What type of pronoun is the word her

This material provides general information about English pronouns. As pronouns usually present some difficulty for learners of English, a look at the whole group of pronouns may help to see the general picture more clearly when you are studying separate pronouns or small groups of pronouns.

Brief description of English pronouns and nouns, with examples of use, is provided in Brief Overview of Grammar in the section Grammar.

Classes of pronouns

English pronouns are a miscellaneous (but not very large) group. By type, pronouns are usually divided into the following groups:

Personal pronouns: I, he, she, it, we, you, they. The forms of personal pronouns in the objective case: me, him, her, it, us, you, them.

Possessive pronouns: my, his, her, its, our, your, their. Absolute forms of possessive pronouns: mine, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs.

Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves; oneself.

Intensive pronouns / Emphatic pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those.

Interrogative pronouns: who (whom, whose), what, which. The forms of «who»: in the objective case, «whom»; in the possessive case, «whose».

Relative pronouns: who (whom, whose), what, which, that. Compound relative pronouns: whoever (whomever), whatever, whichever.

Reciprocal pronouns: each other, one another.

Indefinite pronouns: some, any, no; somebody, someone, anybody, anyone, nobody, no one; something, anything, nothing; one, none; each, every, other, another, both, either, neither; all, many, much, most, little, few, several; everybody, everyone, everything; same, such.

Note:

Possessive and reflexive pronouns are often regarded as subgroups of personal pronouns in English linguistic materials.

Intensive pronouns (I’ll do it myself) have the same form as reflexive pronouns (Don’t hurt yourself) and are often listed as a subgroup of reflexive pronouns.

Accordingly, pronouns are usually divided into six classes in English sources: personal, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, reciprocal, and indefinite.

Some linguists subdivide the group of indefinite pronouns; for example, the pronouns «each, every, either, neither» are included in the group of distributive pronouns; the pronouns «many, much, few, several» are included in the group of quantitative pronouns.

The pronoun «it» is regarded by some linguists not only as a personal pronoun but also as a demonstrative pronoun.

The pronoun «such» is regarded as an indefinite pronoun or as a demonstrative pronoun in different sources.

Some linguists view «little» and «much» as adjectives, nouns and adverbs, but not as pronouns.

Noun pronouns and adjective pronouns

Some pronouns can function as nouns or adjectives. For example, in «This is my house», the pronoun «this» is the subject (i.e., «this» is used as a noun), and in «This house is mine», the pronoun «this» is an attribute (i.e., «this» is used as an adjective).

Noun pronouns have some (limited, not full) properties of nouns; they are used instead of nouns and function as subjects or objects. For example:

They are new. Don’t lose them.

Everyone is here. He invited everyone.

Adjective pronouns have some properties of adjectives; they modify nouns and function as attributes. For example:

Both sisters are doctors.

Give me another book.

I don’t have much time.

We have very little money left.

Like nouns and adjectives, some pronouns can be used in the predicative after the verb «be». For example:

This is she. That’s all. This pen is yours.

Unlike nouns, noun pronouns are generally not used with a preceding adjective, except the pronoun «one».

I need a computer table. This is a good one.

Where are the little ones?

Unlike nouns, noun pronouns are rarely used with an article, except the pronouns «same, other, few, one».

The same can be said about you.

There were good pens there. I bought a few.

The one I saw was reddish brown.

Where are the others?

Unlike adjectives, adjective pronouns do not have degrees of comparison. Only the pronouns «many, much, few, little» have degrees of comparison.

You have more time than I do.

He should eat less meat and more vegetables.

There were fewer people in the park than I expected.

Note: English and Russian terms

Since a pronoun in English is usually defined as «a word that functions as a noun substitute; a word used as a substitute for a noun; a word used instead of a noun to avoid repetition», pronouns in the function of nouns are called «pronouns» in English linguistic sources.

The term «noun pronoun» is not used in English linguistic sources. But «noun pronoun» is often used in Russian materials on English grammar in order to show the differences between the functions of pronouns as nouns and as adjectives.

Pronouns in the function of adjectives are called «pronominal adjectives; adjective pronouns; determiners» and sometimes simply «adjectives» in English linguistic sources.

The noun (or its equivalent) to which a pronoun refers is called «antecedent». For example, in the sentence «I know the people who live there», the noun «people» is the antecedent of the pronoun «who».

In the sentence «Maria received a letter, and she is reading it now», the noun «Maria» is the antecedent of the pronoun «she», and the noun «letter» is the antecedent of the pronoun «it».

A short list of noun pronouns and adjective pronouns

The possessive pronouns «my, his, her, its, our, your, their» are always used in the function of adjectives (my book; his bag).

Absolute forms «mine, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs» can be used as predicative adjectives (this book is not mine) or as nouns (mine was new).

The interrogative and relative pronouns «who, whom» are used as nouns: Who can do it? Find those who saw it. To whom am I speaking?

The pronoun «whose» is used as an adjective: Whose book is this? Whose books did you take? I know the boy whose books you took.

The interrogative and relative pronouns «what, which» can be used as nouns or adjectives: What is it? What color is your bag? The letters which have been written earlier are on the table. He didn’t answer, which was strange. Which bag is yours?

The indefinite pronouns «some, any, each, other, another, one, both, either, neither, all, many, much, most, little, few, several» can be used as nouns (few of us; some of them; he bought some) and as adjectives (few people; some books; he bought some meat).

The pronouns «no one, none» are used in the function of nouns (no one saw him; none of them). The pronouns «no, every» are used in the function of adjectives (no books; every word).

Combinations and set expressions

Some pronouns can combine, forming pronoun combinations used as nouns or as adjectives. For example:

I like this one. Some others left early. They know each other.

Give me some other books. They looked into each other’s eyes.

Pronouns are used in a large number of set expressions. For example:

a good many; all for nothing; all or nothing; each and all; each and every; every other; little by little; little or nothing; no less than; no more than; it leaves much to be desired;

one and all; one by one; something or other; some way or other; that’s all; that’s it; that’s something; and that’s that; this and that; this is it; what is what; who is who.

