PRONOUN – Complete Grammar Theory (Competitive Exam Oriented)

1. Definition of Pronoun

A Pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition and make sentences clear and smooth.

Example:

Riya is a good student. She studies daily.
(“She” replaces “Riya”)

2. Types of Pronouns

Pronouns are divided into the following major types:

Personal Pronouns
Possessive Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
Emphatic Pronouns
Demonstrative Pronouns
Indefinite Pronouns
Distributive Pronouns
Reciprocal Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Interrogative Pronouns

3. Personal Pronouns

These refer to persons or things.

(A) Subject Pronouns

Used as the subject of a verb.

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	I	We
2nd	You	You
3rd	He/She/It	They

Example:

She is intelligent.
They are playing.

(B) Object Pronouns

Used as object of verb or preposition.

Subject	Object
I	Me
We	Us
You	You
He	Him
She	Her
It	It
They	Them

Example:

He called me.
The teacher praised her.

4. Possessive Pronouns

They show ownership.

(A) Possessive Adjectives (used before noun)

My, Our, Your, His, Her, Its, Their

This is my book.

(B) Possessive Pronouns (used alone)

Mine, Ours, Yours, His, Hers, Its, Theirs

This book is mine.

❗ Difference:

This is my pen. (Adjective)
This pen is mine. (Pronoun)

5. Reflexive Pronouns

Formed by adding -self / -selves

Myself, Yourself, Himself, Herself, Itself, Ourselves, Yourselves, Themselves

Used when subject and object are same.

She hurt herself.
I completed the work myself.

6. Emphatic Pronouns

Same form as reflexive but used for emphasis.

I myself did it.
The Principal himself attended the meeting.

(Removing pronoun does not change basic meaning.)

7. Demonstrative Pronouns

Used to point out specific things.

This (near, singular)
That (far, singular)
These (near, plural)
Those (far, plural)

This is my house.
Those are mangoes.

8. Indefinite Pronouns

Refer to persons/things in general.

Someone, Somebody, Something
Anyone, Anybody, Anything
Everyone, Everybody, Everything
No one, Nobody, Nothing
Some, Any, Many, Few, Several, All, Each, etc.

Important Rules:

Words like everyone, someone, nobody, each, either, neither are singular.
- Everyone is happy. ✔
- Everyone are happy. ✘
“Few” vs “A Few”
- Few = almost none (negative meaning)
- A few = some (positive meaning)

9. Distributive Pronouns

Used for members of a group individually.

Each
Either
Neither

Each of the students is present.
Neither of the two boys is guilty.

(Always singular verb)

10. Reciprocal Pronouns

Show mutual relationship.

Each other (used for two)
One another (used for more than two)

The two sisters love each other.
The team members respect one another.

11. Relative Pronouns

Join two clauses and refer to a noun before them.

Who (for persons – subject)
Whom (for persons – object)
Whose (possession)
Which (for things/animals)
That (for persons/things)

Examples:

The boy who won the prize is my friend.
The girl whom you met is my cousin.
The book which I bought is useful.
The man whose car was stolen complained.
The pen that I lost was new.

Important Rules:

After preposition → use “whom”
- The person to whom I spoke.
After superlatives → use “that”
- This is the best book that I have read.
Use “whose” for both persons and things.
- The house whose roof is broken.

12. Interrogative Pronouns

Used to ask questions.

Who
Whom
Whose
Which
What

Who is there?
Which is your pen?
What do you want?

13. Important Competitive Exam Rules

Rule 1: Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun must agree with its noun in number and gender.

Every student must bring his or her ID.
The boys did their work.

Rule 2: “Each, Every, Either, Neither” → Singular pronoun

Each student must do his/her duty.

Rule 3: “One” must be followed by “one’s”

One should do one’s duty.

Rule 4: Collective Nouns

The team has announced its decision. (as one unit)

Rule 5: Order of Personal Pronouns

Correct order in confession:
Second + Third + First

You, he and I will go. ✔
I, you and he will go. ✘

14. Common Errors

❌ Myself did it.
✔ I did it myself.

❌ Everyone must bring their pen. (informal)
✔ Everyone must bring his or her pen. (formal exam)

❌ Neither of the boys are ready.
✔ Neither of the boys is ready.

