Pronoun Definition

Nouns serve a variety of functions in our sentences. They successfully fulfill the important functions of acting as subjects and objects. But sometimes, a noun has to be paused, or a sentence doesn't include the right noun. When nouns need a guiding hand, whom are they supposed to contact? They prefer pronouns, not Ghostbusters (that itself is a noun).

Pronouns have a significant role in speaking; utilizing them effectively will greatly enhance your oral and written communication. We use pronouns in sentences like "I'm proud of myself" or "I need your help." Pronouns can perform all the tasks that nouns do, most of which are simpler and much more flexible.

A pronoun is used as a substitute for a noun and replaces nouns to avoid using the term more than once in a sentence or paragraph. Both singular and plural forms of pronouns are acceptable, and utilizing the verb in the phrase following the specific pronoun form is important.

Pronouns can be broadly divided into three categories.

Person	Singular Pronoun	Plural Pronoun
First Person	I, Me	We, Us
Second Person	You, Your	You
Third Person	He, She, It, Him, Her	They, Them, Their

Pronoun Definition

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a pronoun is "a term that can be used in place of a noun or a noun phrase." Pronouns are "any of a limited set of words (such as I, she, he, you, it, us, or they) in a language that are used as replacements for nouns or noun phrases and whose publics are identified or understood in the context."

The Collins Dictionary states that a pronoun is a word used to describe an individual or something when a noun is not necessary, frequently because the subject or object has already been named. Examples include "it," "she," "something," and "myself."

Pronoun Types

Pronouns can be divided into many sorts according to how they are used. Here are the different pronoun categories. Examine the cases closely to understand each pronoun type and its purpose thoroughly.

1. Relative Pronoun: Pronouns that link one component of the phrase to another are known as relative pronouns. The relative pronouns that, which, where, why, what, whom, and whose are a few examples.

Example:

I need to locate someone who can read Swedish.
She doesn't want to consume a very hot dish.

2. Possessive Pronoun: Possessive Pronouns are pronouns that indicate ownership. The possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, her, theirs, and its are a few examples.

Example:

The doll on the rack is mine.
Although every home in our community is identical outside, only ours has a satellite dish.

3. Reflexive Pronouns: Pronouns related to the sentence's subject are reflexive pronouns. Myself, yourself, itself, herself, himself, oneself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves are a few examples of reflexive pronouns.

Example:

Ken observed himself in the mirror.
I like to refresh myself with desserts.

4. Demonstrative Pronoun: Pronouns that point to particular things are demonstrative pronouns. The demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, and those are a few examples.

Example:

My favorite shirt is this one.
Whatever that is, it's not friendly, in my opinion.

5. Interrogative Pronoun: Pronouns that ask inquiries are called interrogative pronouns. Examples of interrogative pronouns are when, why, who, what, and where.

Example:

Who sent the letter?
Which one is the right response?

6. Indefinite Pronoun: Indefinite pronouns do not specifically refer to any person, place, or object. Someone, somebody, anywhere, something, everybody, anyone, everywhere, anything, no one, anybody, nowhere, everyone, nobody, somewhere, everything, none, each, few, and many are a few examples of indefinite pronouns.

Example:

Someone stole my meal.
Everywhere there was water splashing.

7. Personal Pronoun: Personal pronouns (also known as simple pronouns) replace proper names. Personal pronouns include I, me, you, him, us, her, him, her, us, them, and them.

Example:

I'm scared of mice.
When toasting bread, the toaster becomes quite hot.

8. Reciprocal Pronoun: Pronouns that convey a reciprocal relationship is referred to as reciprocal pronouns. Each other & one another are a few examples of reciprocal pronouns.

Example:

My sister and I are close.
The team members help one another.

9. Intensive Pronoun: The sole distinction between intensive and reflexive pronouns is that the phrase would still sound right without the intensive pronoun.

Example:

I constructed my home myself.
The kids themselves prepared the cookies.

Other pronouns come in two different varieties, and they are:

Subject Pronoun: Subject pronouns carry out the action of a sentence. The subject pronouns I, you, we, he, she, it, they, and one are a few examples.

Object Pronoun: Pronouns that carry out the task in a sentence are called object pronouns. The object pronouns me, us, him, she, and them are a few examples.

Nouns vs. pronouns

Pronouns are a very small class of words that seldom change over time, whereas nouns are a considerably larger class that is always growing. Nouns relate to objects, people, places, & concepts similarly to pronouns but with considerably more detail.

Nouns can serve as the stem of a noun phrase in addition to being the subject or object of a verb, much like pronouns. A full sentence can be merely a noun+verb, as in the case of "Priyank talked," or it can be made up of a pronoun+verb, as in "He spoke."

Nouns are fixed in form, unlike pronouns, which alter their spelling to fit their grammatical function in a phrase. For example, the word "man" remains the same even when the third-person male pronoun "he" changes to "him" when used to describe an object.