All About Pronouns: Types and Examples
Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns in sentences. When your reader or listener already knows whom or what is being referred to, you can use a pronoun in place of a noun.
- Farley loves pizza, but he can’t eat cheese.
We use the pronoun “he” instead of repeating the name of the person. The pronoun acts as a substitute for the noun.
Use pronouns to avoid repetition, but make sure it is clear which person or thing your pronoun refers to, either from the passage itself or from context.
Pronouns may be first-person, second-person, or third-person.
- First-person pronouns are used to refer to oneself (I, me, myself, mine), or to oneself and others (we, us, ourselves, ours).
- Second-person pronouns refer to the person or people being addressed (you, yourself, yours).
- Third-person pronouns are used to speak of third parties (e.g., she, he, they, it, her, them).
And just like nouns, pronouns may be singular or plural in number.
- Singular: I thought she would be here.
- Plural: We thought they would be here.
Types of pronouns
Pronouns are classified based on meaning and the function they serve in a sentence. Here is a quick list of the various types, along with examples.
| Type | When to use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | To refer to a specific person or people | I, you, she, he, we, they |
| Reflexive | When the object is the same as the subject | myself, yourself, himself, ourselves |
| Possessive | To show possession or another such relationship | mine, yours, hers, theirs, ours |
| Demonstrative | To point something out | this, that, these, those |
| Interrogative | To ask questions | who, what, whose, which |
| Relative | To describe and provide additional information | who, which, that, whose |
| Reciprocal | To show a mutual or reciprocal relationship | each other, one another |
| Indefinite | To refer to people or things in a general way | someone, something, nothing, any, either |
We discuss these in greater detail below with example sentences.
Personal pronouns
A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or specific people. It acts as the subject or object in a sentence.
- Subject: I am going to Fiji on Tuesday.
The subject (“I”) is whom or what the sentence is about.
- Subject: They have learned to live without gravity.
- Subject: You can’t have it all.
- Object: Maya called me last night.
The object (“me”) is the person or thing affected by the action of the verb.
- Object: I asked you a question.
- Object: Do you know him?
| Subject | Object | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I, we | me, us |
| Second person | you | you |
| Third person | she/he/it, they, one | her/him/it, them, one |
Make sure to use the correct pronoun for subject and object.
- You and I/
meboth drink tea. (Use “I” as subject.)
She has invited you and
Whether to use subject or object pronouns (I or me, she or her) can sometimes be confusing. Which one to use can also depend on register (formal or informal usage). You may find these articles interesting: I vs. Me, You and I or You and Me, and Taller than I or Taller than Me?
The pronoun one
The word one as a pronoun is used to refer to people in general.
- On a clear morning, one can see Mount Everest through the window.
One is generally used in formal, academic, and literary texts. In everyday speech, first- and second-person pronouns are more common.
- On a clear morning, you can see Mount Everest through the window.
Using one to refer obliquely to your own self sounds pompous. Avoid such usage, unless with humorous intent.
- Pompous: The host is kind, but one finds the rooms a bit cramped.
- Preferred: The host is kind, but I find the rooms a bit cramped.
Reflexive pronouns
Use a reflexive pronoun when the object is the same as the subject in a sentence.
- Poco bought himself a new watch.
The subject of the sentence is Poco. The reflexive pronoun himself indicates that this same person is also the object of the verb.
- I convinced myself it was true.
- She blames herself for what happened.
- We have no one to turn to but ourselves.
- To be optimistic is to trust in oneself and others.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | myself | ourselves |
| Second person | yourself | yourselves |
| Third person | himself/herself/itself, oneself | themselves |
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.
- I myself don’t know what happened.
emphasizing that even I don’t know
- Rita said she would repair the car herself.
emphasizing that Rita will do it herself (instead of hiring someone else to do it, perhaps)
Possessives
A possessive pronoun indicates possession or another such relationship.
- Is this pen yours?
- This house is ours now.
- Hey, this purse is mine!
- This cape is hers, not yours.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | mine | ours |
| Second person | yours | yours |
| Third person | his/hers/its, one’s | theirs |
Like all pronouns, possessive pronouns act as substitutes for nouns (or noun phrases).
- Is this cape Lulu’s? No, it’s mine.
“mine” = “my cape”
- This book is yours; take it.
- The island is all ours now!
- Remember, this story is hers, not his.
Possessive pronouns are also used after the preposition of to show possession.
- That sister of mine is crazy!
- This car of yours refuses to run.
- Watch out for that dog of hers—it bites.
