Pronouns

Pronouns are a type of noun that can be substituted for other nouns. There are a wide range of pronouns and their uses, and they can be broken down into seven different classes: personal, indefinite, relative, interrogative. reflexive, intensive, and demonstrative.

Personal Pronouns

A personal pronoun takes the place of a name in a sentence to add variety and flow to the writing. There are different personal pronouns for the first-person narrative, second-person narrative, and third-person narrative, and for the singular and plural in each of these points of view. There are also three different cases (nominative, possessive, and objective) depending on the pronoun’s function in the sentence.

Classifying Personal Pronouns

Here is a chart classifying all of the personal pronouns into their different case and person:

Personal Pronoun Classification Chart

It is important to always use the correct pronoun given the person, number, and case. However, sometimes the correct pronoun may not be the one we are used to hearing. Below are some pronoun rules that may be unfamiliar to you.

Personal Pronoun Rules

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified number of people or objects. They can be singular or plural, depending on the context. If the indefinite pronoun is singular in meaning, it will take a singular verb, and if it is plural in meaning it will take a plural verb.

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns modify, or refer to nouns or phrases. They are used to connect the noun to the relative clause that describes or modifies it.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns (“who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “what”) are used in questions. They are similar to some of the relative pronouns, but are only used in questions or indirect questions.

Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun is used when both the subject and object of a verb refer to the same thing. Reflexive pronouns will always end with “-self” or “-selves.”

Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are reflexive pronouns that are used to emphasize or “intensify” the meaning of a sentence without changing the meaning.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific things. The demonstrative pronouns are “this,” “that,” “these,” and “those.”