Most simply, pronouns stand in for nouns. They allow us to eliminate the repetition and awkwardness that would come with having to use nouns repeatedly.

For example, consider the following sentences written with pronouns and nouns and then with nouns alone.

Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called him to ask for permission to reprint an article he wrote for Atlantic Monthly about his experiences in the Philippines.

Alan was excited when the editor for The Utne Reader called Alan to ask for permission to reprint an article Alan wrote for Atlantic Monthly about Alan's experiences in the Philippines.

There are six types of pronouns to consider: (1) personal pronoun, (2) relative pronoun, (3) indefinite pronoun, (4) demonstrative pronoun, (5) interrogative pronoun, and (6) reflexive pronoun.

                        

To begin studying personal pronouns, please go to the next page.