What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which," "none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive. Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Personal Pronouns
A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

Subjective Personal Pronouns

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they." In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun and acts as the subject of the sentence: I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack. You are surely the strangest child I have ever met. He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him. When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner. After many years, they returned to their homeland. We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m. It is on the counter. Are you the delegates from Malagawatch?

Objective Personal Pronouns

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them." In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is an objective personal pronoun: Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him. The objective personal pronoun "her" is the direct object of the verb "forced" and the objective personal pronoun "him" is the object of the preposition "with."

After reading the pamphlet, Judy threw it into the garbage can. The pronoun "it" is the direct object of the verb "threw." The agitated assistant stood up and faced the angry delegates and said, "Our leader will address you in five minutes." In this sentence, the pronoun "you" is the direct object of the verb "address." Deborah and Roberta will meet us at the newest caf in the market. Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will meet." Give the list to me. Here the objective personal pronoun "me" is the object of the preposition "to." I'm not sure that my contact will talk to you. Similarly in this example, the objective personal pronoun "you" is the object of the preposition "to." Christopher was surprised to see her at the drag races. Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see."

Possessive Personal Pronouns

A possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive personal pronouns are "mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs." Note that possessive personal pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives like "my," "her," and "their." In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a possessive personal pronoun: The smallest gift is mine. Here the possessive pronoun "mine" functions as a subject complement. This is yours. Here too the possessive pronoun "yours" functions as a subject complement. His is on the kitchen counter. In this example, the possessive pronoun "his" acts as the subject of the sentence.

Theirs will be delivered tomorrow. In this sentence, the possessive pronoun "theirs" is the subject of the sentence. Ours is the green one on the corner. Here too the possessive pronoun "ours" function as the subject of the sentence.

Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby either in space or in time, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away in space or time. The demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those." "This" and "that" are used to refer to singular nouns or noun phrases and "these" and "those" are used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases. Note that the demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative adjectives, though, obviously, you use them differently. It is also important to note that "that" can also be used as a relative pronoun. In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a demonstrative pronoun: This must not continue. Here "this" is used as the subject of the compound verb "must not continue." This is puny; that is the tree I want. In this example "this" is used as subject and refers to something close to the speaker. The demonstrative pronoun "that" is also a subject but refers to something farther away from the speaker. Three customers wanted these. Here "these" is the direct object of the verb "wanted."

Interrogative Pronouns
An interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns are "who," "whom," "which," "what" and the compounds formed with the suffix "ever" ("whoever," "whomever," "whichever," and "whatever"). Note that either "which" or "what" can also be used as an interrogative adjective, and that "who," "whom," or "which" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

You will find "who," "whom," and occasionally "which" used to refer to people, and "which" and "what" used to refer to things and to animals. "Who" acts as the subject of a verb, while "whom" acts as the object of a verb, preposition, or a verbal. The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is an interrogative pronoun: Which wants to see the dentist first? "Which" is the subject of the sentence. Who wrote the novel Rockbound? Similarly "who" is the subject of the sentence. Whom do you think we should invite? In this sentence, "whom" is the object of the verb "invite." To whom do you wish to speak? Here the interrogative pronoun "whom " is the object of the preposition "to." Who will meet the delegates at the train station? In this sentence, the interrogative pronoun "who" is the subject of the compound verb "will meet." To whom did you give the paper? In this example the interrogative pronoun "whom" is the object of the preposition "to." What did she say? Here the interrogative pronoun "what" is the direct object of the verb "say."

Relative Pronouns
You can use a relative pronoun is used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The relative pronouns are "who," "whom," "that," and "which." The compounds "whoever," "whomever," and "whichever" are also relative pronouns. You can use the relative pronouns "who" and "whoever" to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, and "whom" and "whomever" to refer to the objects of a verb, a verbal or a preposition.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a relative pronoun. You may invite whomever you like to the party. The relative pronoun "whomever" is the direct object of the compound verb "may invite." The candidate who wins the greatest popular vote is not always elected. In this sentence, the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb "wins" and introduces the subordinate clause "who wins the greatest popular vote." This subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying "candidate." In a time of crisis, the manager asks the workers whom she believes to be the most efficient to arrive an hour earlier than usual. In this sentence "whom" is the direct object of the verb "believes" and introduces the subordinate clause "whom she believes to be the most efficient". This subordinate clause modifies the noun "workers." Whoever broke the window will have to replace it. Here "whoever" functions as the subject of the verb "broke." The crate which was left in the corridor has now been moved into the storage closet. In this example "which" acts as the subject of the compound verb "was left" and introduces the subordinate clause "which was left in the corridor." The subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying the noun "crate." I will read whichever manuscript arrives first. Here "whichever" modifies the noun "manuscript" and introduces the subordinate clause "whichever manuscript arrives first." The subordinate clause functions as the direct object of the compound verb "will read."

Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun referring to an identifiable but not specified person or thing. An indefinite pronoun conveys the idea of all, any, none, or some. The most common indefinite pronouns are "all," "another," "any," "anybody," "anyone," "anything," "each," "everybody," "everyone," "everything," "few," "many," "nobody," "none," "one," "several," "some," "somebody," and "someone." Note that some indefinite pronouns can also be used as indefinite adjectives. The highlighted words in the following sentences are indefinite pronouns:

Many were invited to the lunch but only twelve showed up. Here "many" acts as the subject of the compound verb "were invited." The office had been searched and everything was thrown onto the floor. In this example, "everything" acts as a subject of the compound verb "was thrown." We donated everything we found in the attic to the woman's shelter garage sale. In this sentence, "everything" is the direct object of theverb "donated." Although they looked everywhere for extra copies of the magazine, they found none. Here too the indefinite pronoun functions as a direct object: "none" is the direct object of "found." Make sure you give everyone a copy of the amended bylaws. In this example, "everyone" is the indirect object of the verb "give" -- the direct object is the noun phrase "a copy of the amended bylaws." Give a registration package to each. Here "each" is the object of the preposition "to."

Reflexive Pronouns
You can use a reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject of the clause or sentence. The reflexive pronouns are "myself," "yourself," "herself," "himself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves." Note each of these can also act as an intensive pronoun. Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a reflexive pronoun: Diabetics give themselves insulin shots several times a day. The Dean often does the photocopying herself so that the secretaries can do more important work. After the party, I asked myself why I had faxed invitations to everyone in my office building. Richard usually remembered to send a copy of his e-mail to himself. Although the landlord promised to paint the apartment, we ended up doing it ourselves.

Intensive Pronouns

An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used to emphasise its antecedent. Intensive pronouns are identical in form to reflexive pronouns. The highlighted words in the following sentences are intensive pronouns: I myself believe that aliens should abduct my sister. The Prime Minister himself said that he would lower taxes. They themselves promised to come to the party even though they had a final exam at the same time.

Pronouns
By Swara Bhaskara on May 27, 2009 16:42 20 Comments

Pronoun atau kata ganti adalah kata-kata yang digunakan untuk menggantikan orang atau benda. Ada 5 jenis kata ganti orang, yaitu yang berfungsi sebagai subject (Subject Pronouns), sebagai object (object pronoun), sebagai adjective (possessive adjectives), untuk menyatakan kepunyaan (possessive pronouns), dan untuk menyatakan refleksi diri (reflexive atau reciprocal pronouns). Kelima pronoun tersebut disajikan pada tabel berikut. Subject Pronouns I You (singular) You (plural) We They He She It Object Pronouns me you you us them him her it Possessive Adjectives my your your our their his her its Possessive Pronouns mine yours yours ours theirs his hers its Reciprocal Pronouns myself yourself yourselves ourselves themselves himself herself itself

A. Penggunaan subject pronoun.

Subject pronoun adalah kata ganti yang berfungsi sebagai subject.

I, you, we, they, he, dan she digunakan untuk mengganti orang. Selain itu, they juga digunakan untuk menggantikan plural nouns. He dan she juga dapat digunakan untuk menggantikan hewan, khususnya hewan peliharaan. Dan khusus untuk she juga dapat digunakan untuk menggantikan kapal laut. It untuk menggantikan benda mati dan tumbuhan tunggal. He, she dan it adalah singular subject (orang ketiga tunggal) yang selalu diikuti oleh singular verb.

