Pronouns

2008 Nov 02

A pronoun takes the place of a noun in a sentence. In English there are seven different kinds of pronouns.

• The personal pronoun takes the place of a specific or named person or thing, and come in three cases: nominative, objective and possesive.
  
  
• The reflexive pronoun adds information by pointing back to or relecting a noun or another pronoun by taking the place of its antecedent when the noun or pronoun is doing something to itself. In English reflexive pronouns are formed just like intensive pronouns: by adding -self or -selves to the root pronoun. The only reflexive pronouns in modern English are:
      myself yourself himself herself itself ourselves yourselves themselves.
  The words hisself and theirselves do not exist.
  
  
• The intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun without rpeating the same word. n English intensive pronouns are formed just like reflexive pronouns by adding -self or -selves to the root pronoun. The only intensive pronouns in modern English are:
  myself yourself himself herself itself ourselves yourselves themselves.
  
  
• The demonstrative pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun. A demonstrative is a pronoun (or adjective) which points out which item is being referred to. In English there are only four demonstratives:
      this that these those.
  A demonstrative pronoun is a demonstrative used in the place of a noun.
  A demonstrative adjective is a demonstrative used to modify a noun.
      Demonstrative pronoun: May I see that?
      Demonstrative adjective: May I see that book?
  
  
• The relative pronoun begins a subordinate clause and relates the clause to a word in the main clause, or it relates a subordinate clause to the rest of the sentence. It may be found in adjective and noun clauses. A relative pronoun is only found in sentences with more than one clause. In modern English there are five relative pronouns:
      that which who whom whose.
  All but that can also be interrogative pronouns. That may also be a demonstrative pronoun.
  In addition, these pronouns may take the suffixes -ever and -soever. Examples (relative pronouns italicized):
      He who laughs last laughs best. (Adjective clause)
      I cannot believe that he did it. (Noun clause)
  
  
• The interrogative pronoun is used to ask a question, and comes in the same three cases as the personal pronouns. In modern English there are five interrogative pronouns: what which who whom whose. In addition, these pronouns may take the suffixes -ever and -soever.
  
  
• The indefininite pronoun refers to a person, place or thing without specifying which one.
  • Singular: another anybody anyone anything each either every(?) everybody everyone everything little much neither nobody 'no one' nothing one other somebody someone something. Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs or singular personal pronouns.
  • Plural: both few many others several. Plural indefinite pronouns take plural verbs or plural personal pronouns.
  • Singular or Plural: all any more most none some.

Possessive Pronouns

Certain pronouns called possessive pronouns show ownership. Some are used alone; some describe a noun.

Used alone: mine yours his hers ours theirs whose
Correct: That computer is hers.
Modify noun: my your his her its our their whose
Correct: That is her computer.

Note that none of the possessive pronouns are spelled with an apostrophe:
   his hers its ours yours theirs whose.
To make a possessive of an indefinite pronoun, add an apostrophe plus s, just as you would for a noun.

    Examples:
    somebody's child
    another's idea 

Possessive Pronouns with Gerunds

Possessive pronouns are used to describe gerunds. Using the objective case confuses the reader.

Incorrect: You winning in spite of the odds inspired us all.
(Ambiguous and awkward. Do you inspire or does the winning inspire?)

Correct: Your winning in spite of the odds inspired us all.

Incorrect: We could not stand him whining about everything.
(Which could you not stand? Him? or His whining?)

Correct: We could not stand his whining about everything.

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