Pronouns are pretty simple. They are used in place of nouns.
Consider this: Ravi was an adventurous man. Ravi took Ravi's car one day and set out on a long journey. The journey was fun for Ravi because Ravi liked travelling. Ravi's car broke down on a highway but the car breakdown didn't perturb Ravi.
Now let us replace some of the nouns by pronouns and see what that does to the excerpt.
Ravi was an adventurous man. He took his car one day and set out on a long journey. The journey was fun for Ravi because he liked travelling. His car broke down on a highway but that didn't perturb him.
Now you see, the first excerpt is grammatically correct, but sounds really funny because of the repetition of nouns at various places. Thus, we can happily conclude that pronouns are used to break monotony in speech and in writing.
There are various kinds of pronouns that we shall discuss today.
Demonstrative Pronouns-
Used to point towards specific nouns
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Singular
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Plural
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This (near)
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These (near)
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That (far)
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Those (far)
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Examples:
This is a pen. These books are worth reading.
That girl is my friend. Those boys are in my class.
Indefinite Pronouns- Used
for non-specific things
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Singular
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Plural
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Any, anyone, anybody, each, either, none, one, somebody, everybody,
everyone, someone, neither, every
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All, some, several, both, few
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Examples:
Anyone can do this work.
Several people joined the peace march.
Interrogative Pronouns-
Used in asking questions
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Who, which, what, where and how
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Examples:
Who wrote this article?
Which phone should I buy?
What are the chances of winning the lottery?
Where did you go last weekend?
How do you plan to complete this task?
Personal Pronouns- Used to
replace nouns that form the subject of a sentence
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Person
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Singular
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Plural
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1st
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I
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We
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2nd
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You
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You
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3rd
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He, She, It
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They
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Examples:
I am a girl. We like spending our time together.
You work hard. You (all) need to join the training.
He/She/It likes to play with a ball. They love listening to
music.
Possessive Pronouns- Used
to show possession and double up as adjectives
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Person
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Singular
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Plural
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1st
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My
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Our
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2nd
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Your
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Your
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3rd
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His, Her, Its
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Their
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Examples: Please note that possessive pronouns are always followed by a
noun that is possessed.
My car is red. Our work was appreciated.
Your wife is my friend. Your hard work will pay.
His pen writes beautifully. Their jobs are secure.
Relative Pronouns- Used to
add information about the nouns being talked about
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Which, that, who, whom, whose, where
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Who
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Elaborates on the noun- it is a subject pronoun.
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Whom
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Answers which person receives the action.
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Whose
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Answers which person possesses something.
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Examples:
The girl, who walked past me, sings quite well.The boy, whom I was talking to, is my son.
The lady, whose bag is brown, likes expensive shoes.
Absolute Possessive
Pronouns- Used to show possession
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Person
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Singular
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Plural
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1st
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Mine
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Ours
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2nd
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Yours
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Yours
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3rd
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His, Hers, Its
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Theirs
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Examples: Please note that these pronouns are absolute in nature and
are not followed by the noun that is possessed.
This book is mine. This house is ours.
Are those books yours?
The responsibility was his/hers. The band that won was
theirs.
Reflexive Pronouns- Used
to show reflection of an action on the subject
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Person
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Singular
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Plural
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1st
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Myself
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Ourselves
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2nd
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Yourself
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Yourselves
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3rd
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Himself, Herself, Itself
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Themselves
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Examples: When the noun performs an action on the self.
I gave myself a pat on the back.
The dog was chasing itself.
Emphatic Pronouns- Used to
emphasize that the action is performed by the subject
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Person
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Singular
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Plural
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1st
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Myself
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Ourselves
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2nd
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Yourself
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Yourselves
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3rd
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Himself, Herself, Itself
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Themselves
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Examples:
Of course I did it myself!They themselves went to buy the stuff.
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