PRONOUN

Engla
 Definition
Pronouns are small words that take the place of a noun. The word or
phrase replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent. For example:
When Robert was fixing the car,he cut his hand
(Robert is a noun. He is a pronoun that refers to the antecedent, Robert)
We can use a pronoun instead of a noun. Pronouns are words like:
he,you,ours,themselves,some,each,etc. If we didn’t have pronouns,we would
have to repeat a lot of nouns. We would have to say things like:
• Do you like the president? I don’t like the president. The president is too
pompous.
With pronouns, we can say :
• Do you like the president? I don’t like him. He is too pompous.
 FUNCTION
Pronouns are used to:
v Refer to a noun (called its antecedent) that usually comes before the pronoun.
v Make your writing clearer,smoother,and less awkward.
Pay attention to the examples below. Decide which ones the antecedents are and
which ones the pronouns are:
1) Roberto feels that he can win the race.
2) Terry and Jim know that they are best friends
In the first sentence, the noun antecedent is Roberto and he is the pronoun. In the
second sentence, Terry and Jim are the noun antecedents and they is the pronoun.
 KINDS
A.Personal Pronoun
B.Demonstrative Pronouns
C.Possessive Pronouns
D.Interrogative Pronouns
E.Reflexive Pronoun
F. Reciprocal Pronoun
G.Indefinite Pronoun
H.Relative Pronoun
I. Pronoun Case
 A. PERSONAL PRONOUN
Personal pronouns represent specific people or things. They are used depending on:

P e rs ona l P ronouns
Numbe r P e rs on Ge nde r
S ubject Obje ct
1st Ma le /fe ma le I Me
2nd Ma le /fe ma le You You
S ingular Ma le He Him
rd
3 Fe ma le S he He r
Ne ute r It It
st
1 Ma le /fe ma le We Us
2nd Ma le /fe ma le You You
P lura l
Ma le /fe ma le /
3 rd The y The m
ne ute r
Example :
l I like coffee
l John helped me
l Do you like coffee
l John loves you
l He runs fast
l Did Ram beat him?
l She is clever
l Does Mary know her?
l It doesn’t work
l Can the engineer repair it?
l We went home
l Anthony drove us
l Do you need a table for three?
l Did John and Mary beat you at doubles?
l They played doubles
l John and Mary beat them
 B.DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
A demonstrative pronoun represents a thing or things:
l Near in distance or time (this,these)
l Far in distance or time (that,those)

Nea r Fa r
S ingula r This Tha t
P lura l The s e Thos e
Example :
u This tastes good
u Have you seen this?
u These are bad times
u Do you like these?
u That is beautiful
u Look at that!
u Those were the days!
u Can you see those?
u This is heavier than that
u These are bigger than those
 C.POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
Possessive pronouns are used to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things (the
“antecedent”) belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an
animal/animals or thing/things).
Numbe r P e rs on Ge nde r (of “owner “) P os s e s s ive P ronouns
1s t Ma le /fe ma le Mine
2n d Ma le /fe ma le Yours
S ingula r
3rd Ma le His
Fe ma le He rs
st
1 Ma le /fe ma le Ours
P lura l 2n d Ma le /fe ma le Yours
3rd Ma le /fe ma le /ne ute r The irs
We use possessive pronouns depending on:

Examples:
ü Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject= my picture)
ü I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object= my flowers)
ü I looked everywhere for your key. I found John’s key but i couldn’t find yours
(object=your key)
ü My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject=your flowers)
ü Here is your car. Ours is over there,where we left it. (subject=our car)
ü Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. ( subject= our photos)
 D.INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS
Interrogative Pronouns are used to ask questions. The interrogative pronoun
represents the thing no known (what we are asking the question about). There are four
main interrogative pronoun: who,whom,what,which. Notice that the possessive
pronoun whose can also be an interrogative pronoun (an interrogative possessive
pronoun).
S ubject Obje ct
P e rson Who Whom

S ubje ct Obje ct
Thing What
P e rson/thing Which
P e rson Whose
Look at these example questions. In the sample answer,the noun phrase that the
interrogative pronoun represents is shown in bold.
Que s tion Ans we r
Who told you? John told me S ubje ct
Whom did you te ll? I told Mary Obje ct
What’s ha ppe ne d? An accide nt’s ha ppe ne d S ubje ct
What do you wa nt? I wa nt c offe e Obje ct
Which ca me firs t? The pors che 911 ca me S ubje ct
firs t
Which will the doctor The doctor will s e e the Obje ct
s e e firs t? patie nt in blue firs t
The re ’s one ca r mis s ing. John’s (car) ha s n’t S ubje ct
Whos e ha s n’t a rrive d? a rrive d
We ’ve found e ve ryone ’s I found John’s (ke ys ) Obje ct
ke ys . Whos e did you
find?
 E.REFLEXIVE PRONOUN
A reflexive pronoun is used when one wants to refer back to the subject of the
sentence or clause. Reflexive pronouns end in “self “(singular) or “selves “(plural).
There are eight reflexive pronouns:

