Pronoun

Pronoun

A Pronoun is a word used in place of a noun or noun phrase, mainly to avoid unnecessary repetition and make sentences smoother, shorter and more natural.

Consider:

Riya is a student. Riya studies every day. Riya wants to become a doctor.

The repeated use of Riya makes the passage awkward. It can be improved as:

Riya is a student. She studies every day. She wants to become a doctor.

Here, she replaces the noun Riya and is therefore a pronoun.

Pronouns may refer to:

• Persons
  • I, you, he, she, we, they
• Things
  • it, this, that, which
• Possession
  • mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
• Questions
  • who, whom, whose, which, what
• Unknown or indefinite persons/things
  • someone, anyone, nobody, everything
• Persons or things already mentioned
  • who, whom, which, that

A proper understanding of pronouns is especially important for competitive examinations because questions frequently test pronoun case, pronoun–antecedent agreement, relative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, distributive pronouns, indefinite pronouns and common usage errors.

Pronoun and Antecedent

Before studying the different types of pronouns, it is important to understand the term antecedent.

An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers.

Example:

Rohan said that he was tired.

• • Rohan → Antecedent
  • he → Pronoun

Another example:

The girls completed their work.

• • The girls → Antecedent
  • their → Pronoun/determiner referring to the girls

The pronoun should normally agree with its antecedent in number and, where relevant, person and gender.

Types of Pronouns

The major types of pronouns are:

• • Personal Pronouns
  • Possessive Pronouns
  • Reflexive Pronouns
  • Emphatic Pronouns
  • Demonstrative Pronouns
  • Interrogative Pronouns
  • Relative Pronouns
  • Indefinite Pronouns
  • Distributive Pronouns
  • Reciprocal Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

A Personal Pronoun refers to a particular person, group, animal or thing.

Personal pronouns change according to:

• Person
• Number
• Gender in the third-person singular
• Case

Three Persons of Pronouns

First Person

The First Person refers to the person or persons speaking.

• Singular → I, me
• Plural → we, us

Examples:

• I am preparing for the examination.
• We are ready.
• The teacher called me.
• She invited us.

Second Person

The Second Person refers to the person or persons being spoken to.

• Singular → you
• Plural → you

Examples:

• You are my friend.
• I called you yesterday.

Modern English uses you for both singular and plural.

Third Person

The Third Person refers to the person, animal or thing being spoken about.

• Masculine Singular → he, him
• Feminine Singular → she, her
• Neuter Singular → it
• Plural → they, them

Examples:

• He is a teacher.
• I met him yesterday.
• She sings beautifully.
• I spoke to her.
• It is raining.
• They are waiting.
• We invited them.

Subjective and Objective Forms

The subjective form is generally used as the subject of a verb.

• She called Rahul.
• They won the match.
• We are ready.

The objective form is generally used as the object of a verb or preposition.

• Rahul called her.
• The teacher praised them.
• This gift is for him.
• She sat beside me.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns indicate ownership or possession.

Examples:

• This book is mine.
• That car is hers.
• The house is theirs.
• These seats are ours.

A distinction must be made between Possessive Determiners and Possessive Pronouns.

Compare:

• This is my book.
  • my comes before a noun.
• This book is mine.
  • mine stands independently.

Similarly:

• That is her bag.
• That bag is hers.

Important: Possessive pronouns do not take apostrophes.

Correct:

• yours
• hers
• ours
• theirs
• its

Incorrect:

• your’s ✘
• her’s ✘
• our’s ✘
• their’s ✘

Reflexive Pronouns

A Reflexive Pronoun is used when the subject and object refer to the same person or thing.

They are formed using -self or -selves.

Examples:

• I hurt myself.
• She blamed herself.
• He introduced himself.
• The children enjoyed themselves.
• The cat cleaned itself.

In:

Rohan blamed himself.

• Rohan → Subject
• himself → Object
• Both refer to the same person.

Therefore, himself is a reflexive pronoun.

