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What is a pronoun?

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Quick answer

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun, so you don't have to repeat it. Instead of 'Maya said Maya was tired', you say 'Maya said she was tired'. 'She', 'it', 'they', and 'we' are all pronouns.

Key things to understand

  1. A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
  2. The noun a pronoun stands for is called its antecedent.
  3. Pronouns change with role: subject (she), object (her), and possessive (hers).
  4. There are several types — personal (he), possessive (mine), demonstrative (this), and more.
  5. Using pronouns keeps sentences smooth instead of repeating the same noun over and over.

People also ask

What is a pronoun, in simple terms?
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun, so you don't repeat it — like using 'he', 'she', 'it', or 'they' instead of a name.
What are some examples of pronouns?
Common ones include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, and their forms like me, him, her, us, them, mine, and yours.
What is an antecedent?
It's the noun a pronoun refers back to. In 'The dog wagged its tail', 'dog' is the antecedent of the pronoun 'its'.