PRONOUNS - for the noun

 

PRONOUNS

Pronouns are words that replace nouns in sentences to avoid repetition and enhance readability. They include personal, demonstrative, possessive, reflexive, indefinite, interrogative, relative, reciprocal, intensive, and other types. Understanding pronoun usage is essential for clear communication. Common errors to avoid include ambiguous pronoun reference, incorrect pronoun case, lack of agreement, misuse of reflexive pronouns, dangling modifiers, and double negatives. Practice exercises help reinforce understanding and correct usage of pronouns.

Table of Contents:

1. Definition of Pronouns
2. Exhaustive List of Pronouns
• Personal Pronouns
• Reflexive Pronouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns
• Indefinite Pronouns
• Relative Pronouns
• Interrogative Pronouns
• Reciprocal Pronouns
• Intensive Pronouns
• Quantitative Pronouns
• Distributive Pronouns
• Negative Pronouns
• Emphatic Pronouns
• Impersonal Pronouns
3. Types of Pronouns

1.            Personal Pronouns

2.            Subject Pronouns

3.            Object Pronouns

4.            Possessive Pronouns

5.            Reflexive Pronouns

6.            Demonstrative Pronouns

7.            Indefinite Pronouns

8.            Relative Pronouns

9.            Interrogative Pronouns

10.         Reciprocal Pronouns

11.         Intensive Pronouns

4. Pronoun Cases

• Subjective Case
• Objective Case
• Possessive Case
4. Examples Demonstrating Pronoun Usage
5. Common Errors in Pronoun Usage
6. Exercises/Practice Questions
• Pronoun Identification
• Fill in the Blank with Correct Pronouns
• Pronoun Agreement
• Pronoun Case
• Sentence Rewriting Exercises

 

Definition

Pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence.

Instead of repeating the same noun multiple times, pronouns provide a convenient way to refer back to previously mentioned persons, places, things, or ideas.

 For example, instead of saying "Ramu went to the store, and then Ramu bought groceries," we can use pronouns to say " Ramu went to the store, and then he bought groceries."

Exhaustive list of all Pronouns

Personal Pronouns	Reflexive Pronouns	Demonstrative Pronouns
I	myself	this
you	yourself	that
he	himself	these
she	herself	those
it	itself
we	ourselves
they	yourselves

 

Indefinite Pronouns	Relative Pronouns	Interrogative Pronouns
anybody	who	who
anyone	whom	whom
anything	whose	whose
each	which	which
either	that	what
everybody
everyone
everything
neither
nobody
no one
nothing
one
somebody
someone
something
both
few
many
several
others
some
any
all
more
most
none

 

Reciprocal Pronouns	Intensive Pronouns	Quantitative Pronouns
each other	myself	all
one another	yourself	any
	himself	enough
	herself	half
	itself	less
	ourselves	more
	yourselves	most
	themselves	none

 

Distributive Pronouns	Negative Pronouns	Emphatic Pronouns	Impersonal Pronouns
each	nobody	myself	it
either	no one	yourself	there
neither	none	himself
	nothing	herself
	neither	itself
	nowhere	ourselves
		yourselves
		themselves

 

Types of Pronoun

1. Personal Pronouns: These pronouns refer to specific people or things. They include "I," "you," "he," "she," "it," "we," and "they."

2. Subject Pronouns: Subject pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence. For example, "She is reading a book."

3. Object Pronouns: Object pronouns are used as the object of a verb or preposition. For example, "He gave it to me."

4. Possessive Pronouns: These pronouns show ownership or possession. Examples include "mine," "yours," "his," "hers," "ours," and "theirs."

5. Reflexive Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns reflect back to the subject of the sentence. Examples include "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," "ourselves," and "themselves."

6. Demonstrative Pronouns: These pronouns point to specific things or people. Examples include "this," "that," "these," and "those."

7. Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific people or things. Examples include "someone," "anyone," "everyone," "nothing," and "everything."

8. Relative Pronouns: Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses and relate them back to a noun. Examples include "who," "whom," "whose," "which," and "that."

9. Interrogative Pronouns: Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. Examples include "who," "whom," "whose," "which," and "what."

10. Reciprocal Pronouns: Reciprocal pronouns indicate a mutual action or relationship between two or more people or things. Examples include "each other" and "one another."

11. Intensive Pronouns: Intensive pronouns emphasize a preceding noun or pronoun within the same sentence. Examples include "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," "ourselves," and "themselves."

 

Pronoun Cases

Pronouns come in different forms known as cases. These cases help indicate the role or function of the pronoun within a sentence. There are three primary cases of pronouns: subjective, objective, and possessive.

1. Subjective Case: Subjective pronouns, also known as nominative pronouns, are used as the subject of a sentence or clause. Common subjective pronouns include "I," "you," "he," "she," "it," "we," and "they."

Examples:

• She is going to the store.
• They are studying for the exam.

2. Objective Case: Objective pronouns, also known as accusative pronouns, are used as the object of a verb or preposition. Common objective pronouns include "me," "you," "him," "her," "it," "us," and "them."

 Examples:

• John gave her a gift.
• Please pass the salt to me.

3. Possessive Case: Possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession. They can stand alone or modify a noun. Common possessive pronouns include "mine," "yours," "his," "hers," "its," "ours," and "theirs."

Examples:

• The book is mine.
• Is this umbrella yours?

 

Table of Pronoun (cases)

 

Person /number	Nominative Case	Possessive Case	Objective Case
Singular 1st              plural	I   we	my, mine   our, ours	me   us
Singular 2nd              plural	you   you	your, yours   your , yours	you   you
Singular 3rd             plural	he, she, it   they	his, her, its   their, theirs	him, her, it   them

 

Some Examples demonstrating the use of pronouns

1. I am going to the store.
2. You need to finish your homework.
3. He is playing basketball with his friends.
4. She loves reading books in her free time.
5. It is raining heavily outside.
6. We are planning a trip to the beach.
7. They won the game last night.
8. Please give the book to me.
9. John cooked dinner for him and his wife.
10. She made herself a cup of tea.
11. The cat washed itself after eating.
12. This is my favorite restaurant in town.
13. That movie was amazing!
14. These cookies taste delicious.
15. Those flowers are blooming beautifully.
16. Everybody is invited to the party.
17. Who took my pen?
18. Whom did you meet at the party?
19. Which color do you prefer?
20. What are you doing this weekend?

Common Errors in the use of Pronouns

Pronouns are important to avoid repetition and make sentences fluent. However, improper usage of pronouns can lead to confusion and ambiguity. Common errors in the use of pronouns are

1. Ambiguous Pronoun Reference: One of the most common errors occurs when a pronoun lacks a clear antecedent, making it unclear which noun the pronoun refers to. For example:

• Ambiguous: "John told Sam that he passed the exam."
• Clearer: "John told Sam that John passed the exam."

2. Incorrect Pronoun Case: Using the wrong case of a pronoun. For instance:

• Incorrect: "Me and him are going to the movies."
• Correct: "He and I are going to the movies."

3. Lack of Agreement: Pronouns must agree in number and gender with their antecedents. For example:

• Incorrect: "Everyone should do their homework."
• Correct: "Everyone should do his or her homework."

4. Misuse of Reflexive Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns should only be used when the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same entity. Misusing reflexive pronouns is a common error. For instance:

• Incorrect: "He gave the book to myself."
• Correct: "He gave the book to me."

5. Dangling or Misplaced Modifiers: Placing a pronoun in a sentence without a clear antecedent or placing it too far from its antecedent can create confusion. For example:

"Having finished the assignment, it was submitted to the professor."

