Know what a Pronoun is; Types of Pronouns in Brief

Pronouns are one of the important parts of speech used in the English language. To learn English grammar effectively and to communicate in English without making any mistakes, it is essential to master the concepts of parts of speech, which are the basic concepts. In this article, we are going to learn What a Pronoun is and the various types and examples of pronouns.

Know what a Pronoun is

Do You Know What a Pronoun Is?
To define a pronoun, the pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun while writing a sentence. To avoid repetition of the same noun many times in a sentence, the pronoun replaces a noun. Some examples of pronouns are:

I
We
You
He
It
She
They
Our
Myself
Who
This
That
These

Types of Pronouns

There are many types of pronouns. They can be categorized into the following types:

Personal Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns
Reciprocal pronouns
Universal Pronouns
Distributive Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns
Personal Pronouns

There are three persons in English grammar. Personal pronouns are the pronouns that speak about the three persons. They are:

First-person: that is the person who is speaking. The pronouns used are I, WE.
Second- Person: that is the person spoken to. The pronoun used is YOU.
Third-person: they are persons other than the two. The pronouns used are HE, SHE, IT, THEY.
Possessive Pronouns

Some of the personal pronouns listed above can be categorized as Possessive as they show to whom something belongs. They are:

My
Mine
Your
Yours
His
Her
Hers
Its
Their
Theirs
Reflexive Pronouns

When a pronoun consists of a reflection of the self, it is a reflexive pronoun. For example,

He hurt himself.
She herself turned up to the event.
Demonstrative Pronouns

These pronouns demonstrate and point out to the objects that are spoken in the sentence. For example,

This
These
That
Those
Such
Indefinite Pronouns

When the pronoun describes a general phenomenon and no one specific in a sentence, that is an indefinite pronoun. For example,

One
All
Some
No one
Nobody
Somebody
Any
Other
Many
Anyone
Everyone
Someone, etc.
Distributive Pronouns

Distributive pronouns describe one thing at a time in a sentence. It is important to note that the distributive pronoun is always singular. Each, either, neither are some examples of distributive pronouns.

Neither of the two was present in the class. (Were should not be used)
Either this or that option fits the schedule. (The plural ‘fit’ should not be used)
Relative pronouns

A relative pronoun is a word that is related to the noun mentioned before in the sentence. The relative pronoun also works as a conjunction in the sentence, thus acting as a link between various sentences.

He works in that room which is also like his bedroom.
The man whose bike was stolen came to the police station today.
It is the best movie that I ever watched.
I have a friend whom I treat as my teacher.
Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used for asking questions in sentences. Examples of such pronouns are

What
Who
Which
When
Where
Why, etc.
Reciprocal Pronouns

There are two reciprocal pronouns. They are Each other and One another.

Read more about pronouns: Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives

Types of Pronouns with Definitions and Examples
Gender Pronouns