Pronoun – definition, types, examples

Pronoun definition

Pronoun definition: Pronouns are words that are substituted for nouns or noun phrases. A pronoun is typically used to refer to a noun that has already been mentioned or one that is implied rather than explicitly stated.

Types of pronoun

There are nine types of pronouns that every English speaker must know about.

1. Personal Pronouns
2. Possessive Pronouns
3. Demonstrative Pronouns
4. Relative Pronouns
5. Indefinite Pronouns
6. Reflexive Pronouns
7. Interrogative Pronouns
8. Reciprocal Pronouns 
9. Distributive pronouns 

Personal Pronouns 

Personal pronouns are used to refer to

1) the speaker,

2) the listener, or

3) the subject of the conversation.

Personal Pronouns are classified as below

• First Person – refers to the speaker or communicator.
• Second Person – refers to the listener.
• Third Person – refers to the subject being discussed.

Example:

I told you to inform Raju about the meeting, as he came late.

Here, there are three personal pronouns used.

“I” – First Person

“You” – Second Person

“He” – Third Person

The below-mentioned table gives a clear idea about the usage of personal pronouns.

As an object

1st person	I	We
2nd person	You	You
3rd person	He, she, and it	They

As a subject 

1st person	Me	Us
2nd person	You	You
3rd person	Him, her, and it	Them

For example: 

• Sunita asked that the package be delivered to her at the office. 
• To whom should I contact for this? 
• You should have told them.

Read Also

• What is a noun? – definition, types, and examples
• Conjunction – definition, examples, types, and rules
• Sentences – definition, meaning, and types
• Adverbs – definition, types, and examples

Possessive Pronouns 

As the name suggests, these are used to express ownership or possession. These are: 

• mine
• yours
• his
• hers
• its
• ours 
• theirs.

Examples:

• This car is mine.
• Is this shirt yours?
• I don’t think we can defeat their team.

Demonstrative Pronouns 

They are the same as demonstrative adjectives and are used to differentiate between one thing or person and another.

These are:

• This 
• That 
• These
• Those

Examples: 

• This was my mother’s sweater.
• That looks like the pen I work with.
• These are nice shoes, but they are very uncomfortable.

Relative Pronouns 

The relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause, and its role is to head the adjective clause. These are:

• That
• Which
• Who
• Whom 
• What 
• Whose.

For example:

• The shirts that I bought yesterday are really good.
• Whoever qualifies for the exam must appear for the interview.
• Where did you buy the shoes that you wore yesterday?

Indefinite Pronouns 

We refer to individuals and objects with indefinite pronouns without mentioning their gender or type. These are: 

• anybody
• everybody
• nobody
• somebody
• anyone
• everyone
• no one
• someone
• anything
• everything
• nothing
• something

Example: 

• Nobody likes to play Cricket.
• Everyone has seen this movie. 
• Something happened to my sister. 

Reflexive Pronouns 

The reflexive pronoun can function as a direct object as long as the subject and the direct objects are the same. These are: 

•  Myself
•  Yourself
•  Himself
•  Herself
•  Oneself
•  Itself
•  Ourselves

Examples:

• She loves herself.
• Don’t hurt yourself while playing Rugby.
• We can build a good website ourselves.

Interrogative Pronouns

These pronouns are employed to initiate a question, as is very evident from the name. These are: 

• What
• Which
• Who
• Whom
• Whose

For example:

• What is Thermodynamics?
• Which of these pens do you want?
• Who is this guy?

Reciprocal Pronouns 

A reciprocal noun gets its name from the fact that it describes an action that occurs both forward and backward.

Only two reciprocal pronouns are available. 

• Each other 
• One another 

Examples: 

• Ukraine and Russia have been fighting with one another for a long time.
• We love each other.

Distributive pronouns 

A distributive pronoun is used to show that there are multiple people or things in a sentence and that each one is regarded separately. These are: 

• Either 
• Neither 
• None

Examples: 

• I am not coming either. 
• None of the boys have long hair. 

Read Also

• What is an Adjective – definition, meaning, types, and examples
• Verbs – Definition, meaning, and 5 types
• Clauses – definition & meaning | types with 10 best examples

Why do pronouns matter?

Whether we realize it or not, pronouns are often used to refer to us. When speaking in the third person about a single person, the pronoun might occasionally imply gender, such as “he” for a man or boy or “she” for a woman or girl. However, these connections aren’t always reliable or beneficial.

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