{"id":958,"date":"2017-07-24T15:14:45","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T15:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-english1\/?post_type=chapter&p=958"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:59:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:59:00","slug":"pronoun-cases-and-types-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-fmcc-english1v2\/chapter\/pronoun-cases-and-types-2\/","title":{"raw":"Pronoun Cases and Types","rendered":"Pronoun Cases and Types"},"content":{"raw":"A pronoun stands in the place of a noun. Like nouns, pronouns can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: they are the things sentences are about.\u00a0Pronouns include words like\u00a0he<\/em>,\u00a0she<\/em>, and\u00a0I<\/em>, but they also include words like this<\/em>, that<\/em>, which<\/em>, who<\/em>, anybody<\/em>, and\u00a0everyone<\/em>. Before we get into the different\u00a0types of pronouns, let's look at how they work in sentences.\r\n\r\nBecause a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun\u00a0is called the\u00a0antecedent<\/strong>. Let's look at the first sentence of this paragraph\u00a0again:\r\n\r\nBecause a pronoun is replacing a noun, its<\/strong> meaning is dependent on the noun that it<\/strong>\u00a0is replacing.\r\n\r\nThere are two\u00a0pronouns here:\u00a0its <\/em>and\u00a0it<\/em>.\u00a0Its<\/em> and\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0both have the same antecedent: \"a pronoun.\" Whenever you use a pronoun,\u00a0you must also include its antecedent. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won't be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to. Let's look at a couple of examples:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • Jason likes it\u00a0when\u00a0people look to him for leadership.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Trini does\u00a0her hair and make up every\u00a0day\u2014with no exceptions.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSo, what are the antecedents and pronouns in these sentences?\r\n
      \r\n \t
    • Jason<\/em> is the antecedent for the pronoun him<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n \t
    • Trini<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0her<\/em>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nSo far, we've only looked at\u00a0personal pronouns, but there are a lot of other types, including demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. Let's discuss each of these types in further depth:\r\n

