Pronoun

A pronoun is used instead of a noun or noun phrase in a sentence. A pronoun may take place of
the name of a person, place or thing.

Pronoun examples: I, me, we, they, you, he, she, it, yours, himself, ourselves, its, my, that, this,
those, us, who, whom…

English Pronouns can be divided into several categories: personal, indefinite, reflexive, reciprocal,
possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, reciprocal and relative.

Personal Pronouns

This type of pronoun is used to refer to a person, in this category you will see words such as I, we,
you, they, he, she, …

I have green eyes.

They are coming to my house.

You are my friend.

There are two types of personal pronouns: subject and object.

When the person or thing is the subject of the sentence, subject pronouns are used.

Subject pronoun list: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

Subject pronoun examples:

I like to watch TV, but he does not.

You cannot judge a tree by its bark.

She struck him on the nose.

He studies hard to pass the exam.

Object pronouns are used when the person or thing is the object of the sentence.

Object pronoun list: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them.

Examples:

Sophia likes me but not him.

John will call you soon.

Don’t tell her the truth.

The reflexive pronoun

The reflexive will end in -self or -selves and is used in reference to another pronoun. Words within
the category are himself, herself, themselves, yourself/ves, myself, itself.
He takes care of himself.

She can do it by herself.

You could travel by yourself.

In English, reflexive pronouns are used when a person or thing acts on itself.Reflexive pronoun list:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Examples:

She tried it herself.

Tom hurt himself.

In English they all end in –self or –selves and must refer to a noun phrase elsewhere in the same
clause.

Possessive Pronouns

In English, possessive pronouns are used to indicate possession or ownership. They are: mine, yours,
his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

Possessive pronoun list: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

Examples:

Do you see that woman over there? Her dog is very friendly.

Is that your house? No, ours is the one beside it.

his is my laptop. It’s mine.

These books are mine, not yours.

This is my brother ‘s book. It’s his.

Demonstrative Pronouns

This type of pronoun is used to indicate something, the words in the category are these, those, that,
this.

These are the shoes that I am going to wear.

He likes the green flowers but he prefers those red ones over there.

I would like that one.

The demonstrative pronouns are the same words as the demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these,
and those). They often distinguish their targets by pointing or some other indication of position.
They can be either near or far in distance or time, specifically.

Demonstrative pronoun list: this, that, these, those.

Pronoun examples:

This is an enormous field.

Can you see that? These are delicious cookies.

The indefinite pronoun is used to talk about something which is not specific. Words in the category
are some, all, few, none, either, one, nobody, both, each, anyone, several etc.

Nobody is going to the party.

There are several people in my class.

I like both of these photos.

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to non-specific beings, objects, or places. Indefinite
Pronouns can also function as other parts of speech too, depending on context.

Indefinite Pronoun List: another, anybody/ anyone, anything, each, either, enough, everybody/
everyone, everything,…

Pronoun examples:

I don’t want anyone to see it.

Is there anything in that box?

You can’t blame him for everything.

Each company is fighting to protect its own commercial interests.

Much has happened since we met.

No one can cope with her in English.

Relative Pronouns

This type of pronoun can be used as a way of giving additional information within a sentence,
pronouns in this category are that, who, which, whom…

This is my brother who lives in New Zealand.

This is the ball that my dog likes best.

A relative pronoun is a pronoun that relates to the word that it modifies and is not specific. In
English, relative pronouns are who, whom, which, whose, and that. They refer back to people or
things previously mentioned, and they are used in relative clauses.

Relative pronoun list: who, whom, which, whose, that.

Pronoun examples:

The woman who called yesterday wants to buy the house.

Now they were driving by the houses which Andy had described.

She is an artist whose work I really admire.

The author whom you criticized in your review has written a letter in reply.
Interrogative Pronouns

An interrogative pronoun is used in a question, the words within the category are who, which,
where, how and what.

How many apples do you have?

Which way is the hotel?

Is that where the chair goes?

Reciprocal Pronouns

The reciprocal pronoun is used to show an action or feeling which is reciprocated, words in this
category are one another and each other.

They are happy with each other.

The two friends really care about one another.

WORK SHEET
Pronouns worksheet
1. The girls are playing in the garden. ……………….. look very happy.
They/She/We
2. The boys are making a lot of noise. Please ask ……………… to be quiet.
They/them/him
3. Where is Rohan? I haven’t seen ………………. in several days.
He/him/them
4. Raju complained to the teacher. ………………… bicycle had been stolen.
His/He/Him
5. My neighbours are some students. …………………. are very noisy.
They/Their/Them
6. I had invited all of ………………. friends but none of ……………….. turned up.
my, them/me, they/my, they
7. I have never met James and I don’t know …………………
He/him/his
8. ………………… are going to the movies. Do you want to come with
…………………?
We, us/We, we/We, them
9. Susie is a nice girl. Everyone likes ……………….
Him/her/he
10. My daughters enjoy watching cartoon films. This CD is for ………………….
She/her/them