Pronouns
‘Pro’ as a suffix means ‘for’. Noun refers to naming words. A pronoun is a word that can be a substitute for a noun. When we are talking about a particular thing it is important to name it the first time we mention (say) it, subsequently (after that) it is better to refer to it by using a pronoun to avoid repeating what we have said. There are many different kinds of pronouns and learning how to use them all will increase your fluency in all areas of English.
The first of these groups are definite pronouns including: subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns (possessive adjectives), reflexive pronouns and demonstrative pronouns.
Definite Pronouns:
Subject Pronouns – The subject usually comes near the start of a sentence. When the speaker is talking about themselves (the speaker) they can always use ‘I’, when they are talking about the listener they can use ‘you’, apart from that, when it is clear what the subject is, we can use the subject pronoun subsequently. The subject pronouns are as follows:
I, you, he, she, it, we ,they, you (plural)
Let’s look at an example:
I went to meet Dave. He wasn’t there when I arrived.
Here Dave is mentioned in the first sentence, in the second sentence Dave is replaced by the pronoun he.
Another example:
Carol and I went to Tesco, but we were too late and it was closed.
Carol and I is replace by we and Tesco is replaced by it.
Task 1
Replace the subject with subject pronouns
1. Michelle and Katarina came here last week.
2. Charles is very shy.
3. The printer isn’t printing!
4. Odessa works too hard.
Object Pronouns- These replace the object on subsequent mention. They are the equivalent (the same as) subject pronouns but they follow the verb and sometimes have a different form:
I = me
you = you
he = him
she = her
it = it
we = us
they = them
you (pl) = you (pl)
Example:
Terry and Welly called John. John ignored them.
Here Terry and Welly become them in the second sentence.
Task 2
Replace the object in bold with object pronouns.
1. I love football.
2. Don’t speak to Lawrence!
3. Have you met Carl and his girlfriend?
4. He hates English
Possessive Adjectives - like all adjectives, these define the noun we are talking about and they come before the noun.
I = my
you = your
he = his
she = her car
it = its
we = our
they = their
you (pl) = you (pl)
Example:
He loves his car because it is his.
Task 3
Replace the possessive nouns (‘s) in bold with possessive adjectives.
1. I didn’t like Kate’s comments.
2. It is Billy’s pen.
3. Have you seen Kelly and my project?
4. He likes the film’s ending.
Possessive Pronouns – These replace the thing or things that somebody possesses (owns) when it is clear what the thing is. Usually in response (answer) to a question, they replace the owner and the noun:
I = mine
you = yours
he = his
she = hers
it = its
we = ours
they = theirs
you (pl) = yours (pl)
Example:
They love their car because it is theirs.
Task 4
Replace the words in bold with possessive pronouns.
1. Is this your pen? No, it is Ben’s.
2. It is Wendy’s house.
3. Have you seen Kelly and my project?
4. Have you tried our wine? No, have you tried our wine?
Reflexive Pronouns – Different from the previous pronouns, reflexive pronouns are used in place of the object when the subject is the same as the object.
I = myself
you = yourself
he = himself
she = herself
it = itself
we = ourselves
they = themselves
you (pl) = yourselves (pl)
Example:
I wash myself.
Task 5
Write four sentences using reflexive pronouns.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Demonstrative Pronouns – Demonstrative comes from demonstrate (to show). These pronouns are used to indicate something that has been mentioned or is clearly known and depend on how close something is and if the subject is singular or plural.
Close things (here):
this (singular)
these (plural)
Things that are not close (there):
that (singular)
those (plural)
Example:
Please bring those shoes here.
Task 6
Fill the blanks with the correct demonstrative pronoun.
1. ……….. DVD in the other room is yours.
2. Who are……… people who visited yesterday?
3. ………. trousers I’m wearing are too tight.
4. Where is ……… book I wanted to read?
Indefinite Pronouns – Unlike definite pronouns these do not refer to specific things.
The pronouns in this group include:
all any anyone anybody each every
everybody everyone nobody none no-one some
somebody someone
Task 7
Look in a dictionary to find an explanation in your language and an English explanation for each of these adverbs
