This document provides 12 rules for using pronouns correctly in the English language. It defines what pronouns are, the three types of pronouns (subject, object, possessive), and how to identify the subject and object of sentences. The rules cover when to use subject and object pronouns, agreement of pronouns with verbs, reflexive pronouns, possessive pronouns, and inconsistencies when mixing singular and plural pronouns. Examples are given for each rule to illustrate proper pronoun usage.

1. Definition
 A pronoun (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, whoever,
whose, someone, everybody, etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun. In the sentence
Joe saw Jill, and he waved at her, the pronouns he and her take the place of Joe and Jill,
respectively. There are three types of pronouns: subject (for example, he); object (him);
or possessive (his).
Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can
remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
Example: ___ did the job.
I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever, etc., all qualify and are, therefore, subject pronouns.
Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They will follow to be verbs,
such as is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been, etc.
Examples:
It is he.
This is she speaking.
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
NOTE
In informal English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns like me, her,
them. Many English scholars tolerate this distinction between formal and casual English.
Example: It could have been them.
Technically correct: It could have been they.
Example: It is just me at the door.
Technically correct: It is just I at the door.
Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when who refers to a personal pronoun (I,
you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun.
Correct: It is I who am sorry. (I am)
Incorrect: It is I who is sorry.
Correct: It is you who are mistaken. (you are)

2. Incorrect: It is you who's mistaken.
Rule 4. In addition to subject pronouns, there are also object pronouns, known more specifically
as direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition (for more detail, see the definition of
a verb in the Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects section). Object pronouns include me, him,
herself, us, them, themselves.
Examples:
Jean saw him.
Him is the direct object of the verb saw.
Give her the book.
The direct object of give is book, and her is the indirect object. Indirect objects always have an
implied to or for in front of them: Give [to] her the book. Do [for] me a favor.
Are you talking to me?
Me is the object of the preposition to.
Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject.
If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.
Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on time.
The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.
Sometimes we must look more closely to find a verb's true subject:
Example: He is one of those men who are always on time.
The word who refers to men. Therefore, use the plural verb are.
In sentences like this last example, many would mistakenly insist that one is the subject,
requiring is always on time. But look at it this way: Of those men who are always on time, he is
one.
Rule 6. Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one,
nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs. This rule is
frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither, followed by of. Those
three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.
Examples:
Each of the girls sings well.
Either of us is capable of doing the job.
Neither of them is available to speak right now.
Exception: When each follows a noun or pronoun in certain sentences, even experienced writers
sometimes get tripped up:

3. Incorrect: The women each gave her approval.
Correct: The women each gave their approval.
Incorrect: The words are and there each ends with a silent vowel.
Correct: The words are and there each end with a silent vowel.
These examples do not contradict Rule 6, because each is not the subject, but rather an adjunct
describing the true subject.
Rule 7. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as,
mentally complete the sentence.
Examples:
Tranh is as smart as she/her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say Tranh is as smart as she is. Therefore, she is
the correct answer.
Zoe is taller than I/me.
Mentally completing the sentence, we have Zoe is taller than I am.
Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.
We can interpret this sentence in two ways: Daniel would rather talk to her than to me. OR
Daniel would rather talk to her than I would. A sentence's meaning can change considerably,
depending on the pronoun you choose.
Rule 8. The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never need
apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like her's and your's.
Rule 9. The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has. The only
time who's has an apostrophe is when it means who is or who has. There is no apostrophe in
oneself. Avoid "one's self," a common error.
Examples:
It's been a cold morning.
The thermometer reached its highest reading.
He's the one who's always on time.
He's the one whose wife is always on time.
Keeping oneself ready is important.
Rule 10. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called reflexive pronouns. There are nine
reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, and
themselves.
Reflexive pronouns are used when both the subject and the object of a verb are the same person
or thing.
Example: Joe helped himself.

