English Pronouns

http://www.really-learn-english.com/english-pronouns.html
Click here to jump to the list of pronouns in English
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun. For example, you could say, "Lisa is a nice
girl." Then you could replace the noun "Lisa" with the word "She" and get the following
sentence:
"She is a nice girl."
"She" is a pronoun.
Here is another example.
You could say, "I met Joe and Julie at the store."
Then you could replace the noun phrase "Joe and Julie" with the word "them," and get the
following sentence:
"I met them at the store."
"Them" is a pronoun.
Here are some more examples:
I, he, it, we, them, us, mine, itself.
Example sentences:
He doesn't want go with them.
Would they help us?
His house is bigger than ours.
Who is she?
The word "pronoun" comes from "pro" (in the meaning of "substitute") + "noun."
Types of pronouns
1. Personal Pronouns
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Interrogative Pronouns
4. Possessive Pronouns
5. Relative Pronouns
6. Reflexive Pronouns
7. Intensive Pronouns
8. Reciprocal Pronouns
9. Indefinite Pronouns and
10. Pronouns vs. determiners
11. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
12. Pronoun exercise

1. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns represent people or things. The personal pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we,
they, me, him, her, us, them.
Vote for me!
There are two kinds of personal pronouns: subjective pronouns and objective pronouns.
Subjective pronouns
Subjective pronouns are pronouns that are used as the subject of a sentence. For example,
"He plays the guitar."
The subjective pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, what, who.
Example sentences:
We are going home.
Who is working late?
What's happening?
Objective pronouns
Objective pronouns are used as an object in a sentence.
For example, "Donna told him the truth."
The objective pronouns are: me, him, her, it, us, you, them, whom.
Example sentences:
I am doing this for you.
Jack was there before us.
Whom did you meet last night?
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
"Demonstrative" means "showing, making something clear." Demonstrative pronouns point to
things. The demonstrative pronouns are: this, that, these, those.

Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time.
Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or time.

This is the report I want.

That is a big ship.
Example sentence:
This cannot go on.
That was beautiful!
He wanted those, but decided to compromise on these.
Click here to read more about Demonstrative Pronouns.
3. Interrogative Pronouns
"Interrogative" means "used in questions."
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.
The interrogative pronouns are: who, whom, which, what, whose, whoever, whatever, whichever,
whomever.
Use "who" and "whom" to talk about people.
Use "which" and "what" to talk about animals and things.
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Who?
What?
Example sentences:
Who is your father?
Whom did you speak to?
Which bag did you buy?
What are my options?
Click here to learn more on Interrogative Pronouns.

