A pronoun is used instead of a noun to save its repetition. For example
Ali is a good boy.
Ali always goes to school.
Ali is tall and beautiful.
Ali is a jolly boy.
The above sentences use the noun again and again, which sounds awkward. We use a pronoun instead of the noun Ali and will rewrite the sentences.
Ali is a good boy.
He always goes to school.
He is tall and beautiful.
He is a jolly boy.
The use of he instead of Ali is a pronoun, which saved the repetition of the noun Ali.
Types of pronoun
Personal pronouns
Interrogative pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Personal pronouns are used for people, but “it” is the exception, which is used for non-living things and animals but comes under the category of personal pronouns.
He, she, it, I, we, they, and you are personal pronouns.
The three cases of personal pronouns are as follows:
Subjective case
Objective case
Possessive case
When the pronoun is used as the subject of the sentence, then it is a subjective case.
When a pronoun is used as the object of the sentence, it is the objective case.
When a pronoun shows possession, it is in the possessive case.
Examples
A: She is playing football.
B: Football is being played by her.
C: Football is hers.
A: He is eating food.
B: Food is being eaten by him.
C: The food is his.
A: They are going to the park.
B:The park is being visited by them.
C: The park is hers.
A: I am reading a book.
B: The book is being read by me.
C: This book is mine.
A: You are watching TV.
B: TV is being watched by you.
C: The TV is yours.
You and it do not change whether you use them as a subjective or an objective case.
In the above examples, sentence A shows the pronoun as the subject of the sentence, so a subjective case is used.
The subjective case is as follows:
Subjective case: I, we, they, you, he, she, it.
In sentence B, the pronoun acts as an object; therefore, the objective case is used.
Objective case: me, us, them, you, him, her, it.
In example C, possession is shown, so the pronouns are used in the possessive case.
Possessive case: mine, ours, theirs, yours, his, hers, its.
My, our, their, your, his, and her are possessive adjectives because they carry nouns after them. For example,
This is my book.
This is her cup.
You are our friend.
They are their cousins.
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are: which, what, where, whom, why, and whose. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions, for example.
What is your name?
Whom did you meet at the party?
Whose is this car?
What and which are used for things; who and whom are used for people; and whose is used to show ownership.
What, which, and whose are also interrogative adjectives because they carry nouns after them, for example. Whose car is this?
What color do you like?
Which dress is yours?
In the above sentences, pronouns whose, what, and which have nouns car, color, and dress after them, so these are called interrogative adjectives.
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns are more like interrogative pronouns; they introduce a relative clause, which gives information about other parts of the sentence.
Relative pronouns are which (ever), what (ever), and that (used for things).
Who (ever) and whom (ever) are used for people.
Whose is used to show ownership.
Examples:
The project that I submitted yesterday was lengthy enough.
Whoever met you is none of my concern.
The box is mine now, no matter whose was it before.
Indefinite pronouns
When a person or thing is not specified or known, we then use an indefinite pronoun, for example.
Everyone is going to attempt the test.
Someone is coming.
In the above examples, everyone and someone are not specified; everyone includes all the people concerned, and someone shows that the person is not known.
Indefinite pronouns are formed using words like any, some, every, and no. With words like thing, one, where, and body, let’s combine a few to form indefinite pronouns.
Something
Someone
Somewhere
Somebody
Neither, each, and either are also independent pronouns.
Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that reflect the subject of the sentence, for example:
I went by myself.
She came by herself.
They baked themselves.
Reflexive pronouns are made by adding self to singular personal pronouns and selves to plural personal pronouns, but they do not include all of the personal pronouns and all cases, i.e.,(the objective case, subjective case, and possessive case). For example,
Singular
Myself
Himself
Her self
Itself
Yourself
Plural
Ourselves
Themselves
Yourselves
Empathic pronouns are the same as reflexive pronouns, but their function is different. As the name suggests, emphatic pronouns emphasize the subject of the sentence.
Differentiating between reflexive and emphatic pronouns
When the subject and object of the sentence are the same person, then it is a reflexive pronoun.
For example, he baked himself.
In the above example, he (the subject of the sentence) and himself (object of the sentence) refer to the same person.
So, the above example is a reflexive pronoun because the subject and object are the same person.
She opened the window.
In the above example, the object is the window and the subject is she, and they are not the same person or thing, so this is an example of an emphatic pronoun because herself is emphasizing the subject she.
1: She drives herself.
2: She herself drives the car.
The first sentence is an example of a reflexive pronoun, and the second is an example of an emphatic pronoun.
In the first sentence, the subject and object are the same person, and in the second, the object is the car, which is different from the subject, she.
Punctuation marks are here.
