What are Pronouns in English?
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase that is already known to the speaker and listener. Instead of writing 'Maria called Maria's manager and told Maria's manager about Maria's plan', pronouns let you write 'Maria called her manager and told him about her plan'.
English pronouns change form depending on their grammatical role: the subject slot ('She called'), the object slot ('I called her'), or the possessive slot ('That's her phone'). Using the wrong form — 'Me called her' or 'She called I' — is a grammatical error, not just a style issue.
There are seven main pronoun types in English: personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, and indefinite. Each type works differently. This page covers personal, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, and interrogative pronouns — relative pronouns are treated in full in the Relative Clauses section.
Pronoun Forms
Personal pronouns have five forms. The right form depends on the pronoun's role in the sentence — not on the person being referred to.
Subject / Object / Possessive adjective / Possessive pronoun / ReflexivePersonal and Possessive Pronoun Table
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive adj. | Possessive pronoun | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | I | me | my | mine | myself |
| 2nd singular/plural | you | you | your | yours | yourself / yourselves |
| 3rd singular (m) | he | him | his | his | himself |
| 3rd singular (f) | she | her | her | hers | herself |
| 3rd singular (n) | it | it | its | its | itself |
| 1st plural | we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| 3rd plural | they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns point to specific things. Distance (near vs. far) and number (singular vs. plural) determine which form to use.
| Pronoun | Distance | Number | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| this | near | singular | This is the file you need. |
| that | far | singular | That was the wrong decision. |
| these | near | plural | These results are better than expected. |
| those | far | plural | Those tickets sold out in minutes. |
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns introduce questions. Choose the form based on whether you are asking about a person or a thing, and whether the pronoun is the subject or object.
| Pronoun | Asks about | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| who | person | subject | Who called you this morning? |
| whom | person | object | Whom did you speak to at the desk? |
| what | thing / idea | subject or object | What happened after the meeting? |
| which | choice from a set | subject or object | Which option did you choose? |
| whose | possession | possessive | Whose laptop is on the table? |
Types of Pronouns and Their Uses
Subject Personal Pronouns
Used when the pronoun is the subject of the verb — the one performing the action. The subject pronoun fills the slot before the main verb.
- She submitted the report ten minutes before the deadline.
- They have been waiting outside since noon.
- I didn't realise the meeting had already started.
Object Personal Pronouns
Used when the pronoun receives the action — as direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition. The object form always fills the slot after the verb or after a preposition.
- The manager asked us to stay after the session.
- Could you pass the folder to her, please?
- Nobody told him about the change of venue.
Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) come before a noun. Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) stand alone and replace the noun entirely. Neither form ever takes an apostrophe.
- That's my bag — I think you've picked up the wrong one.
- That bag is mine.
- The red folder is hers; the blue one is ours.
Reflexive Pronouns
Used in two situations: when the subject and object of a verb refer to the same person (reflexive use), or to stress that the subject did something personally and without help (emphatic use).
- She burned herself on the coffee machine.
- He taught himself Python over the summer.
- The CEO herself answered the customer's complaint.
Indefinite Pronouns
Refer to non-specific people or things. Key groups: every- (everyone, everything, everywhere), some- (someone, something, somewhere), any- (anyone, anything, anywhere), no- (no one, nothing, nowhere). All of these are grammatically singular.
- Everyone was asked to submit feedback by Friday.
- Nothing on the menu appealed to her that evening.
- Is anyone free to cover the morning shift?
What Signals Which Pronoun Form to Use
Possessive Adjective vs. Possessive Pronoun
Both show ownership, but their position in the sentence is completely different. This is a constant source of confusion — even at higher CEFR levels.
Possessive adjective — must precede a noun
That's <hl>my</hl> jacket on the chair.
'My' cannot stand alone — a noun must follow.
Possessive pronoun — stands alone
That jacket is <hl>mine</hl>.
'Mine' replaces 'my jacket' — no noun after it.
Possessive adjective + noun
They submitted <hl>their</hl> report on time.
'Their' + noun.
Possessive pronoun replacing noun
Our report was late; <hl>theirs</hl> was on time.
'Theirs' replaces 'their report' completely.
Who vs. Whom
Both ask about people. 'Who' is the subject form; 'whom' is the object form. A reliable test: if you can answer with 'he/she', use 'who'; if you can answer with 'him/her', use 'whom'.
Who — subject of the verb
<hl>Who</hl> sent the message?
Answer: 'He sent it.' → subject → who.
Whom — object of verb or preposition
<hl>Whom</hl> did you contact?
Answer: 'I contacted him.' → object → whom.
Who — acceptable in conversation
<hl>Who</hl> did you speak to?
Accepted informally — 'whom' sounds very formal here.
Whom — required in formal writing
To <hl>whom</hl> should I address this letter?
After a preposition, 'whom' is always preferred in writing.
Common Mistakes
Object pronoun after a preposition replaced by subject pronoun
✗ Between you and I, the project is already behind schedule.
✓ Between you and me, the project is already behind schedule.
After prepositions, always use the object form. 'Between' is a preposition, so 'me' (object) is correct — never 'I' (subject). Remove the other person to test: 'between I' is clearly wrong.
Using reflexive pronoun without a matching subject
✗ Please send the report to myself by Thursday.
✓ Please send the report to me by Thursday.
'Myself' is only correct when the subject of the sentence is 'I'. Here the implied subject is 'you', so the object pronoun 'me' is correct.
Confusing 'its' with 'it's'
✗ The app has lost it's main function after the update.
✓ The app has lost its main function after the update.
'Its' (no apostrophe) is the possessive pronoun. 'It's' is always a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. Quick test: can you substitute 'it is'? If not, no apostrophe.
Using subject pronoun in a compound object
✗ She invited Priya and I to the product launch.
✓ She invited Priya and me to the product launch.
Remove the other person to test: 'She invited I' is obviously wrong; 'She invited me' is correct. The same logic applies with compound objects — always use the object form 'me', never 'I'.
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