8 Types of Pronouns In English Grammar With Examples

The 8 types of pronouns in English grammar with examples include 1) personal, 2) interrogative, 3) possessive, 4) demonstrative, 5) indefinite, 6) relative, 7) reflexive and 8) intensive.

A pronoun is one of eight parts of speech. Parts of speech are the fundamental building blocks of the English language. It’s important that you recognize these parts of speech.

Understanding how pronouns (especially personal pronouns) work in sentences will make writing and speaking much more enjoyable. Below are the 8 types of pronouns in English grammar with examples!

TOC – 8 Types of Pronouns

1. Personal Pronouns
2. Interrogative Pronouns
3. Possessive Pronouns
4. Demonstrative Pronouns
5. Indefinite Pronouns
6. Relative Pronouns
7. Reflexive Pronouns
8. Intensive Pronouns

8 Types of Pronouns With Examples

• David, will you open the door? (Personal Pronoun)
• What is that? (Interrogative Pronoun)
• The gold was theirs for the taking. (Possessive Pronoun)
• These are great movies from the sixties. (Demonstrative Pronoun)
• Some made a lot of money from the stock market. (Indefinite Pronoun)
• The builder who built the skyscraper made millions. (Relative Pronoun)
• They saw themselves on the news. (Reflexive Pronoun)
• Did you yourself paint the car? (Intensive Pronoun)

1. Personal Pronouns

Definition of Personal Pronouns: Personal pronouns are short words used to replace proper names of persons, places, things or ideas so that the writer or speaker can avoid repeating these proper names.

Examples of Personal Pronouns:

• Rachel works with children and she is very gifted in that area. (she replaces Rachel)
• Dad bought a new car and it was expensive. (it replaces car)
• The boss appreciated his workers and he gave them a rise. (he replaces boss and them replaces workers)
• The children went to the park and they kicked the ball around for hours. (they replaces children)
• Emma is my little sister and she is well-behaved. (she replaces Emma and sister)

NOTE: Personal pronouns are divided into 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons.

1st Person – person speaking (i, we, me, us)
2nd Person – person spoken to (you)
3rd Person – person spoken about (he, she, him, her, it, they, them)

Examples of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Person Pronouns:

• We went to the local markets to buy some vegetables. (1st Person Pronoun)
• Will you go to the local markets to buy some vegetables? (2nd Person Pronoun)
• She went to the local markets to buy some vegetables. (3rd Person Pronoun)
• I will go dancing tonight. (1st Person Pronoun)
• Will you go dancing tonight? (2nd Person Pronoun)
• They will go dancing tonight. (3rd Person Pronoun)

NOTE: Personal pronouns are singular or plural.

Singular Personal Pronouns (i, you, he, she, it, me, him, her)
Plural Personal Pronouns (we, you, they, us, them)

Examples of Singular and Plural Personal Pronouns:

• You are the greatest! (singular)
• You are the greatest people in my life. (plural)
• He is my brother. (singular)
• David gave them a good report. (plural)
• It was a good idea. (singular)

NOTE: Personal pronouns are either subjective or objective Case.

Subjective Case (i, you, he, she, it, we, they)
Objective Case (me, you, him, her, it, us, them)

Examples of Subjective and Objective Case Personal Pronouns:

• You are the best! (subjective)
• Jenny will give the money to you. (objective)
• Bradley and I will go to the football game. (subjective)
• Rachel should have spoken to you and me. (objective)
• You and I should spend more time together. (subjective)

NOTE: Personal pronouns are masculine, feminine or neuter.

Masculine Personal Pronouns (he, him)
Feminine Personal Pronouns (she, her)
Neuter Personal Pronouns (it)

Examples of Masculine, Feminine and Neuter Personal Pronouns:

• He is my best friend. (masculine)
• She is my neighbor. (feminine)
• It is a good idea. (neuter)
• Dad gave the car to him. (masculine)
• Mum gave the ring to her. (feminine)

2. Interrogative Pronouns

Definition of Interrogative Pronouns: Interrogative pronouns are used when you need to ask questions. To interrogate a person is to ask questions.

