Pronouns
A pronoun is used in place of a noun or nouns. Common
pronouns include he, her, him, I, it, me, she, them, they, us, and we.
Here are some examples:
INSTEAD OF: Luma is a good athlete.
She is a good
athlete. (The pronoun she replaces Luma.)
INSTEAD OF: The beans and tomatoes are fresh-picked.
They are
fresh-picked. (The pronoun they replaces the beans and tomatoes.)
Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This
noun is known as the antecedent. A pronoun "refers to," or directs
your thoughts toward, its antecedent.
Let's call Luma and ask her to join the team.
(Her is a pronoun; Luma is its antecedent.)
To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that
pronoun refers to. What does her refer to in the sentence above—that is,
who is the her? The her in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma
is the antecedent.
1. Subjective Pronouns
A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence—it
performs the action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she,
they, we, and you.
He spends ages looking out the window.
After lunch, she and I went to the
planetarium.
2. Objective Pronouns
An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentence—it
receives the action of the verb. The objective pronouns are her, him, it,
me, them, us, and you.
Cousin Eldred gave me a trombone.
Take a picture of him, not us!
3. Possessive Pronouns
A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The
possessive pronouns are hers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, and yours.
The red basket is mine.
Yours is on the
coffee table.
4. Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative
pronouns are that, these, this, and those.
That is a good
idea.
These are
hilarious cartoons.
A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative
adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun,
taking the place of a noun.
5. Interrogative Pronouns
An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to
ask about something. The interrogative pronouns are what, which, who, whom,
and compound words ending in "ever," such as whatever, whichever,
whoever, and whomever.
What on earth
is that?
Who ate the
last Fig Newton?
An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative
adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun,
taking the place of a noun.
6. Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general,
person or thing. Indefinite pronouns include all, any, both, each, everyone,
few, many, neither, none, nothing, several, some, and somebody.
Something
smells good.
Many like
salsa with their chips.
An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective,
but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the
place of a noun.
7. Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a
sentence, that describes a noun. The relative pronouns are that, which, who,
and whom.
You should bring the book that you love most.
That
introduces "you love most," which describes the book.
Hector is a photographer who does great work.
Who
introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.
8.Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a
sentence. The reflexive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself,
ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also
act as an intensive pronoun (see below).
Example:
I 1. learned a lot about myself
at summer camp. (Myself refers back to I.)
2.
They should divide the berries among
themselves. (Themselves refers back to they.)
9. Intensive Pronouns
An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun
that comes before it). The intensive pronouns are herself, himself, itself,
myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words
can also act as a reflective pronoun (see above).
Example:
I myself don't like eggs.
The queen herself visited our
class.
