Everything you need to use pronouns correctly in English, subject, object, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative and relative pronouns, common mistakes and exam practice.
📖 Reading time: ~16 minutes✅ Reviewed by a CELTA-qualified teacher🎯 Covers A1 to B2
A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun so we don't have to repeat it. Instead of saying "Maria loves Maria's job because Maria's job is creative," we say "Maria loves her job because it's creative." Pronouns are one of the most frequently used word classes in English, a typical sentence uses several without you even noticing.
English has several different pronoun systems working together: subject, object, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative and relative. Each has a clear job, and mixing them up is one of the most common, and most noticeable, errors learners make, even at advanced levels.
2. Quick Summary
⚡ Pronouns at a Glance
DefinitionA word that replaces a noun to avoid repetition.
Main TypesSubject, object, possessive, reflexive, demonstrative, relative
Example"Tom lost his keys, so he looked for them himself."
Common Mistake"Me and him went" instead of "He and I went"
Memory TipSubject pronouns do the action; object pronouns receive it.
3. Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns perform the action of the verb, they come before the verb.
Subject Pronoun
Example
I
I work in London.
You
You speak French.
He / She / It
He plays tennis. She is a doctor. It rains a lot here.
We
We live together.
They
They arrived yesterday.
4. Object Pronouns
Object pronouns receive the action, they come after the verb or after a preposition.
Subject
Object
Example
I
me
She called me.
you
you
I saw you yesterday.
he
him
We invited him.
she
her
They helped her.
it
it
I bought it.
we
us
She told us the news.
they
them
He met them at the airport.
⚠️
The "me and him" trap
A very common error is using object pronouns as the subject: "Me and him went to the shop." The correct form is "He and I went to the shop." A quick test: remove the other person and check if it still sounds right alone, "Me went" sounds wrong immediately, revealing the error.
5. Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns
These two are often confused. A possessive adjective comes before a noun ("my book"). A possessive pronoun replaces the noun entirely ("This book is mine").
Subject
Possessive Adjective (+ noun)
Possessive Pronoun (no noun)
I
my book
This is mine.
you
your book
This is yours.
he
his book
This is his.
she
her book
This is hers.
it
its cover
,
we
our book
This is ours.
they
their book
This is theirs.
💡
its vs it's
"Its" (no apostrophe) is the possessive adjective: "The dog wagged its tail." "It's" (with apostrophe) is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has": "It's raining." This is one of the most common written errors even among native speakers.
6. Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same person or thing.
Subject
Reflexive Pronoun
Example
I
myself
I taught myself to cook.
you (singular)
yourself
Did you hurt yourself?
he
himself
He blamed himself.
she
herself
She made it herself.
it
itself
The cat cleaned itself.
we
ourselves
We enjoyed ourselves.
you (plural)
yourselves
Help yourselves to food.
they
themselves
They introduced themselves.
Reflexive pronouns are also used for emphasis: "I made this cake myself" (nobody else helped).
7. Demonstrative Pronouns
Pronoun
Use
Example
this
Singular, near
This is my favourite song.
that
Singular, far
That looks expensive.
these
Plural, near
These are my keys.
those
Plural, far
Those belong to my sister.
8. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns introduce a clause that gives more information about a noun.
Pronoun
Used For
Example
who
People (subject)
The woman who called is my sister.
whom
People (object, formal)
The man whom I met was very kind.
which
Things, animals
The film which we watched was great.
that
People or things (informal)
The book that I bought is excellent.
whose
Possession
That's the man whose car was stolen.
9. Common Mistakes
❌ Incorrect
✅ Correct
Why
Me and him went to the park.
He and I went to the park.
Subject pronouns, not object pronouns, are needed before the verb.
This is my's book.
This book is mine.
"Mine" already means "my one", never add 's to a possessive pronoun.
The dog wagged it's tail.
The dog wagged its tail.
"Its" (possessive) never has an apostrophe.
I hurt me at the gym.
I hurt myself at the gym.
When subject and object are the same person, use a reflexive pronoun.
Give the book to I.
Give the book to me.
After a preposition, always use an object pronoun.