The pronoun and its noun

The noun (or its equivalent, e.g., a noun phrase or another pronoun) to which a pronoun refers helps to understand the meaning of the pronoun.

In the case of personal or relative pronouns, it is usually necessary to use the noun earlier than the replacing pronoun. For example:

The woman who had lost her purse in the park found it today under the bench on which she had been sitting.

In this example, the pronouns «who, her, she» refer to the noun «woman»; the pronoun «it» replaces the noun «purse»; the pronoun «which» is used instead of the noun «bench». Without the preceding nouns, the pronouns in this sentence would not be fully clear.

But in some cases the preceding noun is not needed. For example, the personal pronoun «I» (i.e., the speaker) is usually clear from the situation. The relative noun pronoun «what» does not need any preceding noun either: I will do what I promised.

Indefinite noun pronouns like «some, any, most» usually need a preceding noun in order to make their meaning clear.

These plums are very good. Do you want some?

This cake is delicious. Do you want some?

If the noun to which a noun pronoun like «some, any, most» refers is specific (e.g., a certain group of people or things or a specific amount of something), the phrase «of» + noun is placed after the pronoun.

Most of his friends live nearby.

Tanya spends most of her free time reading detective stories.

Most of his money was stolen. Most of it was stolen.

Some other indefinite pronouns (e.g., somebody, anybody, something) do not need any noun because their meaning is general.

Nobody knows about it. Has anyone called?

Let’s eat something. Everything is ready.

Forms and properties of personal pronouns

A personal pronoun agrees with its noun in gender, person, and number. If a personal pronoun is the subject of a sentence, the verb (the predicate) agrees with the pronoun in person and number.

Let’s look at the forms of the personal pronouns in these examples:

Anton is in his room. He is reading an interesting book. He likes it very much.

His younger sister is playing with her new dolls. She likes them very much.

In these examples, the personal pronouns «he» and «she» refer to the subjects expressed by the singular nouns «Anton» and «sister». Like their nouns, the third-person singular pronouns «he» (masculine) and «she» (feminine) are in the nominative case.

The forms «his» and «her» are in the possessive case; they agree with «Anton, he» and «sister, she» in gender (masculine, feminine), person (third person), and number (singular).

The pronouns «it» (third person singular, neuter gender) and «them» (third person plural) refer to the objects expressed by the inanimate nouns «book» (singular) and «dolls» (plural); as objects, the pronouns «it» and «them» are in the objective case.

The subjects «he» and «she» are in the third person singular; accordingly, their verbs are also used in the third person singular (is, likes).

Only personal pronouns have enough forms to express, more or less fully, gender, person, number, and case in their forms.

Forms and properties of other pronouns

The other pronouns do not have enough forms to express gender, person, number, or case. That is, some of them have some grammatical forms.

The demonstrative pronouns «this, that» have the plural forms «these, those».

This is my book. These are my books.

These books are interesting. Those books are not very interesting.

The relative pronoun «who» has the form «whom» in the objective case and the form «whose» in the possessive case.

The co-workers with whom she discussed her plan agreed to help her.

The student whose bicycle was stolen went home by bus.

The indefinite pronouns «anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone, somebody, someone, nobody, no one, one» can be used in the possessive case.

There is somebody’s bag on my table.

It was no one’s fault.

But most of the indefinite pronouns do not have any forms to express gender, person, number, or case; they always remain in the same form. Nevertheless, they can express grammatical meaning through their lexical meaning and through their function in the sentence.

For example, the pronouns «anybody, no one, who» refer to people, not to things (No one came to his party); «all, some, any, many, few, no, none» refer to people or things (neither of the boys; neither of the books); the pronouns «each other» and «one another» are not used as subjects (Mike and Maria love each other).

Agreement in number

Indefinite pronouns express number in their lexical meaning, which determines whether a singular or plural verb should be used when an indefinite pronoun is the subject.

The pronouns «anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, somebody, someone, something, nobody, no one, nothing, one, each, either, neither, much» are used with a singular verb.

Everyone is waiting.

There is nothing left.

Each of the boxes was empty.

The pronouns «both, few, many, others, several» are used with a plural verb.

Both of them are here.

Few of them know it.

Many (of them) were broken.

The pronouns «all, any, most, none, some» take a singular or plural verb depending on what the pronoun refers to: to an amount / portion of something or to several persons or things.

All of this food has been prepared by our friends. All of it is delicious.

All his friends are here. All of them are here.

The interrogative pronouns «who, what» in the function of the subject are used with a singular verb if the predicate is expressed by a main verb.

Who knows his address? What has happened?

In the case of the compound nominal predicate with the linking verb «be», the verb «be» agrees in number with the noun (or pronoun) to which «who» or «what» refers.

Who is that man? Who are they?

What is your name? What are your plans?

In sentences with a relative pronoun «who», the verb agrees in number with the noun to which «who» refers.

I know the boy who is standing by the window.

I know the boys who are standing by the window.

Difficulties

As you have probably understood from the material above, the variety of pronouns and the differences between them may present serious problems for learners of English.

Similar pronouns, such as «some» and «any», «each» and «every», «which» and «that», «it» and «this», present considerable difficulty; they differ in use, and each of them has its own peculiarities. (Some of the differences have been described in answers to your questions in the subsection Messages about Grammar (Pronouns) in the section Messages.)

Agreement of pronouns with their nouns and agreement of the predicate with the subject expressed by an indefinite pronoun usually present the most difficulty. In some cases, the only way to avoid problems with agreement is to restructure the sentence.

Problems of gender

The majority of English animate nouns do not express gender either in form or in meaning. As a result, it is not always clear whether to use «he» or «she» (and their forms «his, him, her») with such nouns in the singular. For example:

I want to speak to the designer. Where can I find him? (him? her?)

Similar (and more difficult) problems occur when the indefinite pronouns «somebody, nobody, anyone, everyone, each», which may refer to male and female persons, are used as subjects. In formal English, «he, his, him» are used (if necessary) with these indefinite pronouns; «they, their, them» (and «our») are often used with these pronouns in informal English.