4. If the object of a preposition refers to a previous noun or pronoun, use a reflexive pronoun:
Example: Joe bought it for himself.
Reflexive pronouns help avoid confusion and nonsense. Without them, we might be stuck with
sentences like Joe helped Joe.
Correct: I worked myself to the bone.
The object myself is the same person as the subject I, performing the act of working.
Incorrect: My brother and myself did it.
Correct: My brother and I did it.
Don't use myself unless the pronoun I or me precedes it in the sentence.
Incorrect: Please give it to John or myself.
Correct: Please give it to John or me.
Correct: You saw me being myself.
Myself refers back to me in the act of being.
A sentence like Help yourself looks like an exception to the rule until we realize it's shorthand for
You may help yourself.
In certain cases, a reflexive pronoun may come first.
Example: Doubting himself, the man proceeded cautiously.
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis.
Example: He himself finished the whole job.
Rule 11. The use of they and their with singular pronouns is frowned upon by many
traditionalists. To be consistent, it is a good practice to try to avoid they and its variants (e.g.,
them, their, themselves) with previously singular nouns or pronouns.
Not consistent: Someone has to do it, and they have to do it well.
The problem is that someone is singular, but they is plural. If we change they to he or she, we get
a rather clumsy sentence, even if it is technically correct.
Technically correct: Someone has to do it, and he or she has to do it well.
Replacing an inconsistent sentence with a poorly written one is a bad bargain. The better option
is to rewrite.

5. Rewritten: Someone has to do it, and has to do it well.
Many writers abhor the he or she solution. Following are more examples of why rewriting is a
better idea than using he or she or him or her to keep sentences consistent.
Inconsistent: No one realizes when their time is up.
Awkward: No one realizes when his or her time is up.
Rewritten: None realize when their time is up.
Inconsistent: If you see anyone on the trail, tell them to be careful.
Awkward: If you see anyone on the trail, tell him or her to be careful.
Rewritten: Tell anyone you see on the trail to be careful.
NOTE
Please see our note regarding the word none under Rule 6 of Subject-Verb Agreement.
Rule 12. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by and, mentally remove the and + noun phrase
to avoid trouble.
Incorrect: Her and her friend came over.
If we remove and her friend, we're left with the ungrammatical Her came over.
Correct: She and her friend came over.
Incorrect: I invited he and his wife.
If we remove and his wife, we're left with the ungrammatical I invited he.
Correct: I invited him and his wife.
Incorrect: Bill asked my sister and I.
If we remove my sister and, we're left with the ungrammatical Bill asked I.
Correct: Bill asked my sister and me.
NOTE
Do not combine a subject pronoun and an object pronoun in phrases like her and I or he and me.
Whenever and or or links an object pronoun (her, me) and a subject pronoun (he, I), one of those
pronouns will always be wrong.
Incorrect: Her and I went home.
Correct: She and I went home. (She went and I went.)

6. Pronouns
A pronoun is used in place of a noun or nouns. Common pronouns include he, her, him, I, it, me,
she, them, they, us, and we. Here are some examples:
INSTEADOF: Luma isa good athlete.
She isa good athlete.(The pronoun shereplaces Luma.)
INSTEADOF: The beansand tomatoesare fresh-picked.
They are fresh-picked.(The pronoun they replacesthebeansand tomatoes.)
Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This noun is known as the antecedent. A
pronoun "refers to," or directs your thoughts toward, its antecedent.
Let's call Luma andask her to jointhe team.(Her isa pronoun;Luma is itsantecedent.)
To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that pronoun refers to. What does her refer to
in the sentence above—that is, who is the her? The her in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma
is the antecedent.
Subjective Pronouns
A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence—it performs the
action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she, they, we, and
you.
He spendsageslookingoutthe window.
Afterlunch, she andI wenttothe planetarium.
Objective Pronouns
An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentence—it receives the action of the verb. The
objective pronouns are her, him, it, me, them, us, and you.
CousinEldredgave me a trombone.
Take a picture of him, notus!
Possessive Pronouns

