A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns are employed mainly to avoid the repetition of nouns in a sentence.
For instance, the following sentence sounds odd because some nouns have been repeated.
“The boxer won the fight because the boxer trained very hard for the fight and carried out the instructions given to the boxer by the boxer’s trainer.”
However, if appropriate pronoun substitutions are made, the passage reads thus;
“The boxer won the fight because he trained very hard for it and carried out the instructions given him by his trainer.”
Functions of Pronouns
Since pronoun is used in place of nouns, they also perform the same tasks as nouns, which include the following;
i. The subject of a sentence
E.g.
– He kicked the ball
– Everybody is present in the class
ii. Object of a verb
E.g.
– The dog bit him (direct object)
– Our teacher gave me the information (indirect object)
iii. Complement of subject
E.g.
– That is you in the picture (complement of “that”)
– Who are they? (complement of “who”)
iv. Complement of object
E.g.
– We can prove the thief to be him (complement of “thief”)
– He regards his master as me (complement of “his master”)
v. Complement of a preposition
E.g.
– Abel sent the parcel to him
– We have asked for it
ALSO READ: Verbs As a Part Of Speech In English Grammar – Forms & Classification According To Usage
Types of Pronouns
There are different types of pronouns; below is a list of them;
1. Personal Pronouns
These refer to the person speaking (first person), the person spoken to (second person), and the person or thing spoken about (third person). Personal pronouns have singular and plural forms as well as subject and object forms.
- The following shows the various forms of personal pronouns;
Singular Plural
Subject Object Subject Object
First Person I me we us
Second Person you you you you
Third Person he him they them
She her they them
It it they them
2. Possessive Pronouns
This type of pronoun shows possession and it has two forms; one form functions as an adjective and is sometimes referred to as a pronominal adjective and the other one is a pure pronoun and functions as a pronoun.
For example;
- This is my book (‘my’ functions as an adjective modifying “book.”)
- The book is mine (‘mine’ is a subject complement)
Below is the example of possessive pronouns in their adjective and pronoun forms;
Singular Plural
Adj form Pronoun form Adj form Pronoun form
First Person my mine our ours
Second Person your yours your yours
Third Person his his their theirs
Her hers their theirs
Its their theirs
3. Reflexive Pronoun
These are pronouns that refer to (“reflect”) the subject of the sentence. They have the ending ‘self’ in their singular forms and the ‘selves’ in their plural forms.
E.g.
– The murderer hanged himself (‘himself’ refers to ‘the murderer’)
– Madmen often talk to themselves (‘themselves’ refer to ‘madmen’)
- The table below shows the reflexive pronoun in their singular and plural forms;
Singular Plural
First Person: myself ourselves
Second Person: yourself yourselves
Third Person: himself themselves
herself themselves
itself themselves
Emphatic Use of Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are sometimes used for emphasis in the following examples;
E.g.
– I myself did the work/I did the work myself. (‘myself’ emphasizes the pronoun ‘I’)
– He himself has never been to the city/he has never himself been to the city. (‘himself’ emphasizes the pronoun ‘he’)
NOTE: Reflexive pronouns in emphatic use are not as restricted in their positions in the sentence as the reflexive pronouns in non-emphatic use. Also, avoid the fairly common error of using the reflexive pronoun E.g. [(a) James and myself will go. (b) The money is meant for you and myself]. Instead of the personal pronoun as in, [(a) James and I will go. (b) The money is meant for you and I].
4. Reciprocal Pronouns
These are pronouns used when the action expressed by the verb is shared by those concerned or involved.
E.g.
– Joana and Kyle like each other (the act of liking is shared by both)
– The players congratulated one another on their victory. (All the players are involved in the act of congratulating).
Note the difference between ‘each other’ and ‘one another’;
- ‘each other’ is normally used when two people or things are involved.
- ‘one another’ is preferred when more than two people or things are involved.
5. Demonstrative Pronouns
These pronouns point out specific persons, places, or things. They have singular and plural forms as shown in the following table
Singular Plural
This These
That Those
While ‘this’ and ‘these’ point to objects that are near, ‘that’ and ‘those’ point to objects that are comparatively distant.
E.g.
– This is my book
– These are my books
– That is your book
– Those are your books.
6. Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used in making questions. These pronouns are who, whom, whose, what, which, where, when, how, etc.
E.g.
– Who is the captain of the team? (‘who’ is the subject of the sentence.)
– For whom did you buy the gift? (‘whom’ is the object after the preposition ‘for’)
– Which is the longest river in Africa? (‘which’ is the subject of the sentence).
Also, interrogative pronouns can function as adjectives;
E.g.
– Whose car are you driving? (‘whose’ modifies ‘car’)
– What game do you like best? (‘what’ modifies ‘game’)
– Which skill do you know best? (‘which modifies ‘skill’).
Note that ‘which’ is used when the choice is limited to a specific number, whereas, ‘what’ is used when the choice is not limited to a specific number.
7. Relative Pronouns
The relative pronoun introduces a clause – the relative clause – which is also described as an ‘adjectival clause’. It links the clause to its antecedent. The antecedent of a relative pronoun is the world that precedes it and to which it refers. The pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, that, where, when, and how.
E.g.
– The boy who won the prize is my brother
– The man whom I told you about is dead
– She is the lady whose car is missing
– He wrote the poem which (or that) won the prize
– I saw the boy who (or that) killed the python
– It was the best game that I ever watched
– The school where the football field is, produces the best players.
– The time when I was asleep he came in
– We saw how it all happened on television.
8. Indefinite Pronoun
These pronouns are so-called because they are not specified or definite. Below are some examples of indefinite pronouns;
Any some all none few
Anybody somebody everybody nobody little
Anyone someone everyone no one many
Anything something everything nothing several
Usage of Indefinite Pronouns
(a). Some indefinite pronouns are used with singular verbs, while others are used with plural verbs.
E.g.
– Everybody is annoyed with him. (singular)
– Nobody wants him back as principal. (singular)
– Each candidate has a degree in Economics. (singular)
– Few are required for the job. (Plural)
– Many want to attend the party. (plural)
– Both like coffee. (plural)
(b). Some indefinite pronouns are post-modified by adjectives, that is, the adjectives come after the pronouns which they modify.
E.g.
– I shall do everything possible to win the contest
– We want something cold to drink
(c) Some indefinite pronouns change their forms in order to show possession.
E.g.
– Somebody: Somebody’s (You’re using somebody’s biro)
– Anyone: Anyone’s (Don’t destroy anyone’s property)
– Everybody: Everybody’s (His success is everybody’s concern).
A pronoun is a very important part of speech in English grammar. It is quite complex and adds much more meaning to our sentences. However, with this article, you are good to go with the basic things you need to know about pronouns.
Thank you and good luck!