Pronouns

toc There are many types of pronouns, but all pronouns have one thing in common: Every pronoun  //**takes the place of**// a noun . You might call a pronoun a noun substitute. The noun which a pronoun stands for is called its **antecedent**.

=Personal Pronouns=  1st person (//person speaking)//  (singular) I, me, my, mine (plural) we, us, our ours 2nd person (//person spoken to//)  (singular) you, your, yours (plural) you, your, yours  3rd person (//person spoken about//) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;"> (singular) he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(plural) they, them, their, theirs

Possessive Pronouns
 * <span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Show ownership or relationship
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">1st person (singular) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">my, mine, <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(plural) our, ours
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">2nd person <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(singular) your, yours, <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(plural) your yours
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">3rd person <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"><span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(singular) his, her, hers, its, <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(plural) their, theirs

=Reflexive/Intensive Pronouns=

> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples of reflexive pronouns: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> Examples of intensive pronouns: <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">(If you remove the pronoun, the meaning of the sentence remains clear.)
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//**Reflexive**// pronouns refer to the subject and **are necessary** to the basic meaning of the sentence.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">//**Intensive**// pronouns are used for **emphasis** and **are not necessary** to the meaning of the sentence.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 1st person <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">myself, ourselves
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 2nd person <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">yourself, yourselves
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 3rd person <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">himself, herself, itself, themselves
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">She bought //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">herself //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> a new scarf.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">The football players gave //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">themselves //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> no chance to win the game.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">I gave //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">myself //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> a shot.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">You might like pizza, but I prefer spaghetti //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">myself //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> The scouts //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">themselves //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> made a fire at the camp site.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> I opened the bottle //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">myself //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">.

=Demonstrative Pronouns=


 * <span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%; text-align: left;">Point out or demonstrate
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">this <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- **//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">This //**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> is a beautifully wrapped present.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">that <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- **//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">That //**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> is my hat.
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">these <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">--Do you like **//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">these //**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">?
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">those <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">--I would love to have **//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">those //**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">.

=Indefinite Pronouns=


 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Like all pronouns, indefinite pronouns take the place of nouns.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">They refer to persons, places, things, or ideas that may or may not be specifically named. They may be singular or plural.
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples of singular indefinite pronouns: **//each, either, neither, one, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, something//**
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples of plural indefinite pronouns: **//both, few, several, many//**
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Examples of indefinite pronouns that can be either singular or plural, depending on the context of the sentence: **//some, all, most, any, none//**
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Sentences containing indefinite pronouns:
 * 1) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Does **//anyone//** know how high Blood Mountain is?
 * 2) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">//**Most**// of the students will climb Blood Mountain.
 * 3) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">A **//few//** will arrive at the top of the mountain in record time.
 * 4) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">//**Some**// will be sore the next day.
 * 5) <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">**//All//** will be glad they went.

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Interrogative Pronouns =


 * <span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%; text-align: left;">Introduce questions <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%;">(Do not confuse interrogative pronouns with other question words such has //how//, //when//, or //where//; these are adverbs.)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">Who <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Who **//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> lives next door to you?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">Whose-- //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Whose **//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> pencil is on the floor?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">Whom <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Whom **//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> did the team choose as captain?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">Which <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Which **//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> of these books is your favorite?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%;">What <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">-- //**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">What **//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;"> will you ride at the fair?

Finding Pronouns in Sentences
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Can you find and identify the pronouns in the following sentences? (These are your choices: personal, possessive, reflexive, intensive, demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative)

=Relative Pronouns=
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">That is a magnificent painting.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Did you paint it yourself?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Who was your art teacher?
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">That name escapes me right now, and everyone know his name.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">What is your favorite thing to paint?
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">I enjoy painting landscapes and flowers because they show the beauty of nature.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Where were you when you painted your last painting?
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">I told myself I would never forget that location.
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">A few of my friends were there with me.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">One of them might help me remember.
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 130%;">Can anybody out there help me?
 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 160%;">Introduce adjective clauses <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%;">(**Punctuation hint:** Set off an adjective clause in commas when the clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.)
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">who--The boy //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">who //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> is sitting on the front row is my brother.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">whose--The person <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">whose <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> book I found will be so relieved.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">whom--My best friend, to //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">whom //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> I wrote a letter yesterday, lives in New York.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">which--Are these the shoes //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">which //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> you bought yesterday?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">that--The book //<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">that //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;"> I read last week was really exciting.