What are pronouns and how to use them correctly?

What is a pronoun?

Pronouns are a part of speech that replace antecedents: nouns , noun phrases, and noun clauses in sentences in order to avoid repetition. Pronouns help you write more clearly. They also allow for brevity and help writers to explain concepts and actions. Imagine that you’re writing about a hippopotamus without using pronouns. Every time you want to reference your subject, you’ll have to write out “hippopotamus” and your essay will become clunky and hard to read as a result.

Thankfully, you have access to pronouns. Some examples include:

• They/Them
• You
• Who
• He/Him
• She/Her
• We/Us
• That
• Who/Whom

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These shortened words can replace common and proper nouns and are typically used as the subject of a sentence that refers to a noun in a previous sentence. They can also function as the direct or indirect object of a sentence, either something that is directly impacted by a verb, or something that receives the thing impacted by the verb.

Just like nouns, pronouns refer to people, places, concepts, and objects and can be used in a variety of circumstances. Certain rules must be followed in order to use pronouns correctly.

Types of pronouns

There are different rules associated with certain types of pronouns. Knowing these rules will help you to use pronouns correctly in your writing.

Personal pronouns

A personal pronoun can refer to you, the person you’re addressing, an animal, or an object. They can be used when speaking in the first, second, and third person and may change their form based on case, gender, number, and person.

• First Person: We are going to the movies if you’d like to come with us. Those tickets are ours.
• Second Person: You need to take care of yourself.
• Third Person: He invited her to the dance. I’m sure they’ll enjoy themselves.

Demonstrative pronouns

There are four pronouns that are used in the English language to refer to something that was previously mentioned, or something that can be inferred from real life context clues. The four pronouns are:

• This
• That
• These
• Those

“These” pronouns can also refer to how close an object is to the speaker. For example, if you’re referring to something farther away, you might choose to talk about “that” or “those.”

Interrogative pronouns

These kinds of pronouns are used to introduce questions, but certain pronouns can only be used to refer to certain topics.

• Questions about objects or concepts: what, which
• Questions about people: who, whom
• Questions about ownership: whose

If you’re trying to return jackets to their owners after a party, you might ask, “Whose coat is this?” For queries about preferences, you’d ask, “When you went to college, which classes were your favorites?”

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns are at the beginning of adjective clauses and help to clarify information within a sentence. An adjective clause is a descriptive phrase that includes a subject and a verb and used to modify a different noun. Relative pronouns help to identify these adjective clauses.

Relative pronouns include:

• That
• Which
• Who
• Whom
• Whose

An example of these pronouns at work might occur when you’re providing clarifying information about a noun. If you’re talking about your car, which has over 100,000 miles and is still in good working condition, you’re using a relative pronoun correctly.

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to an unspecified person, thing, or quantity. The important thing to remember is that these pronouns are not used for specific instances or individuals. Many are formed with a combination of some-, any-, every-, or no- and -thing, -one, -where, or -body.

• Everybody was late to work this morning because of an accident that shut down the train.
• Few can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
• He doesn’t like anybody, and nobody likes him.

The English language has many different parts of speech that work together. Whether you’re writing an essay, a novel, or just writing in your journal, being able to use pronouns correctly will help you express yourself effectively. For more help, Microsoft Editor can help you improve your writing.