A. Identify the types of pronouns in these sentences.
1. This is the one I left behind in my village.
2. Somebody must have asked where she was.
3. Which bird won the race?
4. I bought some toffees, but they weren't distributed.
5. Have you seen his phone?
6. Prof. Khan, who has taught for 30 years, should know that wel.
7. Is she talking to herself?
8. I cook my dinner myself.
9. Neither of them could win the match.
10. I have a friend whose nephew is very endearing.
Answers
Pronoun Cases and Types
A pronoun stands in the place of a noun. Like nouns, pronouns can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: they are the things sentences are about. Pronouns include words like he, she, and I, but they also include words like this, that, which, who, anybody, and everyone. Before we get into the different types of pronouns, let’s look at how they work in sentences.
Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun is called the antecedent. Let’s look at the first sentence of this paragraph again:
Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing.
There are two pronouns here: its and it. Its and it both have the same antecedent: “a pronoun.” Whenever you use a pronoun, you must also include its antecedent. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won’t be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to. Let’s look at a couple of examples:
Jason likes it when people look to him for leadership.
Trini does her hair and make up every day—with no exceptions.
So, what are the antecedents and pronouns in these sentences?
Jason is the antecedent for the pronoun him.
Trini is the antecedent for the pronoun her.
PRACTICE
Identify the antecedents and pronouns in the following examples:
Itzel and Camila were the top ranking doubles team at OSU. They hadn’t been defeated all year.
People asked Jorge to review their papers so often that he started a small editing business.
Henry called his parents every week.
Show Answer
So far, we’ve only looked at personal pronouns, but there are a lot of other types, including demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. Let’s discuss each of these types in further depth:
Personal Pronouns
The following sentences give examples of personal pronouns used with antecedents:
That man looks as if he needs a new coat. (the noun phrase that man is the antecedent of he)
Kat arrived yesterday. I met her at the station. (Kat is the antecedent of her)
When they saw us, the lions began roaring (the lions is the antecedent of they)
Adam and I were hoping no one would find us. (Adam and I is the antecedent of us)
Note: Pronouns like I, we, and you don’t always require an explicitly stated antecedent. When a speaker says something like “I told you the zoo was closed today,” it’s implied that the speaker is the antecedent for I and the listener is the antecedent for you.
Reflexive pronouns are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.
Jason hurt himself. (Jason is the antecedent of himself)
We were teasing each other. (we is the antecedent of each other)
This is true even if the subject is only implied, as in the sentence “Don’t hurt yourself.” You is the unstated subject of this sentence.
Reflexive pronouns include myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves himself, herself, itself, themselves. They can only be used as the object of a sentence—not as the subject. You can say “I jinxed myself,” but you can’t say “Myself jinxed me.”
Note: When the the first- or second-person reflexive pronoun is appropriate, object-case and reflexive pronouns can often be used interchangeably:
The only person I’m worrying about today is me.
The only person I’m worrying about today is myself.
You don’t need to make anyone happy except you.
You don’t need to make anyone happy except yourself.