Overview: What Are Pronouns?
Pronouns are word forms that substitute for nouns. They differ from nouns in that the correct pronoun form depends on the function it takes within the sentence. Nouns in English only change form when they are possessive. Otherwise, the same word forms are used whether they are the subject or the object. Compare the sentences, “Jane hit the ball,” “The ball hit Jane,” and “The ball is Jane’s.”
What Are Singular and Plural Pronouns?
Singular pronouns such as I, you, he, she, or it substitute for singular nouns and must agree with singular verbs, while plural pronouns such as we, you, and they substitute for plural nouns and must agree with plural verbs. For example, compare the sentence, “He goes to school”, with “They go to school.” The pronoun you is the same form for singular and plural in English, and the meaning depends on context.
What Are Subject Pronouns?
Subject pronouns such as I, you, he, she, it, we and they serve as the subject forms, also called the nominative case. For example, in a simple sentence like “John and I went to the store,” the pronoun I is part of the subject. In formal written English, verb forms of to be use subject pronouns, such as ” It is I” or “The winners were Tim and she.”
What Are Object Pronouns?
Object pronouns include me, you, him, her, it, us, and them, also called the objective case. They are used when the pronoun is used as the object of any verb or preposition. For example, in the sentence, “John raced them yesterday”, the pronoun them is an object. In addition, after a preposition such as between, the objective pronoun is used, such as “between you and me” rather than “between you and I.”
What Are Possessive Pronouns?
Possessive pronouns include my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, and their, theirs. They are used to show ownership. The possessive pronoun its is not the same as the contraction it’s (meaning it is), and their is not the same as the adverb there or the contraction they’re. For example, “Their car is parked in the next block” but “The red car is parked over there.” Sometimes possessive pronouns can be used by themselves, such as “That blue car is hers, not his.”
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