English Language Learners Stack Exchange
English Language Learners Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [pronouns]

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.

A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase. Examples of pronouns are: he, hers, them, who, which. Pronouns are used to avoid awkward repetitions of a particular noun in spoken or written communication. (Compare "Bob drove Bob's car to Bob's office. Bob got out and walked inside." with "Alice drove her car to her office. She got out and went inside".)

Pronouns are generally classified as demonstrative, interrogative, possessive, and relative.

Example questions

See also

1329 questions
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Is "Whom" a deprecated word?

I'm learning English through online courses. I'm enrolled at the Write101x, managed by University of Queensland, Australia. In this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a7UQe82tnY about 2:47 minutes, the lady says the following: Many writers…
Fabio
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Talking about inanimate objects in plural: they or it

Should I say: Wash some apples and put them into a vase. or Wash some apples and put it into a vase. Is it correct to use they with inanimate objects?
Denis Kulagin
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Does the word God get the pronoun "it" or "he"?

Does the word God get the pronoun "it" or "he"? For example: I want to say thanks to God for what it / he gave me. I am talking about the God of Monotheism (force majeure) - like what the Jews and Muslims believe in. [I don't know whether the…
Virtuous Legend
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Using the pronoun 'we' when I'm not a part of it!

This has actually happened with me. I was confused and could not answer to my friend. The context was the traffic sense in India, which is worst! :) In that context, I was describing to my friend that in India, there is only one rule that there is…
Maulik V
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'We Americans like baseball' or 'Us Americans...'?

Which one is correct? 'We Americans like baseball,' or 'Us Americans like baseball'? Why would you prefer one over the other? I'm thinking of a situation where people from different countries are talking about differences in their cultures.…
numberfive
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Why is the answer "it" --> 'Mr. Akagi was unable to buy tickets for the concert because it/they was sold out'

How can the answer in the following test question be "it"? Mr. Akagi was unable to buy tickets for the concert because it/they was sold out.
manh nghiem
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Is it OK to omit the pronoun when we're talking about an action that's been done by someone else?

I was wondering if it's correct to omit who in the following sentence: I haven't found anyone else who had mentioned this before. and say it like this: I haven't found anyone else had mentioned this before. The reason I'm asking this question is…
BM of Spadana
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Difference between myself and by myself

Could you please explain me which option should I use? I would like to have a green house with rare plants from all over the world. I could take care of them (myself / by myself)? And why?
Ann
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Can "it" refer to something we haven't mentioned yet?

We usually use pronouns to refer back to people or things that we already mentioned. Can we use pronouns before we mention the noun? A: Are you going to the game? B: No, it's sold out. There aren't any tickets left.
Shannak
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My dog has a lot of things. This food bowl is "its"

What is the possessive pronoun of animals or thing? We can say: This car is mine. This coffee is yours. This book is hers. How ca we say this food bowl belongs to my dog, or those buildings belong to the company. Can I say: My dog has a lot of…
Shannak
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What is difference between 'it' and 'this'?

Please explain to me which are correct/natural: This is my wife. / It is my wife. This is my cat. / It is my cat. This is the worst building. / It is the worst building. This is beautiful. / It is beautiful. And why?
Dmitry
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Using she or you to refer to someone "as a little girl"

I read this somewhere and it said: I still remember you as a little girl who overwaters plants because she doesn't know when to stop giving. But in this sentence, the person says 'you' and 'little girl', but then uses 'she' as a third person.…
Rohan Arora
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Why is the pronoun "I" capitalized?

"I" is the only pronoun in English that is always capitalized. Is it correct to write it non-capitalized? Are there historical reasons beyond that rule?
qleguennec
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What does the word "they" in this sentence replace?

These chocolate-flavored muffins have got walnuts in them, and they smell really good. Which word does the word "they" in this sentence replace? "Muffins" or "walnuts"? (I saw this somewhere online so I don't remember the context that well.)
Thuan Khang
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Where to find what "this" and "that" refer to?

I read from somewhere a long time ago that "that" refers to something that was mentioned earlier, while "this" refers to something that is going to be mentioned. But I saw some examples where "this" refers to something that was just mentioned…
Tim
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