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Pronoun

Glossary

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com

Definition: A word that stands for or represents a noun or noun phrase. A distinguishing characteristic of pronouns is that the nouns (or noun phrases) they stand for can be identified only in the context of the sentence in which they are used. Thus, for example, it is unknown who the pronoun "she" (or the Spanish equivalent, ella), stands for outside of the context of the sentence in which it is used. As is the case with nouns, pronouns can serve as either subjects or objects of sentences. Types of pronouns include personal pronouns (refer to the persons speaking, the persons spoken to, or the persons or things spoken about), indefinite pronouns, relative pronouns (connect parts of sentences) and reciprocal pronouns (in which the object of a verb is being acted on by verb's subject).

Term in Spanish: pronombre

Examples in Spanish: yo, quien, ellas

Examples in English: I, who, they (the second two Spanish terms also can be translated in some contexts as "whom" or "them," respectively)

Gerald Erichsen
Guide since 1998

Gerald Erichsen
Spanish Language Guide

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