Showing posts with label Pronouns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pronouns. Show all posts

Monday, April 17, 2023

Pronouns in English grammar | Definitions , Types and Examples | Easy English Grammar



Introduction :

A pronoun serves as a replacement for a noun, effectively substituting the noun in a paragraph or written piece to prevent repetitive use of the noun. Pronouns can take on singular or plural forms, and the verb utilized in a sentence should align with the specific form of the pronoun employed.

For example , " Ram is intelligent and Ram scores A++ in every exam . "

We can write it as , " Ram is intelligent and he scores A++ in every exam ( Here , " he " is used in place of " Ram " ) "


A Pronoun : Definitions from Dictionaries :

As per the Cambridge Dictionary, a pronoun is described as "a word that is used in place of a noun or a noun phrase." The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines pronouns as "a small set of words (such as I, she, he, you, it, we, or they) in a language that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context." Additionally, according to the Collins Dictionary, a pronoun is "a word used to refer to someone or something without using a noun, often when the person or thing has been mentioned earlier. Examples include 'it', 'she', 'something', and 'myself'."


Types of Pronouns :


(A) Personal Pronouns : A personal pronoun is a type of pronoun that is used to refer to a specific person or thing. It typically takes the place of a noun that represents a person or object, and its form may change based on the grammatical person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural) being referred to. 

Here two types of cases arise .

 (i) Subjective case -  " I , he , she , it and they "

(ii) Objective case - " Me , him , her , it and them "

Examples :

1. (a) First person singular : I - me  

Example : "I went to the store ."

(b) First person plural: we - us

Example : "We are planning a trip ."

2. (a) Second person singular : you - you

Example : "You are my best friend ."

(b) Second person plural: you

Example : "Are you all coming to the party ? "

3. (a) Third person singular (masculine) : he - him 

Example : "He is reading a book ."

(b) Third person singular (feminine) : she - her

Example : "She is playing guiter ."

(c) Third person singular (neutral) : it - it

Example : "The cat chased its tail ."

(d) Third person plural : they - them

Example : "They are going to the party ."


An important point : We always compare similar cases , i.e. subjective - subjective & objective - objective

e.g. " He speaks more fluently than her " is wrong . It is " He speaks more fluently than she " .

Important rules :

(i) If all the three persons or two out ofv three are used in a sentence then follow the order - 

2nd - 3rd - 1st

e.g. You , he and I have scored the same marks .

(ii) If all the three persons or two out ofv three are used in a sentence and reflects a negative sense then follow the order - 

1st - 2nd - 3rd

e.g. I , you and he are guilty and will be punished .

(iii) In case of plural pronouns follow the order -

1st - 2nd - 3rd

e.g. We , you and they are going to play together .


(B) Possessive Pronouns :  Possessive pronouns are a type of pronoun that indicate ownership or possession. They are used to replace a noun or a noun phrase, and they show who or what something belongs to. 

1st Person :  I - mine , We - ours

2nd Person : You - yours

3rd Person : He - his , She - hers , They - theirs

Examples with explanation :

1. Mine - indicates ownership by the speaker

Example : "The book on the table is mine ."

2. (a) Yours - indicates ownership by the person being spoken to (singular)

Example : "Is this pen yours ? "

(b) Yours - indicates ownership by a group that includes the person being spoken to (plural)

Example : "Are these books yours ? "

3. His - indicates ownership by a male person

Example : "The car in the driveway is his ."

4. Hers - indicates ownership by a female person

Example : "The laptop on the desk is hers ."

5. Its - indicates ownership by a neutral object or animal

Example : "The bird built its nest in the tree ."

6. Ours - indicates ownership by a group that includes the speaker

Example : "The house by the lake is ours ."

7. Theirs - indicates ownership by a group that does not include the speaker or the person being spoken to

Example : "The bikes in the garage are theirs ."

It's important to note that possessive pronouns do not require an apostrophe when used to indicate possession. For example, "The book is mine" (not "The book is mine's") and "The car is his" (not "The car is his'").


(C) Reciprocal Pronoun : A reciprocal pronoun is a type of pronoun used to indicate a mutual relationship (action or feeling) that is reciprocated between two or more individuals . 

" Each other " and " One another " are the two reciprocal pronouns .

