Pronoun

and its types

Alam Zeb
Ph.D Scholar
Applied Linguistics
Alamzeb.786@gmail.com
 Defining a Subject Pronoun
 Pronouns are versatile words that can substitute for many
nouns. The word "pronoun" comes from the Latin word
"pronomen" which breaks down onto "pro" and "nomen."
They mean "in place of" and "name."
 The key benefits of pronouns are that they are useful in
making our language less repetitive and keep it from
bogging down. If it weren't for pronouns, when you were
talking about someone, you would have to keep repeating
their name over and over.
 There are several types of pronouns, including the subject
pronoun. Each type of pronoun can be classified according
to their function. For example, subject pronouns function
as the subject of a clause or sentence. The subject pronouns
are:
 I, we, he, she, it, you, they
 I wanted to go to the party. He wanted to stay at home.
 The puppies are cute, but sometimes they act crazy.
 You can go to the game, as long as you finish the
dishes.
 It just isn't possible.
 I love that dress!
 We left early to avoid traffic.
 He is the fastest runner on the team.
Object Pronouns

 An object pronoun, also called objective pronoun,

functions as the object of a verb or preposition, as
distinguished from a subject or subjective pronoun,
which is the subject of a verb.
 Examples:
 He begged her to live with him. (her is the object of
the verb begged and him is the object of the
preposition with)
 She told them the truth. (them is the object of the
verb told)
 Object pronouns are used instead of object nouns,
usually because we already know what the object is.
 She's my friend. I really enjoy being with her.
 I like this film. I saw it last week.
 Object Pronouns
 Object pronouns in English are the following:
 me, you, him, her, it, us, them
 Object pronouns come after either a verb (e.g "like") or
a preposition (e.g "to").
 Examples:
 I like you but you don't like me.
 Do you really hate her?
 She loves sitting next to him.
 She always writes e-mails to us.
 He's talking to her about it.
reflexive pronouns

 The reflexive pronouns are:


 Singular:myself - yourself - himself - herself -
itselfPlural:ourselves - yourselves - themselves
 We use a reflexive pronoun:
 • as a direct object when the object is the same as
the subject of the verb:
 I am teaching myself to play the piano.
Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.
 Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they
have a reflexive pronoun as direct object:
 Would you like to help yourself to another drink?
= Would you like to take another drink.
 I wish the children would behave themselves.
= I wish the children would behave well.
 He found himself lying by the side of the road.
= He was surprised when he realised that he was at the
side of the road.
 I saw myself as a famous actor.
= I imagined that I was a famous actor.
 She applied herself to the job of mending the lights.
= She worked very hard to mend the lights.
 He busied himself in the kitchen.
= He worked busily in the kitchen.
 We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which
describe things people usually do for themselves, such
as wash, shave, dress:
 He washed [himself] in cold water.
He always shaved [himself] before going out in the
evening.
Michael dressed [himself] and got ready for the party.
 We use a reflexive pronoun...
 •with the preposition by when we want to show that
someone did something alone and/or without any
help:
 He lived by himself in an enormous house.
She walked home by herself.
 The children got dressed by themselves.
I prepared the whole meal by myself.
 to emphasise the person or thing we are referring to:
 Kendal itself is quite a small town.
 especially if we are talking about someone very
famous:
 Sir Paul McCartney himself sang the final song.
 We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the
clause when we are using it for emphasis:
 I baked the bread myself.
She mended the car herself
Emphatic Pronoun
 An emphatic pronoun is a personal pronoun that is
used to emphasize its referent.
 The Use of Emphatic Pronouns
 An emphatic pronoun refers back to another noun (or
pronoun) in the sentence to emphasize it. For
example:The Queen herself attended the party.
 (The Queen is the noun being emphasized. It is called
the antecedent of the emphatic pronoun.)
 Examples of Emphatic Pronouns
 Here are some more examples of emphatic
pronouns:She will do it herself.
 (The emphatic pronoun herself emphasizes
that she will do it. The waiter won't do it. Her husband
won't do it. Her son won't do it. SHE will do it.)The
scouts cooked these cakes themselves.
 (The emphatic pronoun themselves emphasizes
that the scouts cooked the cakes, i.e., not their
mothers.)I heard the lie myself.
 (The emphatic pronoun myself emphasizes
that I heard the lie.)
Demonstrative Pronoun

 A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to

point to something specific within a sentence. These
pronouns can indicate items in space or time, and they
can be either singular or plural.
 When used to represent a thing or things,
demonstrative pronouns can be either near or far in
distance or time:
 Near in time or distance: this, these
 Far in time or distance: that, those
indefinite pronouns

 Somebody
 Someone
 Something
 Anybody
 Anyone
 Anything
 Nobody
 No one
 Nothing
 Everybody
 Everyone
 everything
 We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things
without saying exactly who or what they are. We use
pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and
pronouns ending in -thing for things:
 Everybody enjoyed the concert.
I opened the door but there was no one at home.
It was a very clear day. We could see everything.
 We use a singular verb after an indefinite pronoun:
 Everybody loves Sally.
Everything was ready for the party.
 When we refer back to an indefinite pronoun we
normally use a plural pronoun:
 Everybody enjoyed the concert. They stood up and
clapped.
I will tell somebody that dinner is ready. They have
been waiting a long time.
 We can add -'s to an indefinite pronoun to make a
possessive.
 They were staying in somebody’s house.
Is this anybody’s coat?
 We do not use another negative in a clause
with nobody, no one or nothing:
 Nobody came.
Nothing happened.
 We use else after indefinite pronouns to refer
to people or things in addition to the ones we already
mentioned.
 All the family came, but no one else.
If Michael can’t come we’ll ask somebody else.
So that's eggs, peas and chips. Do you want
anything else?
relative pronouns

