Academic English > Grammar > Pronouns
Most of the time, a pronoun is used to replace a noun. The following are all pronouns: he, she, they, none, and which.
There are in fact quite a lot of pronouns in English
Pronouns are usually short words
They are used to make sentences shorter and, less repetitive.
Examples:
- Clutching the coin, Maria ran to the shops. She went straight to the counter and bought the sweets.
- The 8-mile walk passes through pasture, parkland and woodland. It takes you alongside many points of interest including a disused airfield.
- Tell the finance team that they can use the minibus tomorrow.
(She is a pronoun. In this example, it replaces the noun Maria. Pronouns are used for brevity. Imagine how wearisome a long prose would be if the writer used the full noun (in this case Maria every time.)
(It is a pronoun. In this example, it replaces the 8-mile walk.)
(They is a pronoun. It replaces the finance team.)
More Than Just the Personal Pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and who are all pronouns. As these pronouns often replace nouns representing people, they are called the personal pronouns. However, there are a number of different sorts of pronouns groups:
Personal pronouns (e.g., he, they)
Demonstrative pronouns (e.g., this, these)
Interrogative pronouns (e.g., which, who)
Indefinite pronouns (e.g., none, several)
Possessive pronouns (e.g., his, your)
Reciprocal pronouns (e.g., each other, one another)
Relative pronouns (e.g., which, where)
Reflexive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself)
Intensive pronouns (e.g., itself, himself)