      Personal Pronouns<\/h2>\r\n\"anThe following sentences give examples of\u00a0personal\u00a0pronouns used with antecedents:\r\n
        \r\n \t
      • That man<\/b> looks as if he<\/b> needs a new coat. (the noun phrase that man<\/em> is the antecedent of he<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Kat<\/b>\u00a0arrived yesterday. I met her<\/b> at the station. (Kat<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of her<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
      • When they<\/b> saw us, the lions<\/b> began roaring (the lions<\/em> is the antecedent of they<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Adam\u00a0and I<\/b> were hoping no one would find us<\/b>. (Adam\u00a0and I<\/em> is the antecedent of us<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
        Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Pronouns like\u00a0I<\/em>,\u00a0we<\/em>, and\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0don't always require an explicitly stated antecedent. When a speaker\u00a0says something like \"I told you the zoo was closed today,\" it's implied that the speaker is the antecedent for\u00a0I<\/em> and the listener is the antecedent for\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/div>\r\nReflexive pronouns\u00a0<\/strong>are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.\r\n
          \r\n \t
        • Jason<\/b>\u00a0hurt himself<\/b>. (Jason<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of himself<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n \t
        • We<\/b> were teasing each other<\/b>. (we<\/em> is the antecedent of each other<\/em>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThis is true even if the subject is only implied, as in the sentence \"Don't hurt yourself.\"\u00a0You<\/em> is the unstated subject of this sentence.\r\n\r\nReflexive pronouns include\u00a0myself<\/em>,\u00a0ourselves,<\/em> yourself<\/em>,\u00a0yourselves<\/em>\u00a0himself<\/em>,\u00a0herself<\/em>,\u00a0itself<\/em>,\u00a0themselves.<\/em>\u00a0They can only be used\u00a0as the object of a sentence\u2014not as the subject. You can say \"I\u00a0jinxed myself,\" but\u00a0you can't say\u00a0<\/em>\"Myself jinxed me.\"\r\n\r\nPronouns may be classified by three categories: person, number, and case.\r\n\r\nPerson<\/strong> refers to the relationship that an author has with the text that he or she writes, and with the reader of that text.\u00a0English has three persons (first, second, and third):\r\n
            \r\n \t
          • First-person<\/strong> is the speaker or writer him- or herself. The first person is personal (I<\/em>, we<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Second-person<\/strong>\u00a0is the person who is being directly addressed. The speaker or author is saying this is about you, the listener or reader.<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Third-person<\/strong> is the most common person used in academic writing. The author is saying this is about other people. In the third person singular there are distinct pronoun forms for male, female, and neutral\u00a0gender.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThere are\u00a0two numbers<\/strong>: singular<\/strong> and plural<\/strong>. As we learned in nouns, singular words\u00a0refer\u00a0to\u00a0only one a thing while plural words refer to\u00a0more than one of a thing (I<\/em> stood alone while\u00a0they<\/em> walked together).\r\n\r\nEnglish personal pronouns have three\u00a0cases<\/strong>: subject,<\/strong>\u00a0object<\/strong>, and possessive<\/strong>.\r\n
              \r\n \t
            • Subject-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when the pronoun is doing the action (I<\/em> like to eat chips, but she<\/em> does not).<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Object-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me<\/em> but not her<\/em>).<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Possessive pronouns<\/strong> are used to indicate possession (in a broad sense). Some must be accompanied by a noun: e.g.,\u00a0my<\/em> or\u00a0your<\/em>, as in \"I lost my<\/strong> wallet.\" This category of pronouns behaves similarly to adjectives.\u00a0Others occur as independent phrases: e.g.,\u00a0mine <\/em>or yours<\/em>. For example, \"Those clothes are mine<\/strong>.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThe table below includes all of the personal pronouns in the English language. They are organized by person, number, and case:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
              Person<\/th>\r\nNumber<\/th>\r\nSubject<\/th>\r\nObject<\/th>\r\nPossessive<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
              First<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nI<\/td>\r\nme<\/td>\r\nmy<\/td>\r\nmine<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              Plural<\/td>\r\nwe<\/td>\r\nus<\/td>\r\nour<\/td>\r\nours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              Second<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyour<\/td>\r\nyours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              Plural<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyou<\/td>\r\nyour<\/td>\r\nyours<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              Third<\/th>\r\nSingular<\/td>\r\nhe<\/td>\r\nhim<\/td>\r\nhis<\/td>\r\nhis<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              she<\/td>\r\nher<\/td>\r\nher<\/td>\r\nhers<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              it<\/td>\r\nit<\/td>\r\nits<\/td>\r\nits<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
              Plural<\/td>\r\nthey<\/td>\r\nthem<\/td>\r\ntheir<\/td>\r\ntheirs<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

