What Are The 8 Types of Pronoun? | And Give an Examples

Types of  Pronoun And Give an Examples

A pronoun is a word that replaces a sentence and a noun. Using pronouns prevents you from repeating the same nouns over and over again. There are different types of pronouns, each with a different purpose. Keep reading for the kind of pronouns you may encounter in your reading and conversation.

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is "any member of a small class of words found in many languages ​​that is used as a substitute or substitute for nouns and noun phrases and has very general references," such as I, you, he, it, who, what.

What are Types of Pronoun?

The word "pronoun" includes many words, some of which do not easily fall under the standard definition for pronouns, "a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase." Here is a summary of eight types of pronouns:

There are:  

1. Personal Pronoun
2. Demonstrative Pronoun
3. Interrogative Pronoun
4. Relative Pronoun
5. Indefinite Pronoun
6. Distributive Pronoun
7. Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun
8. Reciprocal Pronoun

1. Personal Pronoun

What are the types of personal pronouns? When a pronoun is used instead of a person or object to mean who's speaking, who's being talked about and who's being talked about, it's called Personal Pronoun.

Example:

• I'm a boy. She's a girl. 
• They are playing. 
• You are my friend.

In the above sentences, the I, she, they and your pronouns refer to who they're talking about, who they're talking about and who they're talking about, so they're Personal Pronouns.

There are three types of personal pronouns:

1. Personal Pronoun of the First Person
2. Personal Pronoun of the Second Person
3. Personal Pronoun of the Third Person

• 1. Personal Pronoun of the First Person: The one who speaks is called the first person.

• Example: I, we, me, us, my and ours.

• 2.  Personal Pronoun of the Second Person: The one who's addressed is called the Second Person.

• Example: You, thou, they, your and these.

• 3. Personal Pronoun of the Third Person: The person about whom something is said's called Third Person.

• Example: He, she, they, him, his, her, them, they're, it and its.

Changes in the size of personal pronouns by

gender, number and case are shown below:

a) First Person: Masculine and Feminine
Case                  Singular         Plural

Nominative            I                   We
Objective               Me                Us
Possessive           My, Mine       Our, Ours

b) Second Person: Masculine and Feminine
Case                  Singular      Plural

Nominative      Thou, You     You
Objective          Thee, You      You
Possessive        They, You're Your, Yours

c) Third Person: Masculine and Feminine
Case                  Singular      Plural

Nominative        He                She
Objective            Him              Her
Possessive          His                Her, Hers

2. Demonstrative Pronoun

A pronoun that represents a person or object is called a demonstrative pronoun.

Example:

• This is my book. 
• These are my pens. 
• That's your ball. 
• Those are your pencils. 

In the above sentences, this, these, that, those pronouns have been used instead of some nouns (book, pens, ball, and pencils). So it's a Demonstrative Pronoun.

Use of  This and That as Pronoun

i) This and these refer to the nearest person/ object and that and those refer to the distant person or object. This plural of these and that plural of those. 

Example:

• This is my house. 
• That is a school.

ii) If two nouns are mentioned in the previous clause or sentence, this is used for the next and that's used for the previous one. Smith and David are friends; this (Smith) is a footballer and that (David) is a cricketer.

iii) That and those are used to avoid repetition of a previous noun when comparing the same noun in a sentence. If the previous noun is singular then it's used instead of that and if it's plural then those of is used instead.

• Incorrect: The rice of Barishal is better than the rice of Dinajpur.
• Correct: The rice of Barisal is better than that of Dinajpur.
• Incorrect: That mangoes of Rajshahi are better than the mangoes of Dinajpur.
• Correct: The mangoes of Rajshahi are better than those of Dinajpur.

 

iv) Sometimes this/ that's used instead of the previous clause.

• He says his prayers and that (i, e, he says his prayers) proves his devotion to God.

v) One, ones, none, the same, such and so are also used as Demonstrative Pronouns.

a) Such: Such is used as a Demonstrative Pronoun to indicate a previous noun. It's used in both singular and plural numbers. He's a born criminal and acts as such.

• If you're my well- wisher (well- wishers), prove yourself (yourselves) as such.

 

b) The same: Often the same and used as a protestant pronoun.

• He made the same mistake as his brother (that his brother made)

c) So: So when used as a Demonstrative Pronoun, they sit after the verb says, think and tell. In this case "so" Indefinite Demonstrative Pronoun.

• Do you think that he will make a good result? I think so (this/ that)

d) One, ones: One and its plural ones are used as Demonstrative Pronouns to avoid repetition of the previous noun. This is your pen; it's a good one. The mangoes are not good: I want some good ones.

3. Interrogative Pronoun

What is called interrogative pronoun? The pronoun used to ask questions is called interrogative pronoun.

Example:

• What do you want?
• Who did the work?
• Which is your brother?
• Who didn't meet yesterday?
• Whose is this pen?

