Original EnglishLamp lesson with a visual learning surface.
VISUAL EXPLAINER · PRONOUNS
Replace repetition without losing the reference.
Pronouns make writing smoother when readers can still tell exactly who or what each pronoun refers to.
01 · FIND THE REFERENT
Know what the pronoun points to.
A pronoun can replace or refer to a noun or noun phrase. The reader should be able to identify the intended person or thing.
EXAMPLEMaya arrived. Maya opened the door.
02 · REDUCE REPETITION
Use a pronoun when the reference is clear.
Once the referent is established, a pronoun can keep the sentence natural and avoid unnecessary repetition.
EXAMPLEMaya arrived. She opened the door.
03 · MATCH THE ROLE
Choose the subject or object form.
Pronouns change form according to grammatical role: she in a subject position, her in an object position.
EXAMPLEShe called her.
04 · SHOW POSSESSION
Use the correct possessive form.
Possessive determiners come before nouns, while possessive pronouns can stand in place of a noun phrase.
EXAMPLEThat is her book. The book is hers.
05 · CHECK CLARITY
Make agreement and meaning unmistakable.
Check number, person and context. If two people could be the referent, repeat the name or rewrite the sentence for clarity.
EXAMPLEWhen Maya met Anya, she smiled. → Rewrite if the referent is unclear.
Continue below for the full EnglishLamp lesson, its original examples and reference material.
Original EnglishLamp lesson•Reference learning mode
Definition of Pronoun
Pronoun is a word used instead of noun or noun phrase to avoid the repetition of noun that is pronoun is a word that takes place of noun. Pronoun acts like noun that is pronoun acts as a subject, object of the preposition, direct object and indirect object.
Some pronouns are listed here-
I
Me
we
you
he
she
it
they
he
his
herself
himself
each
few
who
whoever
whose
few
someone
somebody
everybody
many
What Is a Pronoun?
We shall see what a pronoun is and how it is used in sentences.
Let’s go for the use of pronoun-
Sameer has to pursue the course that Sameer chose to achieve Sameer’s goal.
In this sentence, I have used the noun ‘Sameer’ thrice. This sentence doesn’t sound good because of repetition of noun and to avoid repetition of noun I shall change the sentence as-
Sameer has to pursue the course that he chose to achieve his goal.
In above sentence, ‘Sameer’ is noun as it names a person and pronouns ‘he’ and ‘his’ are used instead of ‘Sameer’ to avoid repetition of noun ‘Sameer’.
Examples of Pronouns in Sentences
We shall use pronouns in the sentences and we shall get the explanation of pronouns below.
Sarita was sleeping. She was not feeling well.
Sam had lost his raincoat, but he got it today.
Wilson has a cat. It is white in colour.
Explanation of pronouns used in above sentences-
In above sentences, pronouns she, he and it are used instead of Sarita , Sam and cat respectively to avoid repetition of their names. The words she, his, he, it which are used instead of nouns to avoid the repetition of nouns Sarita, Sam and cat are Pronouns.
Types of Pronouns
There are different types of pronouns you should know. Here is a list of types of pronouns.
