Pronoun

Pronouns

A word used in the place of a noun (instead of a noun) is called a Pronoun. It is a noun’s deputy.

Pronouns are classified into:-

1.    Personal Pronouns

2.    Possessive Pronouns

3.    Reflexive Pronouns

4.    Emphative Pronouns

5.    Demonstrative Pronouns

6.    Distributive Pronouns

7.    Indefinite Pronouns

8.    Interrogative Pronouns

1. Personal Pronoun :

A pronoun used instead of the name of person is called a personal pronoun.

Example:- 

•      David is my friend. He is in London.

•      Boon is my neighbor. He speaks French.

The Personal Pronouns are divided into three persons :

i.     The first person,

ii.    The second person, and

iii.  The third person.

(1)  The first person refers to speaker or speakers.

Example:- I, We.

(2)  The second person refers to the person or the persons spoken to.

Example:- You (singular and plural)

(3)  The third person refers to the person or thing, place or animal (persons or things, places or animals) spoken about.

Example:- he, she, it, they

Read the following sentences:

I want grammar book We want grammar book

You want grammar book  You want grammar book

He wants grammar book  They want grammar book

She wants grammar book

It wants grammar book   

2.  Possessive Pronoun :

It is nothing but possessive noun form of the personal pronoun. The possessive pronouns are used to show that something belongs to somebody.

Read the following table of possessive pronouns :

Person   Singular Plural

First person  mine      ours

Second person    yours     yours

Third person       his, hers, its theirs

3. Reflexive Pronoun :

A pronoun which is used as the object of the verb in a sentence and that refers to the person represented by the subject itself is called a reflexive pronoun.

Example:-

•      Hitler kiled himself.

•      She hanged herself.

•      You can see yourself in the mirror.

•      I hurt myself.

•      We blamed ourselves.

Note : The subject and the object refer to the same person.

 

4. Emphatic Pronoun :

An emphatic pronoun is a pronoun used for emphasis.

Example:-

•      I myself can do it. (meaning .... “without anybody’s help”)

•      You yourself should do the sum.

•      She herself called the meal.

•      He himself will say it

  

5.  Demonstrative Pronoun :

A pronoun, that points out an object or objects, a person or persons, is called a demonstrative pronoun.

Example:-

•      This is a pen.

•      That is my son.

•      These are our friends.

•      Those are their balls.

Note : This, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns.

6. Distributive Pronoun :

It is a pronoun which refers to an object or objects, person or persons, one at a time. The distributive pronouns are, ‘each’, ‘either’, ‘every’ and ‘neither‘.

Example:-

•      One should behave well.

•      Someone is waiting.

•      What about others?

•      Anyone can do it.

•      Nobody will come now.

•      Some of them are clever.

•      Others are fools.

7. Interrogative Pronoun :

It is a pronoun used to frame questions. They are, of course, the question words, ‘what’, ‘which’, ‘who’, ‘whose’,

Example:-

•      What is your name?

•      Which is our country?

•      who is the father of our nation?

•      Whose is this pen?

Exercise :

Pick out the pronouns in the following sentences and identify their classifications :

1.    This is her pen.

2.    What is your name?

3.    I saw myself in the mirror

4.    Every one is busy eating.

5.    I feel, this is a good exervise.

6.    Nobody is waiting for you.

7.    Whose is this bag?

8.    These are mine and those are yours.

9.    She herself cooked the meal and served everyone.

10.  The blue shirt is mine.

11.  He broke his arm himself.

12.  Who bought this?