Reflexive Pronouns after Certain Verbs

Reflexive pronouns are commonly used with expressions such as:

• pride oneself on
• avail oneself of
• absent oneself from
• apply oneself to
• acquit oneself
• exert oneself

Examples:

• She prides herself on her honesty.
• You should avail yourself of this opportunity.
• He absented himself from the meeting.

Emphatic Pronouns

An Emphatic Pronoun has the same form as a reflexive pronoun but is used to add emphasis to a noun or pronoun.

Examples:

• I myself completed the work.
• The principal himself attended the meeting.
• She herself prepared the food.
• They themselves admitted the mistake.

A useful test is to remove the pronoun:

The principal himself attended the meeting.

Remove himself:

The principal attended the meeting.

The sentence remains grammatically complete. Therefore, himself is being used emphatically.

Compare:

• He hurt himself. → Reflexive
• He himself completed the work. → Emphatic

Demonstrative Pronouns

A Demonstrative Pronoun points to a particular person or thing.

The principal demonstrative pronouns are:

• this
• that
• these
• those

Number and Distance

Examples:

• This is my book.
• That is your house.
• These are fresh.
• Those belong to me.

Demonstrative Pronoun vs Demonstrative Determiner

Compare:

This is expensive.

Here, this stands alone → Demonstrative Pronoun

This book is expensive.

Here, this modifies book → Demonstrative Determiner

Similarly:

• Those are beautiful. → Pronoun
• Those flowers are beautiful. → Determiner

Interrogative Pronouns

An Interrogative Pronoun is used to ask a question.

The principal interrogative pronouns are:

• who
• whom
• whose
• which
• what

Examples:

• Who called you?
• Whom did you meet?
• Whose is this?
• Which do you prefer?
• What happened?

Who and Whom

Who is generally used in the subjective case.

Who called you?

Who performed the action? → Who

Whom is used in the objective case, especially in formal English.

Whom did you meet?

You met whom? → Whom

After a preposition:

• To whom did you speak?
• With whom are you travelling?

In everyday conversational English, who is increasingly used where traditional formal grammar uses whom. Competitive examinations, however, may still test the formal distinction.

Relative Pronouns

A Relative Pronoun introduces a relative clause and connects it with a noun or pronoun mentioned earlier.

Common relative pronouns include:

• who
• whom
• whose
• which
• that

Examples:

The boy who won the race is my brother.

• boy → Antecedent
• who → Relative Pronoun

The book that I bought is interesting.

• book → Antecedent
• that → Relative Pronoun

Use of Who

Who is generally used for persons when it functions as the subject of the relative clause.

• The man who helped me was kind.
• The girl who won the prize is my sister.

Use of Whom

Whom is traditionally used for persons as the object.

• The man whom I met was a doctor.
• The candidate whom they selected joined yesterday.

Use of Whose

Whose indicates possession.

• The boy whose bicycle was stolen reported the matter.
• I met a woman whose daughter is a doctor.

It can also be used for things in standard English:

• We visited a building whose roof had collapsed.

Use of Which

Which is generally used for animals and things.

• The book which I bought is useful.
• The car which was damaged has been repaired.

Use of That

That can refer to persons, animals or things in many restrictive/defining relative clauses.

• The boy that helped me is my neighbour.
• The book that I bought is useful.

Situations Where “That” Is Often Preferred

In traditional competitive-exam grammar, that is often preferred after:

• Superlative Degree
  • This is the best book that I have read.
• Words such as all, everything, nothing, anything, little, much
  • Everything that he said was true.
  • All that glitters is not gold.
• Only
  • He is the only person that can help us.
• Mixed antecedents referring to persons and things
  • The people and belongings that were rescued were taken to safety.

Important: That is not normally used after a comma in a non-defining relative clause.

Correct:

My car, which I bought last year, is very reliable.

Not:

My car, that I bought last year, is very reliable. ✘

Indefinite Pronouns

An Indefinite Pronoun refers to a person or thing without identifying exactly who or what it is.

