PRONOUNS
Relative pronouns
PRONOUN MEANS “FOR A NOUN,” AND A
PRONOUN IS A WORD THAT TAKES THE PLACE
OF A NOUN.
Without pronouns, spoken and written English would
be very repetitive. Once a noun has been referred to
by its actual name once, another word–a pronoun–
can be used to stand for his name.
 I is the only pronoun that is spelled with a
capital letter.
Using pronouns
If the full name of a noun were used each time it
had to be referred to, sentences would be long
and confusing. Pronouns are useful because they
make sentences shorter and therefore clearer.
The noun is still required when someone or
something is referred to for the first time.
noun noun
Rita loves playing the guitar.
She finds it interesting.
This personal This personal
pronoun represents pronoun
represents
Rita, the subject. playing the guitar,
the object.
Types of pronouns
There are seven types of pronouns, which are used
for different purposes. Do not confuse these with
determiners or adjectives, which they modify
rather than replace nouns.
Personal pronouns
These represent people, places, or things. They vary
according to whether the noun being replaced is
the subject of the sentence (performing the
action) or the object (receiving the action).
I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they (subject)
me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them (object)
This pronoun represents
the singular subject.
She gave them a guitar lesson.
This pronoun represents
the plural object.
These link one part of a sentence to another by
introducing a relative clause that describes an earlier
noun or pronoun.
who, whom, whose, which, that, what
Rita is the person who plays the guitar.
This pronoun is
describing Rita,
the subject.
Possessive pronouns
These show ownership and replace possessive noun
phrases. Don’t get these confused with possessive
determiners such as my and your, which precede
but do not replace the noun.
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs
This pronoun replaces
the possessive noun
phrase Rita’s guitar.
The guitar is hers.
Interrogative pronouns
These are used to ask questions and represent an
unknown subject or object.
who, whom, what, which, whose
This pronoun represents
the subject, an unknown
musician.
Who is playing?
Indefinite pronouns
These are do not refer to any specific person or
thing, but take the place of nouns in a sentence.
somebody, someone, something, anybody, anyone,
anything, nobody, no one, nothing, all, another, both,
each, many, most, other, some, few, none, such
This represents an
unknown person, the
object of the
sentence.
I haven’t seen anyone.
 As a rule, a pronoun cannot be modified by an
adjective or adverb in the way that a noun can be:
“the sad I” does not make sense. Some exceptions
include “what else” and “somebody nice.”
Talking about myself
Many people wrongly opt for the reflexive form
myself because they are unsure whether to use I or
me. Reflexive pronouns should only be used to refer
back to a specific noun or pronoun that has already
been mentioned in the sentence. This noun or
pronoun is usually (but not always) the subject.
 I imagined myself
on the stage. This reflexive
pronoun refers
 Somebody and someone mean the same thing, as do back to the
anybody and anyone, everybody and everyone, and subject I.
nobody and no one. Rita performed for
Ben and myself. This wrongly used
reflexive pronoun has no noun
to refer back to–there is no I in
the sentence.

Identifying when to use I or me

People often make mistakes when deciding whether to use the personal pronouns I or me. To figure
out which to use, split the sentence into two short sentences. It should then become clear which one is
right. Remember to put others first in a sentence.

Me and Ben enjoyed the concert. 

Me enjoyed the concert. 

This doesn’t make sense, so me is wrong.
Ben enjoyed the concert. 
This makes sense, so I is the correct pronoun.
I enjoyed the concert. 

Ben and I enjoyed the concert. 

Always place others first.

If the pronoun follows a preposition, the object personal pronoun me should be used.

It was late night for Ben and I. 

This is a preposition, so the subject pronoun I is wrong.

It was late night for Ben and me. 

The object pronoun me now correctly follows the preposition for.