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http://www.really-learn-english.com/english-pronouns.html
Click here to jump to the list of pronouns in English
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun. For example, you could say, "Lisa is a nice
girl." Then you could replace the noun "Lisa" with the word "She" and get the following
sentence:
"She is a nice girl."
"She" is a pronoun.
Here is another example.
You could say, "I met Joe and Julie at the store."
Then you could replace the noun phrase "Joe and Julie" with the word "them," and get the
following sentence:
"I met them at the store."
"Them" is a pronoun.
Here are some more examples:
I, he, it, we, them, us, mine, itself.
Example sentences:
He doesn't want go with them.
Would they help us?
His house is bigger than ours.
Who is she?
The word "pronoun" comes from "pro" (in the meaning of "substitute") + "noun."
Types of pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Interrogative Pronouns
4. Possessive Pronouns
5. Relative Pronouns
6. Reflexive Pronouns
7. Intensive Pronouns
8. Reciprocal Pronouns
9. Indefinite Pronouns and
10. Pronouns vs. determiners
11. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
12. Pronoun exercise
1. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns represent people or things. The personal pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we,
they, me, him, her, us, them.
Vote for me!
There are two kinds of personal pronouns: subjective pronouns and objective pronouns.
Subjective pronouns
Subjective pronouns are pronouns that are used as the subject of a sentence. For example,
"He plays the guitar."
The subjective pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, what, who.
Example sentences:
We are going home.
Who is working late?
What's happening?
Objective pronouns
Objective pronouns are used as an object in a sentence.
For example, "Donna told him the truth."
The objective pronouns are: me, him, her, it, us, you, them, whom.
Example sentences:
I am doing this for you.
Jack was there before us.
Whom did you meet last night?
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
"Demonstrative" means "showing, making something clear." Demonstrative pronouns point to
things. The demonstrative pronouns are: this, that, these, those.
Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time.
Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or time.
Who?
What?
Example sentences:
Who is your father?
Whom did you speak to?
Which bag did you buy?
What are my options?
Click here to learn more on Interrogative Pronouns.
4. Possessive Pronouns
"Possessive" means "showing ownership."
Possessive pronouns indicate that something belongs to somebody/something.
The possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
This cat is mine.
Example sentences:
The prize will be his.
This place is theirs.
Is that cat yours?
They are friends of mine.
Your roof is stronger than ours.
My car is slow. Hers is much faster.
Click here to read more about Possessive Pronouns.
5. Relative Pronouns
"Relative" means "connected with something."
Relative pronouns are pronouns that link different parts of a sentence.
The relative pronouns are: who, whom, whose, which, that, what,
whatever, whoever, whomever, whichever.
The cake that I got!
Examples sentences:
The girl who called yesterday came to see you.
The teacher whom you wrote has answered your questions.
My husband, whose friends you've just met, has a birthday party.
She lives in Kiev, which is the capital city of Ukraine.
I really liked the book that you gave me.
The winner, who was very excited, received her prize.
We can't tell you what you should do.
She will be happy with whatever you give her.
Whoever thinks that is wrong.
You can date whomever you like.
Whichever dress you pick, you will look great.
Click here to learn more on Relative Pronouns.
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6. Reflexive Pronouns
"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."
Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action. Reflexive
pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
She hugs herself.
Example sentences:
He cut himself while shaving.
I sent myself to bed.
He could hurt himself!
We must help ourselves.
She trusts herself.
Click here to learn more about Reflexive Pronouns.
7. Intensive Pronouns
"Intensive" means "giving force or emphasis." An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used for
emphasis. In other words, intensive pronouns emphasize the subject of the sentence. They are
written exactly the same way as the reflexive pronouns, but their function is different.
I made it myself.
Example sentences:
I myself baked the cake.
The queen herself recommended this restaurant.
Have you yourself been there?
The project itself wasn't difficult.
We will do it ourselves.
8. Reciprocal Pronouns
"Reciprocal" means that two people or groups do the same thing to each other. They treat each
other in the same way.
For example, Joe loves Kate, and Kate loves Joe. So we can say, "Kate and Joe love each other."
Another example is, "Mike helps Lucy, and Lucy helps Mike." So we can say, "Mike and Lucy
help each other."
There are two reciprocal pronouns in English:
Each other and one another.
They hug each other.
Example sentences:
The cat and the dog like each other.
The two politicians hate each other.
We must stop fighting one another.
They gave each other Christmas presents.
They can't hear one another.
In the movie, the good guys and bad guys fight against each other.
Thomas and his brother finally forgave each other.