In this sentence, "it" is the pronoun, but there's no clear antecedent for it. It's unclear what "it" refers to. The sentence could be revised for clarity by specifying what was submitted to the professor. For example:

"After finishing the assignment, John submitted it to the professor."

6. Double Negatives: Using two negative words in a sentence can create confusion. For example:

• Incorrect: "I don't want none of it."
• Correct: "I don't want any of it."

By being mindful of these common errors, onecan enhance the clarity and effectiveness of one’s writing.

 Exercises/ Practice Questions

Q1) Identify the correct pronoun in each sentence. Also write the type of pronoun.

1. She/Her and I/Me are going to the movies tonight.
2. They/Them went to the beach to enjoy theirs/their day off.
3. Whose/Who's going to pick up her/she from the airport?
4. Myself/I will take care of the situation.
5. He/Him and I/Me will present the project to the team.
6. Nobody/No one knows their/they're secret plans.
7. This/These is the book I was talking about.
8. Who/Whom did you see at the party last night?
9. Your/You're welcome to join us/we for dinner.
10. It's/Its important to double-check your/you're work before submitting it.

Answers:

1. She and I are going to the movies tonight. (Subjective pronouns: She, I)
2. They went to the beach to enjoy their day off. (Subjective pronoun: They; Possessive pronoun: Their)
3. Who's going to pick up her from the airport? (Interrogative pronoun: Who; Objective pronoun: Her)
4. I will take care of the situation. (Subjective pronoun: I)
5. He and I will present the project to the team. (Subjective pronouns: He, I)
6. Nobody knows their secret plans. (Indefinite pronoun: Nobody; Possessive pronoun: Their)
7. This is the book I was talking about. (Demonstrative pronoun: This)
8. Whom did you see at the party last night? (Interrogative pronoun: Whom)
9. You're welcome to join us for dinner. (Subjective pronoun: You; Objective pronoun: Us)
10. It's important to double-check your work before submitting it. (Subjective pronoun: It; Possessive pronoun: Your)

Q2) Complete each sentence with the correct pronoun from the options provided.

1. John and __________ went to the store. a) he b) him
2. Please give the book to __________. a) I b) me
3. __________ is going to the party tonight. a) She b) Her
4. __________ and Tom are best friends. a) He b) Him
5. Who called __________ this morning? a) I b) me
6. My sister and __________ are going on vacation. a) she b) her
7. __________ is the one who brought the cake. a) Her b) She
8. Is this umbrella __________? a) yours b) your
9. __________ favorite color is blue. a) My b) Mine
10. Sarah and __________ are going to the movies. a) she b) her

Answers:

1. John and he went to the store. (a)
2. Please give the book to me. (b)
3. She is going to the party tonight. (a)
4. He and Tom are best friends. (a)
5. Who called me this morning? (b)
6. My sister and she are going on vacation. (a)
7. She is the one who brought the cake. (b)
8. Is this umbrella yours? (a)
9. My favorite color is blue. (a)
10. Sarah and she are going to the movies. (a)

Q3) Correct the pronoun agreement errors in the following sentences.

1. Everyone should do their homework.
2. Each of the students has lost their textbooks.
3. Neither of the boys wants to share his toy.
4. Everybody brought their own lunch.
5. Each of the applicants will be interviewed in their turn.

Answers

1. Everyone should do his or her homework.
2. Each of the students has lost his or her textbook.
3. Neither of the boys wants to share his toy.
4. Everybody brought his or her own lunch.
5. Each of the applicants will be interviewed in his or her turn.

Q4)  Rewrite the following sentences to correct any errors in pronoun usage.

1. Me and him went to the movies.
2. Whom did you see at the concert?
3. Nobody knows their secret plans.
4. She gave the book to John and I.
5. Is them going to the party?

Answers:

1. He and I went to the movies.
2. Who did you see at the concert?
3. Nobody knows his or her secret plans.
4. She gave the book to John and me.
5. Are they going to the party?