15. Quick Revision Summary

Pronoun replaces noun.
Must agree in number, gender, and person.
Indefinite pronouns are usually singular.
Relative pronouns connect clauses.
Reflexive pronouns end in self/selves.

PRONOUN – Advanced Rules (Competitive Exam Level)

Below are high-level, advanced pronoun rules important for SSC CGL, Banking, CDS, NDA, CAPF, State PSC and other competitive exams.

1️⃣ Expletive / Dummy Pronoun

(A) “It” as Dummy Subject

Used for:

Weather → It is raining.
Time → It is 5 PM.
Distance → It is 10 km from here.
Situation → It is difficult to solve.

“It” does not refer to any noun.

(B) “There” as Introductory Subject

Structure: There + be + noun

There is a problem.
There are many students.

Verb agrees with the real subject:

There is a book.
There are books.

2️⃣ Pronoun Case Rules (Very Important for Error Detection)

(A) After “Than” / “As”

Formal rule:

She is taller than I (am).
He works harder than she (does).

Informal spoken English may use:

taller than me

👉 Competitive exams prefer the formal structure.

(B) After Preposition → Use Objective Case

Between you and me ✔
Between you and I ✘
For him
To her
With them

(C) After “Let”

Always objective:

Let him go.
Let me do it.

3️⃣ Double Possessive (Very Important)

Correct Structure:
Noun + of + possessive pronoun

A friend of mine
A cousin of hers
That idea of yours

Wrong:

A friend of my ✘
That cousin of her ✘

4️⃣ “Who” vs “Whom” Advanced Rule

Trick:
Replace with he/him

If “he” fits → who
If “him” fits → whom

Example:

The man ___ you met.
You met him → whom

After Preposition → Always “Whom”

To whom it may concern
The person with whom I spoke

5️⃣ Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement (Advanced Level)

Pronoun must agree in:

Number
Gender
Person

(A) With “Each / Every / Either / Neither”

Always singular pronoun:

Each student must bring his or her ID.
Neither boy completed his work.

(B) With “Everyone / Someone / Anybody / Nobody”

These are singular:

Everyone has submitted his or her form.

Modern trend (sometimes accepted):

Everyone has submitted their form.

But traditional grammar preferred in exams.

6️⃣ “One” Rule

If subject is “one”, pronoun must be “one’s”.

One should respect one’s parents.

Wrong:

One should respect his parents. ✘

7️⃣ Order of Personal Pronouns

When admitting fault:

Second + Third + First

You, he and I are responsible. ✔

Not:

I, you and he ✘

8️⃣ Pronoun Reference Error (Ambiguity)

Pronoun must clearly refer to a noun.

❌ When Mohan met Sohan, he was tired.
(Who was tired?)

Correct by clarity:

Mohan was tired when he met Sohan.

9️⃣ Collective Nouns

If group acts as one unit → singular pronoun

The committee gave its decision.

If members act individually → plural pronoun

The committee disagreed among themselves.

🔟 Either…Or / Neither…Nor Rule

Pronoun agrees with nearest subject.

Either the teacher or the students forgot their books.
Neither the players nor the captain gave his approval.

1️⃣1️⃣ Relative Pronoun Special Rules

(A) After Superlatives → Use “That”

This is the best book that I have read.

(B) After All, Everything, Nothing → Use “That”

All that glitters is not gold.
Nothing that he said was true.

(C) After Same → Use “As”

Such books as are useful.
The same person as came yesterday.

1️⃣2️⃣ Relative Pronoun Omission

When relative pronoun is object, it can be omitted.

The book (that) I bought is interesting.
The person (whom) you met is my uncle.

1️⃣3️⃣ Reflexive Pronoun Advanced Usage

Used when:

Subject and object are same.
After preposition when emphasis needed.

Correct:

He himself completed the task.
She blamed herself.

Incorrect:

Myself will go. ✘
Please contact myself. ✘

1️⃣4️⃣ Generic “They” (Modern Usage)

Used for gender neutrality:

If anyone calls, tell them I am busy.

Traditional:

tell him or her

Check exam pattern before using.

1️⃣5️⃣ Distributive Pronoun Advanced Rule

Each, Either, Neither → used for two persons/things (Either/Neither).

Either of the two girls is ready.
Neither of the two answers is correct.

