6.5 – Pronouns
Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate an understanding of sentence structure fundamentals, grammatical clarity, and mechanical correctness.
- Identify subjects and predicates.
- Recognize independent and dependent grammatical elements.
- Write sentences that are structurally sound, grammatically clear, and mechanically correct.
- Identify pronouns and their antecedents.
- Use pronouns and their antecedents correctly.
If there were no pronouns, all types of writing would be quite tedious to read. We would soon be frustrated by reading sentences like Bob said that Bob was tired or Christina told the class that Christina received an A. Pronouns help a writer avoid constant repetition. Knowing just how pronouns work is an important aspect of clear and concise writing.
Pronoun Agreement
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of (or refers back to) a noun or another pronoun. The word or words a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent of the pronoun.
1. Lani complained that she was exhausted.
- She refers to Lani.
- Lani is the antecedent of she.
2. The potted plant drooped because it was overwatered.
- It refers to the potted plant
- The potted plant is the antecedent of it.
3. Crina and Rosalie have been best friends ever since they were freshman in high school.
- They refers to Crina and Rosalie.
- Crina and Rosalie is the antecedent of they.
Pronoun agreement errors occur when the pronoun and the antecedent do not match or agree with each other. There are several types of pronoun agreement.
Agreement in Number
If the pronoun takes the place of or refers to a singular noun, the pronoun must also be singular.
Correct: When a dog (sing.) feels threatened, it (sing.) might bite.
Correct: When dogs (plur.) feels threatened, they (sing.) might bite.
Agreement in Person
| Person | Singular Pronouns | Plural Pronouns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person | I | me | my (mine) | we | us | our (ours) |
| Second Person | you | you | your (yours) | you | you | your (your) |
| Third Person | he, she, it, they | him, her, it, them | his, her, its, theirs | they | them | their (theirs) |
If you use a consistent person, your reader is less likely to be confused.
Correct: When a satellite (3rd person singular) stops working, it (3rd person singular) becomes space junk.
Correct: When satellites (3rd person plural) stop working, they (3rd person plural) become space junk.
Exercise 1
Edit the following paragraph by correcting pronoun agreement errors in number and person.
Inclusive Language & The Singular “They”
If you were learning English grammar in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries (the 1700s or the 1800s), you would have been taught that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent. In plain English: a pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun—it needs to match that noun in some important ways. This rule leads to the following sorts of examples:
- CORRECT: The box is heavy, so it will break the table.
- “It” agrees with “box” in that it is singular in number—there is ONE box—and it stands in for things, like boxes but not people.
- CORRECT: Students must bring their books to class.
- “Their” agrees with “students” in that there is more than one student and they/their/them stands in for people.
- CORRECT: Thomas doesn’t like to read; he prefers to play cricket.
- “He” agrees with “Thomas” in that it is singular in number and gender. Thomas is traditionally a male name, and he is a pronoun for male people.
So far, so good. But what if you want to refer to one person in a group that includes both men and women and some non-binary people?
According to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century rules, you would be given the following examples:
- ERROR: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry their wit and imagination.
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry his wit and imagination.
- ERROR: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry her wit and imagination.
The logic behind these examples is that “each writer” is singular (one writer), so “their” is a mistake because it doesn’t agree in number. But what’s wrong with “her”? After all, there were male and female poets in the 1600s and 1700s. Had you asked this question, a teacher might have patiently explained to you that the male singular pronoun (he/his) is universal—it can stand in for a singular male person (like Thomas) or for a generic, neutral human being who might happen to be male or female. The female singular pronoun can’t do the same thing. Popular thinking at the time was that gender doesn’t matter when it comes to pronouns in the same way it does in relation to people. “He” can stand in for any person.
By the twentieth century, feminists had persuaded a lot of people that it is problematic to see the male pronoun as “universal.” If it’s okay to have a singular pronoun stand in for any example of a person, some asked, why does it need to always and only be the male pronoun? Doesn’t this sort of language suggest to women that they don’t really count (much in the same way that terms like “fireman” or “chairman” imply that the jobs we now more commonly refer to as “firefighter” or “chair” are only for men)? In their efforts to create more gender-inclusive (sometimes also called gender-neutral) language, they offered the following alternatives:
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry his or her wit and imagination.
