Meaning & use
plural pronoun
Last updated
Meanings
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.
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
| plural | plural 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
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?
Choose one answer.
'They' is a plural pronoun, so it fits 'They are going...'. The other options use singular pronouns (she, he, it) and would take 'is'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plural pronoun”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.