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9. Indefinite Pronouns
"Indefinite" means "not exact, not limited."
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to any specific person or thing.
Examples:
Anything, everybody, another, each, few, many, none, some, all, any, anybody, anyone, everyone,
everything, no one, nobody, nothing, none, other, others, several, somebody, someone,
something, most, enough, little, more, both, either, neither, one, much, such.
Every girl is dancing.
Example sentences (note how each pronoun stands in the place of a possible noun):
Do you remember anything?
Everybody wanted to go home.
That sandwich was delicious. Can I have another?
When the kids come back, let's give each a small gift.
Few are aware of this.
Many have died during the war.
She is loved by many.
He got all the pens, and I got none.
Some may wish to thank you.
All of us are here, so we can start.
I can't find any of my socks.
Has anybody seen Janet?
You can ask anyone about this.
Can anyone call her?
Everyone likes to rest.
We bought everything we needed.
No one can look her in the eye.
Nobody knew what to do.
There is nothing more to say.
None of my friends wanted to go home.
We live on this side of the river, and they live on the other.
Some people have more luck than others.
I've read several of his books.
Somebody is going to put an end to this.
Can someone help me?
Something can be done to help.
There is something strange about this guy.
Most will choose to ignore him.
Do you need more water? No, I have enough.
Little was done regarding this important matter.
Are you looking for cups? There are more over here.
More of us are starting to see what's going on.
Both of you are right.
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10.
Pronouns vs. Determiners
Many words can be used both as pronouns and determiners, so here is the key difference:
A pronoun is used instead of a noun.
A determiner comes before a noun.
So for example, when the word "this" is used instead of a noun, it's a pronoun: "This is not
funny."
When the word "this" comes before a noun, it's a determiner:
"Can you open this book?"
Determiner
(the noun is underlined)
Pronoun
(there is no noun
since the pronoun replaces it)
This is my car.
11.
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
An antecedent is a word (or a group of words) which a pronoun refers back to.
Examples:
(the antecedent is red and the pronoun is green)
The word "antecedent" comes from the Latin: ante (before) + cedere (to go).
The Importance of Pronouns
Here we can see the great importance of pronouns. If we didn't have pronouns, these sentence
would have to be written like this:
If there are no antecedents it can be unclear what the speaker or writer is referring to.
Important note:
In many cases the antecedent can be fully clear even without directly mentioning it. In other
words, the antecedent can be understood from context.
For example, let's say Jessica and Molly have an annoying neighbor. They always complain about
him.
Jessica can say to Molly, "Do you know what he did this time?"
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Important note:
In some cases such sentences can be correct. You simply have to use your common sense.
For example, let's say that Bob did Susan's homework, and I am now talking to Susan.
In this case, I can definitely say, "Bob did your homework."
(And I am referring to Susan's homework, not to Bob's homework. So in this case the antecedent
is Susan, not Bob!)
Determining the correct pronoun to use is usually pretty straightforward.
Some cases, however, can seem more challenging.
So here are some more correct and incorrect examples:
Correct: Every boy will start his test.
Incorrect: Every boy will start their test.
Correct: The box of toys is in its place.
Incorrect: The box of toys is in their place.
Correct: Both lost their jobs.
Incorrect: Both lost his jobs.
Correct: Alice and Kate talked with their father.
Incorrect: Alice and Kate talked with her father.
Correct: The United States opened its borders.
Incorrect: The United States opened their borders.
12.
Pronoun exercise
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Choose the most suitable pronoun for each gap, and then press "Check" to check your
answers.
home?"
"Yes,
am
unfair!
here!"
Emily
answers.
"
is
so
boring booklets!"
"
"I cant do
so now
is tomorrow,
window.
already, and now
should come
knows that
closes the
else studied
is my test, and I
this time.
can help
, but not
tries to read a
are boring.
"
"What can
interesting!"
She grabs her pencil and happily begins to draw.
and more is drawn on her notebook, and after two hours she finishes her
booklets.
She is tired but happy, and
"Where is
guess they
Suddenly
are
Emily is very happy. She can now enjoy a movie with her friends!
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Possessive Pronouns
Showing Ownership
http://www.really-learn-english.com/possessive-pronouns.html
Possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate ownership. A pronoun is a word that is used in
place of a noun.
For example: Let's consider this sentence:
Tom has the red ball.
We could replace Tom with He, which is a pronoun.
He has the red ball.
Here's another example:
Joe and Karen like cats.
We could replace Joe and Karen with they, which is a pronoun.
They like cats.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership. They tell the reader that something belongs to somebody
or something.