Possessives may be determiners or pronouns. A possessive determiner is used before a noun to indicate possession or belonging.
- My aunt is an astronaut.
- Is this your wallet?
- Farley has lost his hat again.
- Lulu loves to sit in her garden.
- I love this house and its history.
- A room of one’s own is hard to find in this crowded city.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| First person | my | our |
| Second person | your | your |
| Third person | his/her/its, one’s | their |
Its (without an apostrophe) is a possessive, while it’s (with the apostrophe) is the contracted form of “it is.”
- Possessive: We saw a tailorbird sewing its nest.
- Contraction: It’s wonderful to fly again! (it is)
Demonstratives
Demonstrative pronouns point out the thing being referred to, distinguishing it from others. The demonstratives in English are this, that, these, and those.
- Is this yours?
where “this” refers to something specific (a noun)
- I don’t like the sound of that.
- Can you hide these in your purse?
- Are those your shoes in the garden?
Just like possessives, demonstratives may function as determiners or pronouns. As determiners, they precede a noun and help identify or describe it.
- Did you write this book?
- I love that movie!
- These cups are all broken.
- They thought those songs of theirs would change the world.
Use this and these to refer to people, things, and ideas that are physically, emotionally, or symbolically closer; use that and those for someone or something further away.
- This is the house we should buy. (closer)
- No, let’s buy that one. (further away)
Interrogative pronouns
The interrogative pronouns what, who, whom, whose, and which are used to ask questions. These words are pronouns because they represent the person, thing, or idea (i.e., the noun) that the question is about.
- What do you want?
where “what” refers to the answer (a noun)
- Who stole all the cookies?
- Whom are you looking for?
- Whose socks are these?
- Which house is yours?
Whose is a pronoun, while who’s is a contraction.
- Whose car is this?
interrogative pronoun
- Who’s driving my car?
who’s = who is (contraction)
Whoever, whomever, whatever, and whichever are also interrogative pronouns but are used only occasionally, for emphasis.
- Whoever said you could eat these cookies?
stronger than “Who said you could eat these cookies?”
- Whatever do you think you are doing?
Why, when, where, and how are interrogative adverbs rather than pronouns. They are used to ask questions to which the answer is not a noun but an entire sentence or a prepositional phrase.
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns like who, whom, whose, which, and that help provide additional information about people and things.
- The woman who stole Rita’s car has been arrested.
- The woman whose car was stolen has bought a truck.
- The car that Farley bought has driven off by itself.
- This house, which belonged to my grandmother, is made of magic bricks.
Use who, whom, and whose to describe people, and which and that for things. That can also be used for people, especially to speak of someone not personally known to you or to speak of people in general terms (I need someone who/that cares).
Reciprocal pronouns
Use the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another to indicate that two or more parties are in a mutual or reciprocal relationship.
- Tumkin and Maya helped each other cross the river.
Tumkin helped Maya, and Maya helped Tumkin.
- They helped one another cross the river.
Two or more people helped one another.
- They refused to talk to each other.
Two people refused.
- We all avoided looking at one another.
Indefinite pronouns
An indefinite pronoun is used to refer to people or things generally or indefinitely rather than specifically.
- Nobody can know everything.
referring to no one and nothing specific
- Someone has been calling me all day.
- It was no one’s fault, just an unfortunate accident.
- Both have been suspended.
- Is something missing?
- The rate of inflation is such that even when it goes down, prices go up.
Here is a list of indefinite pronouns often used in speech and writing.
- nobody
- both
- anybody
- no one
- such
- anyone
- nothing
- someone
- anything
- nowhere
- somebody
- one
- none
- something
- everybody
- neither
- somewhere
- everyone
- either
- any
- everything
An indefinite pronoun usually takes a singular verb.
- Something is wrong with the world today.
- Nobody is coming; we’re all alone.
- Everything about this picture is perfect.
Clarity
When you use a pronoun, make sure it is clear to your reader—either from the surrounding passage or from general context—who or what you are referring to.
- Confusing: Poco and Nesbit are in Montreal, from where he called me today.
Who called—Poco or Nesbit?Clear: Poco and Nesbit are in Montreal, from where Nesbit called me today.If using a pronoun would cause confusion, repeat the noun.Clear: Nesbit called me today from Montreal, where he is with Poco.Rephrase if needed to avoid confusion.
- Confusing: Lulu told Anita that she was needed in the garden.
Who was needed?Clear: Lulu told Anita that she—Lulu—was needed in the garden.