Pronouns are used constantly and in nearly every conversation. To put it simply, pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns. They are a subset of nouns that we use to avoid repetition and making our speech sound robotic and lifeless. They add a sense of personalization to our sentences. For example,
Kareena was hungry so she went to the kitchen.
Mahesh took the files with him.
Ram’s car was parked close to mine.
That is a good idea.
Anything can happen.
There are many types of pronouns we use, and that must not be confused while using in our daily speech. They are,
- Personal Pronouns
- Subjective Pronouns
- Objective pronouns
- Possessive Pronouns
- Reflexive Pronouns
2. Indefinite Pronouns
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
SUBJECTIVE and OBJECTIVE PRONOUNS
Subjective pronouns act as subjects in a sentence and take the place of nouns that operate as subjects.
Subjects are the doer of an activity in a sentence.
She saw Thomas.
We drove Nitin home.
I waved at her.
The personal pronouns me, you, us, him, her, it, and them are called objective pronouns because they act as the objects of verbs and prepositions.
Objects are the receiver of the activity in a sentence.
Thomas saw her.
Nitin drove us home.
She waved at me.
Given below are the various subjective and objective personal pronouns:
SINGULAR | PLURAL | |||
subjective | objective | subjective | objective | |
first person | I | me | we | us |
second person | you | you | you | you |
third person | he/she/it | him/her/it | they | them |
Notice that the personal pronouns you and it stay the same, whether they are being used in the subjective or objective roles.
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
The personal pronouns yours, mine, his, hers, theirs, and ours are known as possessive pronouns: they refer to something owned by the speaker or by someone or something previously mentioned.
That house is mine.
Ankit’s eyes met hers.
Ours is an English language institute.
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Reflexive personal pronouns include himself, herself, myself, ourselves, itself, themselves, and yourselves. These are used to refer back to the subject of the clause in which they are used:
I fell and hurt myself.
Daisy prepared herself for the journey.
The children had to look after themselves.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Indefinite pronouns are used when you need to refer to a person or thing that doesn’t need to be specifically identified. Some common indefinite pronouns are one, each, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, no one, somebody, everything, something, nothing, everyone and someone.
- Everybody was late to work because of the traffic jam.
- It matters more to some than others.
- Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.
When indefinite pronouns function as subjects of a sentence or clause, they usually take singular verbs.
If you can understand the essence of why a certain pronoun is used, you can rest assured; these pesky little words will become the least of your problems. For a better understanding, practical application and expert guidance, visit Pep Talk India today! Revolution is here!