 The relative pronouns are:

 We use who and whom for people, and which for things.
Or we can use that for people or things.
 We use relative pronouns:
 • after a noun, to make it clear which person or thing we are
talking about:
 the house that Jack built
the woman who discovered radium
an eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop
 • to tell us more about a person or thing:
 My mother, who was born overseas, has always been a great
traveller.
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which is my favourite meal.
 Demonstrative Pronouns Examples
 In the following examples, demonstrative pronouns
have been italicized for ease of identification.
 This was my mother’s ring.
 That looks like the car I used to drive.
 These are nice shoes, but they look uncomfortable.
 Those look like riper than the apples on my tree.
Interrogative Pronouns

 The five interrogative pronouns are what, which, who,

whom, and whose.
 What – Used to ask questions about people or objects.
Examples:
 What do you want for dinner?
 I wonder what we’re doing tomorrow.
 What is your friend’s name?
 What time are we supposed to be there?
 Which – Used to ask questions about people or
objects. Examples:
 Which color do you prefer?
 Which of these ladies is your mother?
 She asked which train to take.
 Which seat would you like?
 Who – Used to ask questions about people. Examples:
 Who is that?
 Who was driving the car?
 I’m wondering who will be at the party.
 Who is going to take out the trash
 Whom – This interrogative pronoun is rarely seen
these days, but when it shows up, it is used to ask
questions about people. Examples:
 Whom did you speak to?
 Whom do you prefer to vote for?
 You should ask whom to call.
 Whom do you live with?
 Whose – Used to ask questions about people or
objects, always related to possession. Examples:
 Whose sweater is this?
 Whose parents are those?
 I wonder whose dog knocked our garbage can over.
 Whose phone is that?
Distributive pronouns

 Each, either and neither are called distributive

pronouns because they refer to persons or things one
at a time. Note that a distributive pronoun is always
singular and as such it should be followed by a singular
noun and verb.
 Notes
 Each of, neither of and either of are followed by
plural nouns and singular verbs.
 Each of the answers is correct. (NOT Each of the
answer is correct.)
 Neither of the girls can do that. (NOT Either of the
girl can do that.)
 Either and neither should be used only in speaking
of two persons or things. When more than two persons
or things are spoken of, any, no one or none should
be used.
 None of the three answers is correct. (NOT Neither
of the three answers is correct.)
 We invited several friends, but none came. (NOT …
but neither came.)
 You can take any of the three shirts. (NOT You can
take either of the three shirts.)
Reciprocal Pronouns

 What is a Reciprocal Pronoun?

 A reciprocal pronoun is a pronoun which is used to
indicate that two or more people are carrying out or
have carried out an action of some type, with both
receiving the benefits or consequences of that action
simultaneously. Any time something is done or given
in return, reciprocal pronouns are used. The same is
true any time mutual action is expressed.
 There are only two reciprocal pronouns. Both of them
allow you to make sentences simpler. They are
especially useful when you need to express the same
general idea more than once.
 Each other
 One another
 Reciprocal pronouns are easy to use. When you want
to refer to two people, you will normally use “each
other.” When referring to more than two people, for
example the students in a lecture hall, you will
normally use “one another.”
 Examples of Reciprocal Pronouns
 Reciprocal pronouns help prevent repetition within
sentences. In the following examples, reciprocal pronouns
have been italicized for ease of identification.
 Maria and Juan gave each other gold rings on their wedding
day.
 Maria and Juan kissed each other at the end of the
ceremony.
 Terry and Jack were talking to each other in the hallway.
 We give each other gifts during the holidays.
 The students congratulated one another after giving
practice speeches.
 The kids spent the afternoon kicking the ball to one
another.
 The defendants blamed one another for the crime they
were charged with.
Relative Pronouns

 A relative pronoun is one which is used to refer

to nouns mentioned previously, whether they are
people, places, things, animals, or ideas. Relative
pronouns can be used to join two sentences.
 Compound Relative Pronouns
 The term compound relative pronoun sounds
complex, but it really isn’t. Simply put, compound
relative pronouns apply universally to a number of
people or things. They include whoever, whomever,
whichever, and whatever.
 Please tell whoever may call that I am not available.
 Whomever you hire will be fine with me.
 Whichever train you take from here, you will end at
Charing Cross station.
 Carly will be successful at whatever she chooses to do
in life.
Possessive Pronoun

 Possessive pronouns do exactly what it seems like they

should do. They are the pronouns that help us show
possession or ownership in a sentence. There are two
types of possessive pronouns:
 The strong (or absolute) possessive pronouns
are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours,
and theirs. They refer back to a noun or noun phrase
already used, replacing it to avoid repetition: "I said
that phone was mine."
 The weak possessive pronouns (also called possessive
adjectives) are my, your, his, her, its, our, your,
and their. They function as determiners in front of a
noun to describe who something belongs to: "I said
that's my phone."