Pronouns in English Grammar | Kinds | Case and Use

A pronoun is a fundamental part of speech that serves a singular, powerful purpose: to replace a noun or a noun phrase within a sentence. This substitution is not merely a grammatical rule but a principle of linguistic efficiency. The core function of a pronoun is to prevent the repetition of nouns, thereby making sentences shorter, more concise, and significantly more readable. For instance, a sentence like, “Dad and I love the ocean; Dad and I are going to the market,” can be simplified to “We love the ocean; we are going to the cinema”. This simple transformation demonstrates the power of pronouns to streamline communication and improve the flow of a text.

The most common pronouns, known as personal pronouns, are typically among the first words taught to English learners. They include I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. These words are a professional tool that allows a writer or speaker to refer to a person, place, or thing already mentioned without having to restate the noun repeatedly, which would otherwise lead to an awkward and clunky sentence structure. The ability to efficiently substitute a noun with a pronoun is essential for achieving clarity and elegance in both written and spoken English.

The Pronouns

The English pronoun system, as it exists today, is the product of centuries of linguistic evolution and cultural adaptation. While the pronouns he and it have roots in Old English (hē and hit), the forms we now use for third-person feminine and plural subjects—she and they—are not native to the language’s earliest forms. This transformation was driven by the inherent need to resolve ambiguity and enhance clarity in communication.

The evolution of she is a compelling example of linguistic fusion. In Old English, the third-person feminine pronoun was hēo, which was often confused in fast speech with the masculine hē and the plural hie. The linguistic challenge was compounded by the fact that Old English, like modern German, relied on grammatical gender, a system that eventually fell out of favor. In this context, she is believed to have emerged from the blending of hēo with sēo, an Old English feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning “that”. The phonetic similarity and shared feminine function of these two words led to their eventual fusion into a new, more distinct pronoun, addressing the widespread ambiguity.

The adoption of they into English provides another clear example of language adapting to the needs of its speakers. Old English had a plural pronoun, hie, but its pronunciation was too similar to the singular hē and hēo, creating ongoing confusion. The solution arrived with the Vikings, who settled in northern England and spoke a Germanic language called Old Norse. Their plural pronoun, thei, was phonetically distinct and quickly adopted by English speakers in the region. This new pronoun gradually spread, and by the 14th century, they had almost entirely replaced hie as the standard plural pronoun. This demonstrates that language is a fluid system that readily incorporates elements from other cultures to improve its function. The fact that this historical process of change continues today, with ongoing debates over the use of pronouns, frames these modern discussions not as a decline of grammar but as the continuation of a long-standing trend of linguistic adaptation.

Types of Pronoun 

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are the most common type of pronoun and are classified by person (first, second, third), number (singular, plural), gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, epicene), and case (nominative, accusative, genitive). The case of a personal pronoun determines its role within a sentence.

• Subject (Nominative) Pronouns: A subject pronoun performs the action of a verb and typically appears at the beginning of a sentence. The forms are I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. For example, in the sentence, “He worked all the day,” he is the subject pronoun performing the action. A nuanced rule of usage is that a subject pronoun should also be used after a “to be” verb when the pronoun renames the subject. For example, “It is I who called” is grammatically correct.

• Object (Objective) Pronouns: An object pronoun receives the action of a verb or is the object of a preposition. They typically appear after the verb or preposition. The forms are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them. In the sentence, “The gift is for her,” her is the object of the preposition for. An object pronoun can be either a direct object, as in “Ella met him,” or an indirect object, as in “Ella will give him his money back”.
• Possessive Pronouns: These pronouns demonstrate ownership. A crucial distinction must be made between possessive pronouns and possessive determiners. Possessive pronouns, also known as independent genitives, stand alone and do not precede a noun. The forms are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. For example, “The car is his”. Conversely, possessive determiners, or dependent genitives, function as adjectives and must modify a noun. Their forms include my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. An example is, “That’s his car”. An expert understanding of grammar requires recognizing this functional difference, as it is a common point of confusion.

Personal Pronoun Chart

The following table provides a master reference for the various forms of English personal pronouns, including historical and archaic forms for a complete overview.

Person	Number	Case (Function)	Nominative (Subject)	Accusative (Object)	Reflexive	Possessive Determiner	Possessive Pronoun
First	Singular	Standard	I	me	myself	my	mine
First	Plural	Standard	we	us	ourselves	our	ours
Second	Singular	Standard	you	you	yourself	your	yours
Second	Singular	Poetic/Dialectal	thou	thee	thyself	thy	thine
Second	Plural	Standard	you	you	yourselves	your	yours
Third	Singular	Masculine	he	him	himself	his	his
Third	Singular	Feminine	she	her	herself	her	hers
Third	Singular	Neuter	it	it	itself	its	its
Third	Singular	Epicene	they	them	themselves / themself	their	theirs
Third	Plural	Standard	they	them	themselves	their	theirs
Generic	Generic	Standard	one	one	oneself	one’s

Note: The archaic second-person plural form ye is a nominative pronoun, while you can function as either a nominative or accusative pronoun in both singular and plural forms.

