Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence to avoid repetition and make the writing or speech smoother. Pronouns can refer to people, things, or ideas.

Types of Pronouns:

1. Personal Pronouns:

   • Definition: Refer to specific people or things.
   • Examples:
     • Subject Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
       • Example: She is going to the store.
     • Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
       • Example: The teacher called me to answer.

          

         N/B:Both nouns and pronouns act as subjects and objects of sentences.

          

         Subjects:the person doing the action in a sentence

          

         Fardumo is cleaning the house.(Fardumo-Subject)

         The lecturer is teaching us.(The lecturer- subject)

         Mohamed goes to school everyday(Mohamed-subject)

         The hawker sells potatoes at the street(hawker-subject)

         Objects

         • An object is a noun/pronoun that receives the action.

         • It always comes immediately after the verb.

         • There are two types of objects:direct object and indirect object

         • Examples of objects in sentences:

         Shukri speaks to Fardumo everyday.

         Ahli called Musa in the morning.

         She spoke to her on phone.

         They are going to Mogadishu.

         Mohamed will visit you next week.

         *Therefore the names highlighted in yellow are objects.

         *Objects can either be nouns or pronouns.

2. Possessive Pronouns:

   • Definition: Indicate ownership.
   • Examples: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.
     • Example: This book is mine.

3. Reflexive Pronouns:

   • Definition: Refer back to the subject of the sentence.
   • Examples: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
     • Example: She made the cake herself.

4. Demonstrative Pronouns:

   • Definition: Point to specific things or people.
   • Examples: this, that, these, those.
     • Example: These are my favorite shoes.

5. Interrogative Pronouns:

   • Definition: Used to ask questions.
   • Examples: who, whom, what, which, whose.
     • Example: Who is coming to the party?

6. Relative Pronouns:

   • Definition: Introduce relative clauses and relate to a noun mentioned previously.
   • Examples: who, whom, whose, which, that.
     • Example: The book that you lent me was interesting.

7. Indefinite Pronouns:

   • Definition: Refer to non-specific persons or things.
   • Examples: anyone, everyone, someone, nobody, all, some.
     • Example: Everyone enjoyed the concert.