4. Possessive Pronouns
"Possessive" means "showing ownership."
Possessive pronouns indicate that something belongs to somebody/something.
The possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
This cat is mine.
Example sentences:
The prize will be his.
This place is theirs.
Is that cat yours?
They are friends of mine.
Your roof is stronger than ours.
My car is slow. Hers is much faster.
Click here to read more about Possessive Pronouns.
5. Relative Pronouns
"Relative" means "connected with something."
Relative pronouns are pronouns that link different parts of a sentence.
The relative pronouns are: who, whom, whose, which, that, what,
whatever, whoever, whomever, whichever.
The cake that I got!
Examples sentences:
The girl who called yesterday came to see you.
The teacher whom you wrote has answered your questions.
My husband, whose friends you've just met, has a birthday party.
She lives in Kiev, which is the capital city of Ukraine.
I really liked the book that you gave me.
The winner, who was very excited, received her prize.
We can't tell you what you should do.
She will be happy with whatever you give her.
Whoever thinks that is wrong.
You can date whomever you like.
Whichever dress you pick, you will look great.
Click here to learn more on Relative Pronouns.
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6. Reflexive Pronouns
"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."
Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action. Reflexive
pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
She hugs herself.
Example sentences:
He cut himself while shaving.
I sent myself to bed.
He could hurt himself!
We must help ourselves.
She trusts herself.
Click here to learn more about Reflexive Pronouns.
7. Intensive Pronouns
"Intensive" means "giving force or emphasis." An intensive pronoun is a pronoun used for
emphasis. In other words, intensive pronouns emphasize the subject of the sentence. They are
written exactly the same way as the reflexive pronouns, but their function is different.
I made it myself.
Example sentences:
I myself baked the cake.
The queen herself recommended this restaurant.
Have you yourself been there?
The project itself wasn't difficult.
We will do it ourselves.
8. Reciprocal Pronouns
"Reciprocal" means that two people or groups do the same thing to each other. They treat each
other in the same way.
For example, Joe loves Kate, and Kate loves Joe. So we can say, "Kate and Joe love each other."
Another example is, "Mike helps Lucy, and Lucy helps Mike." So we can say, "Mike and Lucy
help each other."
There are two reciprocal pronouns in English:
Each other and one another.
They hug each other.
Example sentences:
The cat and the dog like each other.
The two politicians hate each other.
We must stop fighting one another.
They gave each other Christmas presents.
They can't hear one another.
In the movie, the good guys and bad guys fight against each other.
Thomas and his brother finally forgave each other.
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9. Indefinite Pronouns
"Indefinite" means "not exact, not limited."
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to any specific person or thing.
Examples:
Anything, everybody, another, each, few, many, none, some, all, any, anybody, anyone, everyone,
everything, no one, nobody, nothing, none, other, others, several, somebody, someone,
something, most, enough, little, more, both, either, neither, one, much, such.
Every girl is dancing.
Example sentences (note how each pronoun stands in the place of a possible noun):
Do you remember anything?
Everybody wanted to go home.
That sandwich was delicious. Can I have another?
When the kids come back, let's give each a small gift.
Few are aware of this.
Many have died during the war.
She is loved by many.
He got all the pens, and I got none.
Some may wish to thank you.
All of us are here, so we can start.
I can't find any of my socks.
Has anybody seen Janet?
You can ask anyone about this.
Can anyone call her?
Everyone likes to rest.
We bought everything we needed.
No one can look her in the eye.
Nobody knew what to do.
There is nothing more to say.
None of my friends wanted to go home.
We live on this side of the river, and they live on the other.
Some people have more luck than others.
I've read several of his books.
Somebody is going to put an end to this.
Can someone help me?
Something can be done to help.
There is something strange about this guy.
Most will choose to ignore him.
Do you need more water? No, I have enough.
Little was done regarding this important matter.
Are you looking for cups? There are more over here.
More of us are starting to see what's going on.
Both of you are right.
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I have an apple and a pear you can have either.

They had a red car and a white car. Neither was very nice.
I'm getting myself a bowl of rice. Would you like one, too?
"So what's new?" "Not much."
Unfortunately, he was poor and they treated him as such.
Click here to read more about Indefinite Pronouns.

10.
Pronouns vs. Determiners
Many words can be used both as pronouns and determiners, so here is the key difference:
A pronoun is used instead of a noun.
A determiner comes before a noun.
So for example, when the word "this" is used instead of a noun, it's a pronoun: "This is not
funny."
When the word "this" comes before a noun, it's a determiner:
"Can you open this book?"
Determiner
(the noun is underlined)

Pronoun
(there is no noun
since the pronoun replaces it)

This is my car.

This car is mine.

Your hat is cool.

This hat of yours is cool.

I love her cooking.

The cooking is all hers.

Mark found his jacket.

A friend of his called.

Our room is much smaller.

Your room is huge.

Ours is much smaller.

Their meetings are always noisy.

The printer is theirs.

This movie is the best.

This is the best movie.

I liked that restaurant.

I liked that very much.

Some people may find it immoral.

Some may find it immoral.

Which color do you like the most?

Which of the books is yours?

There are several plates on the kitchen table.

If you need plates, there areseveral on the

kitchen table.

He doesn't have much money.

He can't lend you any money. He doesn't

have much himself.

Most cats like to sleep.

Most of my cats like to sleep.

He didn't have any candy.

He didn't have any.

11.
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
An antecedent is a word (or a group of words) which a pronoun refers back to.
Examples:
(the antecedent is red and the pronoun is green)

Beth will buy some water and drink it.

Water is the antecedent of "it."
"It" is a pronoun and it refers back to "water."
Diana left her book at school.
Diana is the antecedent of "her."
"Her" is a pronoun and it refers back to "Diana."
Kevin and Laura are meeting their friends.
The phrase Kevin and Laura is the antecedent of "their."
"Their" is a pronoun and it refers back to "Kevin and Laura."

The word "antecedent" comes from the Latin: ante (before) + cedere (to go).
The Importance of Pronouns
Here we can see the great importance of pronouns. If we didn't have pronouns, these sentence
would have to be written like this:

Beth will buy some water and drink the water.

Diana left Diana's book at school.
Kevin and Laura are meeting Kevin and Laura's friends.

The Importance of Antecedents

Read the following sentences and see if you can fully understand them:
They took it.
(Who took it? What did he or she take?)
Ours is with them.
(What is with them? Who is they?)
She bought hers.
(Who is she? What did she buy?)
Do you see what happens?