Special-Purpose Pronouns

English features several other categories that serve specific grammatical functions:

Demonstrative Pronouns

These pronouns point to a specific thing or a group of things. 

Their form changes based on number (singular or plural) and proximity to the speaker (near or far). 

The singular forms are this (near) and that (far), while the plural forms are these (near) and those (far). 

For example, “That is not my car” points to a specific object at a distance.

Indefinite Pronouns

These pronouns refer to unspecified people or things. They are often a source of confusion because they can be singular, plural, or both, depending on the context. 

Examples of singular indefinite pronouns include anyone, each, everything, no one, and somebody. 

Plural indefinite pronouns include both, few, many, and several. 

Some pronouns, like all, any, most, and none, can be either singular or plural depending on the noun they refer to. For example, “Everything in the building is falling apart”.

Reciprocal Pronouns: These pronouns express a mutual action or relationship between two or more subjects. English has two reciprocal pronouns: 

• each other (typically used for two people) 
• one another (typically used for more than two). 

An example of their use is, “They helped each other”.

Pronouns of Inquiry and Connection

Two important categories of pronouns share a number of common forms but serve entirely different functions in a sentence:

• Interrogative Pronouns: These pronouns are used to ask questions. The primary forms are who, whom, what, which, and whose. Their function is to stand in for the unknown subject or object of a question. For example, “Who is she?” or “Whom did you ask?”.

• Relative Pronouns: These pronouns introduce a dependent or relative clause, linking it to a noun or pronoun in the main sentence. They function as the subject or object within the clause they introduce. The forms are the same as interrogative pronouns: 

• who, 
• whom, 
• which, 
• that, and 
• whose. 

An example is, “The man who called you is outside”. The shared list of words but distinct functional roles is a key concept for advanced grammar. An interrogative pronoun asks a question, while a relative pronoun connects a clause, a crucial distinction determined by the word’s purpose in the sentence.

Emphatic and Reflexive Pronouns

The pronouns that end in -self or -selves are often confused, but they serve two distinct purposes: reflexive and intensive.

• Reflexive Pronouns: A reflexive pronoun is used when the object of a verb is the same as its subject. The action “reflects” back onto the subject. These pronouns are an essential part of the sentence’s meaning and cannot be removed without rendering the sentence nonsensical. An example is, “I cut myself“. The list of these pronouns includes myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

• Intensive (Emphatic) Pronouns: An intensive pronoun serves to add emphasis to a noun or another pronoun. Unlike reflexive pronouns, they are not essential to the sentence’s core meaning and can be removed without changing its fundamental sense. An example is, “I did it myself” or “We ourselves arranged the meeting”. The word myself here emphasizes that I performed the action.

The misuse of reflexive pronouns, particularly myself, is a common grammatical error. This is often a form of hypercorrection, where a speaker or writer, knowing there is a rule about distinguishing I and me, attempts to use myself as an “escape hatch” to sound more formal or sophisticated. This is incorrect, as reflexive pronouns should never be used as the subject or object of a sentence. A simple test is to remove the other nouns or pronouns from the sentence. 

For example, in “Arshad and myself are taking a vacation,” the test would be, “Myself is taking a vacation,” which is clearly wrong. This indicates a deeper issue: the use of language is often not just about adhering to rules but also about social performance and the perception of one’s own education.

Rules, Common Errors, and Usage

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-antecedent agreement is a cornerstone of clear and correct English. The fundamental rule is that a pronoun must agree in number (singular or plural), person, and gender with its antecedent—the noun or noun phrase it refers to. 

A singular antecedent requires a singular pronoun, and a plural antecedent requires a plural pronoun. 

For example, “The dog barked at its owner,” where the singular antecedent dog is replaced by the singular pronoun its. 

However, this simple rule is complicated by several special cases.

• Indefinite Pronouns as Antecedents: Indefinite pronouns like each, everyone, anybody, and nobody are always singular. This often leads to errors because people mistakenly use plural pronouns to refer to them. While a sentence like “Everybody on the team did her best” follows the traditional rule, a modern, gender-neutral alternative, “Anyone who has finished their test may leave,” is now widely accepted. This represents a crucial point of linguistic change, where the traditional grammatical rule is being superseded by a more inclusive, functional one.

• Compound Antecedents:

• When two or more antecedents are joined by and, they typically require a plural pronoun. For example, “Chelsey, Omar, and Manny finished their joint presentation”.
• However, if the antecedents are preceded by each or every, the pronoun must be singular. “Every family and business must do its part to conserve energy”.
• When singular and plural antecedents are joined by or or nor, the pronoun agrees with the antecedent that is closer to it. 

“Either Hongzia or our parents will lend us their car”.