Examples include:

• someone
• somebody
• anyone
• anybody
• everyone
• everybody
• no one
• nobody
• something
• anything
• everything
• nothing
• one
• none
• many
• few
• several
• all
• some
• any

Examples:

• Someone is waiting outside.
• Nobody knows the answer.
• Everything is ready.
• Several were absent.
• Many have applied.

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

Pronouns ending in -one, -body and -thing are normally treated as singular.

Examples:

• Everyone is ready.
• Somebody has called you.
• Nothing was found.
• Each one has a ticket.

In modern English, singular they/their is standard when the person’s gender is unknown or irrelevant:

• Everyone should bring their identity card.
• Somebody has left their bag here.

In highly traditional examination questions, you may still encounter constructions such as his or her, but singular they is established standard English and is widely preferred in contemporary usage.

Distributive Pronouns

A Distributive Pronoun refers to the members of a group one at a time rather than collectively.

The principal distributive pronouns are:

• each
• either
• neither

Each

Each refers to every individual member separately.

Each of the students has received a certificate.

Not:

Each of the students have received a certificate. ✘

Either

Either traditionally means one or the other of two.

Either of the two roads leads to the station.

Neither

Neither means not one and not the other of two.

Neither of the two answers is correct.

In formal competitive-exam grammar:

• Each is
• Either is
• Neither is

They are normally treated as singular when used as pronouns in these constructions.

Reciprocal Pronouns

Reciprocal Pronouns express a mutual relationship or action.

The two reciprocal expressions are:

• each other
• one another

Examples:

• Rahul and Riya help each other.
• The members congratulated one another.

Traditional grammar sometimes teaches:

• each other → two persons
• one another → more than two

Modern English does not strictly maintain this distinction, and the two expressions are often interchangeable.

Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun should agree appropriately with its antecedent.

Agreement mainly involves:

• Number
• Person
• Gender, where relevant
• Clarity of reference

Agreement in Number

A singular antecedent normally takes a singular reference, while a plural antecedent takes a plural reference.

Examples:

• The boy completed his work.
• The girls completed their work.
• The students submitted their assignments.

However, as noted earlier, singular they is standard when gender is unknown, unspecified or irrelevant:

A student should submit their application before Friday.

Agreement with Two Antecedents Joined by “And”

Two singular nouns joined by and normally form a plural antecedent.

Rohan and Mohan completed their work.

Not:

Rohan and Mohan completed his work. ✘

But when two nouns refer to the same person or a single combined idea, the reference may be singular.

The owner and manager has submitted his report.

This means the same person is both owner and manager.

Compare:

The owner and the manager have submitted their reports.

Here, two different persons are meant.

Agreement with Either…Or / Neither…Nor

When antecedents are joined by either…or or neither…nor, traditional formal grammar often makes the pronoun agree with the nearer antecedent.

Examples:

Either Rohan or his friends will bring their car.

Either the students or the teacher will bring her materials.

However, awkward combinations should preferably be rewritten for clarity.

For example, instead of:

Either the teacher or the students must submit his or their report.

Write:

Either the teacher must submit the report, or the students must submit theirs.

Clear writing is preferable to mechanically applying a rule that creates an unnatural sentence.

Agreement with Each, Every, Either and Neither

In traditional exam grammar, each, every, either and neither generally take singular agreement.

• Each student has submitted the form.
• Every candidate is ready.
• Neither answer is correct.
• Either option is acceptable.

With pronoun reference, contemporary English commonly uses singular they:

Every candidate should carry their admit card.

Traditional exam materials may instead use:

Every candidate should carry his or her admit card.

Agreement with Collective Nouns

When a collective noun represents a group acting as one unit, singular reference is often appropriate.

The committee submitted its report.

When the members are considered individually, particularly in British/Indian English, plural reference may occur.

The committee were divided in their opinions.

The meaning determines the agreement.

Correct Pronoun Usage

Several rules of pronoun usage are frequently tested in competitive examinations.

Subjective and Objective Case

Use a subjective pronoun when the pronoun functions as the subject.

Correct:

Rohan and I are friends.