7. A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The possessive pronouns are hers, his, its,
mine, ours, theirs, and yours.
The red basketis mine.
Yours ison the coffee table.
Demonstrative Pronouns
A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative pronouns are that, these, this,
and those.
That isa goodidea.
These are hilariouscartoons.
A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative adjective, but it is used differently in a
sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Interrogative Pronouns
An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to ask about something. The interrogative
pronouns are what, which, who, whom, and compound words ending in "ever," such as whatever,
whichever, whoever, and whomever.
What on earthisthat?
Whoate the last FigNewton?
An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative adjective, but it is used differently in a
sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general, person or thing. Indefinite pronouns
include all, any, both, each, everyone, few, many, neither, none, nothing, several, some, and
somebody.
Somethingsmellsgood.
Many like salsawiththeirchips.
An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective, but it is used differently in a
sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.
Relative Pronouns

8. A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a sentence, that describes a noun. The relative
pronouns are that, which, who, and whom.
You shouldbringthe book that you love most.
That introduces "you love most," which describes the book.
Hector isa photographerwhodoesgreatwork.
Who introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.
Reflexive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns are herself,
himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as
an intensive pronoun (see below).
I learnedalot about myself at summercamp.(Myself refersbackto I.)
Theyshoulddivide the berriesamong themselves.(Themselvesrefersbackto they.)
Intensive Pronouns
An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun that comes before it). The intensive
pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these
words can also act as a reflective pronoun (see above).
I myself don'tlike eggs.
The queen herself visitedourclass.
Personal Pronouns Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns
Reflexive Pronouns
subject form object formpossessive adjective possessive pronoun
I me my mine myself
you you your yours yourself
he him his his himself
she her her hers herself
it it its its itself
we us our ours ourselves
you you your yours yourselves
they them their theirs themselves
What is a Pronoun?
pronoun (noun):awordthat takesthe place of or representsanoun

9. Pronouns are small words that take the place of a noun. We can use a pronoun instead of a noun.
Pronouns are words like: he, you, ours, themselves, some, each... If we didn't have pronouns,
we would have to repeat a lot of nouns. We would have to say things like:
 Do youlike the manager?I don'tlike the manager.The manager'snot friendly.
With pronouns, we can say:
 Do youlike the manager?I don'tlike him.He's notfriendly.
A pronoun is a small word with a big job. In fact, a pronoun can take the place of an entire noun
phrase. In this way, pronouns help us use fewer words and avoid repetition.
In the sentence "Please give this letter to Rosemary", we can replace "this letter" with "it" and
"Rosemary" with "her", as you see below:
Please give thisletter to Rosemary.
Please give it to her.
In a conversation, the speakers normally use pronouns to address each other: I speak to you. You
speak to me. When we talk about John, we don't keep repeating John's name. We say he or him.
If we talk about a thing, we can use the pronoun it.
A pronoun represents the person or thing that we are talking about (as long as we know which
person or thing we are talking about). We don't usually start a discourse with a pronoun. We start
with a noun and then move on to use a pronoun to avoid repeating the noun.
By "noun", we really mean: noun (food), name (Tara), gerund (swimming), noun phrase
(twelve red roses). We can replace even a long noun phrase such as "the car that we saw
crashing into the bus" with the simple pronoun "it".
Here are some examples of noun phrases and the pronouns that could replace them:
noun (phrase) pronoun
the car it
Anthony he
the big womanwithblackhair she
swimming it

10. noun (phrase) pronoun
learningEnglish it
almostall Frenchpeople they
my wife andI we
pro + noun = "on behalf of"+ noun
There are different types ofpPersonal Pronouns
Personal pronouns represent specific people or things. We use them depending on:
 number:singular(eg: I) or plural (eg:we)
 person:1st person(eg: I),2nd person(eg: you) or 3rd person(eg: he)
 gender:male (eg: he),female(eg:she) orneuter(eg:it)
 case: subject(eg: we) orobject(eg:us)
We use personal pronouns in place of the person or people that we are talking about. My name is
Josef but when I am talking about myself I almost always use "I" or "me", not "Josef". When I
am talking direct to you, I almost always use "you", not your name. When I am talking about
another person, say John, I may start with "John" but then use "he" or "him". And so on.
Here are the personal pronouns, followed by some example sentences:
number person gender
personal pronouns
subject object
singular
1st male/female I me
2nd male/female you you
3rd
male he him
female she her
neuter it it
plural
1st male/female we us
2nd male/female you you