• Collective Nouns: Collective nouns, which are singular in form but refer to a group (e.g., team, jury, group), can take either a singular or plural pronoun depending on their function. If the group is acting as a single, unified unit, a singular pronoun is used: “The group presented its resolution”. If the members of the group are acting as individuals, a plural pronoun is used: “Yesterday, the team signed their contracts”.

Clarity and Precision in Pronoun Usage

Two common errors can lead to confusion and ambiguity:

• Vague Pronoun References: A vague pronoun reference occurs when the antecedent for a pronoun is unclear, leaving the reader to guess who or what is being referred to. A classic example is, “When Sanjay talked to his father, he was rude”. In this sentence, it is ambiguous whether he refers to Sanjay or his father. To correct this, the sentence must be rephrased to remove all doubt: “When Sanjay spoke to his father, Sanjay was rude”.

• Inconsistent Pronoun Usage: This error involves switching between different pronouns when referring to the same person or thing without a clear reason. An example is, “They said they would join us, but she didn’t show up”. To maintain clarity and professionalism, a writer must choose a single, consistent pronoun and use it throughout.

Who, Whom, That, and Which

The proper use of these relative and interrogative pronouns is a frequent point of contention, particularly in formal writing.

• The Who vs. Whom Distinction: This distinction is governed by case: who is a subject pronoun (performing the action), while whom is an object pronoun (receiving the action). A simple but effective method for determining which to use is the substitution test:

• If you can answer the question with he, she, or they, use who. For example, “Who is at the door?” can be answered with “They are,” so who is correct.
• If you can answer the question with him, her, or them, use whom. For example, “Whom did he tell?” can be answered with “He told her,” so whom is correct.

While whom is often omitted in everyday conversation, its correct usage is a mark of precision and is recommended for academic and formal writing.

• The That, Which, and Who Guide: These pronouns serve to introduce clauses, and their usage is determined by the antecedent and the type of clause.

• Who: Used to refer to people.
• That: Used to refer to things, inanimate objects, organizations, and animals without specific names (depending on the style guide).
• Which: Used to refer to a specific thing or idea that was just mentioned, typically in a non-restrictive clause.

Use of Pronoun 

The Singular “They”

The singular they has emerged as a topic of significant discussion, but its usage is not a modern fad. Its historical use dates back to at least the 14th century, and it has been employed by renowned authors like Shakespeare and Dickens to refer to an individual of unknown or irrelevant gender. The contemporary debate around this pronoun is a direct reflection of a larger societal shift toward gender inclusivity. What was once a subtle literary device has become a matter of respect and personal identity.

The singular they is now widely accepted and formally endorsed by major style guides and dictionaries, including the APA and Merriam-Webster. Its use is recommended in two primary contexts:

1. To refer to a generic individual whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context. This avoids the need for the clunky “he or she” construction. For example, “A person can never be too careful about their use of language”.
2. To refer to a specific person who identifies as non-binary or epicene. In this case, using the preferred pronoun is a matter of respect and is considered grammatically correct.

Despite its singular meaning, the singular they is still used with plural verb forms in standard English. For example, it is correct to say, “They are from Texas,” not “They is from Texas”. The widespread acceptance of this pronoun signals a significant change in the way that language adapts to reflect social values, moving from a slow, organic evolution to a more conscious and deliberate form of linguistic reform.

For a grammarian and educator, a deep understanding of pronouns is not enough; the challenge lies in translating this knowledge into engaging and effective instruction. Traditional methods like “memorizing pronoun charts and completing fill-in-the-blank worksheets” can quickly become tedious and fail to instill a genuine grasp of the concepts. The key to effective pedagogy is to make learning interactive, dynamic, and relevant to students’ lives.

Here are a number of proven strategies, categorized by age group, that can be used to make grammar concepts feel more like play than work.

Pronoun Tables

Person	Number	Nominative (Subject)	Accusative (Object)	Reflexive	Possessive Determiner	Possessive Pronoun
First	Singular	I	me	myself	my	mine
First	Plural	we	us	ourselves	our	ours
Second	Singular	you	you	yourself	your	yours
Second	Plural	you	you	yourselves	your	yours
Third	Singular	he / she / it	him / her / it	himself / herself / itself	his / her / its	his / hers / its
Third	Plural	they	them	themselves	their	theirs
Generic	Generic	one	one	oneself	one’s

Note: The table above reflects the standard, most commonly used forms in modern English. For historical and epicene forms, refer to the full discussion in Part II.

Glossary of Linguistic Terms

• Antecedent: The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to or replaces.
• Nominative Case: The grammatical case used for a noun or pronoun that functions as the subject of a verb.
• Accusative Case: The grammatical case used for a noun or pronoun that functions as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
• Genitive Case: The grammatical case used to show possession or ownership. It includes possessive pronouns and possessive determiners.
• Epicene Pronoun: A pronoun that can be used to refer to a person of any gender. The singular they is an epicene pronoun.
• Hypercorrection: A non-standard usage of a word or grammatical form that results from a mistaken belief that it is more formal or correct than the standard form.