What Is a Pronoun? Different Types of Pronouns, Rules, and Useful Examples

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Pronouns play an important role in spoken and written English. Without them, sentences can sound confusing and repetitive. In this lesson, you will learn what pronouns are, the main types of pronouns, and how to use them correctly with clear examples.

What Is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun to avoid repetition. A pronoun usually refers to a noun that has already been mentioned.

Example:

• Susan (proper noun) is Mary’s best friend. Mary has known her (pronoun referring to Susan) for years.

Types of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns (Most Common Type)

Personal Pronouns Used as Subjects

Person	Singular	Plural
First Person	I	We
Second Person	You	You
Third Person	He / She / It	They

Examples:

• I love to watch scary movies.
• She likes to wake up early.
• They are moving to a new house.

Personal Pronouns Used as Objects

Person	Singular	Plural
First Person	Me	Us
Second Person	You	You
Third Person	Him / Her / It	Them

Examples:

• John helped me carry the packages.
• Sarah baked a cake for them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership and are used without a noun.

Correct possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs

Important note for learners:

The word its is not normally used as an independent possessive pronoun in modern English. It is mainly used as a possessive adjective before a noun.

Examples:

• This bag is mine.
• The blue house is ours.
• ❌ This bone is its. (unnatural)
• ✔️ The dog lost its bone. (possessive adjective)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point to specific people or things.

Common demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those

• This is my favorite song.
• I like those better than these.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions and stand alone without a noun.

Common interrogative pronouns: who, whom, what, which

• Who is calling?
• Which would you like?
• What happened?

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses and refer back to a noun mentioned earlier.

Common relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that

• The student who won the prize studied hard.
• The book that I bought is expensive.

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things that are not specific.

Some common indefinite pronouns: someone, anyone, everyone, nobody, something, nothing, few, many

• Someone left their umbrella here.
• Nobody answered the phone.

Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence.

Examples:

• She taught herself how to cook.
• They fixed the problem themselves.

These same forms can also be used as intensive pronouns to add emphasis.

• I completed the project myself.

Reciprocal Pronouns

Reciprocal pronouns are used when two or more people do the same thing to each other.

Reciprocal pronouns: each other, one another

• The two friends help each other.
• They haven’t spoken to one another for years.

 

Pronoun Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Pronoun

Choose the correct pronoun to complete each sentence.

1. Sarah said that ___ would arrive late.
2. This book is mine, but that one is ___.
3. Tom invited Anna and ___ to the party.
4. Everyone enjoyed ___ at the picnic.
5. The teacher asked ___ to answer the question.
6. These shoes are not hers; they are ___.
7. ___ is knocking at the door.
8. The dog hurt ___ while jumping over the fence.
9. I don’t like these apples. I prefer ___.
10. ___ won the competition will receive a prize.

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks with a Suitable Pronoun

Fill in each blank with the correct type of pronoun.

1. This pen is not my pen. It is ___.
2. ___ left their phone on the table.
3. The children looked at ___ in the mirror.
4. I met a woman ___ son is a famous actor.
5. We enjoyed ___ very much during the trip.
6. ___ would you like to choose?
7. That house is theirs, but this one is ___.
8. Nobody blamed ___ for the mistake.
9. The students helped ___ finish the project.
10. The cake ___ she baked was delicious.

Exercise 3: Identify the Type of Pronoun

Identify the type of pronoun used in each sentence.
(Personal / Possessive / Demonstrative / Interrogative / Relative / Indefinite / Reflexive / Reciprocal)

1. She gave me a gift.
2. This is the best movie I’ve seen.
3. Someone is waiting outside.
4. The man who called you is my uncle.
5. That bag is mine.
6. They blamed themselves for the error.
7. Which would you like?
8. The two teams congratulated each other.
9. Nobody knows the answer.
10. These are too expensive.

Answer Key

Exercise 1:
1. she
2. yours
3. her
4. themselves
5. him / her
6. ours
7. someone
8. itself
9. those
10. whoever

Exercise 2:
1. mine
2. someone
3. themselves
4. whose
5. ourselves
6. which
7. ours
8. anyone
9. each other
10. that

Exercise 3:
1. Personal pronoun
2. Demonstrative pronoun
3. Indefinite pronoun
4. Relative pronoun
5. Possessive pronoun
6. Reflexive pronoun
7. Interrogative pronoun
8. Reciprocal pronoun
9. Indefinite pronoun
10. Demonstrative pronoun