11. number person gender
personal pronouns
subject object
3rd male/female/neuter they them
Examples (in each pair, the first sentence shows a subject pronoun, the second an object
pronoun):
 I like coffee./Johnhelped me.
 Do you like coffee?/Johnloves you.
 He runs fast./ DidRam beat him?
 She isclever./DoesMary know her?
 It doesn'twork./ Can the man fix it?
 We wenthome./Anthonydrove us.
 Do you needa table forthree?/ DidJohnand Mary beat you at doubles?
 They playeddoubles./JohnandMary beat them.
When we are talking about a single thing, we almost always use it. However, there are a few
exceptions. We may sometimes refer to an animal as he/him or she/her, especially if the animal
is domesticated or a pet. Ships (and some other vessels or vehicles) as well as some countries are
often treated as female and referred to as she/her. Here are some examples:
 Thisis our dogRusty. He's an Alsatian.
 The Titanic wasa greatshipbut she sank onher firstvoyage.
 My firstcar was a Mini and I treated her like mywife.
 Thailandhasnowopened herborderwithCambodia.
For a single person, sometimes we don't know whether to use he or she. There are several
solutions to this:
 If a teacherneedshelp, he orshe shouldsee the principal.
 If a teacherneedshelp, he shouldseethe principal.
 If a teacherneedshelp, theyshouldseethe principal.
We often use it to introduce a remark:
 It is nice to have a holidaysometimes.
 It is importanttodresswell.
 It's difficulttofindajob.
 Is it normal to see themtogether?
 It didn'ttake longto walkhere.
We also often use it to talk about the weather, temperature, time and distance:
 It's raining.

12.  It will probablybe hottomorrow.
 Is it nine o'clockyet?
 It's 50 kilometres fromhere toCambridge.
ronoun,buttheyall have the same job - to representanoun(phrase).
Demonstrative Pronouns
demonstrate(verb):toshow;toindicate;topointto
A demonstrative pronoun represents a thing or things:
 nearin distance ortime (this,these)
 far indistance or time (that, those)
near • far ⇒
singular ☺ this that
plural ☺☺☺ these those
Here are some examples with demonstrative pronouns, followed by an illustration:
 This tastesgood.
 Have you seen this?
 These are bad times.
 Do youlike these?
 That isbeautiful.
 Look at that!
 Those were the days!
 Can yousee those?
 This isheavierthan that.
 These are biggerthan those.
Possessive Pronouns
We use possessive pronouns to refer to a specific person/people or thing/things (the "antecedent")
belonging to a person/people (and sometimes belonging to an animal/animals or thing/things).
We use possessive pronouns depending on:
 number:singular(eg: mine) orplural (eg:ours)

13.  person:1st person(eg: mine),2ndperson(eg: yours) or 3rd person(eg: his)
 gender:male (his),female (hers)
Below are the possessive pronouns, followed by some example sentences. Notice that each
possessive pronoun can:
 be subjector object
 referto a singularorplural antecedent
number person gender (of "owner") possessive pronouns
singular
1st male/female mine
2nd male/female yours
3rd
male his
female hers
plural
1st male/female ours
2nd male/female yours
3rd male/female/neuter theirs
 Look at these pictures. Mine isthe bigone.(subject=My picture)
 I like yourflowers.Doyoulike mine?(object=my flowers)
 I lookedeverywhere foryourkey.IfoundJohn'skeybutI couldn'tfind yours. (object=your key)
 My flowersare dying. Yoursare lovely.(subject=Your flowers)
 All the essayswere goodbut his wasthe best.(subject= hisessay)
 Johnfoundhispassportbut Mary couldn'tfind hers.(object= herpassport)
 JohnfoundhisclothesbutMary couldn'tfind hers.(object=her clothes)
 Here is yourcar. Ours isoverthere,where we leftit.(subject=Our car)
 Your photosare good. Ours are terrible.(subject=Our photos)
 Each couple'sbooksare colour-coded. Yoursare red.(subject= Your books)
 I don't like thisfamily'sgardenbutIlike yours.(object= yourgarden)
 These aren'tJohnand Mary's children. Theirshave blackhair.(subject=Theirchildren)
 Johnand Mary don'tlike yourcar. Do you like theirs?(object= theircar)
Notice thatthe following(withapostrophe['])doNOTexist:her's, your's,their's