Compare the use of English pronouns in formal and informal style and the use of equivalent pronouns in Russian sentences.

Formal style: Nobody offered his help. Everyone brought his own lunch. Each of us has his own reasons.

Informal style: Nobody offered their help. Everyone brought their own lunch. Each of us has our own reasons.

Problems of number

Problems with agreement in number usually occur if you forget which indefinite pronouns require a singular verb, and which of them require a plural verb. (See the part «Agreement in number» above.)

Agreement of the verb with two pronouns in the subject may also cause some difficulty. For example, the subject expressed by two personal pronouns connected by the conjunction «and» takes the verb in the plural form. If the pronouns are connected by «or; either…or; neither…nor», the verb agrees in number with the nearest pronoun. Compare:

You and he have to be there by ten.

Either you or he has to be there by ten.

General recommendations

Study the rules of the use of pronouns together with various examples of their use. Choose simple, typical examples and use them in your speech and writing. Avoid using complicated or disputable cases.

Helpful related materials

Personal, possessive and reflexive pronouns, with many examples of use, are described in Personal Pronouns and Personal Pronouns in Examples in the section Miscellany.

Agreement of nouns and verbs in number, agreement of indefinite pronouns and verbs in number, and agreement of possessive pronouns with nouns and with indefinite pronouns are described in Agreement in the section Grammar.

The use of relative pronouns in relative clauses is described briefly in Word Order in Complex Sentences in the section Grammar.

Examples illustrating the use of interrogative pronouns (and of other question words) can be found in Word Order in Questions in the section Grammar.

Типы местоимений

Данный материал даёт общую информацию об английских местоимениях. Поскольку местоимения обычно представляют трудность для изучающих английский язык, взгляд на местоимения как на группу целиком может помочь увидеть общую картину более ясно, когда вы изучаете отдельные местоимения или небольшие группы местоимений.

Краткое описание английских местоимений и существительных, с примерами употребления, дано в статье Brief Overview of Grammar в разделе Grammar.

Классы местоимений

Английские местоимения – это разнородная (но не очень большая) группа. По типу, местоимения обычно делятся на следующие группы:

Личные местоимения: I, he, she, it, we, you, they. Формы личных местоимений в косвенном падеже: me, him, her, it, us, you, them.

Притяжательные местоимения: my, his, her, its, our, your, their. Абсолютные формы притяжательных местоимений: mine, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs.

Возвратные местоимения: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves; oneself.

Усилительные местоимения: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Указательные местоимения: this, that, these, those.

Вопросительные местоимения: who (whom, whose), what, which. Формы «who»: в косвенном падеже, «whom»; в притяжательном падеже, «whose».

Относительные местоимения: who (whom, whose), what, which, that. Сложные формы относительных местоимений: whoever (whomever), whatever, whichever.

Взаимные местоимения: each other, one another.

Неопределённые местоимения: some, any, no; somebody, someone, anybody, anyone, nobody, no one; something, anything, nothing; one, none; each, every, other, another, both, either, neither; all, many, much, most, little, few, several; everybody, everyone, everything; same, such.

Примечание:

Притяжательные и возвратные местоимения часто рассматриваются как подгруппы личных местоимений в английских лингвистических материалах.

Усилительные местоимения (I’ll do it myself) имеют такую же форму как возвратные местоимения (Don’t hurt yourself) и часто даются как подгруппа возвратных местоимений.

Соответственно, местоимения обычно делятся на шесть классов в английских источниках: личные, указательные, вопросительные, относительные, взаимные и неопределённые.

Некоторые лингвисты подразделяют группу неопределённых местоимений; например, местоимения «each, every, either, neither» включаются в группу дистрибутивных местоимений; местоимения «many, much, few, several» включаются в группу количественных местоимений.

Местоимение «it» рассматривается некоторыми лингвистами не только как личное местоимение, но и как указательное местоимение.

Местоимение «such» рассматривается как неопределённое местоимение или как указательное местоимение в разных источниках.

Некоторые лингвисты рассматривают «little» и «much» как прилагательные, существительные и наречия, но не как местоимения.

Местоимения-существительные и местоимения-прилагательные

Некоторые местоимения могут функционировать как существительные или прилагательные. Например, в «This is my house» местоимение «this» – подлежащее (т.е. «this» употреблено как существительное), а в «This house is mine» местоимение «this» – определение (т.е. «this» употреблено как прилагательное).

Местоимения-существительные имеют некоторые (ограниченные, неполные) свойства существительных; они употребляются вместо существительных и функционируют как подлежащие или дополнения. Например:

Они новые. Не потеряй их.

Все здесь. Он пригласил всех.

Местоимения-прилагательные имеют некоторые свойства прилагательных; они определяют существительное и функционируют как определения. Например:

Обе сестры – врачи.

Дайте мне другую книгу.

У меня мало времени.

У нас осталось очень мало денег.

Так же, как существительные и прилагательные, некоторые местоимения могут употребляться в именной части сказуемого после глагола «be». Например:

Это она. Это всё. Эта ручка ваша.

В отличие от существительных, местоимения-существительные обычно не употребляются с предшествующим прилагательным, за исключением местоимения «one».

Мне нужен компьютерный стол. Этот хороший.

Где малыши? (т.е. детки)

В отличие от существительных, местоимения-существительные редко употребляются с артиклем, за исключением местоимений «same, other, few, one».

То же самое можно сказать о вас.

Там были хорошие ручки. Я купил несколько.

Тот, который я видел, был красновато-коричневый.

Где другие? (Где остальные?)

В отличие от прилагательных, местоимения-прилагательные не имеют степеней сравнения. Только местоимения «many, much, few, little» имеют степени сравнения.

У тебя больше времени, чем у меня.

Ему следует есть меньше мяса и больше овощей.

В парке было меньше людей, чем я ожидал.

Примечание: Английские и русские термины

Поскольку местоимение в английском языке обычно определяется как «слово, которое функционирует как заменитель существительного; слово, используемое как заменитель для существительного; слово, используемое вместо существительного во избежание повторения», местоимения в функции существительных называются «pronouns» в английских лингвистических источниках.

