Pronouns

Pronouns are small words that take the place of a noun. We can use a pronoun instead of a noun. Pronouns are words like: he, you, ours, themselves, some, each... If we didn't have pronouns, we would have to repeat a lot of nouns. We would have to say things like:

• Do you like the head prefect? I don't like the head prefect. The head prefect is too pompous.

With pronouns, we can say:

• Do you like the head prefect? I don't like him. He is too pompous.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns represent specific people or things. We use them depending on:

• number: singular (eg: I) or plural (eg: we)
• person: 1st person (eg: I), 2nd person (eg: you) or 3rd person (eg: he)
• gender: male (eg: he), female (eg: she) or neuter (eg: it)
• case: subject (eg: we) or object (eg: us)

We use personal pronouns in place of the person or people that we are talking about. My name is Sam but when I am talking about myself I almost always use "I" or "me", not "Sam". When I am talking direct to you, I almost always use "you", not your name. When I am talking about another person, say Lissa, I may start with "Lissa" but then use "she" or "her". And so on.

Here are the personal pronouns, followed by some example sentences:

number	person	gender	personal pronouns
			subject	object
singular	1st	male/female	I	me
	2nd	male/female	you	you
	3rd	male	he	him
		female	she	her
		neuter	it	it
plural	1st	male/female	we	us
	2nd	male/female	you	you
	3rd	male/female/neuter	they	them

Examples (in each case, the first example shows a subject pronoun, the second an object pronoun):

• I like coffee.
• Fatimah helped me.
  
  
• Do you like coffee?
• Kamarul loves you.
  
  
• He runs fast.
• Did Amir beat him?
  
  
• She is clever.
• Does Salbiah know her?
  
  
• It doesn't work.
• Can the engineer repair it?
  
  
• We went home.
• Ismail drove us.
  
  
• Do you need a table for three?
• Did Sam and Lissa beat you at doubles?
  
  
• They played doubles.
• Sam and Lissa beat them.

When we are talking about a single thing, we almost always use it. However, there are a few exceptions. We may sometimes refer to an animal as he/him or she/her, especially if the animal is domesticated or a pet. Ships (and some other vessels or vehicles) as well as some countries are often treated as female and referred to as she/her. Here are some examples:

• This is our dog Rusty. He's an Alsation.
• The Titanic was a great ship but she sank on her first voyage.
• My first car was a Mini and I treated her like my wife.
• Thailand has now opened her border with Cambodia.

For a single person, sometimes we don't know whether to use he or she. There are several solutions to this:

• If a teacher needs help, he or she should see the principal.
• If a teacher needs help, he should see the principal.
• If a teacher needs help, they should see the principal.

We often use it to introduce a remark:

• It is nice to have a holiday sometimes.
• It is important to dress well.
• It's difficult to find a job.
• Is it normal to see them together?
• It didn't take long to walk here.

We also often use it to talk about the weather, temperature, time and distance:

• It's raining.
• It will probably be hot tomorrow.
• Is it nine o'clock yet?
• It's 50 kilometres from here to UTM, Skudai.

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun represents a thing or things:

• near in distance or time (this, these)
• far in distance or time (that, those)

to demonstrate (verb):
to show; to indicate; to point to

	near	far
singular	this	that
plural	these	those

Here are some examples with demonstrative pronouns, followed by an illustration:

• This tastes good.
• Have you seen this?
• These are bad times.
• Do you like these?
  
  
• That is beautiful.
• Look at that!
• Those were the days!
• Can you see those?
  
  
• This is heavier than that.
• These are bigger than those.

Tip:

Do not confuse demonstrative pronouns with demonstrative adjectives. They are identical, but a demonstrative pronoun stands alone, while a demonstrative adjective qualifies a noun.

• That smells. (demonstrative pronoun)
• That book is good. (demonstrative adjective + noun)

Normally we use demonstrative pronouns for things only. But we can use them for people when the person is identified. Look at these examples:

• This is Sam speaking. Is that Lissa?
• That sounds like Fatimah.

Possessive Pronouns

We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things (the "antecedent") belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or thing/things).

We use possessive pronouns depending on:

• number: singular (eg: mine) or plural (eg: ours)
• person: 1st person (eg: mine), 2nd person (eg: yours) or 3rd person (eg: his)
• gender: male (his), female (hers)

Below are the possessive pronouns, followed by some example sentences. Notice that each possessive pronoun can:

• be subject or object
• refer to a singular or plural antecedent

number	person	gender (of "owner")	possessive pronouns
singular	1st	male/female	mine
	2nd	male/female	yours
	3rd	male	his
		female	hers
plural	1st	male/female	ours
	2nd	male/female	yours
	3rd	male/female/neuter	theirs

• Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject = My picture)
• I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object = my flowers)
  
  
• I looked everywhere for your key. I found Fatimah's key but I couldn't find yours. (object = your key)
• My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject = Your flowers)
  
  
• All the essays were good but his was the best. (subject = his essay)
• Sam found his passport but Lissa couldn't find hers. (object = her passport)
• Sam found his clothes but Lissa couldn't find hers. (object = her clothes)
  
  
• Here is your car. Ours is over there, where we left it. (subject = Our car)
• Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. (subject = Our photos)
  
  
• Each couple's books are colour-coded. Yours are red. (subject = Your books)
• I don't like this family's garden but I like yours. (subject = your garden)
  
  
• These aren't Sam and Lissa's children. Theirs have black hair. (subject = Their children)
• Sam and Lissa don't like your car. Do you like theirs? (object = their car)

Tip:

Notice that the following (with apostrophe [']) do NOT exist: her's, your's, their's

Notice that the interrogative pronoun whose can also be a possessive pronoun (an interrogative possessive pronoun). Look at these examples:

• There was $100 on the table and Tara wondered whose it was.
• This car hasn't moved for two months. Whose is it?