Penggunaan subject pronoun ada 4, yaitu:

a. Pada umumnya subject pronoun diletakkan di awal kalimat (sebelum verb). Contoh:
1. 2. 3. 4. I love you. He is my brother. She likes writing a poem. (Dia suka menulis puisi). Two cars were reported stolen last night. They havent been found yet. (Dua mobil dilaporkan dicuri tadi malam. Mereka (kedua mobil itu) belum ditemukan). 5. You have to buy a good English dictionary. (Kamu harus membeli sebuah kamus bahasa Inggris yang baik). 6. We planted a rose plant last month. It is growing well now. (Kami menanam sebuah tanaman mawar sebulan yang lalu. Dia (tanaman mawar itu) sedang tumbuh dengan baik sekarang).

b. (it/that/this/these/those/there) + (to be) + subject pronoun Dalam pola-pola seperti ini, it, that, this, these, those dan there hanya berfungsi sebagai pseudosubject (subject semu). Subject yang sebenarnya adalah nouns setelah to be. Olehnya itu, pronoun yang tepat digunakan setelah to be adalah subject pronoun. Contoh:
1. It was I who broke the mirror. (Adalah saya (sayalah) yang memecahkan cermin itu). 2. There is he here now. You should come here quickly if you want to meet him. (Ada dia di sini sekarang. Kamu harus datang ke sini dengan cepat jika kamu ingin bertemu dia). 3. This is I. I am just an ordinary person. (Inilah saya. Saya hanyalah seorang manusia biasa).

c. Setelah expression as as dalam kalimat equal comparison. Contoh:

1. He is as smart as she. (Dia (cowok) sama pintarnya dengan dia (cewek). 2. Maria has the same preference as they. (Maria punya kesukaan yang sama dengan mereka).

c. Setelah than dalam kalimat unequal comparison. Contoh:

1. I am smarter than he. (Saya lebih pintar dari dia). 2. They study harder than she. (Mereka belajar lebih giat dari dia).

d. Setelah different from.

1. We are different from they. (Kita beda dengan mereka). 2. Although they are twins, she is different from he. (Walaupun mereka kembar, dia (cewek) beda dengan dia).

Note: In speaking (informal occasion), pronoun pada kalimat-kalimat di poin b d lebih sering dinyatakan dengan object pronoun, menjadi:
1. 2. 3. 4. It was me who broke the mirror. He is as smart as her. I am smarter than him. We are different from them. dan seterusnya.

Walaupun lebih sering digunakan secara informal, penggunaan object pronoun ini (poin b-d) dianggap gramatically incorrect. Jadi, jika anda ikut ujian TOEFL atau test lainnya selalu pilih subject pronoun, bukan object pronoun. Contoh kalimat tambahan penggunaan subject pronoun dapat dibaca di topik : Subject kalimat.
B. Penggunaan object pronoun

Object pronoun adalah kata ganti yang berfungsi sebagai object dan diletakkan setelah verb. Contoh:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Yeyes gave me a piece of cake (Yeyes memberi saya sepotong kue) Yeyes gave you a piece of cake, too. (Yeyes memberi kamu sepotong kue juga) Yeyes did not give him a piece of cake. (Yeyes tidak memberi dia sepotong kue). I like her. (Saya suka dia). Do you like your new bicycle? Yes, I like it very much. (Apakah kamu suka sepeda barumu? Ya, saya menyukainya dengan sangat) Koko helped us clean the house. (Koko membantu kami membersihkan rumah). Yeyes taught him to do his homework. (Yeyes mengajarinya mengerjakan PR). Didit saw us on the football field. (Didit melihat kita di lapangan sepakbola) She hates me because I am very, very naughty. (Dia membenciku karena saya sangat,sangat jahil).

C. Penggunaan possessive adjective

Pronoun ini berfungsi sebagai kata sifat, yaitu untuk menerangkan kepemilikan terhadap nouns. (The nouns belong to whom? = nouns itu milik siapa?) Contoh:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. This is my house. (Ini adalah rumahku). That is his house. This is your dictionary. (Ini adalah kamusmu) We all like our teacher. Didit and Yeyes are saving some of their money to buy a birthday gift. That is your book. This is their clean class. That is our television.

