Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns, or pronouns are noun substitutes. Understanding pronouns and their classification is essential for building correct sentence structure, mastering syntax, and improving your overall English grammar.
What Is an Antecedent of a Pronoun?
Antecedent of the pronoun is the noun to which a pronoun refers. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender, person and number.
| I | She | Several | This |
| My | That | Other | |
| Mine | Hers | These | Another |
| Me | Anybody | It | Those |
| We | Everybody | Its | All |
| He | They | Our | Any |
| Nobody | their | Ours | both |
| Somebody | us | each | theirs |
| No one | them | you | either |
| Someone | yours | which | neither |
| Everyone | your | what | few |
| One | many | who | whoever |
| His | whose | none | whosoever |
| Him | whom | some | anyone |
What Are the Five Kinds of Pronouns?
Five kinds of Pronoun
1. What Is a Personal Pronoun?
Personal pronoun can refer to the person speaking, the person being spoken to, or the person or thing spoken of.
All the personal pronouns, with the exception of the pronoun it, refer to persons. Be careful with personal pronouns and learn how to use their various forms. They can be most troublesome if you are not aware of their proper use. (For more details, check out Pronoun with Examples.)
| Number | Person | Nominative | Objective Case | Possessive Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | 1st person | I | me | my, mine |
| 2nd person | you | you | your, yours | |
| 3rd person | he, she, it | him, her, it | his, her, hers | |
| Plural | 1st person | me | us | our, ours |
| 2nd person | you | you | your, yours | |
| 3rd person | they | them | their, theirs |
What Are the Forms of Personal Pronouns?
Forms of the Personal Pronouns
A. First Person
First person- personal pronouns referring to the speaker:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| I | we |
| My | our |
| Mine | ours |
| Me | us |
B. Second Person
Second person- personal pronouns referring to the person spoken to:
Singular and Plural are similar: you, your, yours
C. Third Person
Third person- personal pronouns referring to the persons or things spoken of:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| He | they |
| His | their |
| Him | theirs |
| She | them |
| Hers | |
| It | |
| Its |
What Is a Compound Personal Pronoun?
Compound personal pronoun sometimes is called personal pronouns. When the word “self” or “selves” are added to certain forms of the personal pronoun.
| Myself | herself |
| Yourself | ourselves |
| Himself | yourselves |
| Itself | themselves |
2. What Is an Interrogative Pronoun?
Interrogative pronouns introduce questions.
| What | which | who |
| Whom | whose |
- Which province do you prefer to visit?
- What are your plans for the weekend?
3. What Is a Demonstrative Pronoun?
Demonstrative pronouns point out specific persons, places, or things.
- This- points out near object (singular)
- These- points out near objects (plural)
- That- points out far object (singular)
- Those- points out far objects (plural)
The pronouns this (singular) and these (plural) are used to refer to the person or thing present, nearby, or just mentioned.
On the other hand, you see that and those to refer to the person or thing farther removed or less obvious.
4. What Is an Indefinite Pronoun?
Indefinite pronouns do not point out particular persons, places, or things.
| Singular | Plural | Singular or Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Another | both | all |
| Anybody | few | any |
| Anyone | many | more |
| Either | others | most |
| No | several | none |
| Not | some |
- Every
- Not only
- Each Everybody
- Everyone
- Many a one
- Nobody
- No one
- Neither
- One Other
- Someone
- Somebody
5. What Is a Relative Pronoun?
Relative pronouns connect groups of words to another idea in the same sentence. That, which, who, whom, and whose are relative pronouns (explore Adjective Clauses for further study on how these connect ideas).
Who is used when the antecedent is a person.
That is used to refer to either persons or things.
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Key Takeaways
- Pronouns serve as noun substitutes to avoid unnecessary repetition.
- An antecedent is the noun to which a pronoun refers, and agreement in gender, person, and number is mandatory.
- There are five primary kinds of pronouns: personal, interrogative, demonstrative, indefinite, and relative.
Quick Practice
Write your answers in the comments below:
- Identify the antecedent and pronoun in the sentence: “Which province do you prefer to visit?”
- Provide an example of a demonstrative pronoun that points out a nearby singular object.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pronouns and Their Classification
What is a pronoun and its classification?
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. Pronouns are classified into five main types: personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and relative pronouns.
What is an antecedent in grammar?
An antecedent is the specific noun to which a pronoun refers. Pronouns must always agree with their antecedents in number, person, and gender.
More Lessons to Try
Continue improving your English grammar and writing skills with these related lessons:
- Pronoun with Examples
- Adjective Clauses
- Adjectives have Comparison
- Agreement of Subject and Verb
- Cases of Nouns and Pronouns
- Explore All Grammar Lessons on english-grammarblog.blogspot.com
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