- Adding “or her” makes the sentence more gender-inclusive, and both “his” and “her” are singular, just like “Each writer.”
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry his/her wit and imagination.
- The slash in “his/her” here stands in for “or” and thus conveys the same meaning as the previous example—but in a more concise way.
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry her/his wit and imagination.
- The slash in “her/his” here stands in for “or” and has the same significance as in the previous example—but putting “her” first implies that the male pronoun doesn’t always need to take precedence, much less be seen as universal.
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry her wit and imagination.
- Here the pronoun matches the referent in number; both are singular. And if the “gender” of a pronoun doesn’t really matter, then why not use “her”?
- CORRECT: All writers must bring to the act of writing poetry their wit and imagination.
- An easy easy way to make English sentences more gender-inclusive is to revise to make the nouns being referred to plural—that way, one can use “they/their”: a pronoun that is not only plural but also doesn’t indicate gender. A group of men, a group of women, or a group of men and women can all be referred to as “they.”
For most readers, gender-biased language (such as referring to all people as “he”) seems odd, maybe even wrong. But there may still be some debates about which of the “correct” options above is best—some find “his or her” unnecessarily wordy while others find “his/her” awkward.
And in the past twenty years or so, truly gender-neutral singular pronouns have been suggested as a way of allowing writers and speakers to refer to an individual person whose gender is not known or who identifies as non-binary. You might see or hear the following:
- Ze, xe, se, ey, vey, ver, tey, e, ou (instead of he or she)
- Zim, xem, sie, em, ver, ter, eir, hir (instead of him or her)
The development that seems most likely to stick is the use of the existing pronoun “they” as a gender-neutral singular. This change means seeing the following examples as correct:
- CORRECT: Each writer must bring to the act of writing poetry their wit and imagination.
- CORRECT: When a student writes a successful essay, the instructor will ask them to submit this piece of work for the annual writing award.
- CORRECT: A scientist can get into trouble by being too sure of what they can do alone.
- CORRECT: My friend Blake takes their schoolwork very seriously.
In all of these cases, the pronoun “they” (or variations on it like “their” and “them”) refers back to a person (singular) whose gender is unknown and/or to a person who identifies as non-binary. Depending on your reading experiences, these sentences might seem unremarkable, strange, or even examples of grammatical errors.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns suggest more than one person but are usually considered singular. Look over the following examples of collective nouns.
| Common Collective Nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
| audience | faculty | public |
| band | family | school |
| class | government | society |
| committee | group | team |
| company | jury | tribe |
Incorrect: Lara’s company (sing.) will have their (plur.) annual picnic next week.
Correct: Lara’s company (sing.) will have its (sing.) annual picnic next week.
Exercise 2
Complete the following sentences by selecting the correct pronoun. Copy the completed sentence onto your own sheet of paper. Then circle the noun the pronoun replaces.
- In the current economy, nobody wants to waste ________ money on frivolous things.
- If anybody chooses to go to medical school, ________ must be prepared to work long hours.
- The plumbing crew did ________ best to repair the broken pipes before the next ice storm.
- If someone is rude to you, try giving ________ a smile in return.
- My family has ________ faults, but I still love them no matter what.
- The school of education plans to train ________ students to be literacy tutors.
- The commencement speaker said that each student has a responsibility toward ________.
- My mother’s singing group has ________ rehearsals on Thursday evenings.
- No one should suffer ________ pains alone.
- I thought the flock of birds lost ________ way in the storm.
Subject and Object Pronouns
Subject pronouns function as subjects in a sentence. Object pronouns function as the object of a verb or of a preposition.
| Singular Pronouns | Plural Pronouns | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Subject | Object |
| I | me | we | us |
| you | you | you | you |
| he, she, they, it | him, her, them, it | they | them |
The following sentences show pronouns as subjects:
- She loves the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall.
- Every summer, they picked up litter from national parks.
The following sentences show pronouns as objects:
- Marie leaned over and kissed him.
- Jane moved it to the corner.
Tip
Note that a pronoun can also be the object of a preposition.
Near them, the children played.
My mother stood between us.
The pronouns us and them are objects of the prepositions near and between. They answer the questions near whom? And between whom?
