Pronouns

PRONOUN PLAN: 1 Types of pronouns 2 Pronouns and determiners 3 The views of different schools 4 See also In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (Lat: pronomen) is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun (or noun phrase), such as, in English, the words it (substituting for the name of a certain object) and he (substituting for the name of a person). The replaced noun is called the antecedent of the pronoun. For example, consider the sentence Lisa gave the coat to Phil. All three nouns in the sentence can be replaced by pronouns: She gave it to him. If the coat, Lisa, and Phil have been previously mentioned, the listener can deduce what the pronouns she, it and him refer to and therefore understand the meaning of the sentence; however, if the sentence She gave it to him. is the first presentation of the idea, none of the pronouns have antecedents, and each pronoun is therefore ambiguous. Pronouns without antecedents are also called unprecursed pronouns. English grammar allows pronouns to potentially have multiple candidate antecedents. The process Subjective pronouns are used when the person or thing is the subject of the sentence or clause. English example: I like to eat chips, but she does not. Second person formal and informal pronouns (T-V distinction). For example, vous and tu in French. There is no distinction in modern English though Elizabethan English marked the distinction with thou (singular informal) and you (plural or singular formal). Inclusive and exclusive we pronouns indicate whether the audience is included. There is no distinction in English. Intensive pronouns, also known as emphatic pronouns, re-emphasize a noun or pronoun that has already been mentioned. English uses the same forms as for the reflexive pronouns; for example: I did it myself (contrast reflexive use, I did it to myself). Objective pronouns are used when the person or thing is the object of the sentence or clause. English example: John likes me but not her. Direct and indirect object pronouns. English uses the same forms for both; for example: Mary loves him (direct object); Mary sent him a letter (indirect object). Reflexive pronouns are used when a person or thing acts on itself. English example: John cut himself. Reciprocal pronouns refer to a reciprocal relationship. English example: They do not like each other. Prepositional pronouns come after a preposition. No distinct forms exist in English; for example: Anna ...