Basics. Pronouns and Possessives.
Pronouns and Possessives
Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence to avoid repetition, and possessives indicate ownership or a relationship between two entities. Understanding pronouns and possessives is crucial for clear and concise communication in English.
Pronouns
Pronouns can represent people or things. The table below shows subject and object forms of personal pronouns along with examples:
| Subject | Object | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | me | I see him. / He sees me. |
| we | us | We know her. / She knows us. |
| you | you | You found it. / It found you. |
| he | him | He has it. / It has him. |
| she | her | She wants it. / It wants her. |
| they | them | They are here. / We see them. |
| it | it | It is here. / We see it. |
Possessives
Possessives show ownership or a relationship between two entities. The table below presents possessive forms of pronouns and nouns along with examples:
| Possessive Pronoun | Possessive Noun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| my | 's | my book / John's book |
| our | 's | our house / Sarah's house |
| your | 's | your car / Tom's car |
| his | 's | his dog / Peter's dog |
| her | 's | her cat / Emily's cat |
| their | 's | their toys / The children's toys |
| its | 's | its tail / The dog's tail |
To form questions with possessives, use "whose": Whose book is this?
"Short forms" like mine, yours, and theirs are formed by adding the appropriate possessive pronoun to the noun: This book is mine (my book).
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns like myself, yourself, and themselves refer back to the subject of the sentence:
| Subject | Reflexive Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | myself | I did it myself. |
| we | ourselves | We can do it ourselves. |
| you | yourself (singular), yourselves (plural) | You should treat yourself. / You should treat yourselves. |
| he | himself | He hurt himself. |
| she | herself | She prepared herself for the exam. |
| they | themselves | They enjoyed themselves at the party. |
| it | itself | The cat cleaned itself. |
Reflexive pronouns emphasize the subject's involvement in the action or indicate that the subject and object are the same entity.
Check your knowledge with the quiz!