Compound subject pronouns are two or more pronouns joined by a conjunction or a preposition that function as the subject of the sentence.
The following sentences show pronouns with compound subjects:
Incorrect: Me and Harriet visited the Rocky Mountains last summer.
Correct: Harriet and I visited the Rocky Mountains last summer.
Correct: Jenna accompanied Harriet and me on our trip.
Tip
Note that object pronouns are never used in the subject position. One way to remember this rule is to remove the other subject in a compound subject, leave only the pronoun, and see whether the sentence makes sense. For example, Me visited the Rocky Mountains last summer sounds immediately incorrect.
Compound object pronouns are two or more pronouns joined by a conjunction or a preposition that function as the object of the sentence.
Incorrect: I have a good feeling about Janice and I.
Correct: I have a good feeling about Janice and me.
Tip
It is correct to write Janice and me, as opposed to me and Janice. Just remember it is more polite to refer to yourself last.
Writing at Work
In casual conversation, people sometimes mix up subject and object pronouns. For instance, you might say, “Me and Donnie went to a movie last night.” However, when you are writing or speaking at work or in any other formal situation, you need to remember the distinctions between subject and object pronouns and be able to correct yourself. These subtle grammar corrections will enhance your professional image and reputation.
Exercise 3
Revise the following sentences in which the subject and object pronouns are used incorrectly. Copy the revised sentence onto your own sheet of paper. Write a C for each sentence that is correct.
- Meera and me enjoy doing yoga together on Sundays.
- She and him have decided to sell their house.
- Between you and I, I do not think Jeffrey will win the election.
- Us and our friends have game night the first Thursday of every month.
- They and I met while on vacation in Mexico.
- Napping on the beach never gets boring for Alice and I.
- New Year’s Eve is not a good time for she and I to have a serious talk.
- You exercise much more often than me.
- I am going to the comedy club with Yolanda and she.
- The cooking instructor taught her and me a lot.
Who versus Whom
Who or whoever is always the subject of a verb. Use who or whoever when the pronoun performs the action indicated by the verb.
Who won the marathon last Tuesday?
I wonder who came up with that terrible idea!
On the other hand, whom and whomever serve as objects. They are used when the pronoun does not perform an action. Use whom or whomever when the pronoun is the direct object of a verb or the object of a preposition.
Whom did Frank marry the third time? (direct object of verb)
From whom did you buy that old record player? (object of preposition)
Tip
If you are having trouble deciding when to use who and whom, try this trick. Take the following sentence:
Who/Whom do I consider my best friend?
Reorder the sentence in your head, using either he or him in place of who or whom.
I consider him my best friend.
I consider he my best friend.
Which sentence sounds better? The first one, of course. So the trick is, if you can use him, you should use whom.
Exercise 4
Complete the following sentences by adding who or whom. Copy the completed sentence onto your own sheet of paper.
- ________ hit the home run?
- I remember ________ won the Academy Award for Best Actor last year.
- To ________ is the letter addressed?
- I have no idea ________ left the iron on, but I am going to find out.
- ________ are you going to recommend for the internship?
- With ________ are you going to Hawaii?
- No one knew ________ the famous actor was.
- ________ in the office knows how to fix the copy machine?
- From ________ did you get the concert tickets?
- No one knew ________ ate the cake mom was saving.
Key Takeaways
- Pronouns and their antecedents need to agree in number and person.
- The Singular “They” is widely accepted.
- Collective nouns are usually singular.
- Pronouns can function as subjects or objects.
- Subject pronouns are never used as objects, and object pronouns are never used as subjects.
- Who serves as a subject of a verb.
- Whom serves as an object of a sentence or the object of a preposition.
Writing Application
Write about what makes an ideal marriage or long-term relationship. Provide specific details to back up your assertions. After you have written a few paragraphs, go back and proofread your paper for correct pronoun usage.
Attributions & References
Inclusive Language & The Singular “They” is from “5.6 Inclusive Grammar “Rules”” In Why Write? A Guide for Students in Canada by Academic Writing Program, University of Victoria is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “2.5 Pronouns” In Writing for Success by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, licensed under CC BY-NC- 4.0. / Minor updates for accessibility.