Interrogative Pronouns

We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions. The interrogative pronoun represents the thing that we don't know (what we are asking the question about).

There are four main interrogative pronouns: who, whom, what, which

Notice that the possesive pronoun whose can also be an interrogative pronoun (an interrogative possessive pronoun).

	subject	object
person	who	whom
thing	what
person/thing	which
person	whose		(possessive)

Notice that whom is the correct form when the pronoun is the object of the verb, as in "Whom did you see?" ("I saw Fatimah.") However, in normal, spoken English we rarely use whom. Most native speakers would say (or even write): "Who did you see?"

Look at these example questions. In the sample answers, the noun phrase that the interrogative pronoun represents is shown in bold.

question	answer
Who told you?	Fatimah told me.	subject
Whom did you tell?	I told Lissa.	object
What's happened?	An accident's happened.	subject
What do you want?	I want coffee.	object
Which came first?	The Porsche 911 came first.	subject
Which will the doctor see first?	The doctor will see the patient in blue first.	object
There's one car missing. Whose hasn't arrived?	Fatimah's (car) hasn't arrived.	subject
We've found everyone's keys. Whose did you find?	I found Fatimah's (keys).	object

Note that we sometimes use the suffix "-ever" to make compounds from some of these pronouns (mainly whoever, whatever, whichever). When we add "-ever", we use it for emphasis, often to show confusion or surprise. Look at these examples:

• Whoever would want to do such a nasty thing?
• Whatever did he say to make her cry like that?
• They're all fantastic! Whichever will you choose?

Reflexive Pronouns

We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause. Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).

There are eight reflexive pronouns:

	reflexive pronoun
singular	myself yourself himself, herself, itself
plural	ourselves yourselves themselves

Look at these examples:

	reflexive pronouns
the underlined words are NOT the same person/thing	the underlined words are the SAME person/thing
John saw me.	I saw myself in the mirror.
Why does he blame you?	Why do you blame yourself?
Naza sent him a copy.	Anuar sent himself a copy.
Naza sent her a copy.	Aida sent herself a copy.
My dog hurt the cat.	My dog hurt itself.
We blame you.	We blame ourselves.
Can you help my children?	Can you help yourselves?
They cannot look after the babies.	They cannot look after themselves.

Intensive pronouns

Notice that all the above reflexive pronouns can also act as intensive pronouns, but the function and usage are different. An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent. Look at these examples:

• I made it myself. OR I myself made it.
• Have you yourself seen it? OR Have you seen it yourself?
• The President himself promised to stop the war.
• She spoke to me herself. OR She herself spoke to me.
• The exam itself wasn't difficult, but exam room was horrible.
• Never mind. We'll do it ourselves.
• You yourselves asked us to do it.
• They recommend this book even though they themselves have never read it. OR They recommend this book even though they have never read it themselves.

Reciprocal Pronouns

We use reciprocal pronouns when each of two or more subjects is acting in the same way towards the other. For example, A is talking to B, and B is talking to A. So we say:

• A and B are talking to each other.

The action is "reciprocated". Naza talks to Aida and Aida talks to Naza. I give you a present and you give me a present. The dog bites the cat and the cat bites the dog.

There are only two reciprocal pronouns, and they are both two words:

• each other
• one another

When we use these reciprocal pronouns:

• there must be two or more people, things or groups involved (so we cannot use reciprocal pronouns with I, you [singular], he/she/it), and
• they must be doing the same thing

Look at these examples:

• Sam and Lissa love each other.
• Naza and Zainal hate each other.
• The ten prisoners were all blaming one another.
• Both teams played hard against each other.
• We gave each other gifts.
• Why don't you believe each other?
• They can't see each other.
• The gangsters were fighting one another.
• The boats were bumping against each other in the storm.

Tip:

You probably notice that each other is used in more examples above than one another. That's because in general we use each other more often than one another, which sounds a little formal. Also, some people say that we should use one another only for three or more people or things, but there is no real justification for this.

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing or amount. It is vague and "not definite". Some typical indefinite pronouns are:

• all, another, any, anybody/anyone, anything, each, everybody/everyone, everything, few, many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody/someone

Tip:

Note that many indefinite pronouns also function as other parts of speech. Look at "another" in the following sentences:

• He has one job in the day and another at night. (pronoun)
• I'd like another drink, please. (adjective)

Most indefinite pronouns are either singular or plural. However, some of them can be singular in one context and plural in another. The most common indefinite pronouns are listed below, with examples, as singular, plural or singular/plural.

