Pronouns use
Pronouns in this lesson are more advanced pronouns and structures: generic pronouns you / we / one / they, introductory it, the structure there + be, reflexive pronouns myself / yourself..., and reciprocal pronouns each other / one another.
They say it's unusual for a woman to be a soldier.
We must always ask ourselves, what is worth fighting for?
I blame myself for what happened.
It's been a long time since we have talked to each other.
There may be more worthy causes than you think.
Pronouns Form
1. Generic pronouns
Generic pronouns refer to people in general, not to one specific person. They help us make general statements.
| Form | Style / meaning | Example |
| you | the most common way to mean “any person” | When you get a pet, you accept responsibilities. |
| we | the speaker includes themselves and the listeners / society | As members of society, we should help each other. |
| one / one's | formal, often used in writing | In a foreign country, one may feel lost. |
| they | people in general, authorities/organisations, or a person whose gender is unknown or not important | They say it's dangerous to go out after dark. |
2. It and there
| Structure | When to use | Example |
| it | time, weather, temperature, distance | It's 5 o'clock. It's raining. It's 20 °C outside. |
| it + adjective + to V | introductory subject before an evaluation | It was very nice to talk to you again. |
| there + be | to say that something exists or is present somewhere | There is an airport outside of town. |
3. Reflexive pronouns
| Subject | Reflexive pronoun | Example |
| I | myself | I cut myself. |
| you singular | yourself | You should be proud of yourself. |
| he | himself | He went there by himself. |
| she | herself | She made dinner herself. |
| it | itself | The door opened by itself. |
| we | ourselves | We painted the house ourselves. |
| you plural | yourselves | Help yourselves to tea. |
| they | themselves | They introduced themselves. |
4. Reciprocal pronouns
| Form | Meaning | Example |
| each other | A does something to B, and B does something to A | They understand each other. |
| one another | almost the same, a little more formal | We don't see one another very often. |
| each other's / one another's | reciprocal possession | They know each other's secrets. |
Pronouns Rule
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Use you when talking about any person in everyday speech. It does not always mean the specific listener.
You have to be careful when you work with heavy machinery.
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One sounds more formal. If a possessive form is needed, use one's.
One must never forget about safety.
It is often hard to understand what occupies one's thoughts.
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They can mean “people say”, authorities/an organisation, or one person when the gender is unknown or not important.
They say it's dangerous to go out after dark.
I don't know who took my pen, but they had better give it back.
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Use it for time, weather, temperature, and distance. Here, it does not refer to one specific thing.
It's 100 metres to the station.
It's raining.
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Use there + be when you want to say that something exists, is present, or is located somewhere. Do not replace this structure with it is.
There is some chicken in the fridge.
There are two messages on your phone.
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Use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object are the same person or thing.
subject + verb + myself / yourself / himself / herself / itself / ourselves / yourselves / themselves
I cut myself dicing tomatoes.
Why are you talking to yourself?
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A reflexive pronoun can also emphasise that someone did the action alone or without help.
We painted the house ourselves.
She cooked the whole dinner herself.
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After most prepositions, you can use a reflexive pronoun if it refers back to the subject. But after prepositions of place and after with meaning “accompanied by”, we usually use an object pronoun.
✅ You should be proud of yourself.✅ I put my bag in front of me.✅ I'm taking my dog with me to France.
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Some verbs can be reflexive in other languages but normally do not need a reflexive pronoun in English: wash, shave, dress, relax, hurry, open.
My dad always shaves in the morning before he dresses.
Hurry up! We are late.
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With enjoy, you can use a reflexive pronoun if there is no other object after enjoy.
✅ Did you enjoy the party?✅ Did you enjoy yourself at the party?
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By + reflexive pronoun and on + possessive determiner + own mean “alone / independently / without help”.
I'm home all by myself.
Can you do this on your own?
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Each other and one another are used when an action is mutual: A does something to B, and B does the same to A.
Working in a team, it is important to understand each other.
John and Sally always enjoy one another's company.
Pronouns Questions
Questions depend on the structure: for existence, use Is there...? / Are there...?; with reflexive pronouns, use the normal question order; and each other is common in questions about mutual actions.
Is / Are there + noun + ...?
Did / Do / Does + subject + verb + reflexive pronoun?
Do / Did + plural subject + verb + each other?
A: Is there an airport outside of town?
B: Yes, there is.
A: Are there any seats in the room?
B: No, there aren't.
A: Did you enjoy yourself at the party?
B: Yes, I had a great time.
A: Do you live by yourself?
B: No, I live with my sister.
A: Do they know each other?
B: Yes, they work together.
Pronouns Common mistakes
The main mistakes are using it is instead of there is, adding unnecessary myself after ordinary state verbs, replacing object pronouns with reflexive pronouns after prepositions of place, and confusing themselves with each other.
❌ I feel myself unwell.
✅ I feel unwell.
❌ Are you hungry? It is some chicken in the fridge.
✅ Are you hungry? There is some chicken in the fridge.
❌ I put my bag in front of myself.
✅ I put my bag in front of me.
❌ I'm taking my dog with myself.
✅ I'm taking my dog with me.
❌ My dad always shaves himself before he dresses himself.
✅ My dad always shaves before he dresses.
❌ We looked at each other in the mirror. if each person looked at their own reflection
✅ We looked at ourselves in the mirror.
❌ We bought ourselves small gifts. if each person bought a gift for another person
✅ We bought each other small gifts.
❌ One must never forget about his safety.
✅ One must never forget about one's safety.
Pronouns Sentences
When you get a pet, you accept a set of responsibilities.
As human beings, we are responsible for our future.
One should be polite in a formal meeting.
They say this road is dangerous after dark.
It's five o'clock.
It's raining, and it's cold outside.
It was very nice to talk to you again.
There is an airport outside of town.
There are three books on the desk.
I cut myself while I was cooking.
You should be proud of yourself.
We painted the house ourselves.
I'm sorry, can you do this on your own?
Working in a team, it is important to understand each other.
John and Sally always enjoy one another's company.
Pronouns Examples
A: Why do people wear helmets here?
B: When you work with heavy machinery, you have to think about safety.
A: Is it far to the station?
B: No, it's about 100 metres from here.
A: Are you hungry?
B: Yes. Is there anything to eat?
A: There is some chicken in the fridge.
A: Did you hire painters?
B: No, we painted the house ourselves.
A: Do Jack and Mia know each other?
B: Yes, they are friends. They help each other after school.
My family left for the holidays, so I stayed home all by myself and cooked dinner on my own.
They say the exam is difficult, but if we help each other, we can prepare well.
