Last Updated on October 5, 2021
What is a Pronoun? To help you understand what this part of speech is, and how it is used, this article provides detailed guidance on the definition and examples of pronouns, and how Pronouns can be used in a sentence.
Table of Contents
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that can replace a noun in a sentence. The noun that is replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent. For example, in the sentence, I love my dog because he is a good boy, the word he is a pronoun that replaces the noun dog.
Types of pronouns
There are many different types of pronouns that we use in writing and speech. For now, we will briefly look at each of these different types. If you want to explore each one in more detail, we have provided an extensive guide to each type of pronoun in the links below:
- Possessive pronouns
- Personal pronouns
- Relative pronouns
- Reflexive pronouns
- Indefinite pronouns
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Interrogative pronouns
- Intensive pronouns
- Reciprocal pronouns
Examples of Pronouns
Possessive pronouns
A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that expresses possession, ownership, origin, relationship, etc.
Possessive pronoun examples
- mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Possessive pronouns used in sentences
- That toy on the shelf is mine.
- All of the houses in our neighborhood look the same, but ours is the only one with a satellite dish.
- Wendy and Ronald separated the french fries into two piles: the left one was hers and the right one was his.
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns are pronouns that we use to refer to people and, sometimes, animals. The pronouns it, they, and them can also apply to objects.
Personal pronoun examples
- I, you, she, he, it, we, they, me, us, them
Personal pronouns used in sentences
- I am afraid of mice.
- The toaster gets really hot when it heats bread.
- My cats are friendly, so you can safely pet them.
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns connect dependent clauses to independent clauses.
Relative pronoun examples
- who, whom, which, what, that
Relative pronouns used in sentences
- I need to find a person who can read Swedish.
- She doesn’t want to eat a meal that is too spicy.
- This book, which ends on a cliffhanger, is really exciting.
Reflexive pronouns
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun used as an object of a verb that refers to the same person or thing as the subject of the verb.
Reflexive pronoun examples
- myself, yourself, itself, herself, himself, ourselves, themselves
Reflexive pronouns used in sentences
- Ken looked at himself in the mirror.
- I like to cheer myself up with desserts.
- The silly clowns made fools of themselves.
Intensive pronouns
Intensive pronouns refer back to the subject in order to add emphasis. Intensive pronouns are identical in appearance to reflexive pronouns.
Intensive pronoun examples
- myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, themselves
Intensive pronouns used in sentences
- I built my house myself.
- The children made the cookies themselves.
- Often, the stress of giving a speech is worse than the speech itself.
Indefinite pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that doesn’t specifically identify who or what it is referring to.
Indefinite pronoun examples
- some, somebody, anyone, anywhere, nothing, everybody
Indefinite pronouns used in sentences
- This note could have been written by anybody.
- Someone ate my lunch.
- The water splashed everywhere.
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific things.
Demonstrative pronoun examples
- this, that, these, those
Demonstrative pronouns used in sentences
- This is my favorite shirt.
- I don’t know what that is, but it definitely isn’t friendly.
- I need you to fix these.
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are pronouns used to ask questions about unknown people or things.
Interrogative pronoun examples
- who, whom, what, which, whose
Interrogative pronouns used in sentences
- Who wrote this letter?
- What is an amphibian?
- Which is the correct answer?
Reciprocal pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns express mutual relationships or actions.
Reciprocal pronoun examples
- each other, one another
Reciprocal pronouns used in sentences
- My sister and I love each other.
- The members of the team support one another.
- The two fishermen love to compete with each other.
Singular pronouns
Singular pronouns refer to a single person or thing. Like singular nouns, singular pronouns must use singular verbs.
Singular pronoun examples
- I, he, she, it, one, this, someone, something, anyone, nobody
Singular pronouns used in sentences
- Melanie is so good at movie trivia that she never gets a single question wrong.
- Somebody is standing next to the window.
- This is the best cake I have ever eaten.
Plural pronouns
Plural pronouns refer to multiple people or things. Plural pronouns must use plural verbs.
Plural pronoun examples
- we, they, us, them, ourselves, themselves, those, these, many, several, others
Plural pronouns used in sentences
- We go to the gym every day.
- These paintings aren’t as old as those are.
- Several of the ducks know that children like to feed them bread.
Source: thesaurus.com