Pronouns
Nouns And Pronouns: Pronouns
Pronouns
Pronouns
What you'll learn
- A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun — he, she, it, they, we, I, you.
- Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) do the action.
- Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) receive the action.
- Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs) show ownership, and reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, themselves) refer back to the subject.
Key concepts
Level 1 — Subject and object pronouns
Verbal: Pronouns save us from repeating the same noun again and again.
| Noun | Subject pronoun | Object pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| Ravi | He | him |
| Meena | She | her |
| Ravi and Meena | They | them |
| the ball | It | it |
Example: Ravi kicked the ball. He kicked it.
Level 2 — Possessive and reflexive pronouns
Verbal: Possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone; reflexive pronouns show the subject acting on itself.
| Owner | Possessive pronoun | Reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| I | mine | myself |
| you | yours | yourself |
| he | his | himself |
| she | hers | herself |
| it | its | itself |
| we | ours | ourselves |
| they | theirs | themselves |
Real-life: "This bag is mine." "She hurt herself while running."
Worked example
Rewrite using pronouns: Ravi gave the pencil to Meena. The pencil belongs to Meena.
Step 1 — Replace 'Ravi' (subject) with 'He'.
Step 2 — Replace 'Meena' (object) with 'her', and 'the pencil belongs to Meena' with 'It is hers.'
Answer: He gave the pencil to her. It is hers.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Give it to I" | Using subject pronoun as object | Use object pronoun: "Give it to me" |
| "Its" vs "it's" confusion | They sound similar | "its" = possession, "it's" = it is |
| "hisself", "theirselves" | Not real reflexive pronouns | Use "himself", "themselves" |
| Mixing up he/she for objects/animals | Forgetting "it" for things | Use "it" for objects and most animals |
Quick check
- Replace with a pronoun: "Ravi and Meena are singing." → ___ are singing.
- Fill: This pencil is ___. (belongs to me)
- Fill: The cat licked ___ paw. (the cat's own paw)
- Stretch: Write a two-line conversation using at least one subject, one object, and one possessive pronoun.
Revision tip: Circle every pronoun in a paragraph of your reader and say aloud which noun each one replaces.
Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Pronouns.
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- What you'll learn
- Key concepts
- Worked example
- Common mistakes
Master this topic with Drishti OS
Get unlimited mock tests, AI-powered mentorship, and complete video courses when you join.
Start Free Practice