Here's why:
* Common nouns: Refer to general, non-specific people, places, or things (e.g., cat, city, chair).
* Proper nouns: Refer to specific people, places, or things (e.g., Mr. Smith, Paris, Eiffel Tower).
Pronouns, on the other hand, stand in for nouns. They are used to avoid repetition and make writing more concise. Examples include:
* Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
* Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
* Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Key Differences:
* Specificity: Pronouns are non-specific and take their meaning from the noun they replace, unlike proper nouns which are specific.
* Capitalization: Pronouns are not capitalized, while proper nouns are.
* Function: Pronouns act as substitutes for nouns, whereas common and proper nouns identify specific entities.
Therefore, pronouns belong to their own distinct grammatical category and are not classified as common or proper nouns.