Language ArtsPronouns are parts of speech that substitute for a noun, a noun phrase (a noun accompanied by other words such as modifiers), or a nominative (another part of speech taking on the role of a noun or noun phrase). Various pronouns fit various sentence contexts. Keep reading for more on pronouns.

Pronouns in English may match the words they substitute in several ways:

Person:  A pronoun may specifically be in first person, second person, or third person.

Number:  A pronoun may specifically be singular or plural.

Gender:  A pronoun may specify whether the noun it replaces is masculine or feminine - or, if the gender is unclear, omitted, or the noun names an ungendered or inanimate entity, it can be neuter.

Case: A pronoun may specify whether it performs subjective or objective roles in sentences.

Types of Pronouns

There are a number of different types of pronouns: personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, reflexive pronouns, interrogative pronouns, relative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and indefinite pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns include two types: subject pronouns and object pronouns. Subject pronouns are used in the subject of a sentence or other nominative situations (such as the predicate nominative). Object pronouns are used as either direct objects or indirect objects.

Here is a list of subject and object pronouns, referred to as subjective and objective:

	Subjective Pronouns	Objective Pronouns
First person singular	I	me
First person plural	we	us
Second person singular	you	you
Second person plural	you	you
Third person singular:	he, she, it	him, her, it
Third person plural	they	them

Notice that the forms for second person singular and plural and third person singular neuter (you and it) are identical for subjective and objective use.

An example sentence with subject and object pronouns is:

I offered Luke and Annie ice cream, but he wanted it, while she didn't.

Possessive Pronouns

There are two types of possessive pronouns: dependent pronouns that are modifiers, and so must have a noun to modify, and independent possessive pronouns that can stand alone.

	Dependent Possessive Pronouns	Independent Possessive Pronouns
First person singular	my	mine
First person plural	our	ours
Second person singular	your	yours
Second person plural	your	yours
Third person singular:	his, her, its	his, hers, its
Third person plural	their	theirs

Notice that the forms for the third person singular masculine (his) are identical for dependent and independent possessive use.

An example sentence with a dependent and independent possessive pronoun is:

I offered Julia to trade my sweater for hers.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to a pronoun or noun that precedes it.

	Reflexive Pronouns
First person singular	myself
First person plural	ourselves
Second person singular	yourself
Second person plural	yourself
Third person singular:	himself, herself, itself
Third person plural	themselves

An example sentence with a reflexive pronoun is:

Maggie gave herself an iPhone for her birthday.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used in the construction of questions. The interrogative pronouns in English can be used to specify what the speaker wants to know. They are:

what, which, who, whom, whose

An example sentence with an interrogative pronoun is:

What are we having for dinner?

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are used in relative clauses that follow and modify nouns. They usually introduce the relative clause. They are:

that, which, who, whom, whose

Notice that all of these but that are all also interrogative pronouns, and that what is interrogative, but not relative. Some experts distinguish whose as a determiner rather than a pronoun, but a great deal of instructional material calls it a pronoun.

The nominal relative pronouns introduce clauses that function like noun phrases. They are:

For things	For people
what	who
whatever	whom
whatsoever	whoever
which	whomever
whichever	whosoever
whichsoever	whomsoever

An example sentence with a relative pronoun is:

This is the rabbit that I found in the backyard.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns specify local or distant items that are singular or plural in number. The demonstrative pronouns are:

this, that, these, those

An example sentence with a demonstrative pronoun is:

These pigs must be removed from the vicarage garden immediately!

Indefinite Pronouns

There are five main types of indefinite pronouns: assertive, which specify; non-assertive, which do not specify; negative; universal, which are expansive; and quantifying.

Assertive	Non-Assertive	Negative	Universal
some	any	none	all
someone	anyone	no one	everyone
somebody	anybody	nobody	everybody
something	anything	nothing	everything
	either	neither	both
			each

Quantifying

Count	Non-count
many, more, most	much, more, most
few	little
a few, fewer, fewest	a little, less, least
enough	enough
several

An example sentence with an indefinite pronoun is:

Has anybody seen the red and black striped stockings that Uncle Henry knit for me?