouns. There are
nine reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves,
yourselves, and themselves.

Rule 11. The use of they and their with singular pronouns is frowned upon by many
traditionalists. To be consistent, it is a good practice to try to avoid they and its variants
(e.g., them, their, themselves) with previously singular nouns or pronouns.

Rule 12. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by and, mentally remove the and + noun
phrase to avoid trouble.
 References

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