Definitions and Examples of Grammar in English - English Grammar for Teachers - General English Question and Answer - English Interview Quiz - General English for TNPSC Exams
A pronoun is a word used instead of a common noun or a proper noun. The word pronoun means for a noun and it called a noun’s deputy.
"Pro" + "noun" typically means "in place, of, instead of" a noun or a noun phrase. Pronouns, then, replace nouns (David met Joe; he [Joe] talked for an hour) and can also refer back to nouns (David is absent, because he is ill).
CASE
Nominative Case
I
We
You
He
She
It
They
Accusative Case
Me
Us
You
Him
Her
Them
It
Instrumental Case
With me
By me
With you
By you
With him
By him
With her
By her
With it
By it
With us
By us
With you
By you
With them
By them
Dative Case
To me
To us
To you
To him
To her
To them
To it
Ablative Case
From me
From us
From you
From himFrom
From her
From them
From it
Genitive Case
My
Our
Your
His
Her
Their
It
Locative Case
in me
with me
in you
with you
in him
with him
in her
with her
in it
with it
in us
with us
in you
with you
in them
with them
What is a noun phrase?
A noun phrase includes a noun and all of its modiļ¬ers. These modifiers include determiners and adjectives
Noun Phrase + Verb
Pronoun + Verb
Tom eats
He reads
The little boy eats
The Noun ‘Tom’ and ‘boy’ is replaced by the Pronoun ‘he’
PRONOUN TAKES the place of a noun in a sentence when the noun repeated more than once.
e.g.
Incorrect
Call David. I must speak to David.
Correct
Call David. I must speak to him.
More Definition :
The noun represented by a pronoun is called its antecedent. The word ante means "before," and cede means "come." So the literal meaning of antecedent is "comes before." Usually, the antecedent comes before the pronoun in a sentence.
Pronouns ahve masculine and feminine gender, singular and plural forms and have nominative, possessive and objectives cases
Pronouns are used as performers/subjects or as words which receive action.
e.g.
PERFORMER / SUBJECT PRONOUNS
PRONOUNS WHICH RECEIVE ACTION
I
me
we
you
you
them
he
his
she
her
it
it
they
him
who
whom
Types of Pronouns by Function
More Definition :
There are several different types of pronouns, each type serving a different function in the sentence.
1. Subject Pronouns
Definition :
Pronouns that are found to the left of the main verb are called subject pronouns because they tell us who or what the doer of the verb is, or who or what is described by the verb.
Subject Pronouns
Singular
Plural
I
we
you
you
he
they
she
it
2. Object Pronouns
Definition :
Object pronouns are another type of pronoun. These are pronouns that replace nouns or noun phrases in object position in the sentence. Object position means that the noun or noun phrase receives the action of the verb.
Phrase
Function
The boy reads
noun phrase in subject position
Boy reads
subject pronoun
The boy reads books
noun phrase in object position
1. The boy is the subject of the verb reads. The noun phrase The boy answers the question Who reads?, a question that helps tell us who (or what) the subject of the verb is.
2. Since The boy is in subject position and refers to a single male person, the subject pronoun she can replace The boy
3. Books is the object of the verb reads. The words books answers the question What does the boy (or he) read?, a question that helps tell us what (or who) the object of the verb is.