14. Notice that the interrogative pronoun whose can also be a possessive pronoun (an interrogative
possessive pronoun). Look at these examples:
 There was$100 onthe table andTara wondered whose itwas.
 Thiscar hasn't movedfortwomonths. Whose isit?
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Interrogative Pronouns
We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions. The interrogative pronoun represents the thing
that we don't know (what we are asking the question about).
There are four main interrogative pronouns: who, whom, what, which
Notice that the possessive pronoun whose can also be an interrogative pronoun (an interrogative
possessive pronoun).
subject object
person who whom
thing what
person/thing which
person whose
Notice thatwhom is the correct formwhenthe pronounisthe objectof the verb,as in"Whomdidyou
see?"("Isaw John.") However,innormal,spokenEnglishwe rarelyuse whom.Mostnative speakers
wouldsay(or evenwrite):"Whodidyousee?"
Look at these example questions. In the sample answers, the noun phrase that the interrogative
pronoun represents is shown in bold.
question answer
Whotoldyou? John toldme. subject
Whomdidyou tell? I toldMary. object

15. question answer
What's happened? An accident's happened. subject
What do youwant? I wantcoffee. object
Whichcame first? The Porsche 911 came first. subject
Whichwill the doctorsee first? The doctor will see the patientin blue first. object
There'sone car missing. Whose hasn'tarrived? John's(car) hasn't arrived. subject
We've foundeveryone'skeys. Whose didyoufind? I foundJohn's(keys). object
Note that we sometimes use the suffix "-ever" to make compounds from some of these pronouns
(mainly whoever, whatever, whichever). When we add "-ever", we use it for emphasis, often to
show confusion or surprise. Look at these examples:
 Whoeverwouldwanttodo such a nastything?
 Whateverdidhe say to make hercry like that?
 They're all fantastic! Whicheverwillyouchoose?
Do not confuse demonstrativepronounswithdemonstrativeadjectives.Theyare identical,buta
demonstrative pronounstandsalone,while ademonstrative adjectivequalifiesanoun.
 That smells.(demonstrative pronoun)
 That book isgood.(demonstrativeadjective +noun)
Normally we use demonstrative pronouns for things only. But we can use them for people when
the person is identified. Look at these examples:
 This isJosef speaking.Is thatMary?
 That soundslike John.
Interrogative Pronouns
We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions. The interrogative pronoun represents the thing
that we don't know (what we are asking the question about).
There are four main interrogative pronouns: who, whom, what, which

16. Notice that the possessive pronoun whose can also be an interrogative pronoun (an interrogative
possessive pronoun).
subject object
person who whom
thing what
person/thing which
person whose
Notice thatwhom is the correct formwhenthe pronounisthe objectof the verb,as in"Whomdidyou
see?"("Isaw John.") However,innormal,spokenEnglishwe rarelyuse whom.Mostnative speakers
wouldsay(or evenwrite):"Whodidyousee?"
Look at these example questions. In the sample answers, the noun phrase that the interrogative
pronoun represents is shown in bold.
question answer
Whotoldyou? John toldme. subject
Whomdidyou tell? I toldMary. object
What's happened? An accident's happened. subject
What do youwant? I wantcoffee. object
Whichcame first? The Porsche 911 came first. subject
Whichwill the doctorsee first? The doctor will see the patientin blue first. object
There'sone car missing. Whose hasn'tarrived? John's(car) hasn't arrived. subject
We've foundeveryone'skeys. Whose didyoufind? I foundJohn's(keys). object
Note that we sometimes use the suffix "-ever" to make compounds from some of these pronouns
(mainly whoever, whatever, whichever). When we add "-ever", we use it for emphasis, often to
show confusion or surprise. Look at these examples:
 Whoeverwouldwanttodo such a nastything?
 Whateverdidhe say to make hercry like that?

