Grammar Handbook: Pronouns

The Center for Writing Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Personal Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.

:: Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are the most commonly used pronouns.

Singular personal pronouns: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it
Plural personal pronouns: we, us, you, they, them

Example: John baked a cake for Eileen = He baked it for her.
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:: Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are personal pronouns that show ownership or possession.

Singular possessive pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its
Plural possessive pronouns: our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs

Example: I found John's hat = I found his hat.
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:: Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns call attention to their antecedents. An antecedent is the word or words to which a pronoun refers.

Singular demonstrative pronouns: this, that
Plural demonstrative pronouns: these, those

Example: The yellow car is his = That is his car.
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:: Reflexive Pronous
Reflexive pronouns reflect the action back to the noun or pronoun that has just been named (ends in -self or -selves).

Singular reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself...
Plural reflexive pronouns: ourselves, themselves, yourselves

Example: I will find it myself.

Hint: When a pronoun is used in a sentence, it should always be clear to what or to whom the pronoun is referring. Too many pronouns in a sentence can be very confusing:

He went there to do that, but she didn't know where he was.
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