Термин «noun pronoun» не употребляется в английских лингвистических источниках. Но «noun pronoun» (местоимение-существительное) часто употребляется в русских материалах по английской грамматике, чтобы показать различия между функциями местоимений как существительных и как прилагательных.

Местоимения в функции прилагательных называются «pronominal adjectives; adjective pronouns; determiners» (местоименные прилагательные; определяющие слова), а иногда просто «adjectives» в английских лингвистических источниках.

Существительное (или его эквивалент), к которому относится местоимение, называется «antecedent» (предшествующее существительное). Например, в предложении «I know the people who live there», существительное «people» – антецедент местоимения «who».

В предложении «Maria received a letter, and she is reading it now», существительное «Maria» – антецедент местоимения «she», а существительное «letter» – антецедент местоимения «it».

Краткий список местоимений-существительных и местоимений-прилагательных

Притяжательные местоимения «my, his, her, its, our, your, their» всегда употребляются в функции прилагательных (my book; his bag).

Абсолютные формы «mine, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs» могут употребляться как предикативные прилагательные (эта книга не моя) или как существительные (моя была новая).

Вопросительные и относительные местоимения «who, whom» употребляются как существительные: Кто может сделать это? Найдите тех, кто видел это. С кем я говорю?

Местоимение «whose» употребляется как прилагательное: Чья это книга? Чьи книги вы взяли? Я знаю мальчика, книги которого вы взяли.

Вопросительные и относительные местоимения «what, which» могут употребляться как существительные или прилагательные: Что это? Какого цвета ваша сумка? Письма, которые были написаны раньше, находятся на столе. Он не ответил, что было странно. Которая сумка ваша?

Неопределённые местоимения «some, any, each, other, another, one, both, either, neither, all, many, much, most, little, few, several» могут употребляться как существительные (немногие из нас; некоторые из них; он купил немного) и как прилагательные (немногие люди; некоторые книги; он купил немного мяса).

Местоимения «no one, none» употребляются в функции существительных (никто не видел его; никто из них). Местоимения «no, every» употребляются в функции прилагательных (никакие книги; каждое слово).

Сочетания и устойчивые выражения

Некоторые местоимения могут соединяться, образуя сочетания местоимений, используемые как существительные или как прилагательных. Например:

Мне нравится этот. Некоторые другие ушли рано. Они знают друг друга.

Дайте мне какие-нибудь другие книги. Они посмотрели друг другу в глаза.

Местоимения употребляются в большом количестве устойчивых выражений. Например:

многие; всё зря / всё напрасно; всё или ничего; все без исключения; все до единого; каждый второй; постепенно; почти ничего; не менее чем; не более чем; это оставляет желать много лучшего;

все до единого; один за другим; то или другое; тем или иным способом; это всё; это всё / это как раз то; это уже кое-что; и на этом точка; то да сё / то или другое; это как раз то / это всё; что есть что; кто есть кто.

Местоимение и его существительное

Существительное (или его эквивалент, например, словосочетание или другое местоимение), к которому относится местоимение, помогает понять значение местоимения.

В случае личных и относительных местоимений, обычно необходимо употребить существительное раньше, чем заменяющее местоимение. Например:

Женщина, которая потеряла свой кошелёк в парке, нашла его сегодня под скамейкой, на которой она сидела.

В этом примере, местоимения «who, her, she» относятся к существительному «woman»; местоимение «it» заменяет существительное «purse»; местоимение «which» употреблено вместо существительного «bench». Без предшествующих существительных, местоимения в этом предложении не были бы полностью ясными.

Но в некоторых случаях предшествующее существительное не требуется. Например, личное местоимение «I» (т.е. говорящий) обычно ясно из ситуации. Относительное местоимение-существительное «what» также не нуждается в предшествующем существительном: Я сделаю (то), что я обещал.

Неопределённые местоимения-существительные типа «some, any, most» обычно нуждаются в предшествующем существительном, чтобы сделать их значение ясным.

Эти сливы очень хорошие. Хотите несколько?

Этот торт очень вкусный. Хотите немного?

Если существительное, к которому относится местоимение-существительное типа «some, any, most» является определённым (например, определённая группа людей или определённое количество чего-то), фраза «of» + существительное ставится после местоимения.

Многие из его друзей живут поблизости.

Таня проводит большую часть своего свободного времени, читая детективные рассказы.

Большая часть его денег была украдена. Большая часть (денег) была украдена.

Некоторые другие неопределённые местоимения (например, somebody, anybody, something) не нуждаются в существительном, т.к. их значение обобщённое.

Никто не знает об этом. Кто-нибудь звонил?

Давайте поедим чего-нибудь. Всё готово.

Формы и свойства личных местоимений

Личное местоимение согласуется со своим существительным в роде, лице и числе. Если личное местоимение является подлежащим, глагол (сказуемое) согласуется с местоимением в лице и числе.

Давайте посмотрим на формы личных местоимений в этих примерах:

Антон в своей комнате. Он читает интересную книгу. Она ему очень нравится.

Его младшая сестра играет со своими новыми куклами. Они ей очень нравятся.

В этих примерах, личные местоимения «he» и «she» относятся к подлежащим, выраженным существительными в ед. числе «Anton» и «sister». Как и их существительные, местоимения 3-го лица ед. числа «he» (муж. род) и «she» (жен. род) стоят в именительном падеже.

Формы «his» и «her» – в притяжательном падеже; они согласуются с «Anton, he» и «sister, she» в роде (муж. род, жен. род), лице (3-е лицо) и числе (ед. число).

Местоимения «it» (3-е лицо ед. числа, средн. род) и «them» (3-е лицо мн. числа) относятся к дополнениям, выраженным неодушевлёнными существительными «book» (ед. число) и «dolls» (мн. число); как дополнения, местоимения «it» и «them» стоят в косвенном падеже.