17.  They're all fantastic! Whicheverwillyouchoose?
Reflexive Pronouns
reflexive(adj.) [grammar]:reflectingbackonthe subject,like amirror
We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause.
Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).
There are eight reflexive pronouns:
reflexive pronoun
singular
myself
yourself
himself,herself,itself
plural
ourselves
yourselves
themselves
Look at these examples:
non-reflexive
the underlined words are NOT the same
person/thing
REFLEXIVE pronouns
the underlined words are the SAME
person/thing
Johnsaw me. I saw myself inthe mirror.
Why does he blame you? Why doyou blame yourself?
Davidsenthima copy. Johnsenthimself a copy.
Davidsenther a copy. Mary sentherself acopy.
My doghurt the cat. My doghurt itself.
We blame you. We blame ourselves.
Can youhelpmychildren? Can youhelpyourselves?
They cannot lookafterthe babies. They cannot lookafterthemselves.

18. Intensive pronouns
Notice that all the above reflexive pronouns can also act as intensive pronouns, but the function
and usage are different. An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent. Look at these examples:
 I made it myself.ORI myself made it.
 Have you yourself seenit?ORHave youseenit yourself?
 The President himself promisedtostopthe war.
 She spoke to me herself.ORShe herself spoke tome.
 The examitself wasn'tdifficult,butthe examroomwashorrible.
 Nevermind.We'll doit ourselves.
 You yourselvesaskedusto doit.
 Theyrecommendthisbookeventhoughthey themselveshadneverreadit. ORThey
recommendthisbookeventhoughtheyhadneverreadit themselves.
Reciprocal Pronouns
reciprocal (adj.):givenordone inreturn;[grammar] expressingmutual action
We use reciprocal pronouns when each of two or more subjects is acting in the same way
towards the other. For example, A is talking to B, and B is talking to A. So we say:
 A and B are talkingto each other.
The action is "reciprocated". John talks to Mary and Mary talks to John. I give you a present and
you give me a present. The dog bites the cat and the cat bites the dog.
There are only two reciprocal pronouns, and they are both two words:
 each other
 one another
When we use these reciprocal pronouns:
 there mustbe two or more people,thingsorgroupsinvolved(sowe cannotuse reciprocal
pronounswithI,you[singular],he/she/it)
 theymustbe doingthe same thing
Look at these examples:
 Johnand Mary love eachother.
 PeterandDavidhate each other.
 The ten prisonerswere all blamingone another.
 Both teamsplayedhardagainst each other.
 We gave each other gifts.
 Why don'tyou believe eachother?

19.  Theycan't see eachother.
 The gangsterswere fighting one another.
 The boats were bumpingagainst eachotherin the storm.
You probablynoticedthat eachother is usedinmore examplesabovethan one another.That's because
ingeneral we use one another (whichsoundsalittle formal) lessoftenthanwe use eachother.Also,
some people saythatwe shoulduse one another onlyforthree or more people orthings,butthere is
no real justificationforthis.
Indefinite Pronouns
An indefinite pronoun does not refer to any specific person, thing or amount. It is vague and "not
definite". Some typical indefinite pronouns are:
 all,another,any,anybody/anyone,anything,each,everybody/everyone,everything,few,many,
nobody,none,one,several,some,somebody/someone
Note that manyindefinite pronounsalsofunctionasotherpartsof speech.Lookat "another"inthe
followingsentences:
 He has one jobinthe dayand anotherat night.(pronoun)
 I'd like anotherdrink,please.(adjective)
Most indefinite pronouns are either singular or plural. However, some of them can be singular in
one context and plural in another. The most common indefinite pronouns are listed below, with
examples, as singular, plural or singular/plural.
Notice that a singular pronoun takes a singular verb AND that any personal pronoun should also
agree (in number and gender). Look at these examples:
 Each of the players hasadoctor.
 I mettwo girls. One hasgivenme herphone number.
Similarly, plural pronouns need plural agreement:
 Many haveexpressed theirviews.
pronoun meaning example
s
i
n
g
another an additional ordifferentpersonorthing
That ice-creamwasgood.Can I have
another?
anybody/ no matterwhat person Can anyone answerthisquestion?

