Pronouns are used in place of a noun we already know, so we do not have to repeat names. They should make English simpler, for example saying “Bob walked home. He ate dinner.” instead of “Bob walked home. Bob ate dinner.” But pronouns can become complicated when used as objects or for possession, because they require specific cases, unlike most regular nouns.
The Subject Case
Subjective pronouns are the simplest form of pronoun, used to replace the name of a subject, instead of repeating a noun. They are: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
For example:
Gemma went to school. She learnt a lot.
The Object Case
When a pronoun is used in place of a noun that is the object of a sentence, we use the object form of pronouns. These are: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
For example:
Books are fun to read. They are fun to read. (Books is the subject)
But: I like reading books. becomes I like reading them. (Books is the object)
Possessive Pronouns
When a pronoun is used to show ownership, it takes a possessive form. This is does not use the ordinary rules of ownership for nouns (which usually add apostrophe s, ’s). Possessive pronouns can be either in an adjective form, to describe another noun, or a noun form, to replace the noun.
The adjective form pronouns are : my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
The possessive pronoun forms are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, our, theirs.
For example:
This is the group’s book. becomes This is their book. or This is theirs.
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used in special cases where the subject and object are the same, to demonstrate that an action is being done by the subject to the subject. For example, to wash yourself. These pronouns replace the object, and are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
For example:
He cleaned the car. becomes He cleaned it. (as car is a different object)
But He cleaned himself. (when he is cleaning his own person)
All of these pronoun cases are shown below:
|
Noun |
Subject |
Object |
Adjective |
Possessive |
Reflexive |
|
I |
I |
me |
my |
mine |
myself |
|
You |
you |
you |
your |
yours |
yourself |
|
Bob |
he |
him |
his |
his |
himself |
|
Gemma |
she |
her |
her |
hers |
herself |
|
Cat |
it |
it |
its |
its |
itself |
|
Plural (1st person) |
we |
us |
our |
ours |
ourselves |
|
Plural (3rd person) |
they |
them |
their |
theirs |
themselves |
Pronouns Exercise
In the sentence pairs below, add the correct pronouns in the second sentence.
The first one has been done for you:
Example: The weather is very miserable. It is raining.
- Charles bought two houses last winter. He paid a lot for _____.
- This painting is very old. _____ was done two centuries ago.
- Can I have some sugar? _____ is all gone.
- The police blocked the road. _____ said someone had an accident.
- You all look filthy. Wash _____ off in the bath.
- Brighton’s shops are open at terrible hours. I can never visit _____ after work.
- The football team has a great new kit. They paid for it _____.
- There were many dogs in the competition. I won because _____ dog was the best.
- Who left this jumper here? Those girls just arrived, so I know it’s not _____.
- Paul wanted more ice cream. He bought it _____.
- I like your notepad. Please let _____ see it.
- This drawing is very good. Did you do it _____?
- Don’t take my blue pen. It is _____.
- She was smiling earlier. Something made _____ happy.
- Do you understand different pronouns yet? The cases make _____ quite difficult.
Answers
- Charles bought two houses last winter. He paid a lot for them.
- This painting is very old. It was done two centuries ago.
- Can I have some sugar? Mine is all gone.
- The police blocked the road. They said someone had an accident.
- You all look filthy. Wash yourselves off in the bath.
- Brighton’s shops are open at terrible hours. I can never visit them after work.
- The football team has a great new kit. They paid for it themselves.
- There were many dogs in the competition. I won because my dog was the best.
- Who left this jumper here? Those girls just arrived, so I know it’s not theirs.
- Paul wanted more ice cream. He bought it himself.
- I like your notepad. Please let me see it.
- This drawing is very good. Did you do it yourself?
- Don’t take my blue pen. It is mine.
- She was smiling earlier. Something made her happy.
- Do you understand different pronouns yet? The cases make them quite difficult.
very good, you are brilliant.
Thanks, Fahrada!
In the 13 blank can we write theirs/hers/his. would this be wrong ? why
Hi Maha – good point, without more context you are correct the other pronouns are possible. I will edit that to make the meaning more clear.
Plural 1st they and plural 2nd we? I thought it was the other way around.
Hi Ahmed you’re absolutely correct, not sure how those got mixed around – I have corrected it now. Thanks for pointing it out.