10. Exercises
A. Gap Fill, Complete with the correct pronoun (15 questions)
1. ___ (I) is my brother's car. (subject pronoun)
2. Can you help ___ (I)? (object pronoun)
3. Is this bag ___ (you)? (possessive pronoun)
4. The children hurt ___ (they) playing football. (reflexive)
5. ___ (this/that) is the book I told you about. (near)
6. The woman ___ called earlier is my aunt. (relative, subject, person)
7. This is ___ (I) car, not ___ (you). (possessive adjective, possessive pronoun)
8. He did all the work by ___ (he). (reflexive, emphasis)
9. The keys are on the table, they're ___ (I). (possessive pronoun)
10. ___ (she) is a wonderful teacher. (subject pronoun)
11. I gave the present to ___ (he). (object pronoun)
12. The dog licked ___ (it) paw. (possessive adjective)
13. That's the man ___ car was stolen. (relative, possession)
14. We enjoyed ___ (we) at the party. (reflexive)
15. ___ (they) house is bigger than ___ (we). (possessive adjective, possessive pronoun)
Show Answers (A)
1. He/She 2. me 3. yours 4. themselves 5. This/That 6. who 7. my, yours 8. himself 9. mine 10. She 11. him 12. its 13. whose 14. ourselves 15. Their, ours
B. Multiple Choice (15 questions)
1. ___ went to the cinema together. (a) Me and her (b) She and I
2. This umbrella is ___. (a) my (b) mine
3. The cat cleaned ___ (a) it (b) itself
4. Can you pass the salt to ___? (a) I (b) me
5. ___ is my favourite restaurant. (a) This (b) These
6. The man ___ lives next door is friendly. (a) who (b) which
7. The car is ___. (a) their (b) theirs
8. I taught ___ to play guitar. (a) me (b) myself
9. ___ shoes are these? (a) Who's (b) Whose
10. Give it to ___. (a) they (b) them
11. ___ house is bigger than ours. (a) Their (b) Theirs
12. The dog wagged ___ tail. (a) it's (b) its
13. That's the woman ___ book won an award. (a) who (b) whose
14. ___ helped us move the sofa. (a) Him (b) He
15. This is ___ problem, not yours. (a) my (b) mine
1. He and I are best friends. 2. This is my phone. 3. The cat hurt itself on the fence. 4. Give the letter to me. 5. This book is more interesting than yours. 6. She did the project by herself. 7. The dog chased its tail. 8. That's the man whose car is red. 9. We went to the concert. 10. This pen is yours. 11. They introduced themselves at the meeting. 12. The woman who called is my colleague. 13. He and I are going shopping. 14. I bought myself a present, it was fun.
D. Freer Practice, Write Your Own Sentences (5 tasks)
1. Write a sentence about yourself using a reflexive pronoun.
2. Write a sentence comparing two possessions, using a possessive pronoun.
3. Write a sentence describing a person using a relative pronoun (who/whose/that).
4. Write a sentence using both a subject and an object pronoun correctly.
5. Write a sentence using 'this' or 'that' to describe something on your desk right now.
Show Answers (D)
Model answers will vary. Examples: 1. "I taught myself to swim when I was eight." 2. "My car is faster than hers." 3. "That's the colleague who helped me last week." 4. "She called me yesterday evening." 5. "This is the notebook I use every day."
11. Mini Quiz
12. Exam Focus, Cambridge, IELTS, SELT
Exam
How Pronouns Are Tested
Sample Question
Cambridge A2 Key / B1 Preliminary
Subject/object/possessive choice in Reading and Use of English.
"This is ___ (I) book." (my)
Cambridge B2 First
Relative pronoun accuracy in key word transformations and complex sentences.
"The woman ___ called is my manager." (who)
IELTS Writing & Speaking
Correct pronoun reference is essential for coherence and cohesion scoring.
Avoiding repetition by referring back to a previously mentioned noun accurately.
Trinity GESE/ISE (SELT)
Natural, accurate pronoun use throughout personal conversation.
Describing family members and correctly using his/her/their.
13. Frequently Asked Questions
A word that replaces a noun to avoid repeating it, such as he, she, it, they, mine or myself.
Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) perform the action; object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) receive it.
'My' is a possessive adjective used before a noun (my book); 'mine' is a possessive pronoun used alone, without a noun (this book is mine).
'Its' (no apostrophe) shows possession; 'it's' (with apostrophe) is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'
When the subject and object of the sentence are the same person, such as 'I hurt myself,' or for emphasis, 'I did it myself.'
'This' refers to something near the speaker; 'that' refers to something further away.
'Who' is used for the subject of a relative clause; 'whom' is used for the object, though it's increasingly rare in everyday spoken English.
No, it should be 'He and I went.' Subject pronouns, not object pronouns, are needed before a verb.
Yes, informally, for people: 'The man that called' is common in speech, though 'who' is considered more correct in formal writing.
Yes, accurate, natural pronoun use throughout a conversation (especially describing other people) is a key fluency marker in Trinity GESE/ISE speaking tests.
Describe your family and friends out loud, making sure every 'he,' 'she,' 'his,' 'her' and 'their' is accurate, then book a free consultation for personalised speaking practice.
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