Подлежащие «he» и «she» стоят в 3-ем лице ед. числа; соответственно, их глаголы тоже употреблены в 3-ем лице ед. числа (is, likes).

Только личные местоимения имеют достаточно форм, чтобы выразить, более или менее полно, род, лицо, число и падеж в своих формах.

Формы и свойства других местоимений

Другие местоимения не имеют достаточно форм, чтобы выразить род, лицо, число или падеж. То есть, некоторые из них имеют некоторые грамматические формы.

Указательные местоимения «this, that» имеют формы мн. числа «these, those».

Это моя книга. Это (т.е. Эти) мои книги.

Эти книги интересные. Те книги не очень интересные.

Относительное местоимение «who» имеет форму «whom» в косвенном падеже и форму «whose» в притяжательном падеже.

Сотрудники, с которыми она обсуждала свой план, согласились помочь ей.

Студент, велосипед которого был украден, поехал домой на автобусе. (Студент, чей велосипед…)

Неопределённые местоимения «anybody, anyone, everybody, everyone, somebody, someone, nobody, no one, one» могут употребляться в притяжательном падеже.

На моём столе чья-то сумка.

Это была ничья вина.

Но большинство неопределённых местоимений не имеют никаких форм, чтобы выразить род, лицо, число или падеж; они всегда остаются в одной и той же форме. Тем не менее, они могут выразить грамматическое значение через лексическое значение и через функцию в предложении.

Например, местоимения «anybody, no one, who» имеют в виду людей, а не вещи (No one came to his party); «all, some, any, many, few, no, none» могут относиться к людям или вещам (neither of the boys; neither of the books); местоимения «each other» и «one another» не употребляются как подлежащие (Mike and Maria love each other).

Согласование в числе

Неопределённые местоимения выражают число в своём лексическом значении, что определяет, в единственном или множественном числе нужно употребить глагол, если неопределённое местоимение является подлежащим.

Местоимения «anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, somebody, someone, something, nobody, no one, nothing, one, each, either, neither, much» употребляются с глаголом ед. числа.

Все ждут. (т.е. Каждый ждёт.)

Ничего не осталось.

Каждая из коробок была пуста.

Местоимения «both, few, many, others, several» употребляются с глаголом мн. числа.

Они оба здесь.

Немногие из них знают это.

Многие (из них) были сломаны.

Местоимения «all, any, most, none, some» принимают глагол в ед. или мн. числе в зависимости от того, к чему относится местоимение: к количеству / порции чего-то или к нескольким людям или вещам.

Вся эта еда была приготовлена нашими друзьями. Вся она очень вкусная.

Все его друзья здесь. Все они здесь.

Вопросительные местоимения «who, what» в функции подлежащего употребляются с глаголом в ед. числе, если сказуемое выражено основным глаголом.

Кто знает его адрес? Что случилось?

В случае составного именного сказуемого с глаголом-связкой «be», глагол «be» согласуется в числе с существительным (или местоимением), к которому относятся «who» или «what».

Кто этот человек? Кто они?

Как вас зовут? (т.е. Ваше имя?) Какие у вас планы?

В предложениях с относительным местоимением «who», глагол согласуется в числе с существительным, к которому относится «who».

Я знаю мальчика, который стоит у окна.

Я знаю мальчиков, которые стоят у окна.

Трудности

Как вы наверное поняли из материала выше, разнообразие местоимений и различия между ними могут представлять серьёзные трудности для изучающих английский язык.

Похожие местоимения, такие как «some» и «any», «each» и «every», «which» и «that», «it» и «this», представляют большую трудность; у них разное употребление, и каждое из них имеет свои особенности. (Некоторые различия описаны в ответах на ваши вопросы в подразделе Messages about Grammar (Pronouns) в разлеле Messages.)

Согласование местоимений с их существительными и согласование сказуемого с подлежащим, выраженным неопределённым местоимением, обычно представляют наибольшую трудность. В некоторых случаях, единственный способ избежать проблем с согласованием – перестроить предложение.

Проблемы рода

Большинство английских одушевлённых существительных не выражают род ни в форме, ни в значении. Как результат, не всегда ясно, «he» или «she» (и их формы «his, him, her») нужно употребить с такими существительными в ед. числе. Например:

Я хочу поговорить с дизайнером. Где я могу найти его? (его? её?)

Похожие (и более трудные) проблемы возникают, когда неопределённые местоимения «somebody, nobody, anyone, everyone, each», которые могут относиться к лицам мужского и женского пола, употреблены как подлежащие. В официальном английском языке, «he, his, him» употребляются (если нужно) с этими неопределёнными местоимениями; «they, their, them» (и «our») часто употребляются с этими местоимениями в разговорном английском языке.

Сравните употребление английских местоимений в официальном и разговорном стиле и употребление эквивалентных местоимений в русских предложениях.

Официальный стиль: Никто не предложил свою помощь. Все принесли свой собственный завтрак. У каждого из нас есть свои причины.

Разговорный стиль: Никто не предложил свою помощь. Все принесли свой собственный завтрак. У каждого из нас есть свои причины.

Проблемы числа

Проблемы с согласованием в числе обычно возникают, если вы забываете, какие неопределённые местоимения требуют глагола в ед. числе, а какие требуют глагола во мн. числе. (См. часть «Agreement in number» выше.)

Согласование глагола с двумя местоимениями в подлежащем также может вызывать затруднения. Например, подлежащее, выраженное двумя личными местоимениями, соединёнными союзом «and», принимает глагол в форме мн. числа. Если местоимения соединены союзами «or; either…or; neither…nor», глагол согласуется в числе с ближайшим местоимением. Сравните:

Вы и он должны быть там к десяти.

Или вы, или он должны быть там к десяти.

Общие рекомендации

Изучите правила употребления местоимений вместе с различными примерами употребления. Выберите простые, типичные примеры и употребляйте их в своей устной и письменной речи. Избегайте употребления сложных и спорных случаев.

Полезные материалы по теме

Личные, притяжательные и возвратные местоимения, с многими примерами употребления, описаны в материалах Personal Pronouns и Personal Pronouns in Examples в разделе Miscellany.

