Pronouns in English Grammar
What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating nouns and make sentences shorter and easier to understand.
Types of Pronouns
Pronouns can be divided into different types, such as:
1. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things. They change form depending on their role in the sentence (subject, object, or possessive).
- I (subject, singular)
- you (subject, singular/plural)
- he/she/it (subject, singular)
- we (subject, plural)
- they (subject, plural)
2. Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession. They replace nouns to indicate possession.
- mine (This book is mine.)
- yours (Is this pencil yours?)
- his (That car is his.)
- hers (The bag is hers.)
- ours (This house is ours.)
3. Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. They end in "self" (singular) or "selves" (plural).
- myself (I did it myself.)
- yourself (You should ask yourself the same question.)
- himself (He enjoyed himself at the party.)
- herself (She bought a gift for herself.)
- themselves (They completed the project by themselves.)
4. Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific things or people. They often refer to something nearby or far away.
- this (Is this your book?)
- that (I don’t like that shirt.)
- these (Are these your shoes?)
- those (I don't like those pens.)
- this (I will choose this option.)
5. Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They help to gather information.
- who (Who is at the door?)
- what (What is your name?)
- which (Which book do you want?)
- whose (Whose bag is this?)
- whom (To whom are you speaking?)
6. Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people, things, or amounts. They don’t refer to a particular noun.
- someone (Someone is knocking on the door.)
- everyone (Everyone is invited to the party.)
- nothing (Nothing happened yesterday.)
- anything (Is there anything to eat?)
- many (How many books do you have?)
7. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses and connect a noun to a phrase or clause that describes it.
- who (The man who called you is my friend.)
- whom (The person whom you invited is here.)
- whose (The girl whose book was lost is sad.)
- which (The book which is on the table is mine.)
- that (The car that we bought is new.)
8. Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns are used when two or more people or things are involved in an action and refer to each other.
- each other (They love each other.)
- one another (The two teams respect one another.)
Questions and Answers
1. Which of the following is an example of a personal pronoun?
Answer: He
2. Which of the following is a possessive pronoun?
Answer: His
3. Which of the following is an example of a reflexive pronoun?
Answer: Myself
4. Which of the following is a demonstrative pronoun?
Answer: That
5. Which of the following is an interrogative pronoun?
Answer: What