Pronouns

Pronouns can replace nouns so we do not repeat the same words again and again. Subject pronouns do the action in a sentence. They come before the verb. • I, you, he, she, it, we, they are subject pronouns. Object pronouns receive the action. They usually come after a verb or a preposition. • me, you, him, her, it, us, them are object pronouns. Use the subject form when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence: "She walks to school." Use the object form when the pronoun is the object: "The teacher called her." A very common beginner mistake is saying "Me and Tom went" instead of "Tom and I went." Singular they is also important. Use they, them, and their when you do not know a person's gender or when a person uses they as their pronoun. This is normal in modern English. • Someone left their bag. • Jordan said they are busy. Remember: I is a subject pronoun, and me is an object pronoun. Who is used for a subject, and whom is used for an object in formal English, but beginners can focus on who for questions about people and whom as the object form.

Possessive pronouns show ownership. They stand alone and do not need a noun after them. • mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs Possessive determiners also show ownership, but they come before a noun. • my, your, his, her, our, their Compare: "This book is mine." vs "This is my book." Both are correct, but mine is a pronoun and my is a determiner. Reflexive pronouns end in self or selves. • myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same person or thing: "I hurt myself." They can also show that someone did something alone: "She cooked dinner herself." Intensive pronouns look the same as reflexive pronouns, but they only add emphasis. They are not necessary for the meaning. • I made the cake myself. • The king himself opened the door. Do not use a reflexive pronoun as a subject. Say "He and I went," not "Myself and he went."

Demonstrative pronouns point to people or things. • this, that, these, those Use this and these for near things, and that and those for farther things or for talking about one thing or many things. Interrogative pronouns ask questions. • who, whom, whose, which, what Who asks about a person, whom is the object form, whose asks about possession, which asks about a choice, and what asks about a thing or idea. Relative pronouns connect one part of a sentence to another. • who, whom, whose, which, that They introduce a relative clause: "The girl who called me is here." Use who or whom for people, which for things, and that for people or things in many simple sentences. Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things in a general way. • someone, anyone, everyone, no one, something, anything, everything, nothing Most singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs: "Everyone is here." Words like both, few, many, several, and others usually take plural verbs. Agreement means the pronoun and the verb must match in number. "Each of the students has a book" is correct because each is singular.

Good pronoun use means the reader always knows who or what the pronoun refers to. The noun that a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent. A pronoun should agree with its antecedent in number and, when needed, in gender. • The child lost his hat. • The children lost their hats. A pronoun should also be clear. Avoid ambiguous reference, which happens when more than one noun could fit. • Unclear: Anna told Maria that she was late. • Clear: Anna told Maria, "You are late." Pronouns must be used in the correct case. Use I and he or she after verbs when the pronoun is the subject. Use me and him or her after verbs and prepositions when the pronoun is the object. • My sister and I went shopping. • The teacher helped my sister and me. Use who for the subject form and whom for the object form in formal English. Use whom after prepositions: "To whom did you speak?" In everyday English, many speakers use who instead. That is normal in speech, but beginners should learn the difference. Reciprocal pronouns show two people or groups doing the same action to each other. • each other, one another • The friends helped each other.

Personal pronouns replace nouns and change form depending on their role in the sentence. Subject pronouns perform the action: I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Object pronouns receive the action or follow prepositions: me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. Possessive forms show ownership, but they come in two types. Possessive determiners, also called possessive adjectives, come before nouns: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. Possessive pronouns stand alone and replace the noun phrase: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. Reflexive pronouns end in self or selves and refer back to the subject of the sentence: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. Use them when the subject and object are the same person or thing, or for emphasis. Do not use a reflexive pronoun simply because a sentence sounds formal. For example, say "She gave me the book," not "She gave myself the book." A useful rule is to test whether the pronoun is acting like a noun or like a determiner. If it stands before a noun, choose a possessive determiner. If it stands alone, choose a possessive pronoun.

Pronouns must agree with their antecedent, the noun they replace, in number, gender, and person. Singular antecedents usually take singular pronouns, while plural antecedents take plural pronouns. For example, "The student forgot her bag" is correct if the student is singular. With indefinite pronouns, agreement can be tricky because some are always singular, some are always plural, and some depend on context. Always, anyone, everyone, nobody, somebody, each, either, and neither are usually singular and take singular verbs and pronouns: "Everyone should bring his or her ID." However, in modern English, singular they is widely accepted when gender is unknown or irrelevant: "Each employee should check their email." This is common in careful writing, but style preferences vary. A pronoun must also have a clear antecedent. Ambiguous reference happens when more than one noun could be the pronoun's source. For example, "When Alex met Ben, he smiled" is unclear because he could refer to either person. Rewrite to avoid confusion. Watch out for shifts in person too. If you begin with "you" or "one," keep the reference consistent. Clear pronoun reference improves precision and helps readers understand exactly who or what is being discussed.

Interrogative pronouns ask questions. The main ones are who, whom, whose, which, and what. Use who for subjects and whom for objects, although in everyday speech who is often used in object position. Whose asks about possession, and which or what ask about choice or identification. Relative pronouns connect clauses to nouns. Who refers to people as subjects, whom to people as objects, whose to possession, which to animals and things, and that to people, animals, or things in restrictive clauses. A restrictive clause gives essential information and usually does not use commas: "The book that I borrowed was expensive." Nonrestrictive clauses add extra information and often use which with commas: "My car, which is old, still runs well." Demonstrative pronouns point to specific things: this, that, these, and those. This and these usually refer to something near in space or time, while that and those refer to something farther away. They can act as pronouns when they stand alone, or as determiners when followed by a noun. Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific people or things, such as everyone, someone, anything, nothing, both, few, many, and several. Their agreement depends on whether they are singular, plural, or context dependent. Remember that some indefinite pronouns are singular in form but broad in meaning, so verb agreement must follow grammar, not meaning alone.