Incorrect:

Rohan and me are friends. ✘

Why?

Remove Rohan and:

I am a friend. ✔
Me am a friend. ✘

Therefore, I is correct.

Use an objective pronoun when it functions as the object.

Correct:

The teacher called Rohan and me.

Remove Rohan and:

The teacher called me. ✔

Not:

The teacher called I. ✘

After Prepositions

A pronoun after a preposition generally takes the objective case.

Correct:

• between you and me
• for him
• with her
• beside them
• from us

Incorrect:

This matter is between you and I. ✘

Correct:

This matter is between you and me. ✔

Pronouns after “Than” and “As”

The correct form can depend on the intended meaning because an omitted verb may be understood.

She is taller than I.

Meaning:

She is taller than I am.

But:

She likes Rahul more than me.

Meaning:

She likes Rahul more than she likes me.

Compare:

She likes Rahul more than I.

Meaning:

She likes Rahul more than I like Rahul.

Thus, the pronoun can change the meaning.

Order of Personal Pronouns

Traditional grammar gives certain conventions for arranging personal pronouns.

In Positive or Neutral Statements

A common traditional order is:

Second Person + Third Person + First Person

→ 2 – 3 – 1

Example:

You, he and I will attend the meeting.

This is often taught as a rule of courtesy, placing oneself last.

When Admitting Fault

Traditional school grammar often recommends:

First Person + Second Person + Third Person

→ 1 – 2 – 3

Example:

I, you and he are responsible for the mistake.

This is a conventional exam-oriented rule rather than an absolute law of modern English style.

Use of “It”

The pronoun it has several important uses.

For Things and Animals

• I bought a laptop. It is expensive.
• The dog is hungry. Give it some food.

When an animal’s sex is known or relevant, he/she may also be used.

For Weather

• It is raining.
• It is very cold today.

For Time

• It is five o’clock.
• It is already late.

For Distance

• It is ten kilometres from here.

As a Preparatory Subject

It is important to study regularly.

Here, it prepares the way for the real content:

to study regularly

Another example:

It is obvious that he is unhappy.

Use of “One”

One may be used to refer to people in general, especially in formal style.

One should respect one’s parents.

For consistency:

One should do one’s duty.

Traditional exam grammar may mark an unnecessary shift such as:

One should do his duty. ✘

Prefer:

One should do one’s duty. ✔

In ordinary modern English, you is often used for general statements:

You should always check your answers carefully.

Use of “They” as a Singular Pronoun

They, them and their may refer to a singular person when:

• the person’s gender is unknown
• the gender is irrelevant
• the person does not wish to be identified by he or she

Examples:

• Someone left their umbrella.
• Every applicant should bring their identity card.
• If a student has a question, they should ask the teacher.

This is called singular they and is established in modern standard English.

For competitive examinations, however, always pay attention to the style and convention of the particular question, because older question banks may follow traditional prescriptions.

Use of “This/That” and “These/Those”

Remember the number distinction:

• this → singular
• that → singular
• these → plural
• those → plural

Correct:

• This is my book.
• These are my books.
• That was difficult.
• Those were difficult.

Incorrect:

These kind of books are useful. ✘ in traditional formal usage.

Prefer:

These kinds of books are useful. ✔

Or:

This kind of book is useful. ✔

Use of “Who” and “Whom”

A simple examination technique is to replace the word mentally with he/him.

If he fits → use who.

If him fits → use whom.

Example:

Who called you?

→ He called you.

Therefore → who

Example:

Whom did you call?

→ You called him.

Therefore → whom

Use of “Who” and “Which”

Generally:

• Who → Persons
• Which → Things/animals
• That → Persons or things in many defining clauses

Examples:

• The man who helped me…
• The book which I bought…
• The book that I bought…

Use of Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun should have an appropriate antecedent.

Correct:

I completed the work myself.