Note: Always singular verb.

1️⃣6️⃣ Emphatic Pronoun Placement

Placed immediately after noun/pronoun for emphasis:

The Prime Minister himself attended.
I myself checked it.

PRONOUN – UPSC / PSC ADVANCED LEVEL THEORY

1️⃣ Deep Pronoun–Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun must agree in:

Number
Gender
Person
Logical clarity

🔹 With Indefinite Pronouns

Words like:

Everyone, Someone, Nobody, Anybody, Each, Either, Neither

Grammatically singular.

✔ Everyone must submit his or her report.
✔ Each of the candidates has given his or her consent.

⚖ Modern Usage:
✔ Everyone must submit their report.

👉 UPSC may accept singular “they” in comprehension but prefers traditional structure in grammar correction.

2️⃣ Notional vs Grammatical Agreement

Sometimes meaning decides pronoun form.

(A) Collective Noun

✔ The jury gave its verdict. (unit)
✔ The jury were divided in their opinions. (members)

UPSC checks this carefully.

3️⃣ Pronoun in Complex Sentences (Very Important)

Avoid ambiguous reference.

❌ When the minister met the secretary, he was nervous.
(Ambiguous)

✔ The minister was nervous when he met the secretary.

UPSC frequently tests ambiguity.

4️⃣ Advanced Case Usage

(A) After Prepositions

✔ Between you and me
✔ Among us
✔ For him and her

Never:
Between you and I ✘

(B) Comparisons (Than / As)

Formal structure restores missing verb.

✔ She is taller than I (am).
✔ He is as intelligent as she (is).

UPSC prefers formal logic.

5️⃣ “Who / Whom / Whose” – Advanced Logic

Who → Subject

Whom → Object

Whose → Possession

✔ The candidate who secured highest marks
✔ The officer whom the committee selected
✔ The author whose book won the award

After preposition → Whom
✔ The person to whom I spoke

6️⃣ Relative Pronoun After Special Words

Use “That” after:

All
Everything
Nothing
Superlatives
Only

✔ This is the best policy that the government introduced.
✔ All that glitters is not gold.

7️⃣ “One” Construction (Very Important in Essays)

If subject is “one” → pronoun must remain “one”.

✔ One must discharge one’s duty honestly.

Do not shift:
One must discharge his duty ✘

UPSC values consistency in formal writing.

8️⃣ Reflexive Pronoun – Advanced Restrictions

Used only when:

Subject = Object
OR
For emphasis

Incorrect bureaucratic usage (very common error):

❌ The documents may be submitted to myself.
✔ The documents may be submitted to me.

UPSC tests this error often.

9️⃣ Distributive Structures

Each / Either / Neither

✔ Each of the officers has submitted his or her report.
✔ Neither of the proposals is acceptable.

Even if plural noun follows, verb remains singular.

🔟 Either…Or / Neither…Nor (Advanced Agreement)

Pronoun agrees with nearest subject.

✔ Either the officers or the minister has given his approval.
✔ Neither the minister nor the officers have given their approval.

UPSC frequently tests proximity agreement.

1️⃣1️⃣ Generic “They” in Formal Writing

Modern English accepts:

✔ If any student wishes to apply, they may do so.

But in formal essay writing, safer structure:

✔ he or she may do so.

For UPSC Mains → consistency is key.

1️⃣2️⃣ Pronoun Shift Error (Very Important)

Do not shift person within sentence.

❌ If one works hard, you will succeed.
✔ If one works hard, one will succeed.
✔ If you work hard, you will succeed.

1️⃣3️⃣ Elliptical Construction

When verb omitted but understood:

✔ She is more dedicated than he.
(= than he is)

✔ No one knows it better than I.
(= than I do)

1️⃣4️⃣ Advanced Ambiguity & Logical Precision

UPSC tests clarity.

❌ The government informed the citizens that they must cooperate.
(Who must cooperate?)

✔ The government informed the citizens that the citizens must cooperate.

Precision matters.

1️⃣5️⃣ Emphatic Pronoun Placement

Must follow noun immediately.

✔ The Prime Minister himself inaugurated the scheme.

Not:
The Prime Minister inaugurated the scheme himself.
(Grammatically correct but emphasis shifts.)

UPSC may test nuance.