Meaning & use
pronouns
Last updated
“pronouns” is a form of “pronoun”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluraltechnical
Words such as he, she, it or they that stand in for nouns or noun phrases so you need not repeat them.
Grammar: Plural of pronoun: personal pronouns, relative pronouns.
Patterns
- use pronouns instead of nouns
- pronouns like he and she
In the sentence 'Maria forgot her bag', the word 'her' is one of the pronouns.
Pronouns help avoid repeating the same name again and again.
Students learn subject pronouns before object pronouns.
nounplural
The words a person asks others to use when referring to them, such as she, he or they.
Grammar: Often used with share or state: share your pronouns.
Patterns
- share your pronouns
- respect someone's pronouns
New team members were invited to share their pronouns when they introduced themselves.
He listed his pronouns in his email signature.
Word forms
| singular | pronoun |
|---|
Common combinations
- personal pronouns
- I, you and we are personal pronouns.
- relative pronouns
- Who and which are relative pronouns.
- subject pronouns
- Use subject pronouns before the verb.
- possessive pronouns
- Mine and yours are possessive pronouns.
- share pronouns
- Participants shared their pronouns at the start.
- gender-neutral pronouns
- Some writers use gender-neutral pronouns.
Synonyms and how they differ
- proforms
- Proforms is a technical linguistic term that includes pronouns plus words like 'there' that replace other parts of speech.
- substitutes
- Substitutes is a general word for replacements and is not a grammar term.
- determiners
- Determiners such as 'the' and 'my' come before a noun, whereas pronouns stand in place of one.
Word family
- pronoun noun
- singular form
- pronominal adjective
- relating to pronouns
- noun noun
- a word naming a person, place or thing
- antecedent noun
- the noun a pronoun refers back to
Commonly confused: pronouns or nouns? pronouns or pronunciation?
pronouns vs nouns
Nouns name things; pronouns replace nouns.
pronouns vs pronunciation
Pronunciation is how a word is said; pronouns is a grammar category.
Practice
In the sentence 'She gave it to him', the words 'she', 'it' and 'him' are all ____ .
Choose one answer.
These words stand in for nouns, so they are pronouns. Verbs name actions, adjectives describe nouns and adverbs describe actions or qualities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pronouns”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.