Incorrect:

Myself completed the work. ✘

Correct:

I myself completed the work. ✔

Similarly:

Incorrect:

Myself Rohan. ✘

Better:

I am Rohan. ✔

or

My name is Rohan. ✔

Common Errors with Pronouns

Pronoun errors are extremely common in spotting errors, sentence improvement and sentence correction questions.

Error 1 — I vs Me

Incorrect:

Me and Rohan went to school. ✘

Correct:

Rohan and I went to school. ✔

Why?

I went to school is correct, not me went to school.

But:

The teacher called Rohan and me. ✔

Because:

The teacher called me is correct.

Error 2 — Between You and I

Incorrect:

This secret is between you and I. ✘

Correct:

This secret is between you and me. ✔

The preposition between requires an objective form.

Error 3 — Wrong Reflexive Form

Incorrect:

• hisself ✘
• theirselves ✘
• ourself ✘ when referring to plural we

Correct:

• himself
• themselves
• ourselves

Error 4 — Unnecessary Reflexive Pronoun

Incorrect:

Myself will contact you tomorrow. ✘

Correct:

I will contact you tomorrow. ✔

Or, for emphasis:

I myself will contact you tomorrow. ✔

Error 5 — Possessive Pronouns with Apostrophes

Incorrect:

• your’s ✘
• her’s ✘
• their’s ✘
• our’s ✘

Correct:

• yours
• hers
• theirs
• ours

Error 6 — Its vs It’s

This distinction is extremely important.

Its = possessive form of it

It’s = contraction of it is or it has

Examples:

The dog wagged its tail. ✔

It’s raining. ✔
= It is raining.

It’s been a long day. ✔
= It has been a long day.

Incorrect:

The dog wagged it’s tail. ✘

Error 7 — Who vs Whom

Incorrect in traditional formal grammar:

Whom is calling me? ✘

Correct:

Who is calling me? ✔

Because who is the subject.

Formal:

Whom did you invite? ✔

Because whom is the object.

Error 8 — Wrong Relative Pronoun for Things

Incorrect:

The book who is on the table is mine. ✘

Correct:

The book which is on the table is mine. ✔

or

The book that is on the table is mine. ✔

Error 9 — Each/Every with Plural Verb

Incorrect:

Each of the students have submitted the form. ✘

Correct:

Each of the students has submitted the form. ✔

Notice:

• students is plural.
• But the grammatical head is each, which is singular.

Error 10 — Neither with Plural Verb in Formal Exam Usage

Incorrect in traditional formal grammar:

Neither of the answers are correct. ✘

Preferred in formal examination grammar:

Neither of the answers is correct. ✔

Similarly:

Either of these books is useful. ✔

Error 11 — Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

A pronoun should clearly indicate its antecedent.

Consider:

When Rahul met Mohan, he was angry.

Who was angry?

• Rahul?
• Mohan?

The pronoun he is ambiguous.

Rewrite clearly:

Rahul was angry when he met Mohan.

or

When Rahul met Mohan, Mohan was angry.

Rule: Avoid a pronoun when its antecedent is unclear or ambiguous.

Error 12 — Pronoun without a Clear Antecedent

Weak:

They say that the examination will be difficult.

Who are they?

In informal speech this may be acceptable, but formal writing should preferably identify the source where necessary.

Better:

Many teachers believe that the examination will be difficult.

Error 13 — Inconsistent Use of “One”

Incorrect in traditional formal grammar:

One should respect his parents. ✘

Preferred:

One should respect one’s parents. ✔

Maintain consistency:

One must perform one’s duties sincerely.

Error 14 — This/These Agreement

Incorrect:

This books are useful. ✘

Correct:

These books are useful. ✔

Incorrect:

These type of questions are difficult. ✘

Preferred:

These types of questions are difficult. ✔

Or:

This type of question is difficult. ✔

Error 15 — Incorrect Pronoun after “Let”

After let, an objective pronoun is normally used.

Correct:

• Let me go.
• Let him speak.
• Let us begin.
• Let them enter.