Согласование существительных и глаголов в числе, согласование неопределённых местоимений и глаголов в числе и согласование притяжательных местоимений с существительными и с неопределёнными местоимениями описаны в материале Agreement в разделе Grammar.

Употребление относительных местоимений в придаточных предложениях кратко описано в материале Word Order in Complex Sentences в разделе Grammar.

Примеры, иллюстрирующие употребление вопросительных местоимений (и других вопросительных слов) можно найти в материале Word Order in Questions в разделе Grammar.

What is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is defined as a word or phrase that is used as a substitution for a noun or noun phrase, which is known as the pronoun’s antecedent. Pronouns are short words and can do everything that nouns can do and are one of the building blocks of a sentence. Common pronouns are he, she, you, me, I, we, us, this, them, that. A pronoun can act as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, and more and takes the place of any person, place, animal or thing. So coffee becomes it, Barbara becomes she, Jeremy becomes he, the team becomes they, and in a sentence, Barbara drinks a cup of coffee every afternoon could become she drinks a cup of it every afternoon, or even she drinks it every afternoon, where the it would substitute the cup of coffee, not just the coffee.

Without pronouns, we’d constantly have to repeat nouns, and that would make our speech and writing repetitive, not to mention cumbersome. Without pronouns, Barbara drinks a cup of coffee every afternoon, she likes to have it before dinner would be Barbara drinks a cup of coffee every afternoon, Barbara likes to have the cup of coffee before dinner. Using pronouns helps the flow of sentences and makes them more interesting

• He
• It
• You
• I
• They
• We
• Who
• Him
• Them
• Whoever
• Anyone
• Something
• Nobody

Pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

1. Billy, Caren, and I were playing poker with friends -> We were playing poker with friends.
2. Ellie loves watching movies. -> She loves watching movies, especially if they are comedies.
3. Will Daniel be going to the circus with Sarah? -> Will he be going there with her?
   

As mentioned, pronouns are usually used to replace nouns, however they can also stand in for certain adverbs, adjectives, and other pronouns. Almost anytime you refer to a person, animal, place or thing, you can use pronouns to add interest and make your speech or writing flow better.

In nearly all cases, a pronoun must follow an expression called an antecedent. This basically means that a pronoun can only really be understood in the context of prior information about the noun. For example, if we use the pronoun she in a sentence, we will only be able to understand it if we know who she is, thus an antecedent, perhaps giving the person’s name, is usually supplied first. In the example above Barbara drinks a cup of coffee every afternoon, if we had never mentioned Barbara or what she drinks, it would be unclear if we said, She drinks it every afternoon. Your reader would be confused and wonder who she is and what does she drink, wine, water, lemonade?

Once Barbara has been mentioned, we would use the pronouns she and her later in the writing in order to stop repeating the proper noun Barbara and possessive proper noun Barbara’s.
Barbara went to the restaurant for dinner with her (Barbara’s) friends. She (Barbara) was very hungry, but her (Barbara’s) friends would not stop chatting. Eventually, Barbara decided to take matters into her (Barbara’s) own hands and she (Barbara) demanded that they (Barbara’s friends) stop talking.

Imagine how that sentence would read if it kept repeating Barbara and Barbara’s. Pronouns have acted to make the writing tighter and, arguably, much more elegant. This is just a basic example of the use of pronouns, they act in many ways to help make speech and writing more lucid and dynamic.

Types of Pronouns

Pronouns can be divided into numerous categories including:

• Indefinite pronouns – those referring to one or more unspecified objects, beings, or places, such as someone, anybody, nothing. Notice in the examples below that there is no set position for where an indefinite pronoun will appear in a sentence.
  Indefinite pronoun examples:
  1. Anyone
  2. Somebody
  3. Whichever
  4. Whoever
  5. Other
  6. Something
  7. Nobody

  Indefinite pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

  • Would anyone like a coffee?
  • Take whatever you like. Jamie took one cookie and Ben took the other.
  • Whoever owns this is in big trouble! I want someone to move this now.

  Indefinite pronouns can also be used to create sentences that are almost abstract. Examples could include: this, all, such and something.

  • All was not lost.
  • Such is life.
  • Something tells me this won’t end well.
• Personal pronouns – those associated with a certain person, thing, or group; all except you have distinct forms that indicate singular or plural number. Personal pronouns are always specific and are often used to replace a proper noun (someone’s name) or a collective group of people or things. Personal pronouns have two main groups, one referring to the subject of the sentence and one to the object.
  The first is used to replace the subject of the sentence: I, you, he, she, it, we, you and they. Notice that you is repeated as you can be singular, addressing one person, or plural, addressing a group of people.

  Personal pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

  • Jack and David are friends. They play basketball together.
  • I have more money than he
  • We will be late if you don’t hurry up.

  The second group of pronouns replaces the object of the sentence: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them. Consider the sentence again:

  We will be late if you don’t hurry up.

  In the above example, we is the subject of the sentence, but you is the object. Other examples of pronouns replacing the object:

  • Peter sang the song to me.
  • Missing the train will cause us to be late.

  She packed them tightly in the suitcase.

• Reflexive pronouns – those preceded by the adverb, adjective, pronoun, or noun to which they refer, and ending in –self or –selves. Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject or clause of a sentence. The list of reflexive pronouns includes: Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
  Reflexive pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
  • Count yourselves
  • Annie only had herself to blame.

  Peter and Paul had baked themselves cakes.

• Demonstrative pronouns – those used to point to something specific within a sentence. There are only four demonstrative pronouns – this, that, these, those – but the usage can be a bit tricky at times. This and that are singular, whereas these and those are plural. As you may have noticed, there can be some crossover with indefinite pronouns when using this and that.
  Demonstrative pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
  • I prefer this.
  • These are beautiful, but those belong to Danny.
  • Did you see that?

  While it can be confusing, this, that, these and those can sometimes be used as demonstrative adjectives. The difference between the two is that a demonstrative pronoun replaces the noun and a demonstrative adjective qualifies the noun.

