Pronoun

/ˈproʊnaʊn/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or noun phrase in a sentence.

In the sentence 'She loves reading,' 'she' is a pronoun that refers to a person.

Pronouns can indicate specific people or things, such as personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, and relative pronouns.

In 'This is the book that I was talking about,' 'that' is a relative pronoun.

Pronouns can also function to show possession.

The word 'yours' in the phrase 'This is yours' is a possessive pronoun.

From Latin 'pronomen', where 'pro' means 'for' and 'nomen' means 'name'.

personal pronoun

Refers to specific persons or things (he, she, it, etc.).

demonstrative pronoun

Points to specific things (this, that).

relative pronoun

Introduces relative clauses (who, which, that).

antecedent

The noun a pronoun refers to.

reflexive pronoun

Refers back to the subject (myself, yourself).

possessive pronoun

Indicates ownership (mine, yours).

Used in gender discussions to indicate someone’s identity.

People might ask for your pronouns to respect your identity.

Slang shorthand for preferred gender pronouns.

My pronouns are she/her, so please use them.