If there are no antecedents it can be unclear what the speaker or writer is referring to.
Important note:
In many cases the antecedent can be fully clear even without directly mentioning it. In other
words, the antecedent can be understood from context.
For example, let's say Jessica and Molly have an annoying neighbor. They always complain about
him.
Jessica can say to Molly, "Do you know what he did this time?"
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It will be fully clear to Molly who Jessica is referring to.

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in three ways:
Person (First person: I/we, second person: you, third person: he/she/it/they)

Correct: Bob did his homework.

Incorrect: Bob did your homework.
Number (singular/plural)

Correct: Bob did his homework.

Incorrect: Bob did their homework.
Gender (masculine/feminine)
Correct: Bob did his homework.
Incorrect: Bob did her homework.

Important note:
In some cases such sentences can be correct. You simply have to use your common sense.
For example, let's say that Bob did Susan's homework, and I am now talking to Susan.
In this case, I can definitely say, "Bob did your homework."
(And I am referring to Susan's homework, not to Bob's homework. So in this case the antecedent
is Susan, not Bob!)
Determining the correct pronoun to use is usually pretty straightforward.
Some cases, however, can seem more challenging.
So here are some more correct and incorrect examples:
Correct: Every boy will start his test.
Incorrect: Every boy will start their test.
Correct: The box of toys is in its place.
Incorrect: The box of toys is in their place.
Correct: Both lost their jobs.
Incorrect: Both lost his jobs.
Correct: Alice and Kate talked with their father.
Incorrect: Alice and Kate talked with her father.
Correct: The United States opened its borders.
Incorrect: The United States opened their borders.
12.

Pronoun exercise
8

Choose the most suitable pronoun for each gap, and then press "Check" to check your
answers.

Emily sits by her desk.

forces

studies for an exam. Actually,

to study for that exam, since

she really wants to do

is go outside and play soccer!

Her friend Kelly is by her window.
"Is there

throws a little stone at it and then calls,

home?"

"Yes,

am

unfair!

here!"

Emily

answers.

"

want to be outside with

is

so

and not here with these

boring booklets!"
"

you are doing with these boring booklets,

out and play with

!" Kelly calls back.

"I cant do
so now

," Emily says sadly. "This exam of

need to study for

threw in, and sends

"Well," she thinks to

is tomorrow,

." She takes the stone that Kelly

flying outside. Then

window.
already, and now

should come

knows that

closes the
else studied

of them are playing outside.

, "

is my test, and I

have to study for it.

know that Kelly wants to help

this time.

can help

, but not

with other things."

takes another look at her two booklets.

tries to read a

page of the first booklet, and then a page of the

are boring.
"

of you are interesting!" she tells them seriously.

"What can

do?" she thinks to

Suddenly, a great idea comes to her mind. "

drawing of

. "I really had enough!"

know!" she calls, "Ill make a

I read! I like to draw, and drawings will make

interesting!"
She grabs her pencil and happily begins to draw.
and more is drawn on her notebook, and after two hours she finishes her
booklets.
She is tired but happy, and
"Where is
guess they
Suddenly

can finally go out to play.

?" she asks

. Emily notices it is dark already. "I

went home . . ."

rings her doorbell.
are Kelly and the rest of her friends.

are

tired and they want to watch a movie together.

Emily is very happy. She can now enjoy a movie with her friends!

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List of pronouns in English

http://www.really-learn-english.com/list-of-pronouns.html
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun.
For example, you could say, "Bob is a good driver."
Then you could replace the noun "Bob" with the word "He" and get the following sentence:
"He is a good driver."
"He" is a pronoun.
Personal pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them.
There are two kinds of personal pronouns: Subjective pronouns and objective pronouns.
Subjective pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, what, who.
Objective pronouns
me, him, her, it, us, you, them, whom.
Possessive Pronouns
mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
Demonstrative Pronouns
this, that, these, those.
Interrogative Pronouns
who, whom, which, what, whose, whoever, whatever, whichever, whomever.
Relative Pronouns
who, whom, whose, which, that, what, whatever, whoever, whomever, whichever.
Reflexive Pronouns
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
Intensive Pronouns
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
Reciprocal Pronouns
Each other, one another.
Indefinite Pronouns (this is not a complete list)
Anything, everybody, another, each, few, many, none, some, all, any, anybody, anyone, everyone,
everything, no one, nobody, nothing, none, other, others, several, somebody, someone,
something, most, enough, little, more, both, either, neither, one, much, such.