Hello Phil,
I have some questions on grammatical points of view in English. I’ve been taught that English only has three grammatical points of view, that is First, Second and Third Person points of view – is this true?
I’ve also been taught that to recognize someone speaking or writing in the First Person, I simply have to look out for use of first person pronouns (I, We, Us etc) in speech or writing, for example “I think I lost my wallet! I can’t find it anywhere!”
Similarly the same goes for how to recognize second and third person points of view in speech/writing is also to look out for use of second and third person pronouns respectively, with example of second person sentence being “You can wait in here and make yourself at home.” (use of second person pronouns you and yourself) and third person sentence example being “Mike always hated school” (while Mike isnt a third person person personal pronoun like he, she, them, since Mike is neither referring to the person speaking nor the person being spoken to, hence it is in the third person) – thus far, am i correct in my understanding?
My main question is this – is it a case where every time someone speaks or writes, the whole speech or writing of that person has to be in a particular person consistently or can we have multiple grammatical points of view (for instance a rapid switch from first to second then to third and back to second etc) within a piece of writing or speech, or perhaps within same paragraphs or sentences?
Lastly, I have another example here of three friends speaking with each other (Tina: Let’s get sushi for lunch. It’s Jeff’s favorite! Tom: No, Jeff hates sushi. I think he’d rather get burritos. Jeff: Um, do I get a vote?). My question is whether this is an example of a paragraph with multiple grammatical persons, for instance, when Tina said “let us get sushi” – she is speaking in first person because of the use of pronoun “us”, but when she then said “its Jeff’s favorite” – the use of the noun “Jeff” means Tina is speaking in third person, is this correct? Similarly, can we say that Tom was speaking in the third person because of his use of “Jeff” and “he”, and lastly, was Jeff speaking in first person because he referred to himself as “I”?
Regards,
Shizuka ✨
Hi Shizuka,
Yes down to your question you are generally right there, that we have 3 POVs and the pronouns are a good indicator of what point of view it is. That’s a fine starting point though it’s not quite that simple (I’ll circle back to why below). Onto your first question – yes, generally it is best to stick to one viewpoint within a text, to be consistent, certainly within a paragraph and sentence to sentence. Changing viewpoints should only really be done with clear breaks or indicators – for example in quoted text, shown in quotation marks or in a block quote, or with a scene or chapter break in a story.
On your second question, this is where it might get a little confusing, because actually all your dialogue (and by its nature, all dialogue in general) is in the first person, even if it’s referring to different subjects/pronouns, because it is being spoken by a particular person and is therefore from their viewpoint. This is where it gets a little more complicated, because the pronouns alone don’t necessarily tell us the viewpoint (except where “I” is concerned, as this will almost certainly be first person); we need a little more context. Point of view is really telling us what perspective a viewpoint comes from, and though Tom may say “Jeff hates sushi.” this is still Tom’s viewpoint; if he were to then give his own opinion he would still say “I”. What first, second, and third person really tells us is essentially ‘who is talking/writing/expressing the narrative’. First person is in character, second person is used so *you* experiencing the text, third person puts in a distance for a more neutral viewpoint. It gets a little more complicated there too, because there are varying degrees of third person – it can be ‘close’, reflecting a particularly person’s experiences, or it can ‘omniscient’, without any particular defined viewpoint. So as you see it’s really about how we speak/write/express something overall, and cannot necessarily be defined as simply as seeing which pronouns are used in a particular sentence.
I hope this makes sense and helps? Do let me know if it needs more clarifying. I have a chapter about this in the Advanced Writing book that perhaps I could share.
Hi Phil,
So this means that even if I, speaking in first person, said something like “I love Jeff, because he is extremely kind and helpful” – despite Jeff and the pronoun “he” both being what we would call third person noun/pronouns, the whole sentence is still in the first person because I, the speaker/writer, am speaking/writing from my point of view correct? Another example of this would perhaps be “They’re out there. They’re mopping when i come out of the dorm, all three of them sulky and hating everything. It’s better if they don’t see me. I creep along the wall quiet as I can be.” – despite the use of third person pronouns such as “they”, it’s evident to the reader that the author of this passage is writing in the first person point of view, given the use of first person pronouns “I and me”, and also because the way the whole passage reads is clear to the reader that the author is either talking about himself, or if the passage is fictional, the author is then in character (that is imagining himself to be a character of the story) and expressing to the reader what happened from his perspective. Thus far, am I correct?
