Pronouns

Definition:

• A pronoun stands in for, or acts as a substitute for a noun or a noun phrase.
  
  Eg.
  
  The man walked slowly into town
  He walked slowly into town.
  
  The wind uprooted the rare blue Californian pine.
  The wind uprooted it.
  
  
  
• As a consequence of the substitution the meaning of a phrase, clause or sentence containing a pronoun is less specific than one containing a noun. Too great a use of pronouns obscures meaning. For example, the sentence given above, ' The wind uprooted it', could be rewritten 'It uprooted it'.
  
  
  
• However, pronouns are usually used where the context makes it clear what the pronoun is referring to, and pronouns are an invaluable element in maintaining cohesion in a text.

Types of pronoun:

• There are, in fact, eight categories of pronoun, but for an initial understanding it is probably easiest to concentrate on four categories:-
  
  

  Type of pronoun	Examples
  Personal pronouns:	you he she it we they me us
  Possessive pronouns:	mine yours his hers its ours my your
  Demonstrative pronouns:	this/that these/those
  Relative pronouns:	who whom whose which what that

  
  
  
• For more information about types of pronoun, look in the advanced section.

            

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