              Demonstrative Pronouns<\/h2>\r\nDemonstrative pronouns substitute for things being pointed out. They\u00a0include\u00a0this<\/em>,\u00a0that<\/em>, these<\/em>, and those<\/em>. This<\/em>\u00a0and that<\/em>\u00a0are singular;\u00a0these\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0those<\/em> are plural.\r\n\r\n\"IconThe difference between\u00a0this<\/em> and\u00a0that<\/em> and between\u00a0these<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> is a little more subtle.\u00a0This<\/em> and\u00a0these<\/em> refer to something that is \"close\" to the speaker, whether this closeness is physical, emotional, or temporal.\u00a0That<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> are the opposite: they refer to something that is \"far.\"\r\n
                \r\n \t
              • Do I actually have to read all of this<\/em>?\r\n
                  \r\n \t
                • The speaker is indicating a text that is close to her, by using \"this.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                • That<\/em>\u00a0is not coming anywhere near me.\r\n
                    \r\n \t
                  • The speaker is distancing himself from the object in question, which he doesn't want to get any closer. The far pronoun helps indicate that.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                  • You're telling me you sewed all of these<\/em>?\r\n
                      \r\n \t
                    • The speaker and her audience are likely looking directly at the clothes in question, so the close pronoun is appropriate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
                    • Those\u00a0<\/em>are all gross.\r\n
                        \r\n \t
                      • The speaker wants to remain away from the gross items in question, by using the far \"those.\"<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
                        \r\n\r\nNote:<\/strong> these pronouns\u00a0are often combined with a noun. When this happens, they act as a kind of adjective instead of as a pronoun.\r\n
                          \r\n \t
                        • Do I actually have to read all of this\u00a0<\/em>contract?<\/li>\r\n \t
                        • That<\/em> thing is not coming anywhere near me.<\/li>\r\n \t
                        • You're telling me you sewed all of these<\/em> dresses?<\/li>\r\n \t
                        • Those<\/em>\u00a0recipes are all gross.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nThe antecedents of\u00a0demonstrative\u00a0pronouns (and sometimes the pronoun it<\/em>)\u00a0can be\u00a0more complex than those of\u00a0personal pronouns:\r\n
                            \r\n \t
                          • Animal Planet's\u00a0puppy cam has been taken down for maintenance.<\/strong> I never wanted this<\/em> to happen.<\/li>\r\n \t
                          • I love Animal Planet's panda cam. I watched a panda eat bamboo for half an hour.<\/strong>\u00a0It<\/em>\u00a0was amazing.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn the first example, the antecedent for\u00a0this<\/em> is the concept of the puppy cam being taken down. In the second example, the antecedent for\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0in this sentence is the experience of watching the panda. That antecedent isn't explicitly stated in the sentence, but comes through in the intention and meaning of the speaker.\r\n

                            Indefinite Pronouns<\/h2>\r\n\"dotted\r\n\r\nIndefinite pronouns, the largest group of pronouns, refer to one or more unspecified persons or things,\u00a0for example: Anyone<\/b> can do that.<\/i>\r\n\r\nThese pronouns can be\u00a0used in a couple of different ways:\r\n
                              \r\n \t
                            • They can\u00a0refer to members of a group separately rather than collectively. (To each<\/b> his or her own.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n \t
                            • They can\u00a0indicate the non-existence of people or things. (Nobody<\/b> thinks that.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n \t
                            • They can\u00a0refer to a person, but are not specific as to first, second or third person in the way that the personal pronouns are. (One<\/b> does not clean one's<\/b> own windows.<\/i>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPlease note that\u00a0all of these pronouns are singular. The\u00a0table below shows the most common indefinite pronouns:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
                              anybody<\/td>\r\nanyone<\/td>\r\nanything<\/td>\r\neach<\/td>\r\neither<\/td>\r\nevery<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                              everybody<\/td>\r\neveryone<\/td>\r\neverything<\/td>\r\nneither<\/td>\r\nno one<\/td>\r\nnobody<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
                              nothing<\/td>\r\nnobody else<\/td>\r\nsomebody<\/td>\r\nsomeone<\/td>\r\nsomething<\/td>\r\n\u00a0one<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n
                              \r\n\r\nNote:<\/strong> Sometimes\u00a0third-person personal pronouns are sometimes used without antecedents\u2014this applies to special uses such as dummy pronouns and generic they<\/i>, as well as cases where the referent is implied by the context.\r\n
                                \r\n \t
                              • You know what\u00a0they<\/em> say.<\/li>\r\n \t
                              • It's<\/em> a nice day today.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
                                \r\n