9. This is my new bag. 10. That is her big house. D. Penggunaan possessive pronoun

Kata ganti ini juga menyatakan kepemilikan sesuatu benda. Perbedaannya dengan possessive adjectives adalah terletak pada kata bendanya yang tidak disebutkan lagi karena sudah tersirat di dalam kata ganti ini. Contoh:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. This house is mine. (rumah ini adalah rumahku). That house is his. (rumah itu adalah rumahnya). This dictionary is yours. (kamus ini adalah kamusmu). I like your shoes but I dont like mine. (Saya suka spatumu, tapi saya tidak suka sepatuku). Those books are his now. (Buku-buku itu adalah buku-bukunya sekarang). This new bag is mine. (Tas baru ini adalah tasku). That television is ours. (TV itu adalah TV kami). These beautiful cars are theirs. (Mobil-mobil cantik ini adalah mobil-mobil mereka). That pencil is yours. (Pensil itu adalah pensilmu). This dictionary is his. (Kamus ini adalah kamusnya).

Note: In speaking, noun setelah this, that, these dan those sering dihilangkan. Lawan bicara sudah paham maksudnya karena noun-nya sudah diacu sebelumnya, plus adanya body language. Contoh-contoh di atas dapat dinyatakan dengan:
1. This is mine 2. Thats yours 3. Those are his now, dan seterusnya. E. Penggunaan reflexive (reciprocal) pronoun

Reflexive atau reciprocal pronoun ini digunakan untuk merefleksikan diri dan untuk mengeraskan arti orang atau benda yang diacunya. Contoh:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. I hate myself. (Saya benci diriku sendiri). You only love yourself. (Kamu hanya cinta dirimu sendiri). You all have to help yourselves. (Kamu semua harus membantu diri kamu sendiri). We have to discipline ourselves. (Kita harus mendisiplinkan diri kita sendiri). She must be angry to herself. (Dia harus marah pada dirinya sendiri). He gives himself a little more time to rest. (Dia memberi dirinya sendiri sedikit lebih banyak waktu untuk beristirahat). 7. They are proud of themselves. (Mereka bangga pada diri mereka sendiri).

Soal: Coba terjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Inggris kalimat berikut:

Saya akan meminjamimu sepedaku.

Jawab: Kata meminjami adalah sebuah kata kerja (aktivitas yang akan dilakukan oleh subject Saya). Jadi mu di sini bukanlah mengganti kepunyaan, melainkan kependekan dari pronoun kamu, yang berfungsi sebagai object kalimat, sehingga dalam bahasa Inggris menjadi you. Sedangkan pronoun ku di kalimat ini adalah sebuah possessive adjective, yang menerangkan who (siapa) yang memiliki sepeda tersebut. Oleh karena itu, pronoun yang tepat untuk ku adalah my. Jadi, kalimat di atas dapat diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Inggris menjadi:

I will lend you my bicycle. Atau, I will lend my bike to you.

F. Penggunaan indefinite pronoun: One dan Ones

Selain kelima jenis pronoun di atas, one dan ones juga dapat digunakan untuk menggantikan nouns yang sudah pernah disebutkan sebelumnya. One digunakan untuk menggantikan singular nouns (benda tunggal), sedangkan ones digunakan untuk menggantikan plural nouns (benda jamak). Contoh:
1. There are two dogs in my house. They are brown and white. The brown one is big, tall and a little fierceful, while the white one is smaller, shorter, and calmer. (Ada 2 anjing di rumahku. Mereka berwarna coklat dan putih. Anjing yang berwarna coklat adalah besar, tinggi, dan sedikit galak, sedangkan anjing yang berwarna putih adalah lebih kecil, lebih pendek, dan lebih jinak). 2. I have two new red pens on my right hand and five used blue pens on my left one. Which ones do you want? (Saya punya 2 pulpen merah baru di tangan kanan saya dan 5 pulpen biru yang telah pernah dipakai di tangan kiri saya. Pulpen-pulpen yang manakah yang kamu inginkan?).

Note: One atau ones hanya menggantikan noun-nya saja, sedangkan adjective-nya harus tetap disebutkan agar pembaca atau lawan bicara mengerti apa atau siapa yang diacu/dirujuk oleh one atau ones tersebut.

Pronouns
A pronoun is used in place of a noun or nouns. Common pronouns include he, her, him, I, it, me, she, them, they, us, and we. Here are some examples:
INSTEAD OF: Luma is a good athlete.

She is a good athlete. (The pronoun she replaces Luma.) INSTEAD OF: The beans and tomatoes are fresh-picked. They are fresh-picked. (The pronoun they replaces the beans and tomatoes.)

Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This noun is known as the antecedent. A pronoun "refers to," or directs your thoughts toward, its antecedent.
Let's call Luma and ask her to join the team. (Her is a pronoun; Luma is its antecedent.)

To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that pronoun refers to. What does her refer to in the sentence abovethat is, who is the her? The her in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma is the antecedent.
Subjective Pronouns

A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentenceit performs the action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she, they, we, and you.
He spends ages looking out the window. After lunch, she and I went to the planetarium. Objective Pronouns

An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentenceit receives the action of the verb. The objective pronouns are her, him, it, me, them, us, and you.
Cousin Eldred gave me a trombone. Take a picture of him, not us! Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The possessive pronouns are hers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, and yours.
The red basket is mine. Yours is on the coffee table.

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative pronouns are that, these, this, and those.
That is a good idea. These are hilarious cartoons.

A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Interrogative Pronouns

An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to ask about something. The interrogative pronouns are what, which, who, whom, and compound words ending in "ever," such as whatever, whichever, whoever, and whomever.
What on earth is that? Who ate the last Fig Newton?

An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general, person or thing. Indefinite pronouns include all, any, both, each, everyone, few, many, neither, none, nothing, several, some, and somebody.
Something smells good. Many like salsa with their chips.

An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a sentence, that describes a noun. The relative pronouns are that, which, who, and whom.
You should bring the book that you love most.

That introduces "you love most," which describes the book.

Hector is a photographer who does great work.

Who introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.

Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as an intensive pronoun (see below).
I learned a lot about myself at summer camp. (Myself refers back to I.) They should divide the berries among themselves. (Themselves refers back to they.) Intensive Pronouns

An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun that comes before it). The intensive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as a reflective pronoun (see above).
I myself don't like eggs. The queen herself visited our class.

Parts of Speech Chapter 6 - Pronouns A pronoun is often defined as a word which can be used instead of a noun. For example, instead of saying John is a student, the pronoun he can be used in place of the noun John and the sentence becomes He is a student. We use pronouns very often, especially so that we do not have to keep on repeating a noun. This chapter is about the kind of pronoun called a personal pronoun because it often refers to a person. Like nouns, personal pronouns sometimes have singular and plural forms (I-we, he-they). Unlike nouns, personal pronouns sometimes have different forms for masculine/male, feminine/female and neuter (he-she-it). Also unlike nouns, personal pronouns have different forms depending on if they act as subjects or objects (he-him, she-her). A subject is a word which does an action and usually comes before the verb, and an object is a word that receives an action and usually comes after the verb. For example, in the sentence Yesterday Susan called her mother, Susan is the subject and mother is the object. The pronoun she can be used instead of Susan and the pronoun her can be used instead of mother. The form of a personal pronoun also changes according to what person is referred to. Person is used here as a grammar word and means: 1st person or the self (I, me, we), 2nd person or the person spoken to (you), 3rd person or the person spoken about (he, she, him, her, they, them).

There is also a possessive form of the pronoun. Just as we can make a noun possessive as in the sentence That is my father's book to mean That is the book of my father, we can make the pronoun possessive and say That book is his. There are possessive adjective forms (such as my, your, his, her etc.) that are discussed with other adjectives in chapter 4. Possessive pronouns can stand by themselves without nouns, but possessive adjectives, like other adjectives, are used together with nouns. There is also an intensive form of the pronoun which intensifies or emphasizes the noun that it comes after as in the sentence I myself saw him. The reflexive form of the pronoun looks exactly like the intensive form but is used when the subject and object of a verb refers to the same person as in the sentence I saw myself in the mirror. All of this may sound confusing, but if you study the chart below, it will be clearer: Singular Person 1st 2nd 3rd Person Subject I you he/she/it Subject Object me you him/her/it Object Possessive mine yours his/hers Plural Intensive Reflexive myself yourself himself/herself/itself

Intensive Reflexive 1st we us ours ourselves 2nd you you yours yourselves 3rd they them theirs themselves Notice that the form you is the same for subject and object, singular and plural and that there is no neuter singular possessive form. Possessive There are also interrogative pronouns (who, which, what) used for asking questions and relative pronouns (who, which, what, that) used in complex sentences which will be discussed in another place. Some grammar books also talk about demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) and indefinite pronouns (some, all, both, each, etc.) which are very similar to adjectives and do not need to be discussed here.