  I prefer this photo. These flowers are beautiful, but those vases belong to Danny. Did you see that rainbow?

  It should be clear that this, that, these and those in the example above are not pronouns because they are being used to qualify the noun, but not replace it. A good trick for remembering the difference is that a demonstrative pronoun would still make sense if the word one or ones followed it in the sentence.

  I prefer this (one). These (ones) are beautiful. Did you see that (one)? Those (ones) belong to Danny.

• Possessive pronouns – those designating possession or ownership. Examples include: mine, its, hers, his, yours, ours, theirs, whose. Consider the example:
  • This cat is mine.

  Mine is indicating possession, that the cat belongs to me. Incidentally, this in the sentence is not a pronoun but demonstrative adjective as it qualifies the noun cat. You will find that possessive pronouns often follow phrases that contain demonstrative adjectives.

  Possessive pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

  • Are these bananas yours?
  • This money is ours.

  Is the fault theirs or yours?

• Relative pronouns –those which refer to nouns mentioned previously, acting to introduce an adjective (relative) clause. They will usually appear after a noun to help clarify the sentence or give extra information. Examples include: who, which, that, whom, whose. Consider the following sentence:
  The man who stole the car went to jail. The relative pronoun who acts to refer back to the noun man. It acts to open a clause by identifying the man as not just any man, but the one who stole the car.Relative pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
  • The table, which sits in the hallway, is used for correspondence.
  • The car that crashed into the wall was blue.
  • This is the woman, whose key you found.
• Interrogative pronouns –Those which introduce a question. Examples include: who, whom, whose, what, which. We can usually identify an interrogative pronoun by the fact that they often appear at the beginning of a question.
  Interrogative pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
  • Who will come to the party?
  • Which do you prefer?
  • What do you need?
  • Whose clothes are on the floor?
  • Whom did you tell?

  Whom and who are often confused, and even native speakers will use them incorrectly. Who will replace the subject of a sentence, whereas whom will replace the direct or indirect object. A good tip for deciding which to use is that you can replace who in the sentence with a personal pronoun and it will still make sense. Who will come to the party? I will come to the party. The same system would not work for Whom did you tell? I did you tell.

• Reciprocal pronouns –Those expressing mutual actions or relationship; i.e. one another.
  There are just two reciprocal pronouns in English: one another and each other. They are mainly used to stop unnecessary repetition in a sentence, but also to reinforce the idea that collective and reciprocal actions are happening to more than one person or thing.John and Mary gave each other gifts. Using each other allows us the sentence to be more efficient than: John gave Mary a gift and Mary gave a gift to John. The countries worked with one another on national security. In this example, one another works to suggest that the action of working is being reciprocated back and forth by more than one country.

  Reciprocal pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

  • The boxers punched each other

  The couple love one another deeply

• Intensive pronouns – those ending in –self or –selves and that serve to emphasize their antecedents. These are almost identical to reflexive pronouns, but rather than just referring back to the subject of the sentence they work to reinforce the action. In many cases, the sentence would still make sense without the intensive pronoun.
  Intensive pronoun examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
  • I will do it myself.
  • We made this pie ourselves.
  • A nation speaks for itself through elections.

  Notice how the intensive pronoun is working to emphasize the statement. The sentence would still technically be correct without the intensive pronoun, but it adds some important context to its meaning.

Pronoun Rules

There are a few important rules for using pronouns. As you read through these rules and the examples in the next section, notice how the pronoun rules are followed. Soon you’ll see that pronouns are easy to work with.

• Subject pronouns may be used to begin sentences. For example: We did a great job.
• Subject pronouns may also be used to rename the subject. For example: It was she who decided we should go to Hawaii.
• Indefinite pronouns don’t have antecedents. They are capable of standing on their own. For example: No one likes the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.
• Object pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions. These include: you, me, him, her, us, them, and it. For example: David talked to her about the mistake.
• Possessive pronouns show ownership. They do not need apostrophes. For example: The cat washed its

Examples of Pronouns

In the following examples, the pronouns are italicized.

1. We are going on vacation.
2. Don’t tell me that you can’t go with us.
3. Anybody who says it won’t be fun has no clue what they are talking about.
4. These are terribly steep stairs.
5. We ran into each other at the mall.
6. I’m not sure which is worse: rain or snow.
7. It is one of the nicest Italian restaurants in town.
8. Richard stared at himself in the mirror.
9. The laundry isn’t going to do itself.
10. Someone spilled orange juice all over the countertop!

Pronoun Exercises

The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how pronouns work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

Answers

1. B. This is he speaking.
2. C. Greg is as smart as she is.
3. D. The dog chewed on its favorite toy.
4. B. It could have been anyone.
5. A. Terry is taller than I am.

List of Pronouns

As you read through this list of pronouns, remember that each one of these pronouns is a word that can be used to take the place of a noun. Think about ways to use the pronouns on this list in sentences, as this will increase your understanding.

I

We

Me

Us

You

She

He

Her

Him

They

Them

It

That

Which

Who

Whom

Whose

Whichever

Whoever

Whomever

This

These

That

Those

Anybody

Anyone

Anything

Each

Either

Everyone

Everybody

Everything

Nobody

Neither

No one

Nothing

Somebody

One

Someone

Something

Few

Many

Both

Several

Any

All

Some

Most

None

Myself

Yourself

Ourselves

Yourselves

Herself

Himself

Themselves

Itself

Who

What

Which

Whose

Whom

Pronouns are the major part of a sentence as like a verb. It plays a vital role in a sentence, almost in every sentence you use a pronoun, therefore using pronouns correctly in your sentences is very important. In this article, we will review 10 kinds of Pronouns in English.

Also Read:

• 10 Kinds of Nouns With Definition and Examples
• 10 Kinds of Adjective in English

10 Kinds of Pronouns in English

Pronoun: A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or group of nouns.
The noun or group of nouns that the pronoun takes the place of is called the antecedent.