Examples with explanation :

1. Each other - used when two individuals reciprocate an action or feeling

Example : "Sam and David hugged each other tightly ."

2. One another - used when more than two individuals reciprocate an action or feeling

Example : "The team members congratulated one another on their success ."


(D) Distributive Pronouns : It separates a person or a thing from a group of persons or things .

" Each of / Either of / Neither of / Any of / Everyone of / One of " etc. are the distributive pronouns .

Examples with explanation : 

1. Each of the boys is happy . (Each boy is happy - here " Each " is adjective )

2. Everyone of the boys is happy . ( Everyone is happy - here " Everyone " is adjective )

Note :

(i) " Each of " and " Neither of " are used to denote the choice between two persons or things .

e.g. Either of Rai and Riya is comeing today . 

(ii) " Any of " and " One of " are used to denote the choice between many persons or things .

e.g. One of these books is mine .


(E) Demonstrative Pronouns : Demonstrative pronouns are a type of pronoun used to indicate or point to specific objects or locations. They are used to identify and distinguish between items in relation to their proximity to the speaker or the context of the conversation. 

Examples with explanation :

1. This - used to refer to an object or location that is close to the speaker

Example : "This book is interesting ."

2. That - used to refer to an object or location that is farther away from the speaker

Example : "That car is expensive ."

3. These - used to refer to multiple objects or locations that are close to the speaker

Example : "These shoes are comfortable ."

4. Those - used to refer to multiple objects or locations that are farther away from the speaker

Example : "Those flowers are beautiful ."


(F) Relative Pronouns : Relative pronouns are pronouns that establish a relationship or connection between different parts of a sentence. They are used to introduce relative clauses, which provide additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause of a sentence.

Examples with explanation :

1. That - used to introduce a restrictive relative clause, providing essential information that is necessary to identify the noun it modifies

Example : "The book that I'm reading is interesting ." (The relative clause "that I'm reading" restrictively identifies which book is being referred to.)

2. Which - used to introduce a non-restrictive relative clause, providing additional, non-essential information that is not necessary to identify the noun it modifies

Example : "The book, which is red, is not interesting ." (The relative clause "which is red" non-restrictively provides additional information about the book, but the noun "book" is already identified without it.)

3. Where - used to refer to a place or location

Example : "I visited the park where we used to play ." (The relative pronoun "where" introduces a relative clause that provides information about the location of the park.)

4. When - used to refer to a specific time or period

Example : "He remembers the day when we first met ." (The relative pronoun "when" introduces a relative clause that provides information about the time of the meeting.)

5. Why - used to refer to a reason or cause

Example : "I don't understand why he is upsetb." (The relative pronoun "why" introduces a relative clause that provides information about the reason for his upset.)

6. What - used to introduce a clause that functions as the subject or object of a sentence

Example : "What he said surprised me ." (The relative pronoun "what" introduces a relative clause that functions as the subject of the sentence.)

7. Whom - used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition

Example : "The girl whom I saw yesterday is my friend ." (The relative pronoun "whom" introduces a relative clause that functions as the object of the verb "saw".)

8. Whose - used to indicate possession

Example : "The house whose roof was damaged is being repaired ." (The relative pronoun "whose" introduces a relative clause that indicates possession of the house.)

[ Relative pronouns help to connect different parts of a sentence and provide additional information about the noun or pronoun they modify. ]


(G) Reflexive Pronouns : Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that are used to refer back to the subject of a sentence. They reflect or refer back to the subject and indicate that the action of the verb is directed towards the subject itself.

Examples with explanation :

1. Myself - used to refer back to "I" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "I hurt myself while playing football." (The reflexive pronoun "myself" refers back to the subject "I" and indicates that the subject is the one who got hurt.)

2. Yourself - used to refer back to "you" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "Did you buy the gift for yourself?" (The reflexive pronoun "yourself" refers back to the subject "you" and indicates that the subject is the one who bought the gift.)

3. Herself - used to refer back to "she" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "She congratulated herself on the achievement." (The reflexive pronoun "herself" refers back to the subject "she" and indicates that the subject is the one who congratulated herself.)

4. Himself - used to refer back to "he" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "He blamed himself for the mistake." (The reflexive pronoun "himself" refers back to the subject "he" and indicates that the subject is the one who blamed himself.)