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Possessive Pronouns
Showing Ownership
http://www.really-learn-english.com/possessive-pronouns.html
Possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate ownership. A pronoun is a word that is used in
place of a noun.
For example: Let's consider this sentence:
Tom has the red ball.
We could replace Tom with He, which is a pronoun.
He has the red ball.
Here's another example:
Joe and Karen like cats.
We could replace Joe and Karen with they, which is a pronoun.
They like cats.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership. They tell the reader that something belongs to somebody
or something.
These are the possessive pronouns and the subjects they represent:
Subject

Possessive Pronoun

Mine

You (singular)

Yours

He

His

She

Hers

It

Its

We

Ours

You (plural)

Yours

They

Theirs

Who

Whose

1. Mine
The possessive pronoun mine shows ownership of the subject I.
Examples:
The blond boy is mine.
(I am the blond boy's mother.)
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The dog you found is mine.

(I own that dog.)

The blue toothbrush is mine.
(I own the blue toothbrush.)

2. Yours (singular and plural)

The possessive pronoun yours shows ownership of the subject you.
The subject you can represent a singular or plural subject.
Singular Examples:
The pink toothbrush is yours.

(You own the pink toothbrush.)

Nick, I think that dog is yours.

(Nick, you own the dog.)

The blue present is yours.
(You get the blue present.)

Plural Examples:
Tom and Sandy, is this house yours?

(Do you both own the house?)

These presents are yours.

(The presents belong to all of you.)

These band uniforms are yours this year.
(The uniforms belong to the band members.)

3. His
The possessive pronoun his shows ownership of the subject he.
Examples:
The old car is his.

(He owns the old car.)

The book is his.

(He owns the book.)

I think that bike is his.
(He owns the bike.)
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4. Hers
The possessive pronoun hers shows ownership of the subject she.
Examples:
The children are hers.

(She is the mother of the children.)

The blue house is hers.

(She owns the blue house.)

The coat I found is hers.
(She owns the coat.)

5. Its
The possessive pronoun its shows ownership of the subject it.
Examples:
The blue doghouse is its.

(The blue doghouse belongs to it.)

Its is the green one.

(The green one belongs to it.)

Those game pieces are its.

(The pieces belong with the game.)

These examples may sound strange, but they are grammatically correct.
In American English, it is more common to use the possessive adjective form of its, which is
explained at the end of this lesson.
A possessive adjective always comes before a noun.
For Example:
We could say,
"Its doghouse is blue."
or
"Those are its game pieces."
Special note about its vs. it's:
Its and it's are not the same word.
Its = ownership
It's = a contraction meaning it is.
Incorrect:
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The bird is in it's nest.

(The bird is in it is nest).

Correct:

The bird is in its nest.

Incorrect:

I think its nine o'clock.

Correct:
I think it's nine o'clock.
(I think it is nine o'clock.)

6. Ours
The possessive pronoun ours shows ownership of the subject we.
Examples:
The swimming pool is ours.

(We own the swimming pool.)

Those horses in the barn are ours.

(We own the horses in the barn.)

Ours is the green car.
(We own the green car.)

7. Theirs
The possessive pronoun theirs shows ownership of the subject they.
Examples:
The three bikes are theirs.

(They own the bikes.)

The sleeping bags are theirs.

(They own the sleeping bags.)

Those children are theirs.

(They are the parents of the children.)

Possessive Adjectives
Don't confuse possessive pronouns with possessive adjectives.
Possessive adjectives show ownership, but they always come before a noun. They modify the
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noun.
The possessive adjectives are:
my
your (singular and plural)
his
her
its
our
their
Examples:

possessive adjective + noun

My house is green.

(The green house belongs to me. or I own the green house.)

Is that your dog?

(The dog belongs to you.)

That is his bicycle.

(He owns the bicycle.)

Her mom is tall.

(The girl's mom is tall.)

The horse broke its leg.

(The horse has a broken leg.)

Do you want to come over to our house?

(The house belongs to us.)

Their car broke down.

(The car that broke down belongs to them.)

I wonder whose bike is parked there?
(The bike belongs to someone.)

