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A pronoun is often used in place of a noun. This is to promote fluency and avoid repetition. An example would be:
Janet went to the cinema last night and she had a great time.
‘She’ is the pronoun that replaces the proper noun ‘Janet’. Without the pronoun, the above sentence might read something like this:
Janet went to the cinema last night and Janet had a great time.
This unnecessary repetition is avoided through the use of pronouns which makes the writing more fluent.
There are five different types of pronouns that we will need to look at in more detail. They are organised into their categories below:
| Personal Pronouns | Object Pronouns | Possessive Pronouns | Reflexive Pronouns | DemonstrativePronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I/me | me | mine | myself | this |
| you | you | yours | yourself | that |
| he | him | his | himself | these (plural of ‘this’) |
| she | her | hers | herself | those (plural of ‘that’) |
| it | it | its | itself | |
| we | us | ours | ourselves | |
| you (plural) | you (plural) | yours (plural) | yourselves (plural) | |
| they | them | theirs | themselves |
Personal and Object Pronouns
Personal and object pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things. They replace proper nouns and tell us about who is speaking and who/what they are speaking about. If the pronoun is the subject of a sentence, we call it a subject pronoun; if it is the object of the sentence then we call it an object pronoun. Take a look at the table below for a more detailed analysis and examples of personal pronouns:
| Number | Person | Gender | Subject | Object | Example (subject) | Example (object) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M/F | I | me | I went to the shop. | He wouldn’t show me. | |
| 2nd | M/F | you | you | Will you come with me? | I would like you there. | |
| Singular | M | he | him | He didn’t go swimming. | Dad told him off. | |
| 3rd | F | she | her | She likes dancing. | It wasn’t her fault. | |
| Neutral | it | it | It was really good. | I don’t know it. | ||
| 1st | M/F | we | us | We enjoyed the holiday. | It’s not like us to be late. | |
| Plural | 2nd | M/F | you | you | Do you both want to come to the party? | He has invited you all. |
| 3rd | M/F/Neu. | they | them | They wanted to go home. | I didn’t really like them. |
In Standard English, ‘they’ is not only used to address something that is plural anymore. The pronoun ‘it’ has come to be recognised as a harsh pronoun used to address animals or people; therefore, ‘they’ will sometimes be used when the gender of a person or animal is not known. For example:
- Your cat is lovely; they look so cute.
- If your child is interested in the college, then they can come in for one of our open days.
Possessive Pronouns
Like the name suggests, possessive pronouns are used to show possession. Take a look at the table below for a more detailed analysis and examples of possessive pronouns:
| Number | Person | Gender | Possessive Pronouns | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M/F | mine | That coat is mine. | |
| Singular | 2nd | M/F | yours | Is that bag yours? |
| 3rd | M | his | I think his car is nice. | |
| F | hers | I think that is hers. | ||
| 1st | M/F | ours | The house is ours. | |
| Plural | 2nd | M/F | yours | Are those tickets both of yours? |
| 3rd | M/F/Neu. | theirs | Your grades are much better than all of theirs. |
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used to refer to the subject in the sentence or clause. Take a look at the table below for a more detailed analysis and examples of reflexive pronouns:
| Number | Person | Gender | Reflexive Pronouns | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | M/F | myself | ‘I will go by myself.’ | |
| Singular | 2nd | M/F | yourself | ‘Mia, control yourself.’ |
| M | himself | ‘He introduced himself as Ben.’ | ||
| 3rd | F | herself | ‘She wasn’t sure of herself.’ | |
| Neutral | itself | ‘The cat hurt itself.’ | ||
| 1st | M/F | ourselves | ‘We really enjoyed ourselves.’ | |
| Plural | 2nd | M/F | yourselves | ‘Please, go and help yourselves.’ |
| 3rd | M/F | themselves | ‘The children are old enough to make tea themselves now.’ |
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point to something specific that is either near or far in distance. They are: ‘this’, ‘that’, ‘these’ (plural of ‘this’) and ‘those’ (plural of ‘that’). They are also referred to as demonstrative adjectives (don’t be alarmed as they have the same function and can be called either; they are interchangeable). Below are a few examples:
- This book is great.
- I am really enjoying that book you got me.
- These sweets are delicious.
- Those children are so well behaved.
Please note that some words do not just function as a pronoun. For example, demonstrative pronouns are also all ‘determiners’, and are able to be described as either/or if you wish. However, these pronouns also have other functions and they therefore must be assessed depending on the particular context that surrounds them. See below for further information and explanations on the other functions of the four demonstrative pronouns.
‘This’
‘This’ is also a determiner and an adverb:
- Determiner: ‘This’ as a determiner is interchangeable with its description as a pronoun. In other words, ‘this’, as a determiner and a pronoun, is described as pointing to something specific that is either near or far in distance. For example, in the sentence ‘this book is great’, ‘this’ is both a pronoun and a determiner.
- Adverb: For ‘this’ to be an adverb, there is a different rule. ‘This’ is only an adverb when it indicates the extent or degree of something. For example, ‘they won’t be able to fit the contents of the car in a cupboard this small.’
‘That’
‘That’ is a determiner, adverb and conjunction:
- Determiner: ‘That’ as a determiner, again, is interchangeable with its rules as a pronoun; it is described as identifying a specific person or thing observed by whoever is speaking. For example, ‘I am really enjoying that book you got me.
- Adverb: For ‘that’ to be an adverb it follows the same rule as it does for ‘this’ being an adverb. In other words, when it indicates something to such a degree. For example, ‘I can’t believe the car went that slow.’
- Conjunction: For ‘that’ to be a conjunction it needs to express a reason, result, cause, wish or regret. For example, ‘Oh, I wish that he didn’t have to go.’ Or, to introduce a subordinate clause. For example, ‘She said that she didn’t want to go outside’ – here, ‘that’ is introducing the subordinate clause ‘she said’.
‘These’
‘These’ is a determiner for the same reason it is a pronoun. For example:
- When we say ‘these sweets are delicious’, ‘these’ is both a determiner and a pronoun (although naming them as either one would be suitable as they are interchangeable).
‘Those’
Again, ‘those’ is also a determiner for the same reason it’s a pronoun. For example:
- ‘Those children are so well behaved’ – here, it can be described as either a pronoun or a determiner.
