Using Pronouns

What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that stands in for
a noun, often to avoid the need to
repeat the same noun over and over.
Like nouns, pronouns can refer to
people, things, concepts, and places.
Most sentences contain at least one
noun or pronoun.
The main function of pronouns is to replace
nouns. Because of this, they are used in
sentences in similar ways to nouns.
Like nouns, pronouns commonly serve as the
subject of a sentence, followed by a verb.

I asked her if the headphones were hers, but she said they belonged to someone else.
It might rain tomorrow, but there isn’t much we can do about that.

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✘ A pronoun can also function as the object in a sentence—either a direct or
indirect object:
✘ The direct object is something or someone that is directly acted upon by
the verb.
Example: Give me that!
✘ The indirect object is someone or something that receives the direct
object.
Example: Can you promise her this?

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 Pronoun Antecedent

The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun that it refers back to. It’s
usually mentioned in the text before the pronoun, but sometimes it
comes just after it in a sentence.
Example: Annie was late to class again because she missed the bus.

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There are different types of
Pronouns

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 1. Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are words that refer to yourself, the person you’re
addressing, or other people and things.
- Personal pronouns can change their form based on:
oPerson (first-, second-, or third-person)
oNumber (singular or plural)
oGender (masculine, feminine or neutral)

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 2. Indefinite Pronouns
Pronouns  that don’t indicate a fixed number of people, persons, and things.
Examples:

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 3. Interrogative Pronouns
These are used to ask questions.
Examples:

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 4. Demonstrative Pronouns
✘ It is used to refer to a particular name, place, animal, or thing.
✘ For Example:
o This- singular something which is near
o That- singular something far away
o These- plural of something near
o Those- plural of something far away from us

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 5. Reflexive Pronouns
✘ Reflexive pronouns refer back to a person or thing. We often use reflexive
pronouns when the subject and the object of a verb are the same.
✘ For Example:

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6. Possessive Pronouns

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