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Demonstrative Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/english-pronouns.html#02
A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun.
Let's look at this sentence:
Tom catches the ball.
In this sentence, "Tom" is a noun. We can replace the noun "Tom" with the personal
pronoun "He."
He catches the ball.
Some other common pronouns are he, she, it, them, mine, itself, they,and we.
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are one type of pronoun. A demonstrative pronoun is used in place of
a noun.
"Demonstrative" means "showing, making something clear."
Demonstrative pronouns point to things.
The demonstrative pronouns are
this
that
these
those
Examples:
This is my bear.
That is the best one.
Do you like these or those?
Can I paint with these?
I want those.
Click on the following links to jump to:
Rules for demonstrative pronouns
Using demonstrative pronouns in sentences
This and These
That and Those
Tips for using demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative adjectives

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Rules for demonstrative pronouns

Near the speaker

Farther away from the speaker

Singular

this

that

Plural

these

those

"This" and "that" are singular (one).

"These" and "those" are plural (more than one).

Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time.

This is for you!

Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or time.
That went in the hole.

Using demonstrative pronouns in sentences

A demonstrative pronoun can be the subject, direct object, indirect object, or object of the
preposition in a sentence.
Let's look at example sentences for each type.
A) Examples as a subject:
That was a special day.

("That" is the subject of the sentence.)

This belongs to Billy.

("This" is the subject of the sentence.)

Those are ready to eat.

("Those" is the subject of the sentence.)

These taste like bananas and cherries.
("These" is the subject of the sentence.)

B) Examples as a direct object:

She made that.

("That" is the direct object of the verb "made.")

Jill wants this.
("This" is the direct object of the verb "wants.")

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I'll buy those.

("Those" is the direct object of the verb "buy.")

Do you like these?
("These" is the direct object of the verb "like.")

C) Examples as an indirect object:

Ron has four cats. The two little ones were very dirty. He gave thesea bath.

("Those" is the indirect object of the verb "gave.")

We are working on two projects this week. One must be finished by Friday. Give that your
closest attention.

("That" is the indirect object of the verb "give.")

Jenny applied to four universities. Three of the universities accepted her. She
sent those letters of appreciation.

("Those" is the indirect object of the verb "sent.")

Our dog had six puppies! We want to keep two of them, but not the others. We need to
find those a nice home with good owners.
("Those" is the indirect object of the verb "find.")

D) Examples as an object of the preposition:

I was looking at that.

("That" is the object of the preposition "at.")

She is thinking about these.

("These" is the object of the preposition "about.")

Be very careful with those.

("Those" is the object of the preposition "with.")

Doesn't your hat go with this?
("This" is the object of the preposition "with.")

Use "this" and "these" to talk about things that are near in space or in time
This => singular
Examples:
This smells good. (The object is near the speaker.)
Did you watch this? (The object is near the speaker.)
This is fun! (It is happening now.)
I like to play with this! (The object is near the speaker.)
This has been a busy week. (The week is happening now.)
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These => plural

Examples:

These are the prettiest flowers. (The flowers are near the speaker.)
Can I look at these? (The objects are near the speaker.)
These are the best times of your life. (They are happening now.)
These are the books I have read. (The books are near the speaker.)
These are difficult times. (They are happening now.)

Use "that" and "those" to talk about things that are farther away in space or time
That => singular
Examples:

That is a beautiful ring. (The ring is not near the speaker.)

Did you see that? (The object is farther away from the speaker.)
That was a good movie. (The speaker already watched the movie.)
I want to buy that. (The object is farther away from the speaker.)
That was the worst day of my life. (It happened in the past.)
Those => plural

Examples:

Those are my brothers. (The speaker's brothers are not physically near the speaker.)
Can we have some of those? (The objects are not near the speaker.)
Those were fun times! (The times happened in the past.)
Those are your gifts. (The gifts are farther away from the speaker.)
Those were the best days of my life! (They happened in the past.)

Tips for using demonstrative pronouns

A) Use demonstrative pronouns after the object has already been identified
When writing, we usually don't use demonstrative pronouns (or other pronouns) until the object
has been identified in a previous sentence or paragraph.
If you write:
Those are my favorite.
The reader will ask, "What are "those"? What things are your favorite?"
You must first identify the noun you are talking about.
I like my mother's chocolate muffins. My mother makes chocolate muffins with an old
recipe from my grandmother. She uses real cocoa in her recipe. Those are my favorite!
When you are speaking to someone, you can physically point to the object you are speaking
about.
This is mine.
That is yours.
These are his.
Those are hers.
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B) Sometimes, two demonstrative pronouns are used in the same sentence

If you are trying to decide between two different things, you might say:
I don't know if I want this or that.
This is nice, but that is cheaper.
These look beautiful, but those smell better.
If you are talking about two different things, you might say:
I was going to buy those, but I bought these instead.
I baked this, and she baked that.
Demonstrative adjectives
Do not confuse demonstrative pronouns with demonstrative adjectives.
Although demonstrative adjectives are the same words (this, that, these, those), they are used in a
different way.
A demonstrative pronoun takes the place of another noun. Demonstrative pronouns are the
subject or object of a sentence.

