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Pronoun-II
Different types of Pronouns and Errors in using them
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns refer to either
a noun that has already been mentioned or to a noun that does not need to be named
specifically.
Types of Pronouns
1) Personal pronouns (e.g., he, they)
Covered in the previous release.
2) Demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this, these)
3) Interrogative pronouns (e.g., which, who)
4) Indefinite pronouns (e.g., none, several)
5) Relative pronouns (e.g., which, where)
6) Reflexive and Intensive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself)
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to replace specific people or things that have been
previously mentioned. A demonstrative pronoun tells us whether it is replacing something
singular or plural and whether that thing(s) is close by or farther away.
I) near in distance or time (this, these)
E.g. This is very smelly.
These eggs smell rotten.
II) far in distance or time (that, those)
E.g. You can smell that from here.
Do not paint those.
‘This’ and ‘that’ replace singular nouns.
‘These’ and ‘those’ replace plural nouns.
When two things which have been already mentioned are referred to, ‘this’ refers to the
thing last mentioned, ‘that’ to the thing first mentioned.
E.g. Alcohol and tobacco are both injurious; this perhaps, less than that.
Note: The same words are used as demonstrative adjectives when they modify nouns or
pronouns. They cannot stand alone to play the role of a noun.
E.g. These apples smell rotten.
Relative Pronoun
Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses. The most common relative pronouns are
who, whom, whose, which, that. The relative pronoun we use depends on what we are
referring to and the type of relative clause. To prevent ambiguity, the Relative Pronoun
should be placed as near as possible to its Antecedent.
E.g. The boy who won the first prize in English is the son of my friend, Mr. Joshi.
The boy is the son of my friend Mr. Joshi who won the first prize.

Relative Pronoun Used for Defining/Non-defining

who people and sometimes pet defining and non-defining
animals
which animals and things defining and non-defining;
clause referring to a whole
sentence
that people, animals and defining only
things; informal
whose possessive meaning; defining and non-defining

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for people and animals

usually; sometimes for
things in formal situations
whom people in formal styles or defining and non-defining
in writing; often with a
preposition; rarely in
conversation; used instead
of who if who is the object

We use defining relative clauses to give essential information about someone or something
– information that we need in order to understand what or who is being referred to. A
defining relative clause usually comes immediately after the noun it describes.
E.g. They’re the people who want to buy our house.
1) ‘That’ has no Possessive / Genitive Case and therefore no Preposition can be used before
it. If it is very necessary to use a Preposition, it can be placed at the end of the sentence.
2) In the following cases the use of ‘that’ is preferred to that of who or which. We usually
use a relative pronoun (e.g. who, that, which, whose and whom) to introduce a defining
relative clause.
i) After the Superlative Degree
ii) After these words—all, same, any, none, nothing, only, anything, anybody, nobody,
little, somebody, no one
iii) After Interrogative Pronoun who/what
iv) After two Antecedents, one of which stands for a Person and the other for an animal or
a thing.
E.g. The rider and his horse that tried to cross the river were drowned.
3) ‘Who’ is used in the nominative case only for Persons, both in the Singular and Plural
Numbers. ‘Who’ is not used for inanimate things. For animals also who is not generally
used.
4) ‘Whom’ is used only for Persons in the Objective / Accusative case both in Singular and
Plural Numbers.
5) In Prepositional Cases, the Preposition is always used before ‘which’.
E.g. The post for which I applied is temporary.
Omission of Relative Pronoun
The Relative Pronoun is omitted in the following cases:
(i) The Relative Pronoun ‘that’ can be omitted in the Objective Case. The sentence is
correct in both cases, with or without ‘that’.
E.g. The picture that I saw yesterday was good.
or
The picture, I saw yesterday was good.
The Relative Pronoun can be omitted in Prepositional Cases also. The sentence is correct
in both forms.
E.g. That is the house that I lived in.
or
That is the house, I lived in.
Interrogative
We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions. They are: who, which, whom, what and
whose. These are also known as wh-words.
1) Who, whose, whom are used for Persons. Who is used in the Nominative case, whom
in the Objective case, and whose in Possessive case.
2) We use ‘what’ when we ask about specific information from a general range of possible
answers.
E.g. What’s your address?

