A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence.

The noun that is replaced by a pronoun is called an

antecedent. For example, in the sentence I love my dog because he is a good boy, the word he is a pronoun that
replaces the noun dog.
Pronoun examples
1. We looked for Britney at her house, but she wasn’t there.
2. I took my car to the mechanic to get it fixed.
3. This is the best birthday ever!
4. Someone donated $500 to our charity.
5. Andy thinks that mayonnaise goes well with anything.

Common types of pronouns

Possessive pronouns
A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that expresses possession, ownership, origin, relationship, etc.
Possessive pronoun examples
 mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Possessive pronouns used in sentences
 That toy on the shelf is mine.
 All of the houses in our neighborhood look the same, but ours is the only one with a satellite dish.
 Wendy and Ronald separated the french fries into two piles: the left one was hers and the right one
was his.
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are pronouns that we use to refer to people and, sometimes, animals. The
pronouns it, they, and them can also apply to objects.
Personal pronoun examples
 I, you, she, he, it, we, they, me, us, them
Personal pronouns used in sentences
 I am afraid of mice.
 The toaster gets really hot when it heats bread.
 My cats are friendly, so you can safely pet them.
Do you know the history behind using they and themself as singular pronouns? Find out more
and why they are making a comeback now.
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns connect dependent clauses to independent clauses.
Relative pronoun examples
 who, whom, which, what, that
Relative pronouns used in sentences
 I need to find a person who can read Swedish.
 She doesn’t want to eat a meal that is too spicy.
 This book, which ends on a cliffhanger, is really exciting.
Reflexive pronouns
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun used as an object of a verb that refers to the same person or thing as
the subject of the verb.
Reflexive pronoun examples
 myself, yourself, itself, herself, himself, ourselves, themselves
Reflexive pronouns used in sentences
 Ken looked at himself in the mirror.
 I like to cheer myself up with desserts.
 The silly clowns made fools of themselves.
Intensive pronouns
Intensive pronouns refer back to the subject in order to add emphasis. Intensive pronouns are identical
in appearance to reflexive pronouns.
Intensive pronoun examples
 myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, themselves
Intensive pronouns used in sentences
 I built my house myself.
 The children made the cookies themselves.
  Often, the stress of giving a speech is worse than the speech itself.
Indefinite pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that doesn’t specifically identify who or what it is referring to.
Indefinite pronoun examples
 some, somebody, anyone, anywhere, nothing, everybody
Indefinite pronouns used in sentences
 This note could have been written by anybody.
 Someone ate my lunch.
 The water splashed everywhere.

Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific things.
Demonstrative pronoun examples
 this, that, these, those
Demonstrative pronouns used in sentences
 This is my favorite shirt.
 I don’t know what that is, but it definitely isn’t friendly.
 I need you to fix these.
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are pronouns used to ask questions about unknown people or things.
Interrogative pronoun examples
 who, whom, what, which, whose
Interrogative pronouns used in sentences
 Who wrote this letter?
 What is an amphibian?
 Which is the correct answer?
Reciprocal pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns express mutual relationships or actions.
Reciprocal pronoun examples
 each other, one another
Reciprocal pronouns used in sentences
 My sister and I love each other.
 The members of the team support one another.
 The two fishermen love to compete with each other.

Singular and plural pronouns

Like nouns, pronouns can either be singular or plural.

Singular pronouns
Singular pronouns refer to a single person or thing. Like singular nouns, singular pronouns must use
singular verbs.

Singular pronoun examples

 I, he, she, it, one, this, someone, something, anyone, nobody
Singular pronouns used in sentences
 Melanie is so good at movie trivia that she never gets a single question wrong.
 Somebody is standing next to the window.
 This is the best cake I have ever eaten.
Plural pronouns
Plural pronouns refer to multiple people or things. Plural pronouns must use plural verbs.
Plural pronoun examples
 we, they, us, them, ourselves, themselves, those, these, many, several, others
Plural pronouns used in sentences
 We go to the gym every day.
 These paintings aren’t as old as those are.
  Several of the ducks know that children like to feed them bread.
. Identify the pronouns and the type of pronoun in the following sentences:

1. I am going home today evening.

2. Her aunt will be vacating next week.
3. She is the girl I was talking to you about.
4. This is the place where I found my missing bag.
5. Did you do it yourself?
6. It was a time when I was so happy.
7. We always help each other out.
8. Has everyone completed the work that was assigned for today?
9. That dog down the street is his.
10. All my friends are coming home for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary celebration.

Now, let us check how far you have got it right.

1. I am going home today evening. Personal Pronoun/Subject Pronoun

2. Her aunt will be vacating next week. Possessive Pronoun
3. She is the girl I was talking to you about. Personal Pronoun
4. This is the place where I found my missing bag. Relative Pronoun
5. Did you do it yourself? Personal Pronoun, Intensive Pronoun
6. It was a time when I was so happy. Relative Pronoun
7. We always help each other out. Reciprocal Pronoun
8. Has everyone completed the work that was assigned for today? Indefinite Pronoun
9. That dog down the street is his. Possessive Pronoun
10. All my friends are coming home for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary celebration. Possessive Pronoun

II. Use suitable pronouns to substitute the underlined nouns in the following sentences:

1. Josh and Derrick visited Disneyland last month.

2. Sarah did not come home last evening.
3. My mom could not find her cupboard keys.
4. Yesterday was my parents’ wedding anniversary.
5. The cat drank all the milk that was left in the kitchen.
6. Sheela and Teena found it hard to move the sofa set across the hall as the sofa set was too heavy for Sheela
and Teena to carry.
7. Divya is Danny’s sister.
8. That silver Brezza belongs to Emmanuel and Usha.
9. My pet dog just lay on the floor the whole day.
10. The teacher asked the students if the students had submitted the students’ assignments.

Check your answers here.

1. They visited Disneyland last month.

2. She did not come home last evening.
3. She could not find her cupboard keys.
4. Yesterday was their wedding anniversary.
5. It drank all the milk that was left in the kitchen.
6. Sheela and Teena found it hard to move the sofa set across the hall as it was too heavy for them to carry.
7. She is his sister.
8. That silver Brezza belongs to them.
9. It just lay on the floor the whole day.
10. The teacher asked the students if they had submitted their assignments.