Pronouns
- What is a pronoun?
- A pronoun takes the place of a noun and sometimes refers to a noun in the sentence.
Example #1
He is riding a bike through the park.
Reasoning: The word "he" is a pronoun
because it takes the place of a person.
Example #2
The weather is great today; let's make the most of it by
going to the beach.
Reasoning: The word "it" is a pronoun because it refers to
the weather.
There are 8 types of pronouns. They are listed below with some examples.
- Personal (I, you, he, she, it, we you, they)
- Demonstrative (this, that, these, those)
- Reflexive (myself, yourself, ourselves)
Explanation: Used only when a subject performs an action to, for, or upon itself.
Example #1: We found ourselves puzzled over all these pronouns.
Example #2: You need to do these grammar exercises yourself. - Intensive (myself,
yourself, ourselves)
Explanation: Used immediately after a personal pronoun for emphasis only.
Example #1: I myself believe that good grammar is essential.
Example #2: You yourself may not believe this. - Interrogative (who, what, which)
Explanation: Used only in reference to a question.
Example #1: Who is working in the writing lab?
Example #2: What kinds of pronouns are used most often? - Relative (who, what, which)
Explanation: Used only in reference to nouns or other pronouns but never in a question.
Example #1: This is what you wanted!
Example #2: I don't know which to choose. - Indefinite (everybody, anyone, most)
Explanation: Used in reference to a person when we don't know who the person is, or when the person can refer to people in general.
Example #1: Everybody has to pay taxes.
Example #2: Most hate it! - Reciprocal (each other, one another)
Explanation: Used to refer to a mutual set of people.
Example #1: We love each other.
Example #2: We should love one another.