What are 20 examples of pronouns in a sentence?

The grid on this page numbers them 1 to 20. They run from personal subject and object forms (We wheeled the cello. A porter took it from us.) through possessives (That mute is mine.), reflexives (He taught himself.), demonstratives (This is heavier than it looks.), relatives (the curator who met us), indefinites (Someone left a pencil.), and reciprocals (The two soloists nodded at each other.).

What is the difference between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun?

A possessive adjective needs a noun: my mute, her case, their seats. A possessive pronoun stands alone: mine, hers, theirs. That mute is mine means that mute is my mute. His is the one form that looks the same in both jobs, so you tell them apart by whether a noun follows.

When do I use myself instead of me?

Use myself when the subject and the object are the same person (I booked myself a seat) or for emphasis (I booked the seats myself). After a verb with a different subject, me is right: The conductor asked me. The conductor asked myself is a common overcorrection.

What is the difference between each other and themselves?

Each other (and one another) means A acts on B and B acts on A: The two soloists nodded at each other. Themselves loops the action back to the same people as a group, or adds emphasis: The players set the chairs out themselves. Swap them and the meaning changes.

Is they a plural pronoun only?

They is the plural for a named group, and it is also the usual pronoun when a singular person's gender is unknown or unspecified: Someone left a pencil, and they also left a mute. In that sentence someone is grammatically singular and they is still the natural follow-up in modern English.

English grammar · Beginner

20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence: Type by Type

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

A pronoun stands in for a noun that the listener can already identify: a person, a thing, a possessor, or an amount. The twenty numbered sentences below walk through the main types, one job at a time. Read the note under each sentence to see which pronoun is working and what it is replacing.

1. We wheeled the cello onto the platform, and a porter took it from us.

we and us are personal pronouns; it stands in for the cello

What it is

Pronouns keep English from repeating the same noun in every clause. Once a cello, a curator, or a pair of tickets is in the conversation, you switch to it, she, they, mine, herself, these, or someone. Each type has a small closed list of forms. The listicle below gives five personal, five possessive or reflexive, five demonstrative or relative, and five indefinite or reciprocal examples, numbered 1 to 20.

The curator met the soloist, and she gave her a spare string. (she and her avoid repeating both names; who is who depends on the verb's direction)

How to spot it

A pronoun is a word that can take the place of a noun phrase and still leave a grammatical sentence. If you can put the cello, the curator, or those tickets back in and the meaning holds, you have found the pronoun.

The spare string is hers. (hers is a possessive pronoun standing for her string)
The soloist tuned it herself. (it is personal; herself is reflexive and emphatic)
These are for the front row. (these is a demonstrative pronoun for tickets in hand)
Someone left a mute on the stand. (someone is an indefinite pronoun, identity unknown)

My, your, and their are possessive adjectives, not pronouns, because a noun must follow them (my mute). Mine, yours, and theirs are the pronoun forms and stand alone.

20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence Quick Reference

The types covered in the twenty sentences

Type	Forms you will see	Sentence numbers
Personal, subject	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	1, 2
Personal, object	me, you, him, her, it, us, them	3, 4, 5
Possessive pronoun	mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs	6, 7, 8
Reflexive	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves	9, 10
Demonstrative	this, that, these, those	11, 12
Relative	who, which, that, whose	13, 14, 15
Indefinite	someone, anyone, nothing, each, both	16, 17, 18
Reciprocal	each other, one another	19, 20

Common 20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence Examples in English

Twenty numbered sentences, five in each group. The note names the pronoun and the job it is doing:

Personal Pronouns

1. We wheeled the cello onto the platform.: we is a subject pronoun for a group that includes the speaker
2. She nods once when the tuning is right.: she is a subject pronoun for a woman already identified
3. A porter took it from us at the barrier.: it replaces the cello; us is the object form of we
4. The conductor asked him to sit one chair in.: him is an object pronoun, the person who receives the request
5. Send the extra parts to them before Friday.: them is an object pronoun after a preposition of destination

Subject forms go before the verb in statements (we wheeled, she nods). Object forms follow a verb or a preposition (took it, from us, to them).

Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns

6. That mute is mine, not the orchestra's.: mine stands for my mute and needs no noun after it
7. Hers arrived in a harder case than ours.: hers and ours both replace a possessive plus a noun
8. If the stand is free, it is yours for the rehearsal.: yours is a possessive pronoun used as a complement
9. He taught himself the inner parts over the winter.: himself is reflexive: teacher and learner are the same person
10. The players set the chairs out themselves.: themselves is emphatic: they did it in person, with no crew

Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe (not her's, not your's). Reflexives end in -self or -selves and must match the subject.

Demonstrative and Relative Pronouns

11. This is heavier than it looks.: this is a demonstrative pronoun for something near the speaker
12. Those were the last two seats in the gallery.: those is a demonstrative pronoun for things further away, plural
13. The curator who met us at the door had the key.: who is a relative pronoun for a person, subject of met
14. The crate which leaked is already downstairs.: which is a relative pronoun for a thing
15. The player whose string snapped borrowed mine.: whose is a relative pronoun marking possession

This and these are near; that and those are further. Who, which, that, and whose introduce a clause that identifies a noun already in the sentence.