(P.S. I’ve also read to kill a mocking bird, and i suppose that is also another example of a story in the first person point of view, despite numerous mentions of second and third person pronouns/nouns” throughout the story?)
Similarly, while I can’t think of another examples at the moment, is it then right to say that the same concept applies to writings in the second and third person point of views? That is to say even with the mention of first or third person pronouns within any writing or speech (whether it be a report (of real events) or a fictional narrative) which is written in the second person, the whole writing or speech will still be considered as being a second person writing or speech?
And again, likewise for mention of first and second person pronouns within a third person narrative/speech/report etc, the whole writing will still be considered as being expressed in the third person point of view?
Ah, it just occurred to me, I guess what we’ve just discussed above is what may be called the narrative voice, i.e. in what point of view is a writing/speech/report/news article etc expressed or written in, right?
Lastly, thanks very much for your offer to share the chapter from your book. Would greatly appreciate it if you could share from it, thank you!
Shizuka
Hi Shizuka,
Yes, I think you’ve got it – all your comments and examples are right, and your final analysis that we’re looking at narrative voice is correct. So these POVs frame a whole document or section of it, be it a sentence paragraph or more. First person pronouns in second or third person perspective would be uncommon but possible through quotes, so for example a section of dialogue in a book might be narrated ‘Tom said, “I like it.”‘; as I said above technically the dialogue itself is first person but framed in a text like this the text itself would be third person. So depending on the context, that’s what tells us if it’s first, second or third person.
I will try and share that chapter soon, I think it would be an interesting and quite different article. If you’re not on the mailing list please consider signing up here to be the first to know when new articles go up!
Hi Phil, thanks.
My apologies to ask further and also I do apologize in advance for this rather lengthy post, but while I can recognize writings (be it a report on real issues or a fictional narrative) that contain second/third person nouns/pronouns but which as a whole is still considered a first person writing (for example – “They’re out there. They’re mopping when i come out of the dorm, all three of them sulky and hating everything. It’s better if they don’t see me. I creep along the wall quiet as I can be.”), I was trying to think of examples of a writing/speech in the second person point of view, but which also contains first/third person pronouns, hence my following two queries:
From our previous discussion, in which we covered the key point that the point of view of a piece of writing (whether it be as something as long as an essay or as short as a para/sentence), I noted that use of pronouns alone does not determine the entire POV of the writing, but other factors including who the target audience of the writing is will determine the writing’s POV. As such, is it then right to say that letters/emails (that is writings target at someone or meant for some audience other than the writer himself/herself) is definitely in the second person POV?
In addition, I happened to be doing some bible study, and it just occurred to me that the epistles (actually on this point just curious why their letters are called epistles :)) written by the apostles to the early churches actually serve as good examples of writings in second person point of view but which also contains first person/third person pronouns correct? For instance, ref to the following example I have from 2 Peter, where the initial few verses clearly indicate the second person POV via the numerous use of the second person pronouns (you) as well as from the general fact that we know that Peter is writing to an audience (i.e. whoever is reading the letter), so it is right to conclude that this whole letter is indeed in the second person POV despite Peter use of first person pronouns like “I” under verse 12, “we” under verse 16, and third person pronouns like “he” under verse 17, correct?
“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have [a]obtained like[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the [c]corruption that is in the world through lust.
Fruitful Growth in the Faith
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control [d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither [e]barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this [f]tent, to stir you up by reminding you, 14 knowing that shortly I must [g]put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my [h]decease.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction [a]does not slumber.
Regards,
Shizuka 🙂
Hi Shizuka,
For letters and emails these will actually mostly be in the first person, because they are written from a particular person’s point of view – unless you are explicitly sending instructions without a point of view (which would be rare and perhaps slightly strange!). Bear in mind it’s not the intended audience that decides POV, it is who is presenting the information. So second person only really appears in quite abstract cases – instructions, as I’ve said, or advertising or books that try to put the reader in the position of character.
The Bible is a very interesting example, actually – out of context many passages certainly could be seen as second person as they offer fairly immersive instruction. However, with that passage verse 12 does rather give away that this is coming from the first person perspective of the person (Peter?) presenting this information. Often in the Bible I think we have first person where the accounts are presented in the form of letters or personal accounts, and sometimes as the word of God itself – but yes there are passages that, taken out of context, we might consider second person.
