English

Students can generally get confused while using an apostrophe as a figure of speech or a punctuation mark. Let's take a look at the differences between the two, with examples, to avoid confusion:

An Apostrophe, in a figure of speech, is sued to address someone or something that is not present, cannot respond, or is dead. It also represents an abstract or inanimate, as if it were present and capable of understanding. It is mostly used in poetry and dramatic monologues. For example:

·       Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

·       "Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." (Jane Taylor)

·       "O happy dagger!" (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)

Pronouns for non-living objects in singular form are It and Its. In plural form, these pronouns are They, Them, These and Those. These pronouns are also applicable for living things whose gender cannot be determined such as animals, birds, etc. 

Both Him and His are pronouns for male people or living beings. His is a Possessive Pronoun. It indicates ownership or belonging. On the other hand, 'Him' is an objective case of pronoun. Him is at the receiving end and answers who is being acted upon. Example of His: This is his book. Example of Him: The book belongs to him. Example of usage of Him and His in the same sentence: The doctor called him to share his medical test reports.

Both Reflexive Pronoun and Intensive Pronoun end with 'Self' or 'Selves' such as 'Myself', 'Himself', 'Herself', etc. Reflexive pronouns are the object or indirect object of the main verb. On the other hand, the Intensive Pronouns emphasise a noun or a pronoun. Such sentences do not add value to the sentence.

There are over 10 types of pronouns. The major pronoun types are as follows:

• Personal Pronoun
• Subject Pronoun
• Object Pronoun
• Relative Pronoun
• Reflexive Pronoun
• Intensive Pronoun
• Interrogative Pronoun
• Indefinite Pronoun
• Demonstrative Pronoun
• Possessive Pronoun.

Pronoun is one of the important aspects of English grammar. It is one of the eight traditional parts of speech. The significance of pronoun lies in the fact that it provides an alternate or substitute for nouns. This helps in breaking the monotony and avoiding repetition, hence bringing variation in reading or conversation.