The difference between pronouns and adjectives, with examples

A pronoun takes the place of a noun (she, it, mine), while an adjective describes or points to a noun (old, my, those). The tricky part is that some words, such as that, which, and his, can be either: it depends on whether the word stands alone or comes before a noun.

As you get better at English grammar, you reach a point where things get more difficult, and telling pronouns from adjectives is one of those points. Possessives in particular cause problems for students and for many other English speakers. Learning to tell the two apart helps you become a better writer, student, and user of English.

Pronouns

Pronouns can cause problems because there are several kinds: personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and others. The best way to think of a pronoun is as a word that lets you talk about a thing or a person without repeating the same name again and again. A pronoun works on its own, in place of a noun or a noun phrase. Words such as I, you, he, and mine are pronouns. So are this, that, which, and whose when they stand alone, as in "That is mine."

Use pronouns when you want to refer to the subject again without repeating its name. They help you avoid using the same name over and over.

Pamela did not eat her cereal because she was on a diet and she wanted to lose weight.

Without the pronouns, the sentence would sound like this:

Pamela did not eat Pamela's cereal because Pamela was on a diet and Pamela wanted to lose weight.

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the second one does not flow, and it sounds clumsy. You may also want to read what you need to know about pronouns.

Here are more examples of pronouns:

• Hector had to miss the meeting because he could not find his paperwork.
• We will have a lot of fun when Amanda and I go on vacation.
• Jason told me that he could not go with us.
• These muffins are delicious, and I want some more.
• Please tell me which is worse, school or work.
• Michael kept staring at himself in the mirror.
• That is the way John speaks when he gets angry.
• Maria took her car to the mechanic because she was worried about the noise it was making.

Personal pronouns refer to specific people, places, and things, for example "She ate some cake" or "He loves his wife very much."

The most important thing about pronouns is to make it clear whom you are referring to. Look at this example:

Steven and Robert took his bike to the show.

Whose bike was it, Robert's or Steven's? A better sentence would be "Steven and Robert went to the show, and Robert took his own bike" or "Robert took his bike to the show, along with Steven."

Adjectives

Adjectives make your writing or speech more specific, because they modify or describe other words. They add description, or individual traits, to a thing or a person, for example "the old, rusty car" or "What a big, spacious house."

Adjectives are very helpful for describing something, but they can also cause problems if you overuse them. Your sentences can become redundant or awkward, as in this example:

The dirty white shirt was filthy, muddy, and grimy.

Just like pronouns, adjectives come in several types: descriptive, possessive, demonstrative, and interrogative. My, your, his, her, its, our, and their are possessive adjectives, because they always come before a noun (my car, their house). A tip to remember: a possessive adjective never takes an apostrophe. Write its color and your turn, not it's color or you're turn.

Be sure to take a look at all about adjectives in English grammar as well.

Here are some examples of adjectives in sentences:

• These socks are new, and they are mine.
• Damaris gave those kids some cookies.
• Those old newspapers are just wasting space.
• That food smells delicious.
• It is my car.
• We want some of those hats and these shirts.

Same word, two jobs

Compare That is the way John speaks (a pronoun, standing alone) with That food smells delicious (an adjective, before a noun). The same test works for every word in this table:

If a noun follows the word, it is an adjective. If the word stands in for the noun, it is a pronoun. Possessive adjectives and pronouns covers the possessive pairs, such as your and yours, in more detail.