9.2.3 Pronouns

Use this domain for the personal pronouns, including independent, subject, object, and possessive pronouns. It is best to collect all the pronouns in a chart. This way you are more certain of collecting them all and seeing how they are related to each other. A language may have more sets and more distinctions than English does, or it may have less. For instance some languages have a pronoun 'we' which includes the hearer, and another pronoun 'we' which excludes the hearer. Other languages have an indefinite pronoun that means something like the English word 'someone'. Many languages do not have the masculine (he), feminine (she), and neuter (it) distinctions that English has. It is necessary to determine the sets and functions of the pronouns for each language.

Louw Nida Codes: 
92 Discourse Referentials
92A Speaker
92B Speaker and Those Associated with the Speaker
92C Receptor, Receptors
92D Whom or What Spoken or Written About
92H Emphatic Adjunct
  • What general words refer to the class of pronouns?
    pronoun
  • What pronouns refer to the speaker?
    I, me, my, mine
  • What pronouns refer to the speaker and those associated with the speaker?
    we, us, our, ours
  • What pronouns refer to the audience?
    you, your, yours
  • What pronouns refer to the people or things being spoken about?
    he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs
  • What pronouns are used for the subject of a sentence?
    I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they
  • What pronouns are used for the object of a sentence?
    me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them
  • What pronouns are used in a possessive phrase?
    my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their
  • What pronouns are used in a possessive clause?
    mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs
  • What pronouns are used to emphasize the people or things being spoken about, especially when you are emphasizing that one person does something and not someone else?
    as for me (I), as for you (you), as for him (he), as for us (we), as for them (they)

    • 9.2.3.1 Reflexive pronouns

    Use this domain for pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence. These pronouns should be added to the chart of personal pronouns.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    92E Reciprocal Reference
  • What pronouns express reflexive reference?
    self, myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, oneself
  • What pronouns express reciprocal reference?
    each other, one another

    • 9.2.3.2 Indefinite pronouns

    Use this domain for pronouns that do not refer to a definite person or thing, but can refer to anyone or anything. Some languages will not have all the sets of pronouns described below. Add each set you find in your language to the pronoun chart.

  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a person?
    person, who, someone, anyone, everyone, no one, each one, whoever
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a thing?
    thing, what, something, anything, everything, nothing, each thing, whatever, whichever
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a time?
    time, period, when, sometime, anytime, every time, never, at no time, each time, whenever, sometimes
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a place?
    place, where, somewhere, anywhere, everywhere, nowhere, each place, wherever, which way
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a reason?
    reason, why, for what reason, for some reason, for any reason, for each and every reason, for no reason, why ever
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of a manner?
    manner, means, how, somehow, anyhow, every way, no way, each way, however
  • What pronouns express indefinite reference of an amount?
    amount, how much, however many, however much, plenty

    • 9.2.3.3 Relative pronouns

    Use this domain for pronouns used in relative clauses.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    92F Relative Reference
  • What pronouns are used in relative clauses?
    who, whom, that, which, why

    • 9.2.3.4 Question words

    Use this domain for pronouns used in questions.

  • What pronouns are used in questions?
    who, what, when, where, how, why

    • 9.2.3.5 Demonstrative pronouns

    Use this domain for demonstrative pronouns.

    Louw Nida Codes: 
    92G Demonstrative or Deictic Reference
  • What pronouns are used to indicate a particular referent?
    a, an, the, this, these, that, those, specific,

    • 9.2.3.6 Personally

    Use this domain for words that indicate that someone does something himself, rather than through someone else.

  • What words are used to indicate that you do something yourself, rather than through someone else?
    personally, in person, direct
  • What words are used to indicate that you make something yourself rather than using a machine?
    by hand