Is Pronoun A Subject:13 Facts You Should Know

All of us might have heard about pronouns. Is pronoun a subject? Do we know about subject pronouns? Well, in this article, we are especially going to deal about subject pronouns and several facts about them.

Pronouns are nothing but words that are used to replace or substitute nouns. To stay away from the redundancy of the nouns, pronouns are utilized as their substitutions. Subject pronouns will be pronouns which are utilized as the subject of the sentence.

Do go through the following subject pronoun examples to get a basic idea about it.

  1. I am learning to drive car.
  2. You cannot miss today’s meeting.
  3. She eats only fruits for dinner.
  4. He is the topper of the class since the last two years.
  5. It is the cat that my sister gifted me.
  6. We have to win the overall trophy this time no matter what.
  7. They are definitely a heavy competition.

Can a pronoun be a subject?

Yes, a pronoun can be a subject of a sentence. Whenever a pronoun plays out the activity in a sentence, then the pronoun turns into the subject of the sentence.

Example: She is sincerely learning for tomorrow’s math exam.

In this sentence, ‘She’ is the pronoun. ‘She’ is also the subject of the sentence. The pronoun ‘She’ performs the action of ‘learning’ and hence it is the subject pronoun in this sentence. 

How can a pronoun be a subject?

A pronoun can be the subject of the sentence when it does or performs the action and when it replaces the subject of the sentence (noun).

Example: They are travelling to Delhi by flight.

In this sentence, the pronoun ‘they’ is a replacement for the noun, which can be the names of the people travelling to Delhi by flight. Since, the pronoun ‘they’ is performing the action, it is called the subject pronoun.

When can a pronoun be a subject?

Yes, a pronoun can be a subject when it is replacing the noun which is functioning as the subject of the sentence and when it is the doer of the action in the sentence.

Example: He is playing the role of the beast in today’s performance.

In this sentence, ‘he’ is the pronoun and it has replaced the noun which is functioning as the subject of the sentence. ‘He’ is the pronoun that is performing the action of ‘playing’ and hence it is the subject pronoun.

Where can a pronoun be a subject?

A pronoun can be a subject when it replaces the noun (anywhere in the sentence) which acts as the subject of the sentence and when it is the subject of the verb.

Example: We will be going to temple in the evening.

In this sentence, the pronoun ‘we’ is present in the very beginning of the sentence as it has replaced the noun that functioned as the subject positioned in the beginning of the sentence. It is this pronoun ‘we’ that is performing the action of ‘going’ and so, it is a subject pronoun.

Example: It is he who is singing the prayer song today.

In this sentence, ‘he’ isn’t first and foremost but it is the subject pronoun as it has supplanted the thing that is the subject of the sentence. The pronoun ‘he’ performs the action of ‘singing’ and hence it is the subject.

What is subject pronoun?

A subject pronoun is a pronoun that replaces the person, place animal or thing that is the subject of the sentence and the performer of the action in the sentence.

Example: She will be leaving for work early today.

In this sentence, ‘She’ is the subject pronoun as it replaces the person which is the subject of the sentence and furthermore it plays out the activity of ‘leaving’.

How to use subject pronoun?

1. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in1st person singular, the subject pronoun ‘I’ should be used.

Example: I played carom board for a long time today.

In this sentence, ‘I’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the first individual particular person, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘played’.

2. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 2nd person singular, the subject pronoun ‘you’ should be used.

Example: You should eat healthy food and not junk food.

In this sentence, ‘you’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the second individual particular person, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘eat’.

3. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 3rd person singular and male, the subject pronoun ‘he’ should be used.

Example: He has applied for many jobs abroad.

In this sentence, ‘he’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the third individual particular person, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘applied’.

4. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 3rd person singular and female, the subject pronoun ‘she’ should be used.

Example: She goes to gym every day and works out to stay fit.

In this sentence, ‘she’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the third individual particular person, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘goes’.

5. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 3rd person singular and neutral, the subject pronoun ‘it’ should be used.

Example: It is giving a pleasant fragrance to the room.

In this sentence ‘it’ is the subject pronoun used to replace the 3rd person singular and neutral noun, which is the subject of the sentence and is performing the action of ‘giving’.

6. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 1st person plural, the subject pronoun ‘we’ should be used.