Notice that a singular pronoun takes a singular verb AND that any personal pronoun should also agree (in number and gender). Look at these examples:

• Each of the players has a doctor.
• I met two girls. One has given me her phone number.

Similarly, plural pronouns need plural agreement:

• Many have expressed their views.

pronoun	meaning	example
singular
another	an additional or different person or thing	That ice-cream was good. Can I have another?
anybody/anyone	no matter what person	Can anyone answer this question?
anything	no matter what thing	The doctor needs to know if you have eaten anything in the last two hours.
each	every one of two or more people or things, seen separately	Each has his own thoughts.
either	one or the other of two people or things	Do you want tea or coffee? / I don't mind. Either is good for me.
enough	as much or as many as needed	Enough is enough.
everybody/everyone	all people	We can start the meeting because everybody has arrived.
everything	all things	They have no house or possessions. They lost everything in the earthquake.
less	a smaller amount	"Less is more" (Mies van der Rohe)
little	a small amount	Little is know about his early life.
much	a large amount	Much has happend since we met.
neither	not one and not the other of two people or things	I keep telling Jack and Jill but neither believes me.
nobody/no-one	no person	I phoned many times but nobody answered.
nothing	no single thing, not anything	If you don't know the answer it's best to say nothing.
one	an unidentified person	Can one smoke here? | All the students arrived but now one is missing.
other	a different person or thing from one already mentioned	One was tall and the other was short.
somebody/someone	an unspecified or unknown person	Clearly somebody murdered him. It was not suicide.
something	an unspecified or unknown thing	Listen! I just heard something! What could it be?
you	an unidentified person (informal)	And you can see why.
plural
both	two people or things, seen together	John likes coffee but not tea. I think both are good.
few	a small number of people or things	Few have ever disobeyed him and lived.
fewer	a reduced number of people or things	Fewer are smoking these days.
many	a large number of people or things	Many have come already.
others	other people; not us	I'm sure that others have tried before us.
several	more than two but not many	They all complained and several left the meeting.
they	people in general (informal)	They say that vegetables are good for you.
singular or plural
all	the whole quantity of something or of some things or people	All is forgiven. All have arrived.
any	no matter how much or how many	Is any left? Are any coming?
more	a greater quantity of something; a greater number of people or things	There is more over there. More are coming.
most	the majority; nearly all	Most is lost. Most have refused.
none	not any; no person or persons	They fixed the water so why is none coming out of the tap? I invited five friends but none have come.*
some	an unspecified quantity of something; an unspecified number of people or things	Here is some. Some have arrived.
such	of the type already mentioned	He was a foreigner and he felt that he was treated as such.

* Some people say that "none" should always take a singular verb, even when talking about countable nouns (eg five friends). They argue that "none" means "no one", and "one" is obviously singular. They say that "I invited five friends but none has come" is correct and "I invited five friends but none have come" is incorrect. Historically and grammatically there is little to support this view. "None" has been used for hundreds of years with both a singular and a plural verb, according to the context and the emphasis required.

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun because it "relates" to the word that it modifies. Here is an example:

• The person who phoned me last night is my teacher.

In the above example, "who":

• relates to "person", which it modifies
• introduces the relative clause "who phoned me last night"

There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that*

Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession. Which is for things. That can be used for people** and things and as subject and object in defining relative clauses (clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information).

Tip:
Relative pronouns can refer to singular or plural, and there is no difference between male and female.

Look at these examples showing defining and non-defining relative clauses:

	example sentences S=subject, O=object, P=possessive		notes
defining	S	- The person who phoned me last night is my teacher. - The person that phoned me last night is my teacher.	That is preferable
		- The car which hit me was yellow. - The cars that hit me were yellow.	That is preferable
	O	- The person whom I phoned last night is my teacher. - The people who I phoned last night are my teachers. - The person that I phoned last night is my teacher. - The person I phoned last night is my teacher.	Whom is correct but very formal. The relative pronoun is optional.
		- The car which I drive is old. - The car that I drive is old. - The car I drive is old.	That is preferable to which. The relative pronoun is optional.
	P	- The student whose phone just rang should stand up. - Students whose parents are wealthy pay extra.
		- The police are looking for the car whose driver was masked. - The police are looking for the car of which the driver was masked.	Of which is usual for things, but whose is sometimes possible
non-defining	S	- Mrs Pratt, who is very kind, is my teacher.
		- The car, which was a taxi, exploded. - The cars, which were taxis, exploded.
	O	- Mrs Pratt, whom I like very much, is my teacher. - Mr and Mrs Pratt, who I like very much, are my teachers.	Whom is correct but very formal. Who is normal.
		- The car, which I was driving at the time, suddenly caught fire.
	P	- My brother, whose phone you just heard, is a doctor.
		- The car, whose driver jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed. - The car, the driver of which jumped out just before the accident, was completely destroyed.	Of which is usual for things, but whose is sometimes possible

*Not all grammar sources count "that" as a relative pronoun.
**Some people claim that we cannot use "that" for people but must use "who/whom"; there is no good reason for such a claim.