📚 What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns help us avoid repeating the same nouns over and over.
❌ Sarah went to Sarah's house. Sarah forgot Sarah's keys.
✓ Sarah went to her house. She forgot her keys.
🎯 Types of Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
Refer to specific people or things
Subject Pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
She loves ice cream.
They are playing soccer.
Object Pronouns
me, you, him, her, it, us, them
The teacher called him.
Give the book to me.
Possessive Pronouns
Show ownership or belonging
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
This backpack is mine.
The decision is yours.
Possessive Adjectives
Show ownership but come before a noun
my, your, his, her, its, our, their
My book is on your desk.
Their house has a big garden.
Reflexive Pronouns
Refer back to the subject of the sentence
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
I made this cake myself.
She taught herself to play guitar.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Point to specific things
this, that, these, those
This is my favorite song.
Those are the books I need.
Interrogative Pronouns
Used to ask questions
who, whom, whose, what, which
Who is at the door?
Which do you prefer?
Indefinite Pronouns
Refer to non-specific people or things
someone, anyone, everyone, no one, something, anything, everything, nothing, all, some, many, few
Everyone is invited to the party.
Someone left something on the table.
✏️ Practice Exercise
Identify the pronouns and their types. Click to reveal!
1. She gave me her notebook yesterday.
She - subject pronoun
me - object pronoun
her - possessive adjective
2. This is mine, and that is yours.
This - demonstrative pronoun
mine - possessive pronoun
that - demonstrative pronoun
yours - possessive pronoun
3. Who told you about the surprise party?
Who - interrogative pronoun
you - object pronoun
4. Everyone should bring their own lunch.
Everyone - indefinite pronoun
their - possessive adjective
5. I taught myself to cook by watching videos.
I - subject pronoun
myself - reflexive pronoun
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ I vs. Me
Me and John went to the store.
✓ John and I went to the store.
Use "I" as a subject, "me" as an object
❌ Who vs. Whom
Whom is going to the party?
✓ Who is going to the party?
Use "who" for subjects, "whom" for objects
❌ Its vs. It's
The dog wagged it's tail.
✓ The dog wagged its tail.
"Its" = possessive, "It's" = it is
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition
- Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) do the action
- Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action
- Possessive pronouns show ownership without a noun following
- Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves and reflect back to the subject