The interrogative pronouns are: who, whom, whose, which and what.

Examples of Interrogative Pronouns:

• Who told you about the incident?
• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
• Of all the houses on the market, which do you recommend?
• What is your favorite food?
• Whom did you ask?
• Whose are those?

3. Possessive Pronouns

Definition of Possessive Pronouns: Possessive pronouns show possession, ownership or something that belongs to someone or something.

Possessive pronouns include mine, yours, ours, its, his, hers and theirs.

Examples of Possessive Pronouns:

• Can I use your knife? I lost mine.
• The hammer is yours.
• They receive their power rebate. What about ours?
• As far as lifespans go, its had been a relatively long one for us.
• The mobile phone next to the lounge chair is his.
• The diamond ring found at the park is hers.
• The house with the broken window is theirs.

NOTE: It is paramount to distinguish between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives.

Possessive pronouns are used to replace nouns. You can learn more about possessive pronouns that replace nouns by reading an article I have written – the 7 Possessive Pronouns.

Possessive adjective are used to describe nouns. You can learn more about possessive adjectives used to describe nouns by clicking on this article I have written – 7 Common Possessive Adjectives.

Examples of Possession Pronouns and Adjectives:

• The mobile phone is hers. (possessive pronoun)
• Jenny left her mobile phone in the car. (possessive adjective)
• The tickets are theirs. (possessive pronoun)
• We left our tickets at home. (possessive adjective)
• That book is mine. (possessive pronoun)
• Tha is my book. (possessive adjective)

NOTE: It is noteworthy to distinguish between it’s (contraction) and its (possessive pronoun or adjective)

It’s is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.”
Its is a possessive pronoun or adjective (determiner) use to show possession or ownership.

Examples of it’s and its in sentences:

• It’s my birthday today. (contraction “it is”)
• As far as lifespans go, its had been a relatively long one for us. (possessive pronoun)
• The car is no good without its wheels. (possessive adjective)
• It’s got to be a mistake. (contraction “it has”)
• This is an alien and this is a friend of its. (possessive pronoun)
• I can see its eyes. (possessive adjective)

4. Demonstrative Pronouns

Definition of Demonstrative Pronouns: Demonstrative pronouns are words that replace nouns and point to something specific in a sentence.

The demonstrative pronouns are: this, that, these and those.

Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns:

• This is my favorite food.
• What is that?
• These are very expensive.
• I would like those, please.
• That is not yours.

NOTE: Singular and Plural Demonstrative Pronouns:

Singular Demonstrative Pronouns: This and That
Plural Demonstrative Pronouns: These and Those

NOTE: Near and Far Demonstrative Pronouns:

Demonstrative pronouns can convey near or far in distance and time.

Near in time or distance: this or these
Far in time of distance: that or those

Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns Conveying Distance or Time:

• Remove this but not that. (distance)
• Remove these but not those. (distance)
• I will never forget this but that is another story. (time)
• I will never forget these but those are another story. (time)

NOTE: Demonstrative pronouns must be distinguished from demonstrative adjectives.

Demonstrative pronouns replace nouns whereas demonstrative adjective modify or describe nouns.

Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives in Same Sentence:

• These (pronoun) are sweet but those (adjective) apples are not.
• This (pronoun) is inexpensive but that (adjective) meal is not.
• This (adjective) movie is great and these (pronoun) are great also.
• These (adjective) toys are broken but those (pronoun) are not.
• That (pronoun) is mine but those (adjective) tools are yours.

5. Indefinite Pronouns

Definition of Indefinite Pronouns: Indefinite pronouns are words that refer to some person or thing without being specific.

Here is a list of some indefinite pronouns: any, anybody, anyone, anything, all, another, both, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, whoever, many, more, most, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, none, others, several, some, somebody, someone, something.

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns:

• Everyone was charged at the protest rally.
• Some became sick during the experiment.
• I like coffee but not tea. Jenny thinks both are great.
• Many have taken the free items already.
• Everything was lost during the tornado.