Indefinite and Reciprocal Pronouns

16. Someone left a pencil on the stand.: someone is an indefinite pronoun: a person, identity unknown
17. Nothing in the case survived the leak.: nothing is an indefinite pronoun for zero things
18. Each of the stands needs a felt pad.: each is an indefinite pronoun meaning every one separately
19. The two soloists nodded at each other.: each other is reciprocal: A to B and B to A, two people
20. The section pass the parts to one another without looking.: one another is reciprocal inside a larger group

Indefinite pronouns do not point at a named person or thing. Reciprocal pronouns come in a pair: each other (often two) and one another (often more than two), and both are fine in modern use.

How These Pronouns Work

Three compact rules that cover the twenty sentences.

Match Person, Number, and Job

A personal pronoun has to match who is speaking (I, we), who is spoken to (you), or who is spoken about (he, she, it, they), and it has to match singular or plural. It also has to match the job: subject form before the verb, object form after a verb or preposition. Mixing I and me is the usual error in coordinated subjects: The curator and I, not me and the curator as a subject.

The curator and I wheeled it onto the platform.

subject form I, coordinated with the curator; it is an object

Who, how many, and what job.

Possessive Pronouns Stand Alone; Reflexives Loop Back

Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs replace a possessive plus a noun, so nothing follows them. Reflexive forms loop the action back to the subject (he taught himself) or add emphasis (they set the chairs out themselves). A reflexive that does not match the subject is wrong: He taught herself cannot stand.

Hers arrived first; he unpacked it himself.

hers replaces her case; himself matches he

Mine stands alone. -self matches the subject.

Pointing, Identifying, and Leaving Names Out

Demonstratives point (this, those). Relatives identify a noun with a following clause (the curator who met us). Indefinites refuse to name (someone, nothing, each). Reciprocals split an action across a group (each other). You choose among those four when the noun is known by pointing, by a clause, by a lack of identity, or by mutual action.

Someone whose case leaked borrowed this.

someone is indefinite, whose is relative, this is demonstrative

Point, identify, or keep the name open.

Common Mistakes with 20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence

Incorrect: Me and the curator wheeled the cello in.

Correct: The curator and I wheeled the cello in.

The pronoun is part of the subject, so it needs the subject form I. Me belongs after a verb or preposition. Putting the other person first is also the polite order.

Incorrect: That mute is her's.

Correct: That mute is hers.

Hers is already the possessive form, so an apostrophe is never added. Yours, ours, and theirs work the same way. Her's is not a word.

Incorrect: He taught herself the inner parts.

Correct: He taught himself the inner parts.

A reflexive has to match its subject in person and gender. He takes himself. Herself would need she as the subject.

Incorrect: The two soloists nodded at themselves.

Correct: The two soloists nodded at each other.

Themselves would mean each soloist nodded at her or his own body. Mutual action between two people wants each other (or one another).

Quick Check: 20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence

Replace the underlined noun idea with a pronoun, or choose the right form.

1. A porter took the cello from ___ (we).

Answer: us

object form after a preposition

2. That mute is ___ (my mute).

Answer: mine

possessive pronoun, no noun after it

3. The players set the chairs out ___ (emphatic).

Answer: themselves

reflexive matching they

4. ___ left a pencil on the stand. (unknown person)

Answer: Someone

indefinite pronoun

5. The two soloists nodded at ___ . (mutual)

Answer: each other

reciprocal, typically two people

20 Examples of Pronouns in a Sentence FAQs

What are 20 examples of pronouns in a sentence?: The grid on this page numbers them 1 to 20. They run from personal subject and object forms (We wheeled the cello. A porter took it from us.) through possessives (That mute is mine.), reflexives (He taught himself.), demonstratives (This is heavier than it looks.), relatives (the curator who met us), indefinites (Someone left a pencil.), and reciprocals (The two soloists nodded at each other.).
What is the difference between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun?: A possessive adjective needs a noun: my mute, her case, their seats. A possessive pronoun stands alone: mine, hers, theirs. That mute is mine means that mute is my mute. His is the one form that looks the same in both jobs, so you tell them apart by whether a noun follows.
When do I use myself instead of me?: Use myself when the subject and the object are the same person (I booked myself a seat) or for emphasis (I booked the seats myself). After a verb with a different subject, me is right: The conductor asked me. The conductor asked myself is a common overcorrection.
What is the difference between each other and themselves?: Each other (and one another) means A acts on B and B acts on A: The two soloists nodded at each other. Themselves loops the action back to the same people as a group, or adds emphasis: The players set the chairs out themselves. Swap them and the meaning changes.
Is they a plural pronoun only?: They is the plural for a named group, and it is also the usual pronoun when a singular person's gender is unknown or unspecified: Someone left a pencil, and they also left a mute. In that sentence someone is grammatically singular and they is still the natural follow-up in modern English.