Pronouns

•A pronoun is a word that takes the place of one or more nouns.

•The noun the pronoun replaces or refers to is called the antecedent.

Personal Pronouns Three groups

First person Second person Third person

First Person Pronouns This is the person speaking:

Singular: I, me, my, mine Plural: we, us, our, ours

Example: Mr. Victor often says that he wants all of us to try and do our very best.

Second Person Pronouns

The person spoken to:

Singular: you, your, yours Plural: you, your, yours

Example: The waiter asked, “Would you like to take home your leftovers?”

Third Person Pronouns

The person or thing spoken about:

Singular: he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its

Plural: they, them, their, theirs

Example: Didn’t Mr. Victor get one of his degrees from Florida State University?

Reflexive or Intensive Pronouns

These pronouns are created by adding -self or –selves to some personal pronouns.

Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself

Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Example: Mrs. Herbert excused herself from the meeting because she had to go pick up her children.

Indefinite Pronouns These pronouns refer to unnamed

people or things and do not have definite antecedents like personal pronouns (you is sometimes an indefinite pronoun as the first word in a sentence

all both few no oneeach many any either

Example: No one knew the answer, but a few tried. You must explain it to me.

Demonstrative Pronouns These pronouns are used to point out

specific people, places or things.

this that these those

Example: When someone shouted out, “She’s Fat,” the teacher said, “Please do not use comments like those in my room.”

Interrogative Pronouns These pronouns are used to ask

questions.

what which whowhose whom

Example: Who is going to become this week’s “Student of the Week?”

Relative Pronouns These pronouns relate a noun or

adjective clause to its antecedent.

who whom whosewhich that

Example: Mr. Victor, who is tall and scary, speaks with a very loud voice.

Reciprocal Pronouns These pronouns refer to individual

parts of a plural antecedent.

each other one another

Example: Julie and Stacy were friends last week, and now they are spreading rumors about each other.