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We use ‘which’ when we ask for specific information from a restricted range of possible
answers.
[looking at a list of addresses] Which is your address?
Who in the Objective Form
Strictly from grammatical point of view who is used in the Nominative form, and whom in
the objective form. But nowadays, specially in conversational language, who is being used
in the objective form in place of whom. Or, otherwise, who or whom are both omitted from
their objective place.
1. Who did you talk to?
2. Who did you help?
3. My brother, who you wanted to talk to, is here.
or
My brother, you wanted to talk to is here.
4. Here is my friend who you wanted to meet.
or
Here is my friend, you wanted to meet.
In all these sentences who has been used in place of whom. In such sentences who or
whom are both correct.
Indefinite Pronoun
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to non-specific beings, objects, or places.
In English, there is a particular group of indefinite pronouns formed with a quantifier or
distributive preceded by any, some, every and no.
Indefinite pronouns are placed in the same location as a noun would go in the sentence.
Some typical indefinite pronouns are:
all, another, any, anybody/anyone, anything, each, everybody/everyone, everything, few,
many, nobody, none, one, several, some, somebody/someone
E.g. I would like to go to Paris this summer.
I would like to go somewhere this summer.
In affirmative sentences, indefinite pronouns using ‘some’ are used to describe an
indefinite quantity, the indefinite pronouns with ‘every’ are used to describe a complete
quantity, and the pronouns with ‘no’ are used to describe an absence.
Some of the English indefinite pronouns above have possessive forms. The most commonly
encountered possessive forms of the above pronouns are one’s, nobody’s, someone’s,
whoever’s, other’s, another’s, neither's, either's.
Reflexive pronoun
We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence or
clause. When a subject performs an action on itself, the sentence uses a reflexive pronoun
after the verb.

Singular myself
yourself
himself, herself, itself
Plural ourselves
yourselves
themselves
There are some Transitive verbs which take some Reflexive Pronoun for their object if
there is no other object to complete them. These verbs are—avail, absent, revenge, enjoy.
E.g. I availed myself of this opportunity.
He absented himself from the class.
Intensive Pronoun
All the above reflexive pronouns can also act as intensive pronouns, but the function and
usage are different. An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent.
Compound Relative Pronouns

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Compound Relative Pronouns are— Whoever, whoso, whosoever, whomsoever, whichever,

whatever, whatsoever. All these Compound Pronouns are used without Antecedents,
because the Antecedents are contained within them.
E.g. You can do whatever (i.e., anything which) you like.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in three ways:
A. Person refers to the quality of being.
E.g. If a person (3rd Person) wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the
rules of the game.
B. Number is the quality that distinguishes between singular (one entity) and plural
(numerous entities).
E.g. If anybody (third person singular) wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has
to know the rules of the game.
C. Gender is the quality that distinguishes the entities as masculine or feminine.
E.g. If a man wants to succeed in corporate life, he has to know the rules of the game.
In referring to anybody, everybody, everyone, anyone, each, etc., the pronoun of the
masculine or the feminine gender is used according to the context; as,
E.g. I shall be glad to help everyone of my boys in his studies.
Rules
1) A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number of the
antecedent.
E.g. As the house came into sight, I saw that the police had just taken a loaded .38 pistol
away from Freddie and were driving him away in their car.
2) Indefinite pronouns as antecedents.
A. Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.
Singular: Each, Either, Neither, One, No One, Nobody, Nothing, Anyone, Anybody,
Anything, Someone, Somebody, Something, Everyone, Everybody, Everything.
Each of the employees does a substantial amount of work in his or her department.
B. Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.
Plural: Several, Few, Both, Many
E.g. Several families in Patterson say a man has been terrorizing them, stalking them and
breaking into their homes.
C. Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either
singular or plural.
Either Singular or Plural: some, any, none, all, most
When the object of the preposition is uncountable, we use a singular referent pronoun.
When the object of the preposition is countable, we use a plural referent pronoun.
3) With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closer to the pronoun.
E.g. Neither the coach nor the players did their jobs well.
4) Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending
on meaning.
E.g. The jury read its verdict.
The jury gave their individual opinions.
5) Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a singular referent.
E.g. It did not authorise the invasion of the North, which the United States and its allies
nonetheless undertook.
6) Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent. (news, measles,
mumps, physics, etc).
E.g. The news has lost much of its sting two days later.
7) ‘Every’ or ‘Many a’ before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.
E.g. Many a girl wishes she could sing like Tina Turner.

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