A pronoun is a short word, such as she, it, or they, that takes the place of a noun so that you do not have to repeat the noun again and again. There are 9 types of pronouns, and each one does a different job.
English can be difficult and confusing, because it has so many grammar rules to learn and understand. It also has many kinds of words that work differently in a sentence. These kinds of words are called parts of speech, and there are eight of them: nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Covering all of them in one lesson would be too much, so this guide focuses on pronouns. What are pronouns, what types are there, and what are possessive pronouns? Here is what you need to know.
What are pronouns?
A pronoun is a word that can stand on its own in place of a noun or a noun phrase. It can refer to someone or something already mentioned (he, she, it, this), or to the people taking part in a conversation (I, you, we).
The easiest way to explain pronouns is that they make things simple, because they replace nouns. Without pronouns, you would have to repeat every noun you use in a speech or a text. Your sentences would become repetitive and heavy. Pronouns are usually short words.
When people talk about pronouns, most of them think of words such as he, she, I, and they. But there are many more types of pronouns than that. For more of the basics, read six important grammar rules you need to know.
The types of pronouns
| Type | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Personal pronouns | stand for people or things | I, you, he, she, it, we, they |
| Possessive pronouns | show who something belongs to | mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs |
| Reciprocal pronouns | show that two or more people do the same to each other | each other, one another |
| Interrogative pronouns | ask questions | who, whom, whose, which, what |
| Indefinite pronouns | refer to no one and nothing in particular | none, several, anyone, everything |
| Demonstrative pronouns | point to something | this, that, these, those |
| Intensive pronouns | add emphasis to a noun or pronoun | myself, himself, itself |
| Relative pronouns | introduce a relative clause | who, whom, whose, which, that |
| Reflexive pronouns | refer back to the subject of the sentence | myself, himself, itself |
Intensive and reflexive pronouns look the same, but they do different jobs. In She hurt herself, the reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject. In I baked the cake myself, the intensive pronoun only adds emphasis: you could leave it out, and the sentence would still be complete.
Possessive pronouns are also easy to confuse with possessive adjectives, such as my, your, and their, which always come before a noun. Understanding possessive adjectives and pronouns explains the difference.
Examples of how pronouns are used
A pronoun replaces a noun. Keep in mind, though, that you should only use a pronoun once it is clear what it stands for: when you have already mentioned the person or the group of people, or the thing or the place. If you do not make it clear which noun your pronoun refers to, you can end up confusing your reader.
Angela Diaz loves to shop for shoes every weekend. (Angela Diaz is a noun.)
She is addicted to shopping. (She is a pronoun.)
In the second sentence, the pronoun she takes the place of the noun Angela Diaz.
You can also use the noun and the pronoun in the same sentence:
Angela Diaz not only loves to shop for shoes, but she is also addicted to it.
Without a pronoun in place of the noun, the sentence would be clumsy and too long:
Angela Diaz not only loves to shop for shoes, but Angela Diaz is also addicted to it.
This shows just how important pronouns are when you communicate. Here are more examples:
Frank took the car to the mechanic three times last week. He is getting frustrated with the results.
He is a pronoun and replaces Frank.
The New York City Marathon is very long and runs through Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the city's three other boroughs. It is very hard, since the runners have 26.2 miles to run.
It is a pronoun and replaces New York City Marathon.
Be sure to tell the team of lawyers that they need to be there early.
They is a pronoun and replaces team of lawyers.
Pronouns are not the only small words that cause trouble: verbs have their own traps, as in the past tense of catch and bring.
As the examples show, pronouns make conversations and sentences much easier. Without them, you would have to repeat the same nouns and noun phrases again and again. Just remember that a pronoun replaces a noun when it is clear which noun it stands for, and that a pronoun can also replace a whole noun phrase or another pronoun. A pronoun must also match the noun it replaces, which is called pronoun agreement.