PRONOUNS

Introduction
Pronouns
Noun – from Latin nomen meaning name

A pronoun is a word or phrase that takes the place of a

noun or noun phrase, which once replaced, is known as the
pronoun’s antecedent

- pronouns can do everything that nouns can do.

- a pronoun can act as a subject, direct object, indirect
object, object of the preposition, and more.

John has an idea, but he isn’t confident about it.

John = antecedent of pronoun he
Why do we use pronouns?
To avoid repetition.
Most pronouns are very short words.

Examples include:
They can be subjects of verbs, direct and
• He Indirect objects etc.

• She
• They
• Your
• ours
• Who
• Someone
 Types of Pronouns
• Indefinite pronouns – those referring to one or more unspecified objects,
beings, or places e.g. anyone, neither, every, all, each etc.
• Personal pronouns – those associated with a certain person, thing, or
group; all except you have distinct forms that indicate singular or plural
number e.g. I, we, you, us etc.  see grammar rules pdf.
• Reflexive pronouns – those preceded by the adverb, adjective, pronoun,
or noun to which they refer, and ending in –self or –selves
• Demonstrative pronouns – those used to point to something specific
within a sentence: this, that, these, those
• Possessive pronouns – those designating possession or ownership
• Relative pronouns –refer to nouns mentioned previously, acting to
introduce an adjective (relative) clause e.g. who, whom, that etc.
• Interrogative pronouns – those which introduce a question
• Reciprocal pronouns – those expressing mutual actions or relationship;
i.e. one another, each other
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns (one of several types of pronouns)
may have different forms, depending on their number
(singular or plural), person (first, second or third),
gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and case
(subject, object, or possessive)
Personal Pronouns
• The person – Who is speaking?
• The number – Is the pronoun plural or singular?
• The gender – Is the pronoun feminine, masculine, or neuter?
Example:

We would love for you to join us.

I enjoyed hearing her sing.
PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT

An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a

pronoun refers, understood by the context.

The nouns that pronouns replace come before them

(ante – before)
Example: At first Jim hesitated, but then he agreed to
come with us.

In this sentence, he is a pronoun replacing (and

referring back to) the noun Jim. Jim is the antecedent of
he.
Agreement

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in three

ways:

• Person refers to the quality of being.

• Number : singular or plural
• Gender : masculine or feminine.