That is a big house.

This is a friendly dog.
Those are funny!
These are my favorite colors.

A demonstrative adjective modifies a noun. Demonstrative adjectives must be used

with nouns.

That house is big.

This dog is friendly.
Those jokes are funny!
These colors are my favorite.
Demonstrative pronoun => takes the place of a noun
Demonstrative adjective => modifies a noun

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Demonstratives
http://www.really-learn-english.com/demonstratives.html
There are four demonstratives in the English language.

this
that
these
those

Purposes of demonstratives
A) Demonstratives are determiners that point to something specific instead of something
general.
I want THAT shirt.
Does THIS jacket belong to you?
THOSE flowers are beautiful!
THESE cookies are delicious.
Demonstratives tell us exactly what the speaker is talking about.
It might help to make a mental picture of someone pointing to what they are referring to.
B) Demonstratives also tell us where a person or thing is located in relation to the speaker,
either physically or in time.
THIS and THESE tell us the noun is close to the speaker or is currently happening.
Examples:
This is a fun day!
(The "fun day" is happening now.)
These flowers are for you.
(The flowers are close to the speaker because he is holding them.)
THAT and THOSE tell us the noun is farther away from the speaker or has already
happened.
Examples:
That was a great game!
(The game has already happened.)
Those boats are sinking!
(The boats are out in the water.)
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Demonstratives can be either singular or plural.

THIS and THAT are used with uncountable nouns or singular countable nouns.
dog, drink, child, sugar, salt
THESE and THOSE are used with plural countable nouns.
lights, houses, mice, computers
Demonstratives can be used as adjectives or pronouns.
1. Demonstrative Adjectives (determiners)
This, That, These, and Those are called demonstrative adjectives when they are used to modify
a noun.
Demonstrative adjectives are used as determiners.
Demonstrative adjectives can go in the following places in sentences:
A) before the noun
Examples:
This house is bigger than that house.
Those flowers are my favorite color.
These tomatoes are from my garden.
B) before the word "one"
This and That can also be placed before the word "one" when "one" is being used as the subject
of the sentence.
Examples:
This one is my favorite.
That movie is better than this one.
(That movie is better than this movie.)
C) before any adjectives that come before the noun
Examples:
I remember that sunny morning when we met.
This black coat is mine.
Did you see those silly, white ducks?
These friendly students are in my class.
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
This, That, These, and Those are called Demonstrative Pronouns when they are used by
themselves in place of a noun or they are used to refer to a noun.
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Examples:
That is the man who stole my money!
("That" refers to "the man.")
This is a tasty pizza.
("This" refers to the "pizza.")
These are all for me!
("These" refers to the gifts because they are near.)
Those are his gifts.
("Those" refers to "his gifts.")

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Interrogative Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/interrogative-pronoun.html
An interrogative pronoun is a type of pronoun that is used to ask a question.
In the English language, there are five commonly used interrogative pronouns:
what
which
who
whom
whose
Interrogative pronouns help English speakers get information.
Examples:
What do you want for dinner?
Which dog is yours?
Who is coming to the party?
Whom were you speaking to last night?
Whose cat is she holding?
What, which, who, whom and whose can also be used in sentences that are not questions, but
then we do not call them interrogative pronouns.
Examples:
I do not know what kind of cake I want.
She did not care which seat was hers.
Tim wants to know who borrowed his bicycle.
Lisa knows whose cat was in your garage.
I wondered whom you were talking with last night.
The examples above ARE NOT interrogative pronouns because they are not used to ask
information.
Using interrogative pronouns
Use WHAT to ask about objects or people.
What time is it?
What is her name?
What is your favorite type of candy?
What do you want to drink?
What color is your car?
What is your problem?
Use WHICH to ask about objects or people.
It is used when there is a limited number of options.
Which flavor of ice-cream did you order?
Which shirt is your favorite?
Which man is your father?
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Which student is your daughter?

Which fruit do you want?

Use WHO to ask about people.

