Pronouns in English Grammar

Definition

• A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence.
• It refers to a person, place, thing, or idea without repeating the noun.

Types of Pronouns

• Personal Pronouns: replace nouns that refer to people or animals
  • Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Possessive Pronouns: show ownership or possession
  • Examples: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
• Reflexive Pronouns: refer back to the subject of the sentence
  • Examples: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
• Demonstrative Pronouns: point out a person or thing
  • Examples: this, that, these, those
• Interrogative Pronouns: used to ask questions
  • Examples: who, what, which, whom, whose
• Indefinite Pronouns: refer to people or things in general
  • Examples: someone, something, anyone, anything, everyone, everything
• Reciprocal Pronouns: express mutual action or relationship
  • Examples: each other, one another

Pronoun Agreement

• Number Agreement: singular or plural pronouns must match the number of the noun they replace
• Gender Agreement: pronouns must match the gender of the noun they replace
• Case Agreement: pronouns must match the grammatical case of the noun they replace (subjective, objective, possessive)

Common Pronoun Errors

• Pronoun Ambiguity: unclear or confusing pronoun reference
• Pronoun Shift: switching between different pronouns to refer to the same noun
• Lack of Pronoun Agreement: failure to match pronouns with the noun they replace in number, gender, or case.

What is a Pronoun?

• A word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence to refer to a person, place, thing, or idea without repeating the noun

Types of Pronouns

• Personal Pronouns: replace nouns that refer to people or animals, e.g. I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Possessive Pronouns: show ownership or possession, e.g. mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
• Reflexive Pronouns: refer back to the subject of the sentence, e.g. myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
• Demonstrative Pronouns: point out a person or thing, e.g. this, that, these, those
• Interrogative Pronouns: used to ask questions, e.g. who, what, which, whom, whose
• Indefinite Pronouns: refer to people or things in general, e.g. someone, something, anyone, anything, everyone, everything
• Reciprocal Pronouns: express mutual action or relationship, e.g. each other, one another

Pronoun Agreement Rules

• Number Agreement: singular or plural pronouns must match the number of the noun they replace
• Gender Agreement: pronouns must match the gender of the noun they replace
• Case Agreement: pronouns must match the grammatical case of the noun they replace (subjective, objective, possessive)

Common Pronoun Mistakes

• Pronoun Ambiguity: unclear or confusing pronoun reference
• Pronoun Shift: switching between different pronouns to refer to the same noun
• Lack of Pronoun Agreement: failure to match pronouns with the noun they replace in number, gender, or case