• The boy said that he was tired.
  In this example, the pronoun “he” is referring back to the noun (antecedent) “boy.”
• Zahra called Ali and invited him to go skating with her.
  In this sentence pronouns are ” him and her”. The antecedent of him = Ali and Antecedent of her = Zahra
• Zahra called Ali and invited Ali to go skating with Zahra. = Awkward and repetitious

Kinds of Pronoun

1. Personal pronouns:

A personal pronoun refers to the person speaking, the person being spoken to, or the person or thing being spoken about.
Personal pronouns are divided into two groups: subjective and objective.
Subjective pronoun: A pronoun which acts as the subject in the sentence (he, she, it, I, we, you, they).
Objective pronoun: A pronoun that acts as the object in the sentence (him, her, it, me, us, you, them).

• The faster runner on the track team is she.
  She = pronoun = subject complement.

Subject complement: Subject complement is a noun or pronoun that refers back to the subject of the verb and gives more information about the subject of the verb. When a pronoun is used as a subject complement it should be used as a subjective case.
Refers to the person speaking = (I, me, we, and us). Refers to the person speaking to = (you). Refers to the person or thing being spoken about = (he, him, she, her, it, they and them)

2. Interrogative pronouns: 

Interrogative pronouns are pronouns that introduce a question.
(who, what, which, whom whose).
The question that interrogative pronoun introduces can be a direct question, in this case, the sentence will end with a question mark, and also it can be an indirect question.

• What do you know about the pronoun and its kind? 
• Fatima asked Khalid what he knew about the pronoun and its kind.

Note: Difference between interrogative pronoun and interrogative adjective.
Interrogative pronouns are used to represent something of which the question is being asked.
Interrogative adjectives modify or else describe a noun.

• Whose are these books? = interrogative pronoun.
• Whose books are these? = interrogative adjective.

3. Indefinite Pronouns:

Indefinite pronouns are those pronouns that refer to an unspecified person, place, thing, or idea.
(all, anyone, both, each, anything, everybody, many, no one, some, someone, etc….)

• All are invited to tonight’s party.
• Everybody is welcome.
• Everybody has to take an examination in order to graduate.
• All of the seniors were excited about graduation.

4. Relative pronouns:

A relative pronoun is used to introduce a subordinate clause.
What is a clause? A group of words containing a subject and predicate sometimes give complete meaning sometimes doesn’t give a complete sense, and is divided into two groups:
Independent clause: An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence.
Subordinate clause: A subordinate clause can not stand alone as a sentence and it’s attached to the independent clause.
(Who, whom, whose, which and that)
Note: As you see some of these pronouns also appeared in the interrogative pronouns but it all depends on how they are used in the sentence.
Remember when they are used as relative pronouns they introduce a subordinate clause and relates a subordinate clause to something specific in the independent clause.

• That is the film which was directed by him.
• He is the man who came to my house yesterday.

Note: Remember do not mix relative pronouns with relative adjectives.

The adjective has a noun referent someplace (usually after it.) There are only two relative adjectives, which and what.

• He didn’t tell me what he was going to wear. = Relative pronoun.
• He didn’t tell me what suit he was going to wear. = Relative adjective.

5. Possessive pronouns:

Possessive pronouns are pronoun that shows the ownership.
(His, hers, its, mine, ours, yours, theirs.) A possessive pronoun is used to avoid repeating information that has already been made clear. These useful pronouns make sentences less confusing, as you’ll see when you read the following sentences containing examples of possessive pronouns.

• This is my car, not your car. (Sounds repetitive)
• This car is mine, not yours.
• I didn’t have my book so Ali lent me his book. (Sounds repetitive)
• I didn’t have my book, so Ali lent me his.

6. Reflexive Pronoun:

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that are used to show that the subject of the sentence is receiving the action of the verb. (Himself, herself, itself, myself, yourself, ourselves and themselves). Read more about reflexive pronouns by clicking here: Reflexive pronouns

• She can handle the situation herself. 
• They have to do their tasks themselves.

7. Intensive pronouns:

These pronouns are used only to place emphasis on the subject.
Note: These pronouns look the same as reflexive pronouns, but they act differently in the sentence and are always placed next to the subject that they are emphasizing. (Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves).

•  You yourself must go to the police station.
• We ourselves will solve the problem.

8. Demonstrative Pronouns:

A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to point to something specific within a sentence.
These pronouns can indicate items in space or time, and they can be either singular or plural. (this, that, these, those, none, neither and such)

• This was my mother’s ring.
• These are nice sofas, but they look uncomfortable.

How to Use Demonstrative Pronouns?
Demonstrative pronouns always identify nouns, whether those nouns are named specifically or not.

• I can’t believe this.
• We have no idea what “this” is.

Demonstrative pronouns are usually used to describe animals, places, or things, however, they can be used to describe people when the person is identified.

• This sounds like Haseena singing.

Note: Do not confuse demonstrative adjectives with demonstrative pronouns.
A demonstrative pronoun takes the place of the noun phrase in a sentence.
A demonstrative adjective is always followed by a noun in the sentence.

• These are my friend’s shoes. (Demonstrative Pronoun)
• These shoes are his. (Demonstrative Adjective)

9. Reciprocal pronouns:

Reciprocal pronouns are pronouns that are used to refer to a mutual set of people.
(Each other, each other’s, one another, one another’s).

• We need to help one another to survive.
• They had remembered each other’s phone numbers.

10. Distributive pronouns:

Distributive pronouns are those pronouns that point to persons, places, or things one at a time.
(Each, either and neither)

• Each of the students has done it.
• Either of you has done it.
• Neither of them has done it.

Note: A distributive pronoun is always singular and as such, it should be followed by a singular noun and verb.

• Neither question is easy. (Correct)
• Neither questions are easy (Incorrect)

Without pronouns, we would have to keep on repeating nouns, and that would make our speech and write awkward and repetitive, therefore you have to learn about the pronoun and its kinds to construct your sentence correctly. Please leave a comment below for any inquiries about the pronoun and its kind.

Related Articles:

• 12 Kinds of Verbs in English
• Kinds of Adverbs in English
• Kinds of Paragraphs
• Kinds of Conjunctions