WHO is used to ask about the subject of a sentence, like he or she.
Who is sitting in my chair? (He is sitting in your chair.)
Who ate my popcorn? (Richard ate your popcorn.)
Who wants to go to the movie? (She wants to go to the movie.)
Who took my book? (He took your book.)
Who is holding the bags? (Nick's mom is holding the bags.)
Use WHOM to ask about people.
Use whom to ask about the object of a verb, like him or her.
A preposition usually comes before whom (at, by, for, in, with), but not always.
To whom should we give the prize? (We should give the prize to him.)
Whom does Bill love? (Bill loves Sarah.)
To whom is she sending a letter? (She is sending a letter to Tommy.)
Whom does she talk to on the phone? (She talks to her mom on the phone.)
For whom did you make the cookies? (I made the cookies for myself.)
Use WHOSE to ask about ownership of something.
Whose bike is that?
Whose house is on the left side of the street?
Whose daughter wears the blue shirt?
Whose sister drove the car?
Whose cat is on the tree?
Whose borthday is it?
Note about whose vs whos
Whose asks about ownership.
Whos stands for who is.
Whos is not an interrogative pronoun.
Examples:
Whos going to the store?
(Who is going to the store?)
Do you know whos coming to my party?
(Do you know who is coming to my party?)
Sally wants to know whos having a birthday.
(Sally wants to know who is having a birthday.)
Who's ready for pizza?
(Who is ready for pizza?)

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Relative Pronouns
Rules and Examples
http://www.really-learn-english.com/relative-pronouns.html
The word "relative" means "connected with something."
Relative pronouns are a type of pronoun used to link different parts of a sentence.
Relative pronouns give more information about the subject or object of the sentence.
The Relative Pronouns:
who
whom
whose
whoever
whomever
which
that
what
whatever
whichever
Rules for relative pronouns
1. When referring to a person use Who, Whom, Whose, Whoever and Whomever
(We will look at the differences between who/whom and whoever/whomever in rules 3 and 4.)
Examples:
Who bought the brown dog?

I am the one who bought the brown dog.

To whom were you speaking?

Mrs. Smith is the teacher to whom I was speaking.

Whose house is at the end of the street?

I do not know whose house is at the end of the street.

Whoever bought the car wants to speak with you.
My daughter can ask whomever she wishes to the dance.

2. When referring to a thing, place, or idea use Which, That, What, Whatever, and
Whichever
Examples:
In which house do you live?
I live in the blue house, which is three houses south of yours.
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Did you see the dog that I bought?

The dog that I bought is brown.

What should I wear to my interview?

Your red dress is what you should wear.

Should I wear the green dress or the blue dress?
Choose whichever dress you like.
You can wear whatever you want.
Whatever option you choose will be great!

3. Who vs. Whom

A) Use Who when referring to the subject of a sentence.
The subject of the sentence is the one doing the action.
Subject Pronouns relate to the subject of the sentence.

I
he
she
it
they
we

Examples:
Who rented the movie?
Nick (He) rented the movie.
Subject = Nick/He

Action = rented
Who is your father?
Fred (He) is my father.
Subject = Fred/He
Action = is

B) Use Whom when referring to the object of a sentence.

The object of a sentence receives the action.
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Object pronouns relate to the object of the sentence.

me
him
her
it
them
us

Examples:
Whom did you call?
I called John (him).
Object = John/him

Action = called
To whom did Mike address the letter?
Mike addressed the letter to Mr. Jones (him).
Object = Mr. Jones/him
Action = addressed

4. Whoever vs. Whomever

A) Use Whoever when the sentence requires a subject pronoun as the answer.
Examples:

Whoever comes to the store today (They) will be entered into a drawing for $100.

Whoever arrives home first (He or She) should put the dog outside.

B) Use whomever when the sentence requires an object pronoun as the answer.
Examples:

Whomever did you ask?

I asked Sarah (her).

I would like to talk to whomever broke this chair.
I would like to talk to them (whomever broke this chair).

Note:
The words "whom" and "whomever" are not used very often in American English. Most
Americans use the words "who" and "whoever" in most cases.
For example:
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Instead of saying, "I would like to talk to whomever broke this chair."
Most Americans would say, "I would like to talk to whoever broke this chair."
Instead of saying, "Whom did you call?"
Most Americans would say, "Who did you call?"
It is important that you know the general rules of using who, whom, whoever, and whomever, but
when in doubt stick with who and whoever most often. They will sound more natural in
spoken American English.

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Reflexive Pronoun
http://www.really-learn-english.com/reflexive-pronoun.html
We use a reflexive pronoun in a sentence to refer back to a subject that has already been
identified.
"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."
Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action.
They end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
A reflexive pronoun is used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. Reflexive
pronouns act as the object of the sentence by receiving the action.
She hugs herself.
A subject in a sentence is the noun that is performing the action.
The dog played.
In this sentence dog is the subject

The object of a sentence receives the action.

The dog played with the ball.
In this sentence, the ball is the object because it is receiving the action.

