A brief rundown on pronouns, neopronouns, and pronoun structure!
What are pronouns?
Pronouns are words that replace nouns in a sentence, there are many different types!
Personal pronouns (which is what are showcased on this blog) are used to refer to people, places, and things, and include: I/me/my, you/your/yours, he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/theirs, it/its/itself, we/us/ours, and neopronouns!
What are neopronouns?
Neopronouns are pronouns that are not a traditional part of a language, hence the prefix "neo-", meaning new!
Contrary to some beliefs, neopronouns are not a new idea, and have been used for centuries. Language is ever evolving and changing!
Neopronouns offer more freedom and accuracy for individuals whose identities do not align with the gender binary. Some neopronouns are created words, while others are derived from existing words and turned into pronouns.
How do pronouns change depending on sentence structure?
Depending on where it is in a sentence, the form of a pronoun can change! I will share some examples below using they/them pronouns.
Subjective pronouns: these are used when the pronoun is the subject of a sentence. (They are happy.)
Objective pronouns: these are used when the pronoun is the object of a sentence. (I gave the book to them.)
Possessive adjectives and pronouns: these are both used to indicate ownership. Possessive adjectives are used before a noun. (This is their book.) Possessive pronouns are used to replace a noun, like a name. (The other book is not theirs.)
Reflexive pronouns: these are used to refer back to the subject of a sentence, indicating the subject is performing an action on themselves. (They looked at themselves in the mirror.)