These are the possessive pronouns and the subjects they represent:
Subject
Possessive Pronoun
Mine
You (singular)
Yours
He
His
She
Hers
It
Its
We
Ours
You (plural)
Yours
They
Theirs
Who
Whose
1. Mine
The possessive pronoun mine shows ownership of the subject I.
Examples:
The blond boy is mine.
(I am the blond boy's mother.)
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Plural Examples:
Tom and Sandy, is this house yours?
3. His
The possessive pronoun his shows ownership of the subject he.
Examples:
The old car is his.
4. Hers
The possessive pronoun hers shows ownership of the subject she.
Examples:
The children are hers.
5. Its
The possessive pronoun its shows ownership of the subject it.
Examples:
The blue doghouse is its.
6. Ours
The possessive pronoun ours shows ownership of the subject we.
Examples:
The swimming pool is ours.
7. Theirs
The possessive pronoun theirs shows ownership of the subject they.
Examples:
The three bikes are theirs.
noun.
The possessive adjectives are:
my
your (singular and plural)
his
her
its
our
their
Examples:
My house is green.
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Demonstrative Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/english-pronouns.html#02
A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun.
Let's look at this sentence:
Tom catches the ball.
In this sentence, "Tom" is a noun. We can replace the noun "Tom" with the personal
pronoun "He."
He catches the ball.
Some other common pronouns are he, she, it, them, mine, itself, they,and we.
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are one type of pronoun. A demonstrative pronoun is used in place of
a noun.
"Demonstrative" means "showing, making something clear."
Demonstrative pronouns point to things.
The demonstrative pronouns are
this
that
these
those
Examples:
This is my bear.
That is the best one.
Do you like these or those?
Can I paint with these?
I want those.
Click on the following links to jump to:
Rules for demonstrative pronouns
Using demonstrative pronouns in sentences
This and These
That and Those
Tips for using demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative adjectives
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Singular
this
that
Plural
these
those
Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time.
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Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time
This => singular
Examples:
This smells good. (The object is near the speaker.)
Did you watch this? (The object is near the speaker.)
This is fun! (It is happening now.)
I like to play with this! (The object is near the speaker.)
This has been a busy week. (The week is happening now.)
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These are the prettiest flowers. (The flowers are near the speaker.)
Can I look at these? (The objects are near the speaker.)
These are the best times of your life. (They are happening now.)
These are the books I have read. (The books are near the speaker.)
These are difficult times. (They are happening now.)
Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or time
That => singular
Examples:
Examples:
Those are my brothers. (The speaker's brothers are not physically near the speaker.)
Can we have some of those? (The objects are not near the speaker.)
Those were fun times! (The times happened in the past.)
Those are your gifts. (The gifts are farther away from the speaker.)
Those were the best days of my life! (They happened in the past.)
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Demonstratives
http://www.really-learn-english.com/demonstratives.html
There are four demonstratives in the English language.
this
that
these
those
Purposes of demonstratives
A) Demonstratives are determiners that point to something specific instead of something
general.
I want THAT shirt.
Does THIS jacket belong to you?
THOSE flowers are beautiful!
THESE cookies are delicious.
Demonstratives tell us exactly what the speaker is talking about.
It might help to make a mental picture of someone pointing to what they are referring to.
B) Demonstratives also tell us where a person or thing is located in relation to the speaker,
either physically or in time.
THIS and THESE tell us the noun is close to the speaker or is currently happening.
Examples:
This is a fun day!
(The "fun day" is happening now.)
These flowers are for you.
(The flowers are close to the speaker because he is holding them.)
THAT and THOSE tell us the noun is farther away from the speaker or has already
happened.
Examples:
That was a great game!
(The game has already happened.)
Those boats are sinking!
(The boats are out in the water.)
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Examples:
That is the man who stole my money!
("That" refers to "the man.")
This is a tasty pizza.
("This" refers to the "pizza.")
These are all for me!
("These" refers to the gifts because they are near.)
Those are his gifts.
("Those" refers to "his gifts.")
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Interrogative Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/interrogative-pronoun.html
An interrogative pronoun is a type of pronoun that is used to ask a question.
In the English language, there are five commonly used interrogative pronouns:
what
which
who
whom
whose
Interrogative pronouns help English speakers get information.
Examples:
What do you want for dinner?
Which dog is yours?
Who is coming to the party?
Whom were you speaking to last night?
Whose cat is she holding?
What, which, who, whom and whose can also be used in sentences that are not questions, but
then we do not call them interrogative pronouns.
