She called me. The subject does the action; the object receives it or follows a preposition.
← Grammar CentreGrammar foundations · Pronouns
English Pronouns: Subject, Object, Possessive and Reflexive Forms
See how the five main pronoun forms relate to one another, then practise choosing the right form in a sentence.
The complete relationship
One person, five related forms
A replaces a or noun phrase. Read across each row to see how the form changes.
On a phone, swipe across the table to see every form.
| Person | Who or what? | Subject does the action | Object receives the action | Possessive adjective before a noun | Possessive pronoun stands alone | Reflexive pronoun refers back |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SINGULAR — one person or thing | ||||||
| First person | the speaker | I | me | my | mine | myself |
| Second person | the person spoken to | you | you | your | yours | yourself |
| Third person | a male person | he | him | his | his | himself |
| Third person | a female person | she | her | her | hers | herself |
| Third person | a thing or animal | it | it | its | — | itself |
| PLURAL — more than one person or thing | ||||||
| First person | the speaker and others | we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| Second person | the people spoken to | you | you | your | yours | yourselves |
| Third person | other people or things | they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
This is my book. The book is mine. A possessive adjective needs a noun; a possessive pronoun stands alone.
She taught herself. Use the reflexive form when the subject and object refer to the same person or thing.
Important: its shows possession. It's means it is or it has. English normally has no independent possessive pronoun for it, so that table cell uses a dash.
Practise one relationship at a time
Build control in three short levels
Start with two related forms. When those choices feel clear, test all five pronoun groups together.
1
10 questionsSubject or object?
Choose who does the action and who receives it.
Immediate feedback and explanations
2
10 questionsPossessive forms
Decide whether the possessive word comes before a noun or replaces it.
Immediate feedback and explanations
3
10 questionsReflexive pronouns
Use a reflexive form when the subject and object refer to the same person or thing.
Immediate feedback and explanations
4
20 mixed questionsPronouns diagnostic
Choose from four plausible forms without being told which pronoun rule the sentence is testing.
All five columns together