Summary table
Personal Pronoun

Reflexive Pronoun

myself

you (singular)

yourself

you (plural)

yourselves

he

himself

she

herself

it

itself

we

ourselves

they

themselves

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Reflexive pronouns always act as the objects, not subjects.

Examples:

The vase fell off the shelf by itself.

The subject of this sentence is the vase. The object of this sentence is also the vase (itself).
Sally talks to herself.

Sally is the subject of this sentence. Sally is also the object of this sentence (herself).
Incorrect: Lisa and myself are going to the park.

In this sentence, Lisa and myself are the subjects. Reflexive pronouns cannot be subjects.
Correct: I bought myself a piece of pie.
In this sentence I is the subject and myself is the object.
The reflexive pronoun is correctly used as an object in this sentence.

How to use a reflexive pronoun

1. Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same.
She exhausted herself.
Examples:
He tripped himself.
The cat cleaned itself.
Nick bought himself some popcorn.
We tried to fix it ourselves.
2. Use a reflexive pronoun as the object of a preposition when the subject and object are the
same.
He thought to himself.
A preposition is a word that is used before a noun to show its connection to another word in the
sentence. Here are a few common prepositions:

with
by
for
from
as
among
to

Examples:

She is talking to herself.

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He will go to the party by himself.

The boy finished it by himself.
We bought gifts for ourselves.
3. Use a reflexive pronoun to emphasize, or stress, the subject of a sentence.
He drove the tractor himself.

Examples:

He will do it himself. (He does not need any help.)

They painted the house themselves. (No one else helped them.)
The cat hurt itself. (No one else hurt the cat.)
My son read the book himself. (My son did not need help to read the book.)

More examples of reflexive pronouns

Incorrect: The students completed the work by himself and herself.
Correct: The students completed the work by themselves.
Incorrect: She hurt himself.
Correct: She hurt herself.
Incorrect: We want to go by themselves.
Correct: We want to go by ourselves.
Incorrect: Tim and himself are cleaning the garage.
Correct: Tim is cleaning the garage by himself.

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Indefinite Pronouns
http://www.really-learn-english.com/indefinite-pronouns.html
Indefinite means "without a fixed limit" or "unlimited." Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that
do not refer to any specific person or thing.
First, let us quickly review pronouns.
Pronouns are words that replace a noun.
For example:
Consider this sentence:
Bill and Jane work in the same office.
I can replace the noun phrase Bill and Jane with the pronoun They.
They work in the same office.
"They" is a pronoun.
Here are a few more examples of pronouns:
who
myself
she
it
mine
hers
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that can be used to replace an unlimited number of nouns.
They do not replace any specific noun.
Singular or Plural
Most indefinite pronouns are either singular or plural, but some are both.
Let's look at some commonly used indefinite pronouns.
Singular indefinite pronouns:
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
either
everybody
everyone
everything
neither
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nobody
no one
nothing
one
other
somebody
someone
something

Plural indefinite pronouns:

both
few
many
others
several
Indefinite pronouns that can be singular and plural (we will explain how this is possible):
all
any
more
most
none
some
such
A) Singular indefinite pronouns take on a singular verb or singular personal pronoun
Incorrect:

Each employee have a desk.

Correct:

Each employee has a desk.

Incorrect:

Everyone like the beach.

Correct:

Everyone likes the beach.

Incorrect:

One of the men forgot their lunch.

Correct:
One of the men forgot his lunch.

Here are a few more examples:

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Everybody enjoys chocolate ice cream.

I ran faster than the other girl during the race.
Someone left a coat in the locker room.
I need to eat something today.
Everything is wet from the rainstorm.
Yes, I will eat one.
Nobody likes attending funerals.
I don't want anything on my hamburger.

B) Plural indefinite pronouns take on a plural verb or a plural personal pronoun

Incorrect:

Both was at the wedding.

Correct:

Both were at the wedding.

Incorrect:

Few people cast his vote.

Correct:
Few people cast their vote.

Here are a few more examples:

Many people enjoy taking their dogs to the park.
Some like cars more than others.
Several teachers have applied for the job.
Most people like either chicken or steak. I like both.
C) For indefinite pronouns that can be both singular and plural, it depends on what the
pronoun refers to
Examples:
All of the employees received their bonus checks.
All refers to employees, which is plural.

All of the drink is gone.

All refers to the drink, which is singular.

I replaced the bulbs, but none are working.

None refers to bulbs, which is plural.

None of the light is getting through the blinds.

None refers to the light, which is singular.

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