5. Oneself - used to refer back to an indefinite subject or for emphasis

Example : "One should always believe in oneself." (The reflexive pronoun "oneself" refers back to the indefinite subject "one" and emphasizes the importance of self-belief.)

6. Itself - used to refer back to "it" as the subject of the sentence

Example: "The cat licked itself clean." (The reflexive pronoun "itself" refers back to the subject "it" and indicates that the subject is the one that licked itself.)

7. Ourselves - used to refer back to "we" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "We should be proud of ourselves for the hard work." (The reflexive pronoun "ourselves" refers back to the subject "we" and indicates that the subject is the one who should be proud of their own hard work.)

8. Themselves - used to refer back to "they" as the subject of the sentence

Example : "They enjoyed themselves at the party." (The reflexive pronoun "themselves" refers back to the subject "they" and indicates that the subject is the ones who enjoyed themselves at the party.)

9. Yourselves - used to refer back to "you" (plural) as the subject of the sentence

Example : "You should take care of yourselves." (The reflexive pronoun "yourselves" refers back to the subject "you" (plural) and indicates that the subject is the ones who should take care of themselves.)

Note : 

Reflexive pronoun is not used as a subject or an object of a sentence unless a noun or a pronoun preceds it .

e.g. " Myself Sanjay from Delhi " is wrong . It is " I am Sanjay from Delhi " .


(H) Interrogative pronouns : Interrogative pronouns are pronouns that are used to ask questions. They are used to introduce questions and seek information about people, objects, time, reason, and location. 

Examples with explanation :

1. Who - used to ask about people or individuals

Example : "Who is coming to the party tonight?" (The interrogative pronoun "who" is used to ask about the people or individuals who will be coming to the party.)

2. What - used to ask about objects, things, or concepts

Example : "What is your favorite color ? " (The interrogative pronoun "what" is used to ask about the object or thing that is someone's favorite color.)

3. When - used to ask about time or occasions

Example : "When will you be arriving at the airport ? " (The interrogative pronoun "when" is used to ask about the time or occasion when someone will be arriving at the airport.)

4. Why - used to ask about reasons or causes

Example : "Why did you miss the meeting ? " (The interrogative pronoun "why" is used to ask about the reason or cause for someone missing the meeting.)

5. Where - used to ask about locations or places

Example : "Where did you find the book ? " (The interrogative pronoun "where" is used to ask about the location or place where someone found the book.)

6. Whose - used to ask about possession of something

Example : Whose car is that ?

Note : 

" Whose " is not used for non - living things 

e.g. " This is the pen whose cap was lost " is wrong . It is " This is the pen thye cap of which was lost " .


(I) Indefinite Pronouns : Indefinite pronouns are a type of pronoun that do not refer to any specific person, place, or thing. They are used when the identity or location of the subject is unknown or unimportant. For example, pronouns like "someone," "somebody," "somewhere," and "something" are indefinite pronouns because they do not point to a particular individual, place, or thing.

Similarly, pronouns like "anyone," "anybody," "anywhere," and "anything" are also indefinite pronouns as they do not specify a particular person, place, or thing. Other examples of indefinite pronouns include "no one," "nobody," "nowhere," "everyone," "everybody," "everywhere," "everything," "each," "none," "few," and "many." These pronouns are used in situations where the specific identity or location is not known or not relevant to the context of the sentence.


Examples with explanation :

1. "Someone left their umbrella in the cafeteria . " (The pronoun "someone" does not refer to a specific person.)

2. "Is there anything I can help you with ? " (The pronoun "anything" does not refer to a specific thing.)

3. "Everyone is invited to the party." (The pronoun "everyone" does not refer to specific individuals.)

4. "I didn't see anyone at the park." (The pronoun "anyone" does not refer to a specific person.)

5. "She looked everywhere for her keys." (The pronoun "everywhere" does not refer to a specific location.)

6. "None of the students completed the assignment." (The pronoun "none" does not refer to specific individuals.)

7. "Few people attended the meeting." (The pronoun "few" does not refer to specific individuals.)

8. "Many are excited about the new project." (The pronoun "many" does not refer to specific individuals.)