Examples:
I do not know what kind of cake I want.
She did not care which seat was hers.
Tim wants to know who borrowed his bicycle.
Lisa knows whose cat was in your garage.
I wondered whom you were talking with last night.
The examples above ARE NOT interrogative pronouns because they are not used to ask
information.
Using interrogative pronouns
Use WHAT to ask about objects or people.
What time is it?
What is her name?
What is your favorite type of candy?
What do you want to drink?
What color is your car?
What is your problem?
Use WHICH to ask about objects or people.
It is used when there is a limited number of options.
Which flavor of ice-cream did you order?
Which shirt is your favorite?
Which man is your father?
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Relative Pronouns
Rules and Examples
http://www.really-learn-english.com/relative-pronouns.html
The word "relative" means "connected with something."
Relative pronouns are a type of pronoun used to link different parts of a sentence.
Relative pronouns give more information about the subject or object of the sentence.
The Relative Pronouns:
who
whom
whose
whoever
whomever
which
that
what
whatever
whichever
Rules for relative pronouns
1. When referring to a person use Who, Whom, Whose, Whoever and Whomever
(We will look at the differences between who/whom and whoever/whomever in rules 3 and 4.)
Examples:
Who bought the brown dog?
2. When referring to a thing, place, or idea use Which, That, What, Whatever, and
Whichever
Examples:
In which house do you live?
I live in the blue house, which is three houses south of yours.
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I
he
she
it
they
we
Examples:
Who rented the movie?
Nick (He) rented the movie.
Subject = Nick/He
Action = rented
Who is your father?
Fred (He) is my father.
Subject = Fred/He
Action = is
me
him
her
it
them
us
Examples:
Whom did you call?
I called John (him).
Object = John/him
Action = called
To whom did Mike address the letter?
Mike addressed the letter to Mr. Jones (him).
Object = Mr. Jones/him
Action = addressed
Whoever comes to the store today (They) will be entered into a drawing for $100.
Whoever arrives home first (He or She) should put the dog outside.
B) Use whomever when the sentence requires an object pronoun as the answer.
Examples:
Note:
The words "whom" and "whomever" are not used very often in American English. Most
Americans use the words "who" and "whoever" in most cases.
For example:
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Instead of saying, "I would like to talk to whomever broke this chair."
Most Americans would say, "I would like to talk to whoever broke this chair."
Instead of saying, "Whom did you call?"
Most Americans would say, "Who did you call?"
It is important that you know the general rules of using who, whom, whoever, and whomever, but
when in doubt stick with who and whoever most often. They will sound more natural in
spoken American English.
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Reflexive Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/reflexive-pronoun.html
We use a reflexive pronoun in a sentence to refer back to a subject that has already been
identified.
"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."
Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action.
They end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
A reflexive pronoun is used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. Reflexive
pronouns act as the object of the sentence by receiving the action.
She hugs herself.
A subject in a sentence is the noun that is performing the action.
The dog played.
In this sentence dog is the subject
Summary table
Personal Pronoun
Reflexive Pronoun
myself
you (singular)
yourself
you (plural)
yourselves
he
himself
she
herself
it
itself
we
ourselves
they
themselves
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The subject of this sentence is the vase. The object of this sentence is also the vase (itself).
Sally talks to herself.
Sally is the subject of this sentence. Sally is also the object of this sentence (herself).
Incorrect: Lisa and myself are going to the park.
In this sentence, Lisa and myself are the subjects. Reflexive pronouns cannot be subjects.
Correct: I bought myself a piece of pie.
In this sentence I is the subject and myself is the object.
The reflexive pronoun is correctly used as an object in this sentence.
with
by
for
from
as
among
to
Examples:
Examples:
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Indefinite Pronouns
http://www.really-learn-english.com/indefinite-pronouns.html
Indefinite means "without a fixed limit" or "unlimited." Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that
do not refer to any specific person or thing.
First, let us quickly review pronouns.
Pronouns are words that replace a noun.
For example:
Consider this sentence:
Bill and Jane work in the same office.
I can replace the noun phrase Bill and Jane with the pronoun They.
They work in the same office.
"They" is a pronoun.
Here are a few more examples of pronouns:
who
myself
she
it
mine
hers
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that can be used to replace an unlimited number of nouns.
They do not replace any specific noun.
Singular or Plural
Most indefinite pronouns are either singular or plural, but some are both.
Let's look at some commonly used indefinite pronouns.
Singular indefinite pronouns:
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
either
everybody
everyone
everything
neither
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nobody
no one
nothing
one
other
somebody
someone
something
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