Third-Person Pronouns | List & Examples

Published on October 8, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

Third-person pronouns refer to other nouns, which can be people (e.g., “she,” “he,” and “they”) as well as places, ideas, or objects (e.g., “it” or “they”).

Like first-person pronouns and second-person pronouns, third-person pronouns can be singular or plural, and there are four types—subject, object, possessive, and reflexive.

English third-person pronouns list
Subject Object Possessive Reflexive
Singular he, she, it him, her, it his, hers, its himself, herself, itself
Singular or plural they them theirs themselves, themself,
Plural they them theirs themselves

The pronouns “they,” “them,” “theirs,” and “themselves” can be singular or plural depending on who or what they represent.

  • The singular “they” pronouns refer to a nonbinary person or a hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant or unknown.
  • As plurals, the forms of “they” refer to two or more people or objects.

Continue reading: Third-Person Pronouns | List & Examples

Good Luck | Synonyms, Meanings & Examples

Published on October 8, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on September 3, 2025

Saying good luck is a common way to encourage a friend, colleague, or loved one before a big or small endeavor. You might say “good luck” before a competition, presentation, test, or job interview, but it works for ordinary situations, too.

“Good luck” can be used by itself (e.g., “Good luck!”) or in the following ways:

  • With a prepositional phrase (e.g., “Good luck with final exams!)
  • As a noun phrase (e.g., “I’m thinking of you and sending good luck!”)
  • As a compound adjective with a hyphen (e.g. “I’m sending you all the good-luck vibes on your first day of work!)

When you write a good luck message with a person’s name, place a comma before the name (e.g., “Good luck, Ted!”).

Good luck examples
Hi, Gabriela! Good luck on the presentation today. I know you’re going to do great!

Safe travels, and good luck with your flight, Nancy! We’re going to miss you!

“Good luck” isn’t the only way to show support. Depending on the situation and your relationship with the person, you can substitute “good luck” with one of the synonyms below.

Summarize this page with Google AI Mode
Summarize this page with ChatGPT

Continue reading: Good Luck | Synonyms, Meanings & Examples

First-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation

Published on October 3, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

First-person pronouns, such as “I” and “we,” refer to the person or group of people who is speaking or writing. The first-person pronouns include “I,” “we,” “me,” “us,” “mine,” “ours,” “myself,” and “ourselves.”

They’re a type of personal pronoun just like second-person pronouns (e.g., “you” and “your”) and third-person pronouns (e.g., “he,” “she,” and “they”).

First-person pronouns can be singular or plural, and there are four types—subject, object, possessive, and reflexive.

English first-person pronouns list
Subject Object Possessive Reflexive
Singular I me mine myself
Plural  we us ours ourselves

Continue reading: First-Person Pronouns | List, Examples & Explanation

Second-Person Pronouns │ List & Examples

Published on October 2, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

The second-person pronouns—“you,” “yours,” “yourself,” and “yourselves”—refer to the person or people that you’re speaking or writing to.

They are a type of personal pronoun that can be a subject, an object, possessive, or reflexive just like third-person and first-person pronouns.

There are fewer second-person pronouns than first- or third-person pronouns for two reasons:

  • The second-person subject pronouns and object pronouns are both “you,” but first- and third-person pronouns have different subject and object forms (e.g., “I” and “me”).
  • “You” and the possessive pronoun “yours” can be plural or singular whereas first- and third-person pronouns have different singular and plural forms (e.g., “I” and “we”).

Second person is common in everyday speech and some formal writing, but it’s usually unnecessary and too informal in academic writing.

English second-person pronouns list
Subject Object Possessive Reflexive
Singular you you yours yourself
Plural you you yours yourselves

Continue reading: Second-Person Pronouns │ List & Examples

Nice to Meet You | Meaning, Synonyms & Examples

Published on September 27, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on July 21, 2025

It’s nice to meet you is the most common way to show respect and kindness to a person you just met. The expression creates a positive tone for the rest of your conversation. This short sentence can also have a big impact on the relationship moving forward.

Whether you’re meeting someone face-to-face, online, professionally, or socially, “It’s nice to meet you” is one of many ways to make a good first impression. There are several other expressions that have the same or slightly different meanings like “It’s great to meet you” or “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Nice to meet you example
Job Interviewer: Thank you for meeting with me today. I’m the branch manager, Max. I’m excited to get to know you a little better.

Job Interviewee: It’s so nice to meet you, Max. My name is Aditi, and I’m excited to learn more about the position.

Job Interviewer: The pleasure is all mine. Your resume is impressive! Tell me about your background in the banