There are six kinds of pronouns.
1. Personal
There are three grammatical persons:
Singular:
1st person: I
2nd person: you
3rd person: he, she, it
Plural:
1st person: We
2nd person: You
3rd person: they
Exception: in the 3rd person singular, add “-s” to the verb. He runs.
Objective
Singular:
1st person: me
2nd person: you
3rd person: him, her, it
Plural:
1st person: Us
2nd person: You
3rd person: them
Possessive
Singular:
1st person: my
2nd person: yours
3rd person: his, hers, its
Plural:
1st person: ours
2nd person: yours
3rd person: their or theirs*
*There is not the same as their. Their is possessive, 3rd person while there is a place.
2. Relative Pronouns relate one part of a sentence to another part. The relative pronouns are who (subject case) whose (possessive) and whom (objective case)
The word, “that” relates to persons or things while which refers to things only.
Example: The book that I love is my favorite.
Book = subject.
that I love = Relative Clause.
The word, “is” is the verb.
“my” is possessive.
Assignment: look up the word, “favorite,” in the dictionary. What part of speech is it?
3. The Demonstrative Pronouns point out or identify. The Demonstrative Pronouns are This (singular or one),
These (plural, or more than one),
That (singular)
and Those (plural).
Examples: This book is terrible. This book belongs to a whole group, these books are all terrible. That book in particular is terrible. It is one of three, and those books are also terrible.
4. The Reflexive Pronouns refer action back to the subject.
Example: Hobart hurt himself on that last play.
5. The Intensive Pronoun adds “-self” to emphasize or intensify a noun.
Example: I myself am going.
6. The Indefinite Pronouns refer to no one specific person or thing. They can be
either singular, plural or both.
Singluar Indefinite Pronouns: one, anyone, everyone, someone,
Everybody, another.
Plural Indefinite Pronouns: both, many, few, several.
Both (can be either singular or plural): all, none, some
In use, the singular indefinite pronoun must be linked to other pronouns.
Example: Everyone turn in HIS (not their) paper.
None of his papers were good.
Example: Start a sentence with a pronoun. Name the pronoun in this sentence:
Name five Presidents who were generals. (“You” is understood).
In Journalism, editors frown on using the “You” in news writing unless there is a good reason. Which there mostly isn’t.
