Pronoun
What is Pronoun?
A pronoun is defined as a word that replaces a noun or is
used instead of a noun. We do this to avoid the repetition of nouns. Pronouns just
take place of nouns. They do whatever nouns do.
Tom is a student. Tom reads
in Grade 6th. Tom reads in The Smart School. The Smart School is located
in the city. Tom comes from the village to his school. Tom is a hard
worker. Tom always gets 1st position in the class.
Tom is a student. He
reads in Grade 6th. He reads
in The Smart School. It is
located in the city. He comes
from the village to his school. He is hard a worker. He always gets 1st position in
the class.
Antecedent and Referent
A noun that we replace with a pronoun is called the antecedent. A
pronoun that is used instead of a noun is called a referent.
- Tom is a student. He reads in Grade 6th.
In the above sentence, Tom is the antecedent and ‘He’ is the referent.
Remember that sometimes we don’t have an antecedent and we
don’t know the exact noun that is replaced.
- Someone has stolen my bike.
It is also possible to use a pronoun earlier than the antecedent.
- I told them, but my friends did not believe me.
Sometimes we don’t need to mention the antecedent clearly. The
pronoun by itself makes it clear to whom the pronoun refers.
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