Pronouns

Pronoun

Pronouns are the substitutes for nouns. To avoid using the same noun again and over, we employ pronouns. As long as pronouns and antecedents correspond in person, number, and gender, pronouns provide a more interesting and compact text.

A pronoun‘s fundamental function is to “replace” a noun. An antecedent refers to the noun that a pronoun replaces. On the other hand, Pronouns must be in sync with their antecedents. If they aren’t, readers will rapidly become confused.

Examples of pronouns are   I, he, it, we, anyone,himself, nobody, who, what, etc.

Antecedents

To employ a pronoun, you must first introduce the noun; that noun is known as an antecedent. Because pronouns are so diverse, they require antecedents. Consider this: “it” can refer to a tree, a car, or a city, and we just used it to refer to something completely different: the variety of pronouns.

For example:

Hina couldn’t read the sign since it was too far away.

Antecedents aren’t necessary when the reader/listener knows who or what you’re talking about. Pronouns like I, you, us, our, and myself don’t usually require an antecedent.

Types of pronouns

1.   Personal Pronouns
2.   Possessive Pronouns
3.   Demonstrative Pronouns
4.   Reciprocal Pronouns
5.   Indefinite Pronouns
6.   Relative Pronouns
7.   Interrogative Pronouns
8.   Reflexive Pronouns

Personal pronouns

These are linked to a specific individual. Each personal pronoun represents the noun it substitutes in terms of number, person, gender, and case.

They are of three types

First-person– I, we, us.

Second person- you

Third-person– he, him, her, she, they, them, it.

For example: I like to watch movies, but they do not.

Possessive pronouns

These express the relationship between one thing and another, or one person and another. This pronoun represents ownership.

These include: his mine, her, yours, ours, theirs.

For example: These chocolates are all mine. 

Demonstrative pronouns

These are used to indicate something in a sentence by replacing nouns in the sentence. The following is a list of demonstrative pronouns.

This includes: These, this, that, such, etc

For example: These are lovely earrings, but they are heavy.

 Reciprocal pronouns

These are used to depict a two- or more-person reciprocal relationship.

These include: each other, one another

For example: Shreya and I spent lots of time with each other.

Indefinite Pronouns

These are used to communicate about things that aren’t detailed in a sentence.

These include:  any, both, any other, few, most, one, more, etc.

For example: Everyone is struggling to find jobs.

Relative Pronouns

These are used to refer to nouns that have already been mentioned and connect two sentences.

These include: whose, which, whom, etc.

For example: The boy who came to our house was a delivery boy.

Interrogative pronouns

These are commonly used to ask a question in a sentence.

These include: how, why, where, what, etc.

For example: Which color do you prefer? 

Reflexive pronouns

These act as both a subject and an object.

These include: myself, herself, themselves, himself, ourselves.

For example: I taught myself to dance. 

The rules of pronouns

Here are five simple principles and tips to assist you in avoiding making pronoun mistakes in English.

1. The personal pronoun and the noun it replaces are in agreement.
2. An adjective should not precede a personal pronoun. After the verb, a subject’s personal pronoun can contain an adjective. (There are certain exceptions, such as set words like poor me, lucky you.)

3 Apostrophes (‘) are never used with pronouns. Possessive pronouns do not require an apostrophe.

4. The word “my” is not a pronoun.
5. Do not prioritize yourself. It is the rule to put the other person first.

Pronoun agreement

A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent when used. This means that only a singular pronoun can replace a singular noun, and only a plural pronoun can replace a plural noun. Consider the following two examples:

1.   The ball continued to roll until it collided with the door.
2.   The ball continued to roll until they hit the door.

Only the first sentence among these makes sense. Because we’re only talking about one basketball, we’ll use the singular pronoun rather than the plural word they.

When it comes to pronoun agreement, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:

Firstly, even though they frequently refer to several persons and objects, the pronouns everyone, everyone, everything, and everywhere are treated as singular pronouns.

Second, some pronouns might be solitary or plural. We usually rely on context to identify whether these pronouns are singular or plural when we encounter them in phrases.

Pronoun example:

•         You are my closest companion.
•         You are my closest companions.

Exercises

Find the correct pronoun in the sentences given below using the instructions above.

Sentences:

1.   Each student was required to bring (their, his) book.
2.   He drove us, as well as (they, them), to the game.
3.   One of the boys requested to help (him, them).
4.   He can stand between you and (me, I).
5.   Everyone will be present except (he, him).
6.   Do you want to join (us, we)?
7.   I called as many numbers as (she, her).
8.   (They’re) on their way tonight

Conclusion

Pronouns are substitute words used instead of nouns. It is an essential part of speech. They give context, clarify the meaning of your statements, and shape our perceptions of people and things. Pronouns must be understood clearly to avoid misuse of the words.