Pronoun Introduction Types Exercises


Pronoun Introduction


A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating nouns, to make sentences more concise, and to add variety to writing.

Example: I, we, you, he, she, they, it, that, who, what, each, etc. are pronouns.


Types of pronoun

  1. Personal Pronoun
  2. Reflexive Pronoun
  3. Indefinite Pronoun
  4. Possessive Pronoun
  5. Demonstrative Pronoun
  6. Relative Pronoun
  7. Intensive Pronoun
  8. Interrogative Pronoun
  9. Reciprocal Pronoun
  10. Distributive Pronoun

1. Personal Pronoun

The words I, he, she, they, we, you, it, me, him, her, them, us are called personal pronouns. We have both subject and object pronouns.

  • Subject pronouns: he, she, it, we, you, they
  • Object pronouns: me, him, her, it, us, you, them

We use subject pronouns as the subject of the verb. We use object pronouns as the object of the verb and after prepositions.

Singular pronouns:

  1. First person: I, me, my, mine
  2. Second person: you, your, yours
  3. Third person: he, him, his (referring to a male), she, her, hers (referring to a female), it, its (referring to a non-living thing or an animal)

Plural pronouns:

  1. First person: we, us, our, ours
  2. Second person: you, your, yours
  3. Third person: they, them, their, theirs

Examples:

  • I like to read.
  • You are my friend.
  • He is tall.
  • She is beautiful.
  • They are playing basketball.

2. Reflexive Pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject of a sentence. The words myself, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, themselves, ourselves, and itself are called reflexive pronouns.

Example:

  • Every morning, we wash ourselves.
  • He himself said so.
  • He hurt himself playing soccer.
  • The cat washed itself.
  • They helped themselves to the food.

3. Indefinite pronoun

Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to people or things in a general way. They do not refer to any specific person or thing. Some examples of indefinite pronouns are All, Any, Both, Few, Many, Neither, None, One, Some, Several, Some, Such, That, Those, Very, etc.

Example:

  • Someone is at the door.
  • All of the students passed the test.
  • Each of the children received a gift.
  • Everybody loves a good party.
  • Everyone has a story to tell.
  • Everything is going to be okay.

4. Possessive pronouns: Possessive pronouns are used to show ownership or possession. They are formed by adding -s or -es to the personal pronouns. Some examples of possessive pronouns are Mine, Yours, His, Her, Its, Ours, Theirs, etc.

Example:

  • Someone is at the door.
  • All of the students passed the test.
  • Each of the children received a gift.
  • Everybody loves a good party.
  • Everyone has a story to tell.
  • Everything is going to be okay.

5. Demonstrative pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to or identify something. They are this, that, these, and those, etc.

Example:

  • This is my book.
  • That is my house.
  • Those are my friends.
  • I like this shirt.
  • These apples are bigger than those apples.

6. Relative Pronouns: Relative pronouns are used to connect clauses and add information. They are who, which, that, whose, and when, etc.

Example:

  • The boy who has held my Bag is my friend.
  • The storybook that I bought is very costly.
  • The man who stole my car is still at large.
  • The house that Jack built is falling down.

7. Intensive pronoun: Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize the noun or pronoun they refer to. They are formed by adding -self or -selves to a personal pronoun. They are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, and yourselves, etc.

Example:

  • I did it myself.
  • She made the dress herself.
  • The cat washed itself.
  • We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
  • You should be proud of yourselves.

8. Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They are who, what, when, where, why, and how, etc.

Examples

  • Who took my bag?
  • What are you doing?
  • What is your name?
  • Which book would you like?
  • Whose car is this?

9. Reciprocal pronouns are used to refer to each other. They are each other and one another.

Examples

  • Both brothers love each other.
  • We should never fight with one another.
  • John and Mary love each other.
  • The children helped each other with their homework.
  • The friends supported one another through difficult times.

10. Distributive pronoun: distributive pronoun used to refer to a person or things at a time. They are either, neither, each, every, none, anyone, etc.

Example

  • either of the two sisters is staying here.
  • you can talk to each boy.
  • Neither of the dogs wanted to go for a walk.
  • Everyone in the class passed the test.
  • Everybody had a great time at the party.

Exercise on Pronoun

Find the correct pronoun to each of the following sentences:  

1. He saw a blue whale.

2. They were playing football.

3. She likes to dance.

4. He likes to read my storybooks.

5. We went to visit our grandparents.

6. He gave me an orange.

7. Give him a glass.

8. Tell them to work hard.

9. It is a nice painting.

10. I will play with her.

Answer

  1. He
  2. They
  3. She
  4. He
  5. We
  6. He
  7. Him
  8. Them
  9. It
  10. Her

Choose the right personal pronoun:

Charan invited Rohan and (i/me) for dinner.Me
I watched Sridhar and (he/ him) play the game.Him
Where are the tickets? can’t find (it/them).Them
 You and (i/me) look alike, don’t we?I
These photos are nice. Have a look at (it/them).Them
These eggs are rotten. Throw (they/them) away.Them
My grandmother and (I/ me) spend a lot of time together.I
She called all her friends and invited (they/them) to the party.Them
I don’t know Ravi. Do you know (he/him)?Him

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