What, who, which, whom and whose pronouns have been used to ask questions so they're Interrogative Pronouns.

• Note: Like relative pronoun in the form of who, which and what but different in its usage. When they're used to ask questions, they're called Interrogative Pronouns. 

Use of Interrogative Pronoun 

a) Who: Used indefinitely in singular and plural numbers only for individuals.

 

Example:

• Who is knocking at the door?
• Whose watch is this?
• Whom do you want?

b) What: Used singular and plural numbers for objects only.

Example:

• What's your name?
• What a fine bird it is?
• What's Jessore famous for?

c) Which: Which is used in singular and plural numbers for persons/objects and vile creatures.

Example:

• Which is his sister?
• Which is the house?

Note: Interrogative Pronoun is used for Indirect Questions. In that case, the sentence is a complex sentence and at the end of the sentence, there's a full stop without question marks. I know what he wants. He asked who was crying. Tell which pen you would like to buy. Who, what and which is used as the object of a preposition, the preposition sits separately at the end of the sentence. Then it's called Detached Preposition.

Example:

• Who (whom) are you talking about?
• What is Jessore famous for?
• Who (whom) are you looking for?
• Which of the pens did you buy to write with?

But if the proposition sits at the beginning of the sentence, then who's not who.

• Example: whom are you looking for?

4. Relative Pronoun

What is called relative pronoun? The word are means behind and the word lative means relationship. So the Pronoun that sits after any of the aforementioned nouns and associates it with it and adds two sentences to it's called Relative Pronoun.

Example:

• I saw the fisherman. He was catching fish.
• Ans: I saw the fisherman who was catching fish.

• This is the house. I want to buy it.
• Ans: This is the house which/that I want to buy.

• We helped the girl. His father died last year.
• Ans: We helped the girl whose father died last year.

• The man is a famous doctor. I meet him on the bus.
• Ans: The man whom I meet on the bus is a famous doctor.

Main Relative Pronoun: Who, which/that, what, as and but is used as Relative Pronoun.

Use of Relative Pronoun

a) Who: If the pronoun is personal (Example: I, we, you, they, he and she) then who sits instead.

Example:

• I met a man. He's a teacher.
• I met a man who's a teacher.

b) Which: If the pronoun is an object, impersonal/ vulgar animal (Example: pen, pencil, dog, and house) then Which sits instead.

Example:

• The writer took a cabin. It belonged to the orphanage.
• The writer took a cabin that belonged to the orphanage.

That: That's sometimes used instead of who, whom/ which. But it never sits in whose place. That person sits on both objects instead. It has no Possessive form.

Example:

• This is the lady. She lost her bag.
• Ans: This is the lady that (who) lost her bag.

• These are books. The books have just arrived.
• Ans: These are books that (which) have just arrived.

• The man wasn't poor at all. We helped the man.
• Ans: The man that (whom) we helped wasn't poor at all.

5. Indefinite Pronoun

What indefinite pronoun means? An indefinite pronoun is used to denote an indefinite person/object without referring to any particular person or object.

Example:

• One, none, other, another, naught, many, few, some, several, all, they, both etc Indefinite Pronoun.
• One should do one's duty. Any of the boys can did the work.
• Both of them are reliable. Some are born geniuses. None of them helped him.
• In the above sentences one, any, both, some, none, etc. Pronouns refer to indefinite persons or objects, not to specific persons/ objects, so they're indefinite pronouns.

Key Features of Indefinite Pronoun

i. One: If one is the subject of a sentence as Indefinite Personal Pronoun, then in Nominative and Objective Case, One and Possessive case is "ones" (not him, his, etc). One should do one's duty. One doesn't know when one will leave this world. But no, every if one sits before one, then he, his/he sits. Everyone should obey his parents. No one should neglect his duties. Indefinite Numeral Pronoun is used instead of one to avoid repetition of any previous singular noun. In that case, the plural of one is one.

Example:

• This is an old pen, give me the new one. These are old pens, give me the new ones. Plural Noun is used after One of them. 
• In that case, if "one" is the subject, then the verb is singular. 
• One of the boys was present.

ii. Note: It's an acronym for not + one. However, in the case of countable nouns, it can take both singular and plural verbs as a subject and in the case of uncountable nouns, it can take a singular verb as a singular subject. The noun is also used in the case of objects like the person. 

None of his books is/ are new.

• The noun is/ are happy in this world. (Countable) 
• Is there any salt in the pot? No, there is none (Uncountable) 

iii. Any: As an indefinite pronoun, it's used in both singular and plural numbers in interrogative and negative sentences. It's used instead of both person and object.

Example:

• Have you ever seen a tiger?  No, I haven't seen any.
• I have seen many famous poets. Have you seen any?

• iv. Some: It's always plural and sits instead of both person and object.

Example:

• Some of his books are new and some old.

