The Replacements
Emma is kind — she helps everyone. Pronouns swap in for names so you never repeat them: I, me, my, mine, myself. One word, four jobs.
What are Pronouns?
Small words, big job
A pronoun replaces a noun so you do not repeat it: Emma becomes she, the bike becomes it. English has one set for every position in the sentence.
Instead of a name
say it once, then swapEmma is kind. She helps everyone
Subject pronouns
who does the actionHe likes tea
Object pronouns
who receives the actionI see him every day
Possessive pronouns
mine, yours — no noun neededThis book is mine
⚠️ Emma → she. The noun appears once; the pronoun does the rest.
Four Sets, One Family
Same person, four hats
Each person wears four costumes: who does it (I), who gets it (me), whose it is (my/mine), and who does it to themselves (myself). Read the table row by row.
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my / mine | myself |
| You | you | your / yours | yourself |
| He | him | his / his | himself |
| She | her | her / hers | herself |
| It | it | its / — | itself |
| We | us | our / ours | ourselves |
| They | them | their / theirs | themselves |
Common Mistakes
Five traps to escape
The biggest trap is mixing the sets: I in the subject spot, me in the object spot, and the reflexive for the same person. Here is the way out.
Me and Tom went home.
Tom and I went home.
💡 The subject uses I — and I goes last: Tom and I.
I like she.
I like her.
💡 After the verb, use the object form: her.
This is she book.
This is her book.
💡 Before a noun, use her, not she: her book.
She enjoyed himself.
She enjoyed herself.
💡 Reflexives match the subject: she → herself.
Give it to I.
Give it to me.
💡 After to, use the object form: me.
Quick Quiz
Test what you just learned
Three minutes, five questions — check what stuck. No essay questions, we promise.
___ am twelve years old.
💡 Extra info2 sections
Possessive Pairs
my book vs the book is mine
Two shapes for the same idea: my, your, her sit before a noun; mine, yours, hers stand alone. Match each pair and feel the rhythm.
⚠️ Before a noun → my. Alone → mine. His is lucky: it never changes.
Quick Reference
Where each set lives
Pin the sets to their spots: subject before the verb, object after it, reflexive when the person does the action to themselves. A pocket card for your head.