Meaning & use

plural pronoun

noun·Everydaytechnical

Last updated

UK/ˌplʊərəl ˈprəʊnaʊn/
US/ˌplʊrəl ˈproʊnaʊn/

Meanings

  1. nouncountabletechnical

    A pronoun that refers to more than one person or thing, such as we, they, us, or them.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a plural pronoun' or 'plural pronouns'.

    Patterns

    • a plural pronoun
    • plural pronouns like we and they

    In the sentence 'We are ready', 'we' is a plural pronoun.

    English plural pronouns include we, us, they, and them.

    The teacher asked the class to replace the noun 'children' with a plural pronoun.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A pronoun that is grammatically plural even when it refers to one person, especially they used for a single person of unknown gender.

    Grammar: Still countable; often used when discussing modern usage.

    Patterns

    • use a plural pronoun for someone
    • a plural pronoun like they

    When you don't know someone's gender, you can use the plural pronoun 'they'.

    Some style guides accept the plural pronoun 'they' for a single person.

    In informal writing, 'they' works as a plural pronoun even for one person.

Word forms

pluralplural pronouns

Common combinations

use a plural pronoun
You should use a plural pronoun when talking about more than one person.
plural pronoun agreement
Plural pronoun agreement means the pronoun must match a plural noun.
first-person plural pronoun
'We' is a first-person plural pronoun.
third-person plural pronoun
'They' is a third-person plural pronoun.

Synonyms and how they differ

Opposites

singular pronoun

Word family

singular pronoun noun
A pronoun that refers to one person or thing, like I, he, she, or it.
pronoun noun
A word that replaces a noun, such as I, you, he, she, it, we, or they.

Commonly confused: plural pronoun or plural noun?

plural pronoun vs plural noun

A plural noun names more than one thing (e.g., cats), while a plural pronoun replaces a plural noun (e.g., they).

Practice

Which sentence correctly uses a plural pronoun?

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