• v. Other: It doesn't sit in the place of an object or a place but in the place of a person.

Example:

• Man can't live without others' help.

6. Distributive Pronoun

A pronoun that expresses each of two/more persons or objects individually is called a Distributive Pronoun.

Example:

• Each of the boys will get a pen. Either of the two pens will do. Neither of the two pens is good. Every one of them is present. Here each refers to each of the many, either and neither of the two and every one of the many to each separately. So Distributive Pronoun.

Note: The verb is singular after the distributive pronoun and the singular of the noun or pronoun related to it.

Use of Distributive Pronoun

• i. Each: Each is used to denote each one of the two/ more persons/ objects. It's used in three positions.

You can easily understand the use of pronouns by watching the video:

Example:

• Each of the boys is guilty.
• The boys have got each pen.
• The boys have got ten takas each.

• ii. Either: Only two people/ objects are used to distinguish one from the other.

Example:

• Either of the two bullocks can carry this cart.

• iii. Neither: Neither negative form of either is used to mean neither of the two.

Example:

• Neither of the two boys is honest. 

Note: They work as Adjectives only after nouns after each, either and neither. Each mango is a people rope. Either pen is new. Neither pen writes well.

7. Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun

What are emphatic and reflexive pronouns? When a pronoun takes the place of an object by joining self/ selves with a personal pronoun and points back to the subject again, it's called a Reflexive Pronoun. He killed himself. In the sentence above, "Who killed?" If you ask this question, the answer will be "he". Here the work done by the master is done on his own, that's, the subject and object are the same person. Object (himself) points back to the subject "he". So "himself" is a reflexive pronoun. If the personal pronoun is singular then it is self and if it's plural then selves are added to it to form Reflexive Pronoun. In the first and second person of the personal pronoun, the possessive case is combined with the objective case in the third person, self/ selves are combined to form the reflexive pronoun.

The structure of the Reflexive Pronoun is as follows:

Person               Singular                Plural

First                      Myself                  Ourselves
Second                 Yourself               Yourselves
Third                    Himself                Themselves

Example:

• I hurt myself. We helped ourselves. You have done it yourself. You have done it yourself. She fans herself. They talked to themselves. He went out all by himself. I didn't work by myself. The children can look after themselves. You should take care of yourself.

Emphatic Pronoun

A pronoun that sits after a noun/pronoun and indicates and emphasizes it's called Emphatic Pronoun.

Example:

• I myself went there.
• We ourselves went arranged for the party.
• In the above sentences myself, myself and ourselves these pronouns are used to indicate and emphasize them after the noun/ pronoun. So they're Emphatic Pronouns.

Reflexive Pronouns & Emphatic Pronouns look the same but have different meanings and uses. Reflexive Pronoun is used as the object of the sentence. That's why it can't be removed from the sentence. But Emphatic Pronoun is used to emphasize the subject. Even if it is removed from the sentence, the sentence is not wrong.

8. Reciprocal Pronoun

What is mean by reciprocal pronoun? A pronoun that refers to two/ more people is called a Reciprocal Pronoun.

Example:

• The two brothers help each other.
• They love one another.
• In the above sentences, each other and one another refer to each other as two and more than two persons respectively, so they are Reciprocal Pronoun.

Use of Reciprocal Pronoun

• i) Each other: Each other is used to mean mutual action between two people.
• ii) One another: One another's used to mean the interaction between more than two persons.

Conclusion

Pronouns are words that are used as substitutes for a noun and are commonly found in English. There are different types of pronouns and some rules that must be followed to create grammatically correct sentences.
 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Are Pronouns?

Answer: A pronoun is a word that makes a noun substitute. You use it in one sentence when you want to avoid repetition, and make it easier for your readers to understand what you are trying to say.

What is The Definition of A Pronoun?

Answer: In education Sciences topic, the pronoun is defined as any one of the short words (such as I, he, she, you, it, we or they) which is used as an alternative to noun or noun phrase and whose name is given or understood in the context of reference. ' ‘A pronoun is a word that you use to mean someone or something when you don’t need to use a noun, often because the person or thing has been mentioned before. Examples are ‘it’, ‘she’, ‘something’ and ‘I’.

What are The Types of Pronouns?

Answer: There are eight subtypes of pronouns, they are given below:

1. Personal pronoun
2. Possessive pronoun
3. Reflexive/ Intensive pronoun
4. Reciprocal pronoun
5. Demonstrative pronoun
6. Indefinite pronoun
7. Relative pronoun
8. Interrogative pronoun.

Why do We Need Pronouns?

Answer: Provides pronoun brevity. They prevent us from repeating nouns. Imagine how tedious a long prose would be if writers had to use full nouns every time.

How to Establish Pronoun Reference?

Answer: When using a pronoun, it should be clear. Which the pronoun indicates who or what. When reading or listening to a sentence, it should be easy to determine what is before the pronoun.