I hope this helps!
Phil
Hi Phil,
Firstly, Thanks for your clarifications concerning the above comments. I see, so letters and emails written from a person (the author) to another, are mostly in the first person (the author)’s point of view (POV) simply because they are written by the author himself/herself – this is still true despite the fact that such first person POV writings or speech may contain the use of many second person pronouns (such as you) within paragraphs that offer immersive actions to the reader. One example being the Second Epistle of Peter (i.e. 2 Peter), correct?
Secondly, I suppose to sum it up, when trying to determine the point of view of a writing (that is whether it be first, second or third person POV), we should not be distracted by the occasional use of pronouns that do not belong to the writing’s point of view (such as use of second or third person pronouns within an article written in the first person point of view), but to read through the whole of article and then decide from whose point of view is the article/writing being presented from. That being said, when we lift out selected portions of writings – for example lifting out portions containing heavy use of second person pronouns “you” from an article/letter/news report etc written in the first person POV and simply focusing on those paragraphs alone, then we are not wrong to conclude that these paragraphs are written in the second person, however when we consider these paragraphs as being part of the larger article, then the entire article is still considered to have been written in the first person. This is a right summary, isn’t it?
Thirdly, jus applying what we’ve just covered, news articles in general (such as those covering daily news/events), as with most other writings, are written in the first person POV since its the news reporter/journalist whos is reporting the new, correct?
Lastly, would you happen to have examples, or perhaps you have links to articles which are written in the third person POV, but which also contain first/second person pronouns? (P.S. i understand that when considering POV in writing, we can ignore quoted text or direct speech, so am hopping to see more examples of third person POV writings which contain use of first/second person pronouns which are not part of a direct speech)
Thanks very much for your advice and patience.
Regards,
Shizuka
Hi Shizuka,
Yes, your understanding of the first and second points is exactly right. On newspapers, this is a bit more flexible – for the most part we’d probably find news reports try to be neutral and are therefore third person, where the journalist is not part of the story, but some articles would include the journalist and be given from a first person account (particularly where concerning editorial, opinion or certain lifestyle articles).
As to third person with first/second person, one area where you might find that quite commonly is in fiction where we have what’s called a third person limited perspective, which is third person but limited to the perspective of a particular character. This might include first person style reactions int the middle of third person prose (something we call “free indirect style/speech”). I can’t think of articles that would necessarily use that, but one example of a modern author who did it very well is Elmore Leonard (though beware he did bend a lot of rules too!). I can’t find free examples of his off hand but if you checked out some previews of his books I’m sure you’d see how he mixes things up!
By the way, my full article on points of view will be posted tomorrow morning, so I hope that will help.
Phil
Dear Phil,
Thanks! Looking forward to your article. Would appreciate it if you could post the link to your article here for easy referencing 🙂
Regards,
Shizuka
Hi Shizuka,
No problem – the new article is up here now!
Phil
Hi Phil,
English Grammar Tenses work with all points of view (i.e. first, second or third person POV)/personal pronouns, and the uses of the tenses do not change with respect to the POV/personal pronouns used. This is true, isn’t it?
Regards,
Shizuka
Hi Shizuka,
Yes that is correct; they are grammatically independent ideas.
Hi Phil,
I’ve heard the term antecedent and anaphor thrown around at times. To seek your advice, antecedent is simply the term for nouns (or noun phrases) which act as the source of reference for pronouns that come latter in the sentence, correct?
While anaphor is just another fancy name for pronouns that refer back to the antecedents, correct?
Thanks!
Regards,
Shizuka
Hi Shizuka,
I must admit they’re not terms I’ve often used myself for grammar (more so for antecedent in its general use, to mean “something that comes before”), but yes your understanding is correct that a noun or noun phrase described as an antecedent simply means it comes before a pronoun that later references it. And yes, an anaphoric pronoun is one that references an antecedent – so the two go together.
Phil
Hi Phil,
On the subject of pronouns and their antecedents, if I were to say “When John comes inside, the boy will dry off with his towel in his bathroom” – would it be grammatical to assume that “the boy” refers to “John”?
While it sounds odd, I would say that indeed it is possible for “the boy” to refer to “john”, since other nouns can refer to Jong, and not just personal pronouns like “he/him/his”, am I right?
Thanks!
Regards,
Shizuka