Pronoun
A pronoun is a word or phrase that is used instead of a noun[1]. The noun a pronoun replaces is called the antecedent. Pronouns can be objects, indirect objects, subjects, and any other part of a sentence a noun can be. Most pronouns are monosyllabic[2].
Types of pronoun
- Indefinite pronoun—pronouns which refer to "unspecified objects, beings, or places"[2]. Examples of indefinite pronouns include any, another, anybody, everybody, everything, few, many, several, and none.
- Personal pronoun—pronouns associated with a specific noun. Excluding you, they all indicate whether the noun in question is singular or plural. They include she, it, and we.
- Reflexive pronoun—pronouns that follow the noun they refer to and end in -self or -selves. Examples include I myself and you yourself.
- Demonstrative pronoun—pronouns that indicate a specific noun in a sentence. These pronouns include this, these, and those.
- Possessive pronoun—pronouns that indicate ownership of a noun. Examples include mine, yours, and theirs.
- Relative pronoun—pronouns that introduce a relative clause and refer to previously mentioned nouns. Examples include whoever, who, which, and that.
- Interrogative pronoun—pronouns that introduce a question. They include who, whom, and whose.
- Reciprocal pronoun—pronouns that show a relationship between two or more nouns. For example, one another.
- Intensive pronoun—pronouns that end in -self or -selves. They can include reflexive pronouns. Examples include myself and ourselves[2].
Pronouns and nonbinary people
Nonbinary people can choose to use different pronouns than the ones they were given at birth. Currently, the only pronouns regularly assigned to children are she/her/hers and he/his/him. Nonbinary people can request to be referred to with either of these sets of pronouns, with they/them/theirs, with no pronouns at all, with neopronouns, or any combination therein. Some nonbinary people, especially those who identify as multigender or genderfluid, prefer multiple sets of pronouns, such as accepting she/her/hers and they/them/theirs. Others change their acceptable pronouns throughout days, weeks, or months.
Referring to someone with the incorrect pronouns is called misgendering and can result in negative effects in the person being misgendered.
Using pronouns in sentences
- She—She went to the store, bought herself some of her favorite soup, and returned a wallet that was not hers.
- He—He went to the store, bought himself some of his favorite soup, and returned a wallet that was not his.
- They (singular)—They went to the store, bought themself some of their favorite soup, and returned a wallet that was not theirs.
- Ey—Ey went to the store, bought eirself some of eir favorite soup, and returned a wallet that was not eirs.
- Per—Per went to the store, bought perself some of pers favorite soup, and returned a wallet that was not pers.
