Besides personal pronouns, English has several other kinds. Each does a different job.
| Kind | Job | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| reflexive | points back to the subject; the sentence needs it | Leo hurt himself. |
| intensive | adds emphasis; the sentence works without it | I myself built it. |
| demonstrative | points to something: this, that, these, those | That is my coat. |
| indefinite | names no one in particular | Everyone laughed. Someone called. |
| interrogative | asks a question | Who called? Which is yours? |
| relative | starts a clause that describes a noun | the girl who won |
Key idea
To tell reflexive from intensive, take the -self word out. If the sentence breaks, it is reflexive. If it still works, it is intensive.
Why it works
Each kind solves a problem. Reflexives let the subject act on itself. Intensives add stress (“the mayor herself”). Indefinites let us talk about people we can’t or don’t need to name. Relatives connect a describing clause to its noun.
Worked example: Reflexive or intensive?
“We painted the whole room ourselves.”
- Take ourselves out: “We painted the whole room.”
- The sentence still works and means the same thing.
- So ourselves only adds emphasis.
Answer: intensive
Worked example: Pronoun or not?
Is this a pronoun in “This song is my favorite”?
- A noun, song, comes right after this.
- This tells which song, so here it works like an adjective (some books say a determiner).
- In “This is my favorite,” nothing follows it, so there it is a demonstrative pronoun.
Answer: No, not in this sentence.
Common mistake
Calling this, that, these and those pronouns even when a noun follows them. In “those pears,” those describes the noun. It is a pronoun only when it stands alone: “Those are ripe.”