The simplest pronoun definition is a word that takes the place of a noun, so you do not have to repeat the noun again and again. Instead of "Ravi lost Ravi's keys, so Ravi called Ravi's sister," you say "Ravi lost his keys, so he called his sister."
Pronouns are among the most used words in English, and also among the easiest to get slightly wrong. This guide gives the meaning of pronoun, the main families with examples, and the slips that show up in school essays and work emails.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
A word used in place of a noun or noun phrasePart of speech
Noun (the name of a word class)Pronunciation
PROH-nownAdjective form
pronominal (proh-NOM-uh-nuhl)Origin
Latin pronomen, from pro, in place of, and nomen, name or noun; in English since the mid-1400sCommon examples
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them, who, this, someoneRegister
Grammar term, neutral
Pronoun definition and the job it does
To define pronoun more fully: it is a word that refers to a person, thing or idea already mentioned, or understood from context, without naming it again. The noun it replaces is called its antecedent. In "The parcel arrived, but it was damaged," the antecedent of it is the parcel.
Pronouns make speech shorter and smoother, but they only work when the listener can tell what they point back to. The name says exactly that: Latin pro, "in place of," plus nomen, "name." Roman writers on grammar built it as a copy of a Greek term meaning much the same.
The main types of pronouns
| Type | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Refers to people or things | I, you, she, they, me, them |
| Possessive | Shows ownership | mine, yours, hers, ours, theirs |
| Reflexive | Points back to the subject | myself, yourself, themselves |
| Demonstrative | Points to something | this, that, these, those |
| Interrogative | Asks questions | who, whom, what, which, whose |
| Relative | Links a clause to a noun | who, which, that, whose |
| Indefinite | Refers to no one in particular | someone, anybody, everything, none |
| Reciprocal | Shows a two-way action | each other, one another |
Subject and object forms
Personal pronouns change shape depending on their role. Use the subject form when the pronoun does the action and the object form when the action happens to it.
- Subject: I, he, she, we, they. "She booked the tickets."
- Object: me, him, her, us, them. "The manager thanked them."
A quick test for pairs: drop the other person. "Priya and me went to the market" becomes "me went," which sounds wrong, so the correct form is "Priya and I went." The same test shows that "between you and I" should be "between you and me," since prepositions take object pronouns.
Pronouns in real sentences
- Can you send me the file before it gets late?
- The twins made the cake themselves.
- Somebody left their umbrella in the lift.
- Which of these chargers is yours?
- The neighbors who moved in last week seem friendly.
Singular they and personal pronouns
They has long been used for one person whose gender is unknown or unimportant: "If a customer calls, ask them to wait." This use goes back centuries and is accepted by major style guides. In recent decades they has also been used by some people as their own personal pronoun, and some people now share their pronouns in introductions or email signatures.
Views on these newer uses differ. Some see them as basic courtesy, while others prefer traditional usage or find the change hard to follow. Grammatically, singular they still takes a plural verb: "they are," not "they is."
Common pronoun errors
- Its vs it's: its is possessive (the dog wagged its tail); it's means it is.
- Your vs you're and their vs they're vs there follow the same pattern.
- Myself as a fancy me: "Please contact myself" should be "Please contact me." Use myself only when you are also the subject.
- Who vs whom: whom is the object form (to whom it may concern), though who is now normal in everyday speech.
Where pronouns sit among word classes
Pronouns are a closed class, like prepositions and conjunctions; English rarely adds new ones. They work very much like a noun in a sentence, acting as subject or object, and can be described by an adjective in a few cases ("poor you"). Grammar and writing gathers the other grammar terms on this site.
Frequently asked questions
What does pronoun mean in simple words?
A pronoun is a short word that stands in for a noun. He, she, it, they, this and who are pronouns.
What is the meaning of pronoun with an example?
In "Asha missed the bus, so she walked," the word she is a pronoun. It replaces Asha so the name is not repeated.
How many types of pronouns are there?
Most school grammars list about eight types: personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, indefinite and reciprocal. Some books group them a little differently.
Is "my" a pronoun?
Words like my, your and their are often called possessive determiners or possessive adjectives, because they come before a noun. Mine, yours and theirs stand alone and are possessive pronouns.
What is an antecedent?
It is the noun a pronoun refers back to. In "The bag is heavy because it is full," the antecedent of it is the bag.
How do you pronounce pronoun?
Say PROH-nown. The first beat is the strong one, and the ending sounds like the word noun.