PRONOUNS.

Types of pronouns.

There are different types of pronouns.

a) Personal Pronouns

b) Possessive Pronouns

c) Reflexive Pronouns

d) Reciprocal Pronouns

e) Interrogative Pronouns

f) Relative Pronouns

g) Quantifier Pronouns

h) Singular Count Pronouns-One

A. Personal Pronouns

This type of pronouns are used to replaced names and can be used int
he following ways.

i. The subject of a verb

Example:

Mrs. Wong does not drive. She always uses a taxi.

He loves to dance

ii. The object of a verb

Example:

Ali told us about his holiday

The man told them to leave.

Personal pronoun as subject Personal pronoun as object

I Me
You You
He Him
She Her
It It
We Us
They Them
Q:

1. Let ______have the book.

A. She B. Her

2. Between you and ______, he was asked to withdraw from the race.

A. Me B. I

B. Possessive Pronouns.

Possessive pronouns are used in place of a possessive adjective and a

noun.

Examples.

Possessive adjective + noun Possessive Pronouns

This is my book This book is mine

Possessive adjective Possessive pronouns

My Mine

Your Yours

Her Hers

His His

Its -

Ours Ours

Their Theirs
C. Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used in the following ways:

1. When the action on the verb refers to the doer. These pronouns always
end in –self or –selves for plural.

Example:

Singular Plural

1st person Myself Ourselves

2nd person Yourself Yourselves

3rd person Himself, herself Themselves (Personal

gender)

Itself Themselves (Non-

personal gender)

2. As objects, complements, and prepositional complements where they

stand for the same person or thing as the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

She saw herself in the mirror

They have to find themselves another place to stay.

The puppy is unable to fend for itself.

3. Have an emphatic use, to make what is said more emphatic, to reinforce its
meaning.

Examples.

She baked the cake herself

He himself told me about the accident.

I spoke to the victims themselves.

You yourself posted the letter.

D. Reciprocal Pronouns

Reciprocal Pronouns are used to refer to people or objects that are both
affected by the action of a verb.

1. Each other is used with two people or objects.

Examples.

We looked at each other in despair when we saw the huge pile of dishes to be
washed.

The two girls look out for each other ever since they began working in the city.

Their mother advised her two children to look after each other while she is
away.

2. One another is used with more than two people or objects

Examples.

The villagers are talking to one another while waiting for the speaker to arrive.

The boxes were staked against one another in the storeroom.

E. Demonstrative Pronouns.

Demonstrative pronouns refer to nouns and are used to point out if a noun is
near or far away from the speaker.

Singular Plural Examples

Near the speaker This These This is a beautiful picture

These apples are delicious

Far away from the That Those That car under the tree
speaker belongs to Ali

Those boys are up to

mischief again
Some words may function as demonstrative pronouns and determiners. You can
tell what part of speech it is by the work it is doing.

Examples.

Sentence using determiners Sentence using demonstrative

pronouns

This pen is mine. This is my pen

Which book is yours? Which is yours?

That car belongs to Mr. Tan That is a new car.

What news have you heard today? What have you heard today?

F. Interrogative Pronouns.

Interrogative Pronouns are used to ask question. They include words such as
who, whom, whose what, and which

Examples.

Who are you speaking to?

Whom did you address the letter to?

Whose did you take by mistake?

What have you eaten for breakfast?

Which of these did you want?

G. Relative Pronouns

1. Relative Pronouns are used to introduce relative (adjective) clauses. There

are three classes of relative pronouns.

a. Wh- Pronouns

b. that

c. zero pronoun

a. Wh-pronouns
These pronouns are divided in personal and non-personal reference.

i. Personal pronouns include words such as who, whom, whose.

Examples.

The girl who is wearing the blue dress is my sister

I know the girl to whom he spoke.

The boy whose bicycle was stolen is classmate.

ii. Non-personal include which

Example.

The book which is on the table belongs to me.

b. That is used in both personal and non-personal reference.

i. Personal

The man that the police caught is a suspected terrorist

The footballers that scored winning goals were rewarded handsomely.

ii. Non- Personal

The house that was hit by the lightning is on fire

The food that was left on the table has disappeared.

c. A zero pronoun is used as “that” but it cannot be subject of a clause

The man the police caught is a suspected terrorist.

The house hit by lightning is on fire.

The food left on the table has disappeared.

Now read the following sentence:

The policeman that caught him received an award. (Correct)

The policeman caught him received an award.(Incorrect)

2. The following are several uses relative pronouns.

(a) The relative pronouns as the subject.

Have you met the women who flew the fighter plane?

There is still a book that is missing.

(b) The relative pronoun as the object.

That is the house that I want to buy.

This is the book which I borrowed last week.

I know the student whom you are talking about.

*Note: When the relative pronoun is the object, you can use either who or whom. Look at the following
sentence: I know the student who you are talking about.

(c) The relative pronoun as the complement of a preposition.

Do you know the girl with whom your son is dancing?

This is the set of tableware about which we were talking yesterday.

H. Quantifier Pronouns

Quantifier pronouns can be used in the following ways:

1. followed by an of-construction

a few of; all of; a little of; any of; each of; enough of; half of; least of; less of;
many of; more of; most of; neither of; one of; several of; some of;

2. singular pronouns

anybody; anyone; everybody; everyone; everything; nobody; no one; nothing;

somebody; someone; something;

I. Singular count pronoun has three uses. It can be used:

1. to follow a quantifier

Everyone of you present here will receive a souvenir.

2. to replace a noun

We have many designs of kitchen cabinets here. Which ones would you like to
see?

3. as an indefinite personal pronoun referring to people in general

One does not need to be in formal attire when one is invited to a barebecue.