Pronouns for Class 8

Definition of Pronouns

Pronouns are words that substitute nouns in a sentence to avoid repetition of words and make our writing professional. For example, Jacob hurt himself while playing hockey. In this sentence, "himself" is used as a substitute for "Jacob".

Types of Pronouns

Types of pronouns for class 8 are:

1. Personal Pronoun

Personal pronouns refer to words that are used to replace proper nouns such as the name of a person or an object. List of personal pronouns are he, she, it, you, we, us, I, etc.

There are two cases of personal pronouns:

1. Subjective Case: Pronouns that act as the subject or replace the subject in a sentence are called subjective pronouns. For example, you, I, he, she, it and they.
2. Objective Case: Pronouns that act as the object or replace the object in a sentence are called objective pronouns. For example, him, it, her, me, you, us and them.

Usage of personal pronouns in a sentence:

George is visiting the town where he grew up. ‘He’ is a personal pronoun used in place of George.

2. Relative Pronoun

Relative pronouns connect the two parts of the sentence to create a meaningful sentence. List of relative pronouns are that, which, whose, whom, who, etc.

Usage of relative pronouns in sentences:

→ The student who won the competition worked hard. ‘Who’ is a relative pronoun which has been used to connect parts of the sentence.
→ The chocolate that Kyle bought was expired. ‘That’ is a relative pronoun which is used for things or objects.

3. Reflexive Pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns which reflect a thing or a person. List of reflexive pronouns are yourself, myself, herself, himself, oneself, themselves, ourselves, itself and yourselves.

Usage of reflexive pronoun in sentences:

→ She taught herself how to speak Spanish. ‘Herself’ is a reflexive pronoun that reflects action to the person.
→ They found themselves lost in an unfamiliar town. ‘Themselves’ is a reflexive pronoun used for two or more people.

4. Intensive Pronoun

Intensive pronouns consist of words that end with ‘-self’ and ‘selves’. These are also known as emphatic pronouns. They emphasise another noun or a pronoun in a sentence.

Usage of intensive pronouns in sentences:

→ They handled it themselves. ‘Themselves’ is an intensive pronoun which is used for more than one person.
→ She blamed herself for the mistake. ‘Herself’ is an intensive pronoun which is used for only one female individual.

5. Demonstrative Pronoun

Pronouns used to identify items or individuals are known as demonstrative pronouns. They help us to know whether something or someone is near or far from us. Examples of demonstrative pronouns are this, that, those, these, etc.

Usage of demonstrative pronouns in sentences:

→ This is the novel I was referencing. We use ‘this’ when we are referring to someone or something near us.
→ Those tables are too heavy to move. ‘Those’ is used when there are multiple things or people which are far in distance.

6. Indefinite Pronoun

Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to individuals or things without defining them. A list of indefinite pronouns are anybody, anyone, somebody, no one, everybody, something, someone, etc.

Usage of indefinite pronouns in sentences:

→ Somebody left their purse at the museum. ‘Somebody’ is an indefinite pronoun which does not define a person.
→ Everything in this store is on sale today. In the above sentence, it is not specified which things are one sale. Therefore, ‘everyone’ is an indefinite pronoun.

7. Distributive Pronoun

Distributive pronouns are used to refer to multiple individuals or objects at once. Each component of the group is indicated separately. Examples of distributive pronouns are neither, either, both, each, etc.

Usage of distributive pronouns in sentences:

→ At this party, each guest is required to bring a dish. ‘Each’ refers to all the individuals in a party. Therefore it is a distributive pronoun.
→ Both the houses look beautiful. ‘Both’ is used to refer to the houses individually.

8. Possessive Pronoun

Possessive pronouns are used to denote ownership of something by someone. List of possessive pronouns are: whose, hers, his, mine, yours, theirs, ours, its

Usage of possessive pronouns in sentences:

→ She couldn't find her keys. ‘Her’ is a possessive pronouns which is used to show the possession of keys.
→ A car is parked outside the building. Is it yours? ‘Yours’ is a possessive pronoun in this sentence.

9. Interrogative Pronoun

Interrogative pronouns are words that are used for asking questions or inquiring about someone or something. Examples of interrogative pronouns are who, whom, whose, what, which, etc.

Usage of interrogative pronouns in sentences:

→ Which is your favourite cuisine? ‘Which’ is an interrogative pronoun used to inquire about an object.
→ Who painted this beautiful scenery? ‘Who’ is an interrogative pronoun used to inquire about a person.

Uses of Pronouns in Sentences

1. Each member of the family has their room.
2. Can I borrow your notes for some time?
3. Everyone was late at the meeting.
4. Who are your guardians?
5. This jewellery is mine.

FAQs

1. What are pronouns for class 8?

Answer: Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns. For example, Becca is not coming to school because she broke her arms. Here, "she" is used as a substitute for "Becca" to reduce the repetitive word.

2. Give a list of types of pronouns for class 8.

Answer: The types of pronouns are:

1. Personal pronoun
2. Possessive pronoun
3. Distributive pronoun
4. Interrogative pronoun
5. Indefinite pronoun
6. Relative pronoun
7. Reflexive pronoun
8. Demonstrative pronoun
9. Intensive pronoun

3. ‘Herself’ is what kind of pronoun?

Answer: The word ‘herself’ can be an intensive pronoun or a reflexive pronoun, depending upon its usage and context in the sentence.