Refle xive P ronoun

S ingula r Mys e lf
Yours e lf
Hims e lf,he rs e lf,its e lf
P lura l Ours e lve s
Yours e lve s
The ms e lve s
Look at these examples:
P e rs ona l pronoun
The unde rline d words are NOT the
s ame pe rs on/thing
P e rs ona l pronoun
J ohn s a w me
Why doe s he bla me you?
Da vid s e nt him a copy
Da vid s e nt he r a copy
My dog hurt the ca t
We bla me you
Ca n you he lp my childre n?
The y ca nnot look a fte r the ba bie s
Re fle xive pronoun
The unde rline d words are the S AME
pe rs on/thing
Re fle xive pronoun
I s a w mys e lf in the mirror
Why do you bla me yours e lf?
J ohn s e nt hims e lf a copy
Ma ry s e nt he rs e lf a copy
My dog hurt its e lf
We bla me ours e lve s
Ca n you he lp yours e lve s?
The y ca nnot look a fte r look
the ms e lve s
 F.RECIPROCAL PRONOUN
Reciprocal pronoun is used when each of two or more subjects is acting in the same
way towards the other. For example, A is talking to B. and B is talking to A. therefore
the two sentences can be combined as follows:
v A and B are talking to each other.
OR
v A and B are talking to one another.
The action is “reciprocated”. john talks to Mary and Mary talks to John. I give you a
present and you give me a present. The dog bites the cat and the cat bites the dog.
There are only two reciprocal pronouns,and they are both two words:
l Each other
l One another
When these reciprocal pronouns are used:
l There must be two or more people,things or groups involved (so we cannot use
reciprocal pronouns with I,you [singular],he/she/it),and.
l They must be doing the same thing
Look at other examples below:
u John and Mary love each other.
u Peter and David hate each other.
u The ten prisoners were all blaming one another.
u Both teams played hard against each other.
u We gave each other gifts.
 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 are:
l
All,another,any,anybody/anyone,anything,each,everybody/everyone,everything,few,ma
ny,nobody,none,one,several,some,somebody/someone
Note that many indefinite pronouns also function as other parts of speech. Look at
“another “ in the following sentences:
1) He has one job in the day and another at night. (pronoun)
2) I’d like another drink,please. (adjective)
Notice that a singular pronoun takes a singular verb AND that any personal pronoun
should also agree (in number and gender). look at these examples:
l Each of the players has a doctor.
l I met two girls. One has given me her phone number.
Similarly,plural pronouns need plural agreement:
l Many have expressed their views.