                                Singular They<\/em><\/h3>\r\nAs we've just seen, indefinite pronouns demand singular pronouns, like in \"To\u00a0each his or her own.\" However, in informal speech, you'll often hear things like\u00a0\"To each their own\"\u00a0or \"Someone is singing in the hallway. If they haven't stopped in five minutes, I'm going to have to take drastic measures.\" If you think about your own speech, it's very likely that you\u00a0use\u00a0they<\/em> as a singular pronoun for someone whose gender you don't know.\r\n\r\nSo why do people use they<\/em> this way, even though it's a plural? It likely stems from the clunkiness of the phrase \"he or she.\" It is also possible that\u00a0they<\/em> is following the same evolution as the word\u00a0you<\/em>. In Early Modern English,\u00a0you<\/em> was used as either a plural, second-person pronoun or as a polite form for the more common, singular\u00a0thee<\/em>. However,\u00a0you<\/em> eventually overtook almost all of the second-person pronouns, both singular and plural.\r\n\r\nWhile this use of the singular\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0is still not \"officially\" correct\u2014and you definitely shouldn't use this in your English papers\u2014it's interesting to watch English change before our very eyes.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

                                Relative Pronouns<\/h2>\r\nThere are five relative pronouns in English:\u00a0who<\/em>,\u00a0whom<\/em>,\u00a0whose<\/em>, that<\/em>,\u00a0and\u00a0which. <\/em>These pronouns are used to connect different clauses together. For example:\r\n
                                  \r\n \t
                                • Belen, who<\/strong> had starred in six plays before she turned seventeen, knew that she wanted to act on Broadway someday.<\/li>\r\n \t
                                • My daughter wants to adopt the\u00a0dog that<\/strong>\u00a0doesn't have\u00a0a tail.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThese pronouns behave differently from the other categories we've seen. However, they are pronouns, and it's important to learn how they work.\u00a0Two\u00a0of the biggest confusions with these pronouns are\u00a0that<\/em> vs.\u00a0which<\/em> and\u00a0who<\/em> vs.\u00a0whom<\/em>. The two following videos help with these:\r\n

                                  That vs. Which<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/6Js8tBCfbWk\r\n

                                  Who vs. Whom<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/bPqMLKXoEac","rendered":"

                                  A pronoun stands in the place of a noun. Like nouns, pronouns can serve as the subject or object of a sentence: they are the things sentences are about.\u00a0Pronouns include words like\u00a0he<\/em>,\u00a0she<\/em>, and\u00a0I<\/em>, but they also include words like this<\/em>, that<\/em>, which<\/em>, who<\/em>, anybody<\/em>, and\u00a0everyone<\/em>. Before we get into the different\u00a0types of pronouns, let’s look at how they work in sentences.<\/p>\n

                                  Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun\u00a0is called the\u00a0antecedent<\/strong>. Let’s look at the first sentence of this paragraph\u00a0again:<\/p>\n

                                  Because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its<\/strong> meaning is dependent on the noun that it<\/strong>\u00a0is replacing.<\/p>\n

                                  There are two\u00a0pronouns here:\u00a0its <\/em>and\u00a0it<\/em>.\u00a0Its<\/em> and\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0both have the same antecedent: “a pronoun.” Whenever you use a pronoun,\u00a0you must also include its antecedent. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won’t be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to. Let’s look at a couple of examples:<\/p>\n

                                    \n
                                  • Jason likes it\u00a0when\u00a0people look to him for leadership.<\/li>\n
                                  • Trini does\u00a0her hair and make up every\u00a0day\u2014with no exceptions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                    So, what are the antecedents and pronouns in these sentences?<\/p>\n

                                      \n
                                    • Jason<\/em> is the antecedent for the pronoun him<\/em>.<\/li>\n
                                    • Trini<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent for the pronoun\u00a0her<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                      So far, we’ve only looked at\u00a0personal pronouns, but there are a lot of other types, including demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns. Let’s discuss each of these types in further depth:<\/p>\n

                                      Personal Pronouns<\/h2>\n

                                      \"anThe following sentences give examples of\u00a0personal\u00a0pronouns used with antecedents:<\/p>\n

