What is a pronoun in English grammar? One of the nine parts of speech in the English language is the pronoun. A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns help keep our writing varied. Without pronouns, we would have to constantly repeat the same noun over and over again to tell a story. For example, if we wanted to write a story about Mary we would constantly have to repeat her name.

• Mary went to the store to buy a shirt. Mary picked up a blue shirt to go with Marys jacket.

You could use alternative appellations to make the text more varied. However, this could confuse the reader. You reader may think that the two names you use are different entities entirely. For this reason, we use pronouns for noun substitutions.

• Mary went to the store to buy a shirt. She picked up a blue shirt to go with her jacket.

Using she and her makes it clear that Mary is being referenced. There is no ambiguity.