Example: We are dancing in the school’s annual day function.

In this sentence, ‘we’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the first plural people, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘dancing’.

7. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 2nd person plural, the subject pronoun ‘you’ should be used.

Example: You should all submit your projects by tomorrow morning 10 am.

In this sentence, ‘you’ is the subject pronoun used to replace the 2nd person plural noun, which is the subject of the sentence and is performing the action ‘submit’.

8. To replace the noun (subject of the sentence) which is in 3rd person plural, the subject pronoun ‘they’ should be used.

Example: They will be attending the meeting which is held tomorrow.

In this sentence, ‘they’ is the subject pronoun used to supplant the third plural people, which is the subject of the sentence and is playing out the activity ‘attend’.

How many subject pronouns are there?

There are seven subject pronouns. They are I, you, he, she, it, we and they.

Examples:

  • I am a very kind girl.
  • You must attend the classes regularly.
  • He goes to tennis class every day afternoon.
  • She won the first prize in yesterday’s singing competition.
  • It drinks one litre of milk in the evening.
  • We should finish our practice soon and get ready for the rehearsal.
  • They love my mother’s cooking.

The pronouns in all the above sentences are subject pronouns as they have all replaced the nouns that are the subjects of the sentences. All the subject pronouns in the above sentences are also performing various actions.

What is personal subject pronoun?

Personal subject pronouns are the ones that show gender, number and person of the subject noun it is replacing.

Example: He wishes to buy an Audi car.

In this sentence, ‘he’ is the personal subject pronoun as it indicates the gender as male, number as singular and person as third person.

Example: They will be visiting their daughter in America.

In this sentence, ‘they’ is the personal subject pronoun as it denotes the gender as neutral, number as plural and person as third person.

Example: We love eating ice creams.

In this sentence, ‘We’ is the personal subject pronoun as it denotes the gender as neutral, number as plural and person as second person.

What are the singular subject pronouns?

I, you, she, it and he are the singular subject pronouns. The number denoted by these pronouns is singular.

Examples:

  • I will be participating in the competition tomorrow.
  • You have to finish your homework without fail.
  • He is my brother who lived in Africa.
  • She is a very smart girl.
  • It is my dog and it loves milk.

In all the above examples, the number of the subject pronouns is singular and hence they are singular subject pronouns.

What are plural subject pronouns?

The number denoted by the plural pronouns is more than one that is, plural. The plural subject pronouns are we, you and they.

Examples:

  • We have bought many new dresses.
  • You can make the changes in your draft.
  • They will be signing the agreement tomorrow.

In all the above examples, the number of the subject pronouns is plural and hence they are plural subject pronouns.

Subject Pronoun vs Object Pronoun

Subject pronoun is the pronoun that replaces the person, place, animal or thing which goes about as the subject of the sentence. Subject pronouns are likewise the ones which play out the activity in the sentence. I, you, he, she, it, we and they are the different subject pronouns.

Example: They are planning to shift to Mumbai very soon.

In this sentence, ‘they’ is the subject pronoun that has replaced the noun which has acted as the subject of the sentence. The subject pronoun ‘they’ is also performing the action of ‘planning’.

Object pronoun is the pronoun that replaces the noun that acts as the object of the sentence. Object pronouns are the ones that get the activity of the action word in the sentence. Me, you, him, her, it, us and them are the different object pronouns.

Example: Ramya was discussing with me about the changes that have to be made to the presentation.

In this sentence, ‘me’ is the object pronoun as it replaces the person which is the object of the sentence. The object pronoun ‘me‘ gets the activity of ‘being examined with’.

Example: We are waiting for her to join the call since a very long time.

In this sentence, ‘we’ is the subject pronoun as it has supplanted the person which is going about as the subject of the sentence. The pronoun ‘we’ is the one that is performing the action of ‘waiting’ and hence it is called the subject pronoun.

In this sentence ‘her’ is the object pronoun as it has supplanted the person that is going about as the object of the sentence. The pronoun ‘her’ is the one that is receiving the action of ‘being waited for’ and hence it is the object pronoun here.

Read More: Inflectional Suffix: What, How, When, Where to Use, Structure, Several Facts and 9 Facts On That As A Pronoun.