What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun.
Now consider the following cases:
For example:
- Those beggars are idle. They refuse to work for their living.
Please consider the following two sentences.
- After a few hearings, the jury gave its verdict. (Pronoun ‘its’ is used in place of noun ‘jury’).
- The jury were divided in their opinions. (Pronoun ‘their’ is used in place of noun ‘jury’)
You must be wondering why different pronoun ‘its’ and ‘their’ is used in place of the same noun ‘jury’.
For example:
- The committee is reconsidering its decision.
- The committee decided the matter without leaving their seats.
Pronoun Rules with Spotting Error Examples
Pronouns in sentences found by conjunction
For example:
- Rama and Hari work hard. Their teachers praise them.
For example:
- The Secretary and Treasurer is negligent of his duty.
Here the same person is acting as Secretary and Treasurer. That’s why singular pronoun is used.
For example:
- Every soldier and every sailor was in his place.
For example:
- Neither Abdul nor Rehman has done his lessons.
- Either Rama or Hari must help his friend.
For example:
- Either the manager or his assistants failed in their duty.
For example:
- Alcohol and Tobacco are both injurious: this perhaps less than that.
Rules regarding Personal Pronouns
Which sentence is correct?
- The presents are for you and me.
- The presents are for you and I.
For example:
- My uncle asked my brother and me for dinner.
Which sentence is correct?
- He loves you more than I.
- He loves you more than me.
For example:
- He is taller than I (am).
- He loves you more than (he loves) me.
For example:
- You and I, husband and wife, have to look after your home. (Incorrect)
- You and I, husband and wife, have to look after our home. (Correct)
Now, common sense tells us that if we are a couple, wife and husband, the feeling of togetherness is expressed by our home, not your home.
Let us take another example.
- You and Hari have done their duty, (Incorrect)
- You and Hari have done your duty. (Correct)
Applying 123 rule. You = 2 and Hari =3. So, 2. Second person plural gives ‘your’.
For example:
- You, he and I have not forgotten your roots. (Incorrect)
- You, he and I have not forgotten our roots. (Correct)
For example:
- Neither of the accusations is true.
- Each boy took his turn.
- Each of the lady performs her duty well.
For example:
- It was he (not him),
- It is I (not me) that gave the prizes away.
- It might have been he (not him).
For example:
- He is taller than I (am).
- I like you better than he (likes you).
- They gave him as much as (they gave) me.
For example:
- All passengers must show their (not his) tickets.
- I am not one of those who believe everything they (not I) hear.
Classification of Cases – Pronoun | ||
Subjective | Objective | Possessive |
I | Me | My, Mine |
We | Us | Our, Ours |
You | You | Your, Yours |
He | Him | His |
She | Her | Her, Hers |
They | Them | Their, Theirs |
It | It | Its |
Rules regarding demonstrative pronouns
Uses of THAT
For example:
- This is the best that we can do.
- He is the best speaker that we ever heard.
For example:
- Man is the only animal that can talk.
- He is the same man that he has been.
For example:
The man and his pet that met with an accident yesterday died today.
What and That refer to persons as well as things.
Rules regarding relative pronouns
Please consider the following sentences.
- This is the boy. He works hard. (‘He‘ is subjective case)
- This is the boy. His exercise is done well. (‘His‘ is possessive case)
- This is the boy. All praise him. (‘Him‘ is objective case)
On combining each of the above pairs into one sentence:
- This is the boy who works hard (Who in place of He)
- This is the boy whose exercise is done well. (whose in place of His)
- This is the boy whom all praise. (Whom in place of Him)
The above sentences show when to use who, whose and whom. Who is the subjective case, Whose the possessive case and Whom the objective case.
For example:
- He who hesitates is lost.
- Blessed is he who has found his work.
For example:
- This is the hotel whose owner is a criminal.
- This is the person whose will power is extraordinary.
For example:
- I have found the book which I had lost last week.
- The horse, which won the race yesterday, is my favourite.
For example:
- Which of the packets is yours?
- Which of the boy has not done his homework?
For example:
- I with my family reside in Delhi, which consists of my wife and parents.
This sentence is wrong as which relates to ‘my family’. So ‘which’ should be placed as near to ‘my family’ as possible. So, the correct sentence is:
- I with my family which consists of my wife and parents, reside in Delhi.
For example:
- There is Mr. Dutt, who (not whom) they say is the best painter in the town.
- The Student, whom (not who) you thought so highly of, has failed to win the first prize.
For example:
- This is one of the most interesting novels that have (not has) appeared this year. (Here, the antecedent of relative pronoun that is ‘novels‘ and not one)
- This is the only one of his poems that is (not are) worth reading. (Here the antecedent of that is one and not poems).
Other Useful Rules
For example:
- Each boy was accompanied by an adult but there were none, with the orphan (Incorrect)
- Each boy was accompanied by an adult but there was none with the orphan. (Correct)
- I am used to many guests everyday but there was none today. (Incorrect)
- I am used to many guests everyday but there were none today. (Correct)
For example:
- One must put one’s best efforts if one wishes to succeed.
For example:
- let you and me do it.
If a pronoun has two antecedents, it should agree with the nearer one.
For example:
- I hold in high esteem everything and everybody who reminds me of my failures.
- I hold in high esteem everybody and everything, which reminds me of my failures.
For example:
- I shall be glad to help everyone of my boys in his studies.
- I shall be glad to help everyone of my girls in her studies.
- I shall be glad to help everyone of my students in his studies.
But when gender is not determined, the pronoun of the masculine gender is used.
For example:
- One must use one’s best efforts if one wishes to succeed.
- One should be careful about what one says.
For example:
- None of his poems are well known.
- None of these words are now current.
For example:
- She was taller than anyone of her five sisters.