P ronoun Me a ning Exa mple

Anothe r S ingular a n a dditiona l or
diffe re nt pe rs on or thing
Anybody/a nyone No ma tte r wha t pe rs on
Anyting No ma tte r wha t thing
Ea ch Eve ry one of two or more
pe ople or things ,s e e n
s e pa ra te ly
Eithe r One or the othe r of two
pe ople or things
Tha t ice -cre a m wa s good.
Ca n i ha ve a nothe r?
Ca n a nyone a ns we r this
que s tion?
The doctor ne e ds to know if
you ha ve e a te n a nything in
the la s t two hours .
Ea ch ha s his own thoughts .
Do you wa nt te a or coffe e ? / i
don’t mind,e ithe r is good for
me .
Enough As much or a s ma ny a s Enough is e nough
ne e de d
Eve rybody/e ve ryo All pe ople We ca n s ta rt the me e ting
ne be ca us e e ve rybody ha s
a rrive d.
Eve rything All things The y ha ve no hous e or
pos s e s s ions . The y los t
e ve rything in the e a rthqua ke .
Le s s A s ma ller a mount “le s s is more “ (Mie s va n de r
R ohe )
Little A s ma ll a mount Little is know a bout his e a rly
life .
Much A la rge a mount Much ha s ha ppe ne d s ince we
me t
Ne ithe r Not one a nd not the othe r I ke e p te lling J a ck a nd J ill but
of two pe ople or things ne ithe r be lie ve s me
Nobody/noone No pe rs on I phone d ma ny time s but
nobody a ns we re d
Nothing No s ingle thing,not If you don’t know the a ns we r
a nything it’s be s t to s a y nothing
One An unide ntifie d pe rs on Ca n one s moke he re ? All the
s tude nts a rrive d but now one
is mis s ing
Othe r A diffe re nt pe rs on or thing One wa s ta ll a nd the othe r
from one a lre a dy wa s s hort
me ntione d
S ome body/s ome o An uns pe cifie d or Cle a rly s ome body murde re d
ne unknown pe rs on him. It wa s not s uicide
S ome thing An uns pe cifie d or Lis te n! I jus t he a rd s ome thing!
unknown thing Wha t could it be ?
You An unide ntifie d pe rs on And you ca n s e e why
(informa l)
Both Two pe ople or J ohn like s coffe e but not te a . I
things ,s e e n toge the r think both a re good
Fe w A s ma ll numbe r of pe ople Fe w ha ve e ve r dis obe ye d him
or things a nd live d
Fe we r A re duce d nube r of Fe we r a re s moking the s e
pe ople or things da ys .
Ma ny A la rge numbe r of pe ople Ma ny ha ve come a lre a dy
or things
Othe rs Othe r pe ople ; not us I’m s ure tha t othe rs ha ve trie d
be fore us
S e ve ra l More tha n two but not The y a ll compla ined a nd
ma ny s e ve ra l le ft the me e ting
The y P e ople in ge ne ra l The y s a y tha t ve ge ta ble s a re
(informa l) good for you
All The whole qua ntity of All is forgive n.
s ome thing or of s ome All ha ve a rrive d.
things or pe ople
Any No ma tte r how much or Is a ny le ft?
how ma ny Are a ny coming?
More A gre a te r qua ntity of The re is more ove r the re .
s ome thing; a gre a te r More a re coming
numbe r of pe ople or
things
Mos t The ma jority;ne a rly a ll Mos t is los t.
Mos t ha ve re fus e d.
None Not a ny;no pe rs on or The y fixe d the wa te r s o why is
pe rs ons none coming out of ta p?
I invite d five frie nds but none
ha ve come
S ome An uns pe cifie d qua ntity of He re is s ome .
s oe thing;a n uns pe cifie d S ome ha ve a rrive d.
nube r of pe ople or things
S uch Of the type a lre a dy He wa s a fore igne r a nd he fe lt
me ntione d tha t he wa s tre a te d a s s uch.
 H.RELATIVE PRONOUN
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a “relative
“ pronoun because it “relates “ to the word that it modifies.
There are five relative pronouns: who,whom,whose,which,that. Who (subject) and
whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession (for people or
things). which is for things. That can be used for people** and things and as subject
and object in defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentences and
don’t simply add extra information). Relative pronouns can refer to singular or
plural,and there is no difference between male and female. Look at these examples
showing defining and non-defining relative clauses:
De fining Exa mple s e nte nce s Note s
S ubje ct The pe rs on who phone d me la s t
night is my te a che r
The pe rs on that phone d me la s t That is pre fe ra ble
night is my te a che r
The ca r which hit me wa s ye llow
The ca rs that hit me we re ye llow That is pre fe ra ble
Obje ct The pe rs on whom i phone d la s t Whom is corre ct but
night is my te a che r ve ry form a l. The re la tive
pronoun is optiona l
The pe ople who i phone d la s t night
a re my te a che rs
The pe rs on that i phone d la s t night is That is pre fe ra ble to
my te a che r which. R e lative pronoun
is optiona l
The pe rs on I phone d la s t night is my
te a che r
The ca r which i drive is old
The ca r that tha t i drive is old.
The ca r I drive is old
P ossessive The students whose phone just rang
should stand up
S tudents whose parents are wealthy
pay extra
The police are looking for the car
whose driver was masked
The police are looking for the car of Of which is usual for
which the driver was masked things,but whose is
sometimes possible
Non de fining E xa mple s e nte nce s Note s
S ubje ct Mrs P ra tt,who is ve ry kind,is my
te a che r
The ca r,which wa s a
ta xi,e xploded
The ca rs ,which we re
ta xis ,e xploded
Obje ct Mrs P ra tt,whom I like ve ry Whom is corre ct but
much,is my te a che r ve ry form a l, who is
Mr a nd Mrs P ra tt,who I like ve ry norma l
much a re my te a che rs
The ca r,which i wa s driving a t the
time ,s udde nly ca ught fire
P os s e s s ive My brothe r,whos e phone you jus t Of which is us ua l for
he a rd,is a doctor things ,but whos e is
The ca r,whos e drive r jumpe d out s ome time s pos s ible
jus t be fore the a ccide nt,wa s
comple te ly de s troye d
The ca r,the drive r of which
jumpe d out jus t be fore the
a ccide nt,wa s comple te ly
de s troye d.
 I.PRONOUN CASE
Pronouns (and nouns) in english display “case “ according to their function in the
sentences. Their function can be:
Ø Subjective (they act as the subject)
Ø Objective (they act as the object)
Ø Possessive (they show possession of something else)
The following table shows the different forms for pronouns depending on case
 S ubje ctive obje ctive c as e Pos s e s s ive
c as e cas e
S ingular I Me Mine
1s t
2nd You You Yours
He Him His
P e rs ona l
3rd S he He r He rs
pronouns
It It Its
P lura l 1 s t We Us Ours
2nd You You Yours
3rd The y The m The irs
Who Whom whos e
Re la tive /inte rrog whoe ve r whome ve r
a tive pronouns Which/tha t/wh Which/tha t/wh
at at
Inde finite Eve rybody Eve rybody Eve rybody’
pronouns s
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION
ASSALAMU'ALAIKUM :)