Grammar Tips & Articles »

Seven Varieties of Pronouns

This Grammar.com article is about Seven Varieties of Pronouns — enjoy your reading!


1:24 min read
3,294 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

The first pronouns our forbears invented were the (1) personal pronouns, words that could substitute for Igor, Amber, and other members of the tribe. Then they invented (2) reflexive and intensive pronouns, those ‑self words enabling them to say, Me, Myself, and I. They went even further and devised other types of pronouns, which, as a student of grammar, you must, of course, master: (3) indefinite pronouns (like everyone, everybody, anyone, one, none, and others), (4) demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, and those), (5) relative pronouns (that, which, who, whoever, whom, whomever, and whose), (6) interrogative pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, and what), and (7) reciprocal pronouns (each other and one another).

It’s quite a list. It’ll be quite a discussion. So in winter build a fire, in summer crack a beer, or fix some tea, and curl up with this Gothic romance that bares Igor and Amber’s lust for lucid language.

Intrigue awaits, for pronouns are fraught with danger, as many smart people get hopelessly entangled—invariably at cocktail parties—in trying to figure out the proper case of pronouns. I have cleverly revealed this universal problem in the title of my book: A Grammar Book for You and I, Oops, Me!

So, once and for all, let’s straighten out the problems. Then you’ll be able to breeze right through those sentences laying those who-whom traps that inevitably ensnare you just when you’re trying to say something important to impress somebody.

Here’s where we’re going. We have seven stops to make:

1. personal pronouns 2. reflexive and intensive pronouns 3. indefinite pronouns 4. demonstrative pronouns 5. relative pronouns 6. interrogative pronouns 7. reciprocal pronouns

 

Previous: Pronouns - Words Substituting for Words

Next: 1. Personal Pronouns

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Seven Varieties of Pronouns." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Dec. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/seven-varieties-of-pronouns>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Identify the sentence with correct use of the present perfect continuous tense:
    A He will have done his homework yesterday.
    B She will be finishing her work by now.
    C They have been waiting for the bus for over an hour.
    D We had been singing all night.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.