Incorrect:

Let he speak. ✘

Correct:

Let him speak. ✔

Error 16 — Incorrect Pronoun after a Preposition

Incorrect:

She sat beside he. ✘

Correct:

She sat beside him. ✔

Incorrect:

This gift is for she. ✘

Correct:

This gift is for her. ✔

Error 17 — Confusing “Their” and “There”

These words sound similar but have completely different functions.

• Their → Possessive
  • Their house is beautiful.
• There → Place/existential construction
  • Put the book over there.
  • There are many students outside.

Also:

• They’re = they are
  • They’re preparing for the examination.

Error 18 — Confusing “Your” and “You’re”

• Your → Possessive
  • Your book is here.
• You’re → You are
  • You’re very helpful.

Incorrect:

Your going to win. ✘

Correct:

You’re going to win. ✔

Error 19 — Unclear Use of “Which”

Weak:

Rohan failed the examination, which disappointed his father.

This is grammatically possible: which can refer to the entire preceding situation. But in examination questions, a clearer version may be preferred when ambiguity is possible:

Rohan’s failure in the examination disappointed his father.

The principle is to maintain a clear antecedent.

Error 20 — Object Pronoun Used as Subject

Incorrect:

Him and I are classmates. ✘

Correct:

He and I are classmates. ✔

But:

The teacher praised him and me. ✔

Important Pronoun Rules for Competitive Examinations

For quick revision:

• I, we, he, she, they are normally subjective forms.
  • He called me.
• me, us, him, her, them are normally objective forms.
  • I called him.
• After a preposition, use the objective form.
  • between you and me
  • with her
  • for them
• Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes.
  • mine
  • yours
  • hers
  • ours
  • theirs
• Its shows possession.
  • The company changed its policy.
• It’s means it is/it has.
  • It’s raining.
• Reflexive forms end in:
  • -self → singular
  • -selves → plural
• Do not use reflexive pronouns as ordinary subjects.
  • I will do it. ✔
  • Myself will do it. ✘
• Each, either and neither generally take singular verbs in traditional formal grammar.
  • Each has
  • Either is
  • Neither was
• Who is primarily subjective.
  • Who called?
• Whom is objective in formal English.
  • Whom did you call?
• Which generally refers to things.
• Who generally refers to persons.
• That can refer to persons or things in many defining relative clauses.
• A pronoun must have a clear antecedent.
• Two antecedents joined by and normally require plural reference.
  • Rahul and Mohan completed their work.
• Singular they is standard modern English.
  • Everyone should bring their ID card.

Revision Table

Pronoun Revision Table

Key Points to Remember

• A pronoun replaces a noun or noun phrase and helps avoid unnecessary repetition.
• The noun to which a pronoun refers is called its antecedent.
• Pronouns should maintain appropriate number, person and reference with their antecedents.
• Personal pronouns have different subjective and objective forms.
  • I → me
  • we → us
  • he → him
  • she → her
  • they → them
• A Possessive Determiner comes before a noun:
  • my book
  • their house
• A Possessive Pronoun can stand independently:
  • The book is mine.
  • The house is theirs.
• Reflexive Pronouns refer back to the subject:
  • She hurt herself.
• Emphatic Pronouns add emphasis:
  • She herself completed it.
• Demonstrative Pronouns point to specific persons or things:
  • this, that, these, those
• Interrogative Pronouns are used in questions:
  • who, whom, whose, which, what
• Relative Pronouns connect relative clauses to their antecedents:
  • who, whom, whose, which, that
• Indefinite Pronouns refer to unspecified persons or things:
  • someone, anyone, nobody, everything
• Distributive Pronouns consider members individually:
  • each, either, neither
• Reciprocal Pronouns express mutual action:
  • each other, one another
• Avoid common examination errors involving:
  • I vs me
  • who vs whom
  • its vs it’s
  • your vs you’re
  • their vs there vs they’re
  • reflexive pronouns
  • unclear antecedents
  • pronoun–antecedent disagreement

A sound understanding of pronouns is essential for later topics such as Subject–Verb Agreement, Relative Clauses, Narration, Sentence Correction, Error Detection and Sentence Improvement.