Grammar 1 (DT 1113)

TOPIC 2 :
PARTS OF
SPEECH (2)
Week 3
Ms Shasumitha
 Learning Outcome

After studying this unit you should be able to:

• Understand pronouns
• Identify and explain the types of pronouns
 Pronouns
1. Pronoun is a word used for or instead of a Noun. It shows the person or thing
without giving the name.
Example :
Rahim has a car. He likes it. He drives it every day.
2. Pronouns are divided into eight categories. The categories are as follow:
a) Personal Pronoun
b) Possessive Pronoun
c) Demonstrative Pronoun
d) Reflexive and Emphasizing Pronouns
e) Interrogative Pronoun
f) Relative Pronoun
g) Indefinite Pronoun
h) Reciprocal Pronoun
a) Personal Pronoun
▪ are used to replace names and can be used in the following ways.
▪ the subject of a verb
Examples
Mrs. Wong does not drive. She always uses a taxi.
He loves to dance.
▪ The object of a verb
Examples
Ali told us about his holiday.
The man told them to leave.
 Personal pronoun as subject Personal pronoun as object
I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
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?
b) Possessive Pronouns
▪ are used in place of a possessive adjective and a noun.
▪ A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that shows who or what
has something.
▪ Examples

Possessive adjective + noun Possessive pronoun

This is my book. This book is mine.

Possessive adjective Possessive pronoun

My Mine
Your Yours
Her Hers
His His
Its -
Our Ours
Their Theirs
 Examples:
i. Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one.
(subject = my pictures)
ii. I like your flowers. Do you like mine?
(object = my flowers)
iii. Homer’s story is famous.
His story is famous.
iv. This story is Homer’s.
This story is his.

Note: Do not use the apostrophe in the possessive pronouns.

Examples
This pen is hers. (Correct)
This pen is her’s. (Incorrect)
c) Demonstrative Pronoun
▪ are used to point out if a noun is near or far away from the
speaker.
*near in distance or time (this, these)
*far in distance or time (that, those)

Distance Singular Plural Examples

Near the speaker This These This is a beautiful picture.
These apples are delicious.
Far away from the That Those That car under the tree belongs to Ali.
speaker Those boys are up to mischief again.
• Do not confuse demonstrative pronouns with demonstrative
adjectives. They are identical, but a demonstrative pronoun
stands alone, while a demonstrative adjective qualifies a noun.
- That smells. (demonstrative pronoun)
- That book is good. (demonstrative adjective + noun)

• Normally we use demonstrative pronouns for things only. But we

can use them for people when the person is identified. Look at
these examples:
- This is Josef speaking. Is that Mary?
- That sounds like John
d) Reflexive and Emphasizing Pronouns
▪ The Reflexive Pronoun is used to show that the doer is the Subject as
well as the Object of the action expressed by the Verb.
(a) He killed himself.
(b) She lost herself.
(c) They blamed themselves.

▪ The Emphasizing Pronoun is used for the sake of emphasis (i.e. to say
something with force to show the importance of something)
(a) I myself saw it.
(b) The King himself gave away the prizes.
(c) The thing itself is of importance.

* These pronouns end in –self for singular and –selves for plural.
e) Interrogative pronoun
▪ Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. The interrogative pronoun
represents the thing that we don’t know (what we are asking the question
about).
▪ There are four main interrogative pronouns which are who, whom, what,
which
▪ The possessive pronoun whose can also be an interrogative pronoun (an
interrogative possessive pronoun)

Subject Object
Person who whom
Thing what
Person/thing which
Person whose (possessive)
f) Relative pronoun
▪ is a pronoun that introduces a relative (adjective) clause.
▪ It is called a “relative” pronoun because it “relates” to the word that it modifies.
▪ It takes the place of a Noun or Pronoun and it joins two sentences (i.e. does
the work of a Conjunction).
▪ There are five relative pronouns which are who, whom, whose, which and that.
• Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people.
• Whose is for possession.
• Which is for things.
• That can be used for people, and things and as subject and object in defining
relative clauses.
▪ Relative pronouns can refer to singular or plural, and there is no difference
between male and female.
Examples
• The car which hit me was yellow.
• The person whom I phoned last night is my teacher.
• This is the book which I borrowed last week.
• The house that was hit by lightning is on fire.
• Rahim is a good boy who does not tell lies.
• The boy whose bicycle was stolen is my classmate.
g) Indefinite pronoun
▪ An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person,
thing or amount.
▪ It is vague and “not definite”.
▪ Some typical indefinite pronouns

Singular Plural
another everybody no one both
anybody everyone nothing few
anyone everything one many
anything much somebody others
each neither someone several
either nobody something

All, any, most, none and some can be singular or plural, depending on the
phrase that follows them.
 Noun Indefinite pronoun
I would like to go to Paris this summer. I would like to go somewhere this
summer.
Jim gave me this book. Someone gave me this book.
I won't tell your secret to Sam. I won't tell your secret to anyone.
I bought my school supplies at the I bought everything at the mall
mall.
h) Reciprocal Pronoun

▪ Are used to refer to people or object that are both affected the

action of a verb.

▪ Use reciprocal pronoun when each of the two or more subjects is

acting in the same way towards the other.

▪ There are only two reciprocal pronouns :

- each other

- one another
 i. Each other
• Is used with two people or objects.
• Examples
- John and Mary love each other.
- The two girls look out for each other ever since they began working in the city.

ii. One another

• Is used with more than two people or objects.
• Examples
- The ten prisoners were all blaming one another.
- The villagers are talking to one another while waiting for the speaker to arrive.