Pronoun
A pronoun is a word used in a place of a noun. For example:
Ankur was angry with Sangeeta. He said that she should not have teased the dog.
In these sentences, he stands for Ankur and she stands for Sangeeta. The words Ankur & Sangeeta are nouns. Therefore, the words he and she are pronouns.
If we do not use pronouns, we shall have to maintain the nouns again and again and this will look awkward.
Kinds of Pronoun
There are main seven kinds of pronoun:
Personal Pronoun
A pronoun that stands for a person or thing is called a personal pronoun.
There are three persons : First person, Second person and Third person. The first person is the person speaking; the second person is the person spoken to; and the third person is the person spoken about. If I speak to you about Vijay, I am the first person, you are the second person and Vijay is the third person.
Demonstrative Pronoun
A demonstrative pronoun is used to point out the object or objects to which it refers. For example:
This is a mango tree.
These are mango trees.
The words this, that, these and those can be used as a demonstrative pronoun and demonstrative adjective. We should remember that an adjective is usually placed just before the noun it qualifies whereas pronoun replaces a noun. For example
These are woolen glove (Demonstrative Pronoun)
These gloves are woolen (Demonstrative Adjective)
Interrogative Pronoun
An interrogative pronoun is used to ask a question. For example:
What is your name?
Which is your house?
Reflexive Pronoun
Pronouns like myself, yourself, himself, when used as the receiver of an action, are called reflexive pronouns. For example,
I blamed myself.
He enjoyed himself.
Emphasizing Pronouns
A pronoun used to convey emphasize is called an emphasizing pronoun. For example,
I myself locked the door.
You yourself asked for money.
Difference between Emphasizing pronouns and Reflexive Pronoun
We notice that both the pronouns are identical in form. To find the difference between them we have to understand their function.
A reflexive pronoun answers the question: whom? An emphasizing pronoun lends emphasis. For example:
I blamed myself for my failure.
Blamed whom? – myself, so the word myself has been used as reflexive pronoun.
Ajay; Are you sure the door was locked?
Anu: I locked it myself.
Nobody else, only I locked the door. So I know that it is locked. Here the word myself has been used as an emphasizing pronoun.
Possessive Pronouns
A pronoun that shows possession is called a possessive pronoun. For example;
This is not my pen. Mine is new.
In the first sentence my is used as a possessive adjective. In the second sentence, the word mine stands for my pen. So it is used as a pronoun.
Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun relates a noun to a group of words that follow. For example:
Where is the man who gave you this news?
This is the book which you have been looking for?
In these sentences, the words who and which have been used as relative pronouns. They relate a noun to the group of words that follow the noun:
the man who gave you this news
the book which you have been looking for
As a rule we use who with people and which with things.
Sample Usage
You should talk to these boys. They need your help.(personal pronoun)
This is my book. (This stands for the noun book. Therefore it is a demonstrative pronoun)
Which is your house? (interrogative pronoun)
He enjoyed himself (reflexive pronoun)
You yourself asked for money. (emphasizing pronoun)
This house is ours. (possessive pronoun)
Here are the colors that you wanted.(relative pronoun)
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