Today we’ll be talking about the major classes of pronouns. Pronouns are function words that are used instead of a noun phrase. We use pronouns if the noun phrase they are supposed to replace is known from the context. This may be a linguistic context or a situational one. Here we have the former:
Your wife’s boss wants to buy my house. He offered me a good price.
In the second sentence HE replaces the noun phrase YOUR WIFE’S BOSS. Without the first sentence, we wouldn’t know what HE refers to. Pronouns are used in this way to make the text less repetitive and more concise.
But sometimes we don’t need a linguistic context like that. There may be situational context as well. Imagine someone is pointing (which is not very polite) at your wife’s boss, who is physically close to you and says:
He offered me a good price.
Now we know without saying what HE stands for.
Pronouns are also used if the reference is unknown or general, for example:
Someone is waiting for you in the garden.
Here the pronoun SOMEONE doesn’t replace any particular noun phrase.
Table of Contents
Classification of Pronouns
Pronouns are a heterogeneous group. Here are the major classes of pronouns:
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns refer a person, like the speaker, the addressee or someone else. They are used in nominative case if they replace the subject:
They entered the house.
If they replace an object, they are used in objective (or accusative) case:
I told him not to do that.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point to specific entities. Here belong the pronouns THIS, THAT, THOSE and THESE:
How did you like those?
You can take some of this.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns replace a noun phrase preceded by a possessive adjective:
I like your car but I don’t like hers.
Here are our apples. Mine looks much riper than yours, I must say.
Reflexive Pronouns
These pronouns refer to the preceding noun phrase, usually the subject of the sentence:
His little sister cut herself with a knife.
He seated himself comfortably by the fireplace.
Reciprocal Pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns are similar to reflexive pronouns, but we use them if the preceding subject refers to more than one entity:
John and Jake often help each other.
This means:
John often helps Jake and Jake often helps John.
Another example:
The students were learning not only from their teachers, but also from one another.
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns refer to a preceding noun phrase, the so-called antecedent:
The girl, whom you are planning to marry, has a secret which ruined her first marriage.
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns refer to unknown entities that are to be specified by the addressee:
What did you find in the lake?
Who told you that?
Indefinite Pronouns
Finally, indefinite pronouns. These pronouns refer to entities which the speaker can’t or doesn’t want to specify:
Something happened to her.
Everything looked new.
Some arrived even later than you.
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