What is a Pronoun? Different Types of Pronouns with Examples

What is a Pronoun? Different Types of Pronouns with Examples

A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or a different pronoun. Pronouns are used to make sentences less cumbersome and more concise. They can also be used to avoid repetition. There are different types of pronouns, including personal pronouns, relative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and demonstrative pronouns. Personal pronouns are used to refer to specific people or things. Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses. Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object are the same. Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things.

What is a pronoun?

Andrew is a good student.
Andrew learns, Andrew’s lessons attentively.
Everybody likes Andrew very much.

The word Andrew has been used repeatedly in the above sentences. As a result, the beauty and sweetness of the sentence have been lost. But if we say Andrew is a good student. He learns his lessons attentively. Everybody likes him very much.

it doesn’t feel bad to hear and there is no difference in the meaning of the sentence. In this sentence, the use of he, his, and him instead of the word Andrew makes the sentence melodious.

Here the word Andrew is Noun. He, his, and him The words have been used instead of the Noun.

Hopefully, now you know what is a pronoun. Okay, then let’s go ahead.

The Definition of the pronoun

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun to indicate it is called a pronoun.

For example, I love my Cat because She is good. The word “She” is a pronoun that replaces the noun Cat. Simply this is the pronoun.

Types of Pronouns/ kinds of pronoun

There are eight types of pronouns:

1. Personal Pronouns: I, we, she, he, you, it, they, etc.
2. Demonstrative Pronouns: This, that, there, those, such, etc.
3. Interrogative Pronouns: Who, which, what, whose, whom, etc.
4. Relative Pronoun: Who, which, what, whose, whom, whose, but, the same…as, Such…as, etc.
5. Indefinite pronoun: One, any, none, both, some, many, etc.
6. Distributive Pronoun: Each, either, neither, every, etc.
7. Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns: Myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, themselves, etc.
8. Reciprocal Pronouns: each other, one another, etc.

 

What Is A Personal Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is a Personal Pronoun?

Personal Pronoun: A personal pronoun is a pronoun used instead of a person or object.

For example-

• I am a boy.
• She is a girl.
• They are playing.
• You are my friend etc.

In the above sentences, I, she, they, and you are Personal Pronouns.

 

Types of Personal Pronouns/ kinds of Personal pronouns

There are three types of personal pronouns-

Personal Pronoun of the First Person: He who speaks is called First Person.
For example – I, we, me. us, my, our, etc.

Personal Pronoun of the Second Person: The one who is addressed is called the second person.
For example-You, thou, thy, your, etc.

Personal Pronoun of the Third Person: The person about whom something is said is called Third Person.
For example- He, She, they, him, his, her, them, their, it, it’s, etc.

 

Comparing Subject and Object Pronouns

Follow the table below to compare subject and object pronouns.

First Person: Masculine and Feminine

Second Person: Masculine and Feminine

Third Person: Masculine and Feminine

Singular 

Plural

 

What Is A Demonstrative Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is a Demonstrative Pronoun?

Demonstrative Pronoun: A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that represents a person or object is called a demonstrative pronoun.

For example–

• This is my book.
• These are my pens.
• That is your ball.
• Those are your pencils etc.

In the above sentences, this, these, that, those- Pronouns have been used instead of Noun (book, pens, ball pencils). So it’s a Demonstrative Pronoun.

 

Use of “This and That” as Pronouns

This and these indicate the nearest person or object. That and those indicate a distant person or object. These, that of Plural those.

For example–

• This is my house.
• That is a school.

What Is A Distributive Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is a Distributive Pronoun?

Distributive Pronoun: A Distributive Pronoun is a pronoun that expresses each of two or more persons or objects individually.

For example –

• Each of the boys will get a pen.
• Either of the two pens will do.
• Neither of the two pens is good.
• Every one of them is present.

Here, each refers to each of the many, either and neither of the two and everyone to each of the many separately.

Uses of Distributive Pronouns

Use of ” Each”

Each is used to denote each one of two or more persons or objects.
It is used in three positions.
a) Each of the boys is guilty.
b) The boys have got each pen.
c) The boys have gotten taka each.

 

If there is no antecedent before each, then each is always Singular and Verb is also Singular.

For example–

• Each of the students appeared in the examination.
• If the antecedent of each is plural, then each is plural.

For example –

Incorrect: The students each have done their duties.
Correct: The students each have done their duties.

Use of ” Either “

Either is used to distinguish two persons or objects from one another.

For example–

Either of the two bullocks can carry this cart.

Use of “Neither “

The Negative form of Either is neither.

For example–

Neither of the two boys is honest.

 

What Is A Reciprocal Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is a Reciprocal Pronoun?

Reciprocal Pronoun: A pronoun that refers to two or more people is called a Reciprocal Pronoun.

For example–

• The two brothers help each other.
• They love one another.

In the above sentences, each other and one another refer to each other as two and more persons, respectively, so they are Reciprocal Pronouns.

 

Uses of Reciprocal Pronouns

• Each other: Each other is used to mean the relationship between the two.
  For example – The two boys struck each other.

• One another: One is used to refer to the relationship between more than two people.

For example – They help one another.

What Is An Interrogative Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is an Interrogative Pronoun?

Interrogative Pronouns: The pronoun that is used to ask a question is called an Interrogative Pronoun.

For example –

• What do you want?
• Who did the work?
• Which is your brother?
• Whom did you meet yesterday?
• Whose is this pen?

What, who, which, whom and whose- these pronouns have been used to ask questions. so These are Interrogative Pronouns.

Note: Like Who, which, and what Relative Pronoun but they are different in terms of usage. When These are used to ask questions, These are called Interrogative Pronouns.

Uses of Interrogative Pronouns

Who: Used for indefinite persons or objects.
For example –
Who is knocking at the door?

Types of Who in different cases
Nominative-Objective-Possessive
Who-Whom-Whose

For example–

• Whose watch is this?
• Whom do you want?

What: Used in singular and plural numbers only for objects.
For example –
What is your name?

Which: Which is used in Singular and Plural numbers for persons, objects, and vile creatures.

For example–

• Which is his sister?
• Which is the house?

 

What Is A Reflexive Pronoun? Definition And Examples

What is a Reflexive Pronoun?

Reflexive Pronoun: When a pronoun takes the place of an object by joining self or selves with a personal pronoun and points back to the subject again, it is called a reflexive pronoun.

For example–
He killed himself.

In the above sentence, “Who killed?” The answer to this question is “he”. “Who was killed” -The answer to this question will be himself.

Here the subject has done the work on his own, that is, the subject and the action are the same people. Object (himself) backward indicates Subject “he”. So “himself” is a reflexive pronoun.

Example oF Reflexive Pronouns: Myself, ourselves, ourselves, yourselves, himself, herself, themselves, etc.

What Is A Indefinite Pronoun? Definition And Examples

Indefinite Pronoun- A pronoun is used to denote an unspecified person or object without referring to any particular person or object. One, none, other, another, naught, many, few, some, several, all, they, both are Indefinite Pronoun.
For example–
One should do one’s duty.
Any of the boys can do the work. Some are born genius.
Both of them are reliable. None of them helped him.

Pronouns such as One, any, both, some, and none in the above sentences refer to indefinite persons or objects without referring to any particular person or object. So these are Indefinite Pronouns.

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