20. pronoun meaning example
u
l
a
r
anyone
anything no matterwhat thing
The doctor needstoknow if you have
eatenanythingin the lasttwo hours.
each
everyone of twoor more people orthings,
seenseparately
Each has hisownthoughts.
either one or the other of two people orthings
Do youwant tea or coffee?/Idon't
mind. Eitheris goodfor me.
enough as much or as manyas needed Enough isenough.
everybody/
everyone
all people
We can start the meetingbecause
everybodyhas arrived.
everything all things
Theyhave no house or possessions.They
losteverythinginthe earthquake.
less a smalleramount "Lessis more"(Miesvander Rohe)
little a small amount Little is knownabouthisearlylife.
much a large amount Much has happenedsince we met.
neither
not one and notthe other of two people or
things
I keeptellingJackandJill but neither
believesme.
nobody/no-
one
no person
I phonedmanytimesbut nobody
answered.
nothing no single thing,notanything
If you don't know the answerit'sbestto
say nothing.
one an unidentifiedperson
Can one smoke here?|All the students
arrivedbutnow one ismissing.
other
a differentpersonorthingfromone
alreadymentioned
One was tall andthe otherwas short.
somebody/ an unspecifiedorunknownperson Clearly somebodymurderedhim.Itwas

21. pronoun meaning example
someone not suicide.
something an unspecifiedorunknownthing
Listen!Ijust heard something!What
couldit be?
you an unidentifiedperson(informal) Andyou can see why.
p
l
u
r
a
l
both twopeople orthings,seentogether
Johnlikescoffee butnottea.Ithink both
are good.
few a small numberof people orthings Fewhave everdisobeyedhimandlived.
fewer a reducednumberof people orthings Fewerare smokingthese days.
many a large numberof people orthings Many have come already.
others otherpeople;notus I'm sure that others have triedbefore us.
several more than twobut not many
Theyall complainedand several leftthe
meeting.
they people ingeneral (informal)
They say thatvegetablesare goodfor
you.
s
i
n
g
u
l
a
r
/
p
l
u
r
a
all
the whole quantityof somethingorof
some thingsor people
All is forgiven.
All have arrived.
any no matterhowmuch or how many
Is any left?
Are any coming?
more
a greaterquantityof something;agreater
numberof people orthings
There is more overthere.
More are coming.
most the majority;nearlyall
Most islost.
Most have refused.
none not any;no personor persons
Theyfixedthe watersowhyis none
comingout of the tap?
I invitedfivefriendsbut none have
come.*

22. pronoun meaning example
l
some
an unspecifiedquantityof something;an
unspecifiednumberof peopleorthings
Here is some.
Some have arrived.
such of the type already mentioned
He wasa foreignerandhe feltthathe
was treatedas such.
* Some people saythat"none"shouldalwaystake asingularverb,evenwhentalkingaboutcountable
nouns(egfive friends).Theyargue that"none"means"noone",and"one"isobviouslysingular.They
say that "I invitedfive friendsbutnone hascome"iscorrect and "I invitedfive friendsbutnone have
come"is incorrect.Historicallyandgrammaticallythere islittle tosupportthisview."None"hasbeen
usedforhundredsof yearswithbotha singularanda plural verb,accordingto the contextandthe
emphasisrequired.
That's Not My Job!
Thisis a story aboutfourpeople namedEverybody,Somebody,AnybodyandNobody.
Relative Pronouns
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a relative clause. It is called a "relative" pronoun
because it "relates" to the word that its relative clause modifies. Here is an example:
 The person who phonedme lastnightismy teacher.
In the above example, "who":
 relatesto"The person",which"whophonedme lastnight"modifies
 introducesthe relativeclause "whophonedme lastnight"
There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that*
Who (subject) and whom (object) are generally only for people. Whose is for possession.
Which is for things. That can be used for things and people only in defining relative clauses
(clauses that are essential to the sentence and do not simply add extra information).**
Relative pronounscanrefertosingularorplural,andthere isno difference betweenmale andfemale.
Look at these examples showing defining and non-defining relative clauses:
example sentences
S=subject, O=object, P=possessive
notes

