Pronouns are words that replace nouns. To avoid repetition of nouns in a sentence or paragraph, a pronoun is used. I, you, he, she, it, we and they are examples of common pronouns.

Examples:

• Zinah is my sister. She is also my best friend
  (The pronoun ‘she’ replaces the noun ‘Zinah’)
• Momodu is sitting in the library. He is reading a book.
  (The pronoun ‘He’ replaces the noun ‘Momodu’)

The Antecedent of a Pronoun

The antecedent of a pronoun is a noun, noun phrase or noun clause being replaced by the pronoun.

• I bought some batteries, but they were not working.
  (Here, ‘some batteries’ is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘they’)
• The girl, whom you met yesterday, was my sister.
  (Here, ‘girl’ is the antecedent of the pronoun ‘whom’)