Test yourself :


1. Which of the following is a personal pronoun?

a) This

b) Their

c) He

d) None of the above


2. Choose the correct possessive pronoun to complete the sentence: "The book is ____."

a) His

b) Hers

c) Theirs

d) Both a) and b)


3. Which of the following is a reciprocal pronoun?

a) This

b) Both

c) Each other

d) Who


4. Identify the demonstrative pronoun in the sentence: "That is my pen."

a) Is

b) My

c) That

d) Pen


5. Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete the sentence: "The girl ____ won the prize was happy."

a) Who

b) Whom

c) Whose

d) Which


6. Which of the following is a reflexive pronoun?

a) Herself

b) Myself

c) Itself

d) All of the above


7. Identify the interrogative pronoun in the sentence: "What is your name?"

a) Is

b) Your

c) Name

d) What


8. Choose the correct indefinite pronoun to complete the sentence: "Somebody left ____ jacket at the party."

a) His

b) Their

c) Somebody's

d) Nobody's


9. Identify the indefinite pronoun in the sentence: "None of the students completed their homework."

a) None

b) Students

c) Completed

d) Their


10. Choose the correct reciprocal pronoun to complete the sentence: "The two friends hugged ____ tightly."

a) Each other

b) One

c) Others

d) Both


11. Which of the following is a relative pronoun?

a) Some

b) This

c) Whom

d) All


12. Choose the correct reflexive pronoun to complete the sentence: "She looked at ____  at the mirror."

a) She

b) Herself

c) Her

d) Myself



13. Identify the interrogative pronoun in the sentence: "Which color do you prefer?"

a) Color

b) Prefer

c) Which

d) You


14. Choose the correct possessive pronoun to complete the sentence: "The house is ours, not ____."

a) Mine

b) Yours

c) Theirs

d) His


15. Identify the demonstrative pronoun in the sentence: "These are my new shoes."

a) New

b) My

c) These

d) Shoes


Answers with explanation :


1. Answer : (c) He

Explanation : Personal pronouns are used to refer to people or things. "He" is a personal pronoun as it refers to a male person.


2. Answer : (d) Both a) and b)

Explanation : Possessive pronouns show ownership. "His" and "Her" are possessive pronouns used to indicate ownership by a male and female respectively.


3. Answer : (c) Each other

Explanation : Reciprocal pronouns are used when two or more people or things are doing the same action to each other. "Each other" is a reciprocal pronoun.


4. Answer : (c) That

Explanation : Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things. "That" is a demonstrative pronoun as it points to a specific pen.


5. Answer : (a) Who

Explanation : Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses that provide more information about a noun. "Who" is the correct relative pronoun to refer to a person as the subject of the clause.


6. Answer : (d) All of the above

Explanation : Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. "Herself," "Myself," and "Itself" are examples of reflexive pronouns.


7. Answer : (d) What

Explanation : Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. "What" is an interrogative pronoun as it is used to ask for information.


8. Answer : (c) Somebody's

Explanation : Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things in a general or non-specific way. "Somebody's" is the correct indefinite pronoun to indicate possession by an unknown person.


9. Answer : (a) None

Explanation : Indefinite pronouns do not refer to any specific person or thing. "None" is an indefinite pronoun used to refer to no amount or quantity of something.


10. Answer : (a) Each

Explanation : Reciprocal pronouns are used when two or more people or things are doing the same action to each other. "Each" is the correct reciprocal pronoun to refer to the two friends in the sentence.


11. Answer : (c) Whom

Explanation : Relative pronouns are used to introduce relative clauses that provide more information about a noun. "Whom" is a relative pronoun used to refer to a person as the object of the clause.


12. Answer : (b) Herself

Explanation : Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same. "Herself" is the correct reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject "She" in the sentence.


13. Answer : (c) Which

Explanation : Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. "Which" is an interrogative pronoun as it is used to ask for a choice or selection among options.


14. Answer : (c) Theirs

Explanation : Possessive pronouns show ownership. "Theirs" is the correct possessive pronoun to indicate ownership by more than one person.


15. Answer : (c) These

Explanation : Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things. "These" is a demonstrative pronoun as it refers to specific shoes.


Pronouns in English grammar | Definitions , Types and Examples | Easy English Grammar

Introduction : A pronoun serves as a replacement for a noun, effectively substituting the noun in a paragraph or written piece to prevent re...