23. example sentences
S=subject, O=object, P=possessive
notes
definingrelative
clauses
S
- The person who phonedme lastnightismy
teacher.
- The person that phonedme lastnightismy
teacher.
"that" ispreferable
- The car which hitme was yellow.
- The car that hitme was yellow.
"that" ispreferable
O
- The person whom I phonedlastnightismy
teacher.
- The people whoI phonedlastnightare my
teachers.
- The person that I phonedlastnightismy
teacher.
- The personI phonedlastnightismy teacher.
"whom"iscorrect but formal
relative pronounisoptional
- The car which I drive isold.
- The car that I drive isold.
- The car I drive isold.
"that" ispreferable to"which"
relative pronounisoptional
P
- The studentwhose phone justrang should
standup.
- Students whose parentsare wealthypay
extra.
- The police are lookingforthe car whose driver
was masked.
- The police are lookingforthe car of which the
driverwasmasked.
"whose"canbe usedwiththings
"of which"is alsopossible
non-defining
relative clauses
S
- Mrs Pratt, who is verykind,ismyteacher.
- The car, whichwas a taxi,exploded.
- The cars, which were taxis,exploded.
O
- Mrs Pratt, whom I like verymuch,ismy
teacher.
- Mrs Pratt, who I like verymuch,ismy teacher.
"whom"is correct but formal
"who"iscommon inspoken
Englishandinformal written

24. example sentences
S=subject, O=object, P=possessive
notes
English
- The car, whichI was drivingatthe time,
suddenlycaughtfire.
P
- My brother, whose phone youjustheard,is a
doctor.
- The car, whose driverjumpedoutjustbefore
the accident,wascompletelydestroyed.
- The car, the driverofwhich jumpedoutjust
before the accident,wascompletelydestroyed.
"whose"canbe usedwiththings
"of which"is alsopossible
*Not all grammar sourcescount"that" as a relative pronoun.
**Some people claimthatwe shouldnotuse "that" forpeople butmustuse "who/whom".There isno
goodreasonfor such a claim;there isa longhistoryof "that"for people indefiningrelative clausesfrom
Chaucer,Shakespeare andthe AuthorizedVersionof TheBible to Fowler's and Churchill.
noun Case
Pronouns (and nouns) in English display "case" according to their function in the sentence. Their
function can be:
 subjective (theyactas the subject)
 objective (theyactas the object)
 possessive (theyshowpossessionof somethingelse)
The following table shows the different forms for pronouns depending on case.
subjective
case
objective
case
possessive
case
personal pronouns singular
1st I me mine
2nd you you yours
3rd
he
she
it
him
her
it
his
hers
its

25. subjective
case
objective
case
possessive
case
plural
1st we us ours
2nd you you yours
3rd they them theirs
relative / interrogative pronouns
who whom whose
whoever whomever
which,that,what which,that,what
indefinite pronouns everybody everybody everybody's
A problem of case:
Mary and I or Mary and me?
1. Mary andI are happyto be here today.(NOTMary and me)
2. Ati sentthe letterto Mary and me.(NOTMary andI)
In 1, Mary and I are subjects, which is why the pronoun takes the subjective case ("I"). In 2,
Mary and I are objects, which is why the pronoun takes the objective case ("me"). An easy way
to check the correct case is to try the sentence without Mary. Would you say "I am happy to be
here" or "Me am happy to be here"? Would you say "Ati sent the letter to me" or "Ati sent the
letter to I"?