Meaning & use
pronomial
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounrare
Relating to a pronoun, or working the way a pronoun does in a sentence.
Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a pronomial form, pronomial reference.
Patterns
- a pronomial form
- pronomial use of a word
- pronomial reference
The teacher circled every pronomial form in the paragraph, such as 'she' and 'them'.
In 'my brother hurt himself', 'himself' has a pronomial job because it points back to the subject.
Older grammar books sometimes talk about pronomial adjectives, meaning words like 'this' and 'whose'.
nouncountablerare
A word or short form that replaces a noun or noun phrase in a sentence.
Grammar: Countable, so you can say a pronomial or two pronomials; it is very rare.
Patterns
- use a pronomial
- replace a noun with a pronomial
'It' in 'I read it' is a pronomial standing in for the whole story.
Careful writers avoid too many pronomials in one sentence, or readers lose track of who is who.
Word forms
| plural | pronomials |
|---|
Common combinations
- pronomial form
- The exercise asks you to change each underlined noun into a pronomial form.
- pronomial reference
- Clear pronomial reference matters: readers must know which noun 'they' points to.
- pronomial adjective
- In 'her coat', 'her' is described as a pronomial adjective in some grammars.
- pronomial system
- Children learn the pronomial system of their language surprisingly early.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pronominal
- This is the standard modern spelling and the one to use; pronomial means the same thing but looks old-fashioned.
- pronominalized
- Used for a word that has been turned into a pronoun-like form, so it is narrower than pronomial.
Word family
- pronoun noun
- A word such as 'he', 'it' or 'who' that stands in for a noun.
- pronominal adjective
- The usual spelling of this adjective, meaning 'relating to a pronoun'.
- pronominalize verb
- To turn a word or phrase into a pronoun-like form.
Commonly confused: pronomial or pronominal? pronomial or proximal?
pronomial vs pronominal
Same meaning, different spelling. Pronominal is the common form and is the safe choice in writing.
pronomial vs proximal
Sounds a little similar but means 'nearest' or 'close to the point of reference', as in anatomy and linguistics.
Practice
Which sentence uses pronomial correctly?
Choose one answer.
Pronomial can be a rare noun for a word that stands in for a noun, so option A fits. Option B uses it as a verb, which it is not; option C uses it as if it meant 'incorrect'; and option D invents a plural verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pronomial”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.