                                        \n
                                      • That man<\/b> looks as if he<\/b> needs a new coat. (the noun phrase that man<\/em> is the antecedent of he<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                      • Kat<\/b>\u00a0arrived yesterday. I met her<\/b> at the station. (Kat<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of her<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                      • When they<\/b> saw us, the lions<\/b> began roaring (the lions<\/em> is the antecedent of they<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                      • Adam\u00a0and I<\/b> were hoping no one would find us<\/b>. (Adam\u00a0and I<\/em> is the antecedent of us<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                        Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Pronouns like\u00a0I<\/em>,\u00a0we<\/em>, and\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0don’t always require an explicitly stated antecedent. When a speaker\u00a0says something like “I told you the zoo was closed today,” it’s implied that the speaker is the antecedent for\u00a0I<\/em> and the listener is the antecedent for\u00a0you<\/em>.<\/div>\n

                                        Reflexive pronouns\u00a0<\/strong>are a kind of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same.<\/p>\n

                                          \n
                                        • Jason<\/b>\u00a0hurt himself<\/b>. (Jason<\/em>\u00a0is the antecedent of himself<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                                        • We<\/b> were teasing each other<\/b>. (we<\/em> is the antecedent of each other<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                          This is true even if the subject is only implied, as in the sentence “Don’t hurt yourself.”\u00a0You<\/em> is the unstated subject of this sentence.<\/p>\n

                                          Reflexive pronouns include\u00a0myself<\/em>,\u00a0ourselves,<\/em> yourself<\/em>,\u00a0yourselves<\/em>\u00a0himself<\/em>,\u00a0herself<\/em>,\u00a0itself<\/em>,\u00a0themselves.<\/em>\u00a0They can only be used\u00a0as the object of a sentence\u2014not as the subject. You can say “I\u00a0jinxed myself,” but\u00a0you can’t say\u00a0<\/em>“Myself jinxed me.”<\/p>\n

                                          Pronouns may be classified by three categories: person, number, and case.<\/p>\n

                                          Person<\/strong> refers to the relationship that an author has with the text that he or she writes, and with the reader of that text.\u00a0English has three persons (first, second, and third):<\/p>\n

                                            \n
                                          • First-person<\/strong> is the speaker or writer him- or herself. The first person is personal (I<\/em>, we<\/em>, etc.)<\/li>\n
                                          • Second-person<\/strong>\u00a0is the person who is being directly addressed. The speaker or author is saying this is about you, the listener or reader.<\/li>\n
                                          • Third-person<\/strong> is the most common person used in academic writing. The author is saying this is about other people. In the third person singular there are distinct pronoun forms for male, female, and neutral\u00a0gender.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                            There are\u00a0two numbers<\/strong>: singular<\/strong> and plural<\/strong>. As we learned in nouns, singular words\u00a0refer\u00a0to\u00a0only one a thing while plural words refer to\u00a0more than one of a thing (I<\/em> stood alone while\u00a0they<\/em> walked together).<\/p>\n

                                            English personal pronouns have three\u00a0cases<\/strong>: subject,<\/strong>\u00a0object<\/strong>, and possessive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

