Pronouns

Pronouns are a subset of nouns. This means they are still nouns. But they are part of a special group that follows the same rules. They are used very often, because they make your communication shorter and more direct.

Why? As the name “pro” implies, it replaces an existing noun. You take out a longer word and replace it with the short pronoun that refers to it.

This does mean that the pronoun changes based on what it refers to. There’s no other way to learn these than reading and writing a lot, until you know all the variations.

Pronouns replace nouns. They are shorter words, referring to a noun used earlier. They avoid repetition and shorten sentences. Be careful, though, that it’s still obvious what they refer to.

Example

Long version: “Paul saw something in the dark. The thing Paul saw in the dark was Paul’s own shadow.”

Pronoun version: “Paul saw something in the dark. It was his own shadow.”

Personal pronouns

Below is the full table of pronouns. The rest of the article explains what each column means. I give the information at once, so you can see the patterns (to help memorize it), and because its more succinct.

We distinguish three cases:

1^st person: when referring to yourself
2^nd person: when referring to the person to whom you’re speaking
3^rd person: when referring to someone (or something) else not in the conversation

Visual of what 1st, 2nd and 3rd person means, both singular and plural

This system is present in every language. Though many languages have some overlap. In this case, the 2^nd person singular and plural are almost identical.

Remark

French is the same. In Dutch, the 3^rd person singular female and plural are identical.

Singular

-	Subject	Object	Reflexive	Possessive	Possessive Adjective
1^st	I	me	myself	my	mine
2^nd	you	you	yourself	yours	your
3^rd male	he	him	himself	his	his
3^rd female	she	her	herself	hers	her
3^rd neutral	it	it	itself		its

Example

Mark is a liar. He keeps breaking promises.

My dog is a cutie. It happily runs to me whenever I get home.

This laptop is broken. It just won’t work!

Plural

-	Subject	Object	Reflexive	Possessive	Possessive Adjective
1^st person	we	us	ourselves	ours	our
2^nd person	you	you	yourselves	yours	your
3^rd person	they	them	themselves	theirs	their

Example

My friends are amazing. They organized a surprise party!

It’s too expensive for my family. We cannot afford it.

Facebook keeps changing their policies. They should figure it out for once!

Humans vs the rest

This system probably developed, again, because our sentences need a subject and a verb. Most actions that happen, do so because a person does them. So we developed a system where you can specifically refer to all sorts of people. (And groups of people.)

Any actions taken by non-humans will use the 3^rd person neutral form (it).

Over time, the 3^rd person plural (they) therefore developed into a neutral form for everything.

In English, you can refer to anything with “they” and it will sound fine. But I still recommend being more specific with your language, where possible.

Gender is often used to express a special bond with a non-human subject. Us—weird humans—really like putting our own humanity into everything, I guess 🙃

Example

This is my boat. I’ve had her for fourty years, and she has never failed me!

Roles

Subject Pronouns

Use this pronoun if it is the subject of the sentence.

Example

You eat an apple. I like that.

Object Pronouns

Use this pronoun if it is the object (direct or indirect) of the sentence.

Example

He sent the letter to me. The man gave a book to her.

Reflexive Pronouns

It has two types: reflexive and intensive. They use the same word, though their function is different.

Reflexive pronouns are used if the object is the same as the subject. You’re reflecting on something you did to yourself!

Example

She hit herself with a tennis racket. We blame ourselves for the failure.

Intensive pronouns are used if you want to intensify the subject of the sentence. They stress the importance of the subject—they repeat it. But it can be removed or left out without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Example

I baked these cakes myself. They themselves told me what I did was fine.

Possessive Adjectives

These pronouns provide an alternative for showing a possessive relationship between two nouns. This method is usually shorter.

Example

Jack went to Jack’s house (long!) => Jack went to his house (short!)

They are placed before the noun to which they belong. Remember that these don’t follow the rules of possessive form. They already show possession on their own.

Example

The dog broke its leg.
They went to their school.
I can’t find my shoes.

Possessive Pronouns

These are also possesive. But use them after the noun to which it belongs.

Example

Long version: “Jack was a nice guy. This house was Jack’s house.”

Short version: “Jack was a nice guy. This house was his.”

Example

The candy was mine. The book was hers.

Why after the noun? This stresses the importance of the word. Look at the sentence above. “The candy was mine” is not about the candy, it’s about the fact it is your candy. By placing it after the noun, who possesses it becomes more important than the noun itself.

The other type (possessive adjectives) is more common though. It’s also how most people expect a possession to be expressed.

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