NOTE: Indefinite pronouns can be singular, plurals or both.

Here is a list of some singular indefinite pronouns: (anyone, anything, each, either, less, other, someone, something, one)

Here is a list of some plural indefinite pronouns: (both, few, many, others, several)

Here is a list of some indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural: (all, any, more, most, none, some)

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns as Singular, Plural or Both:

• Anyone can come to the party. (singular)
• Many came to the local markets on Saturday. (plural)
• All is forgiven. (singular)
• All have arrived at the wedding. (plural)
• Several left the meeting disgruntled. (plural)

NOTE: Some Indefinite pronouns can function as adjectives (more information) so beware!

Here is a list of some indefinite pronouns that can function as adjectives: (all, any, each, few, some, many, several)

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns and Adjectives:

• Many have decided to cancel their subscriptions to the magazine. (pronoun)
• Many classmates are protesting the new times for study. (adjective)
• All have informed the local government of their disapproval of the changes. (pronoun)
• All residents were told of the changes. (adjective)
• Some farmers lost their properties in the downturn. (adjective)

6. Relative Pronouns

Definition of Relative Pronouns: Relative pronouns are words that relate to a noun or another pronoun in the sentence.

Here is a list of common relative pronouns: (who, whom, whose, which, that)

Examples of Relative Pronouns:

• Did you receive the parcel which came today?
• The man who called yesterday wants to buy the car.
• He’s a co-worker whose opinion I appreciate.
• The dog that was in the backyard belongs to our neighbor.
• Whom should I vote for in the election?

NOTE:Use the relative pronouns “who” as subject and “whom” as object.

Examples of “Who” and “Whom” in Sentences:

• The student speculated whom the conversation was about. (object)
• The student who delivered a passionate speech won the award. (subject)
• To whom was the book given. (object)
• The writer who wrote the book was my brother.

NOTE:Use the relative pronouns “who” to refer to people and “that” to refer to things or objects.

Examples of “Who” and “That” in Sentences:

• My friend who is recovering from a sport’s injury exercises regularly in the park.
• My car that was stolen is in the police compound.
• Do you like the dog that was in the backyard?
• The teacher who taught English was my neighbor.
• The shirts that I bought from the shopping mall were too small.

NOTE: Use relative pronouns “that” when information is essential and “which” when information is non-essential.

Examples of “That” and “Which” in Sentences.

• The book that is on the table belongs to me.
• The diamond ring, which belongs to my mother, has been in our family for many years.
• The car that has the dent in it belongs to my sister.
• The car, which is damaged, belongs to my sister.

7. Reflexive Pronouns

Definition of Reflexive Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns are words that reflex back to person and these words end in “-self” or “selves.”

Here are some examples of reflexive pronouns: (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves)

Examples of Reflective Pronouns in Sentences:

• I saw myself in the glass window.
• I was in a hurry, so I fixed the problem myself.
• The refrigerator defrosts itself.
• The football team trained by themselves in order to improve their skills.
• Don’t blame yourself for the accident!

NOTE: Reflexive pronouns are singular and plural.

Here is a list of singular reflexive pronouns: (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself)

Here is a list of plural reflexive pronouns: (ourselves, yourselves, themselves)

Examples of Singular and Plural Reflexive Pronouns:

• You can help yourselves to the lollies. (plural)
• She sent herself a copy of the email. (singular)
• The teachers blamed themselves for the horrible mistake. (plural)
• I talk to myself regularly. (singular)
• The boss told his workers to help themselves to the spare materials. (plural)

8. Intensive Pronouns

Definition of Intensive Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns can also act as intensive pronouns. Intensive pronouns emphasize its antecedent.

Examples of Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns in Sentence.

• I made the trailer myself. (reflexive)
• I myself made the trailer. (intensive)
• She spoke to me herself. (reflexive)
• She herself spoke to me. (intensive)
• I spoke to them myself. (reflexive)
• I myself spoke to them. (intensive)

Let me say that understanding the 8 types of pronouns in English grammar with examples will make your writing and speaking much more enjoyable!