                                              \n
                                            • Subject-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when the pronoun is doing the action (I<\/em> like to eat chips, but she<\/em> does not).<\/li>\n
                                            • Object-case pronouns<\/strong> are used when something is being done to the pronoun (John likes me<\/em> but not her<\/em>).<\/li>\n
                                            • Possessive pronouns<\/strong> are used to indicate possession (in a broad sense). Some must be accompanied by a noun: e.g.,\u00a0my<\/em> or\u00a0your<\/em>, as in “I lost my<\/strong> wallet.” This category of pronouns behaves similarly to adjectives.\u00a0Others occur as independent phrases: e.g.,\u00a0mine <\/em>or yours<\/em>. For example, “Those clothes are mine<\/strong>.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                              The table below includes all of the personal pronouns in the English language. They are organized by person, number, and case:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                              Person<\/th>\nNumber<\/th>\nSubject<\/th>\nObject<\/th>\nPossessive<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
                                              First<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nI<\/td>\nme<\/td>\nmy<\/td>\nmine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              Plural<\/td>\nwe<\/td>\nus<\/td>\nour<\/td>\nours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              Second<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyour<\/td>\nyours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              Plural<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyou<\/td>\nyour<\/td>\nyours<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              Third<\/th>\nSingular<\/td>\nhe<\/td>\nhim<\/td>\nhis<\/td>\nhis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              she<\/td>\nher<\/td>\nher<\/td>\nhers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              it<\/td>\nit<\/td>\nits<\/td>\nits<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                              Plural<\/td>\nthey<\/td>\nthem<\/td>\ntheir<\/td>\ntheirs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

                                              Demonstrative Pronouns<\/h2>\n

                                              Demonstrative pronouns substitute for things being pointed out. They\u00a0include\u00a0this<\/em>,\u00a0that<\/em>, these<\/em>, and those<\/em>. This<\/em>\u00a0and that<\/em>\u00a0are singular;\u00a0these\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0those<\/em> are plural.<\/p>\n

                                              \"IconThe difference between\u00a0this<\/em> and\u00a0that<\/em> and between\u00a0these<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> is a little more subtle.\u00a0This<\/em> and\u00a0these<\/em> refer to something that is “close” to the speaker, whether this closeness is physical, emotional, or temporal.\u00a0That<\/em> and\u00a0those<\/em> are the opposite: they refer to something that is “far.”<\/p>\n

                                                \n
                                              • Do I actually have to read all of this<\/em>?\n
                                                  \n
                                                • The speaker is indicating a text that is close to her, by using “this.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                                • That<\/em>\u00a0is not coming anywhere near me.\n
                                                    \n
                                                  • The speaker is distancing himself from the object in question, which he doesn’t want to get any closer. The far pronoun helps indicate that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                                  • You’re telling me you sewed all of these<\/em>?\n
                                                      \n
                                                    • The speaker and her audience are likely looking directly at the clothes in question, so the close pronoun is appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                                                    • Those\u00a0<\/em>are all gross.\n
                                                        \n
                                                      • The speaker wants to remain away from the gross items in question, by using the far “those.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                                                        \n

                                                        Note:<\/strong> these pronouns\u00a0are often combined with a noun. When this happens, they act as a kind of adjective instead of as a pronoun.<\/p>\n

                                                          \n
                                                        • Do I actually have to read all of this\u00a0<\/em>contract?<\/li>\n
                                                        • That<\/em> thing is not coming anywhere near me.<\/li>\n
                                                        • You’re telling me you sewed all of these<\/em> dresses?<\/li>\n
                                                        • Those<\/em>\u00a0recipes are all gross.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

                                                          The antecedents of\u00a0demonstrative\u00a0pronouns (and sometimes the pronoun it<\/em>)\u00a0can be\u00a0more complex than those of\u00a0personal pronouns:<\/p>\n

                                                            \n
                                                          • Animal Planet’s\u00a0puppy cam has been taken down for maintenance.<\/strong> I never wanted this<\/em> to happen.<\/li>\n
                                                          • I love Animal Planet’s panda cam. I watched a panda eat bamboo for half an hour.<\/strong>\u00a0It<\/em>\u00a0was amazing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                            In the first example, the antecedent for\u00a0this<\/em> is the concept of the puppy cam being taken down. In the second example, the antecedent for\u00a0it<\/em>\u00a0in this sentence is the experience of watching the panda. That antecedent isn’t explicitly stated in the sentence, but comes through in the intention and meaning of the speaker.<\/p>\n

                                                            Indefinite Pronouns<\/h2>\n

                                                            \"dotted<\/p>\n

                                                            Indefinite pronouns, the largest group of pronouns, refer to one or more unspecified persons or things,\u00a0for example: Anyone<\/b> can do that.<\/i><\/p>\n

                                                            These pronouns can be\u00a0used in a couple of different ways:<\/p>\n

                                                              \n
                                                            • They can\u00a0refer to members of a group separately rather than collectively. (To each<\/b> his or her own.<\/i>)<\/li>\n
                                                            • They can\u00a0indicate the non-existence of people or things. (Nobody<\/b> thinks that.<\/i>)<\/li>\n
                                                            • They can\u00a0refer to a person, but are not specific as to first, second or third person in the way that the personal pronouns are. (One<\/b> does not clean one’s<\/b> own windows.<\/i>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                              Please note that\u00a0all of these pronouns are singular. The\u00a0table below shows the most common indefinite pronouns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
                                                              anybody<\/td>\nanyone<\/td>\nanything<\/td>\neach<\/td>\neither<\/td>\nevery<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                              everybody<\/td>\neveryone<\/td>\neverything<\/td>\nneither<\/td>\nno one<\/td>\nnobody<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
                                                              nothing<\/td>\nnobody else<\/td>\nsomebody<\/td>\nsomeone<\/td>\nsomething<\/td>\n\u00a0one<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
                                                              \n

                                                              Note:<\/strong> Sometimes\u00a0third-person personal pronouns are sometimes used without antecedents\u2014this applies to special uses such as dummy pronouns and generic they<\/i>, as well as cases where the referent is implied by the context.<\/p>\n

                                                                \n
                                                              • You know what\u00a0they<\/em> say.<\/li>\n
                                                              • It’s<\/em> a nice day today.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
                                                                \n

                                                                Singular They<\/em><\/h3>\n

                                                                As we’ve just seen, indefinite pronouns demand singular pronouns, like in “To\u00a0each his or her own.” However, in informal speech, you’ll often hear things like\u00a0“To each their own”\u00a0or “Someone is singing in the hallway. If they haven’t stopped in five minutes, I’m going to have to take drastic measures.” If you think about your own speech, it’s very likely that you\u00a0use\u00a0they<\/em> as a singular pronoun for someone whose gender you don’t know.<\/p>\n

                                                                So why do people use they<\/em> this way, even though it’s a plural? It likely stems from the clunkiness of the phrase “he or she.” It is also possible that\u00a0they<\/em> is following the same evolution as the word\u00a0you<\/em>. In Early Modern English,\u00a0you<\/em> was used as either a plural, second-person pronoun or as a polite form for the more common, singular\u00a0thee<\/em>. However,\u00a0you<\/em> eventually overtook almost all of the second-person pronouns, both singular and plural.<\/p>\n

                                                                While this use of the singular\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0is still not “officially” correct\u2014and you definitely shouldn’t use this in your English papers\u2014it’s interesting to watch English change before our very eyes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

                                                                Relative Pronouns<\/h2>\n

                                                                There are five relative pronouns in English:\u00a0who<\/em>,\u00a0whom<\/em>,\u00a0whose<\/em>, that<\/em>,\u00a0and\u00a0which. <\/em>These pronouns are used to connect different clauses together. For example:<\/p>\n

                                                                  \n
                                                                • Belen, who<\/strong> had starred in six plays before she turned seventeen, knew that she wanted to act on Broadway someday.<\/li>\n
                                                                • My daughter wants to adopt the\u00a0dog that<\/strong>\u00a0doesn’t have\u00a0a tail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                                                                  These pronouns behave differently from the other categories we’ve seen. However, they are pronouns, and it’s important to learn how they work.\u00a0Two\u00a0of the biggest confusions with these pronouns are\u00a0that<\/em> vs.\u00a0which<\/em> and\u00a0who<\/em> vs.\u00a0whom<\/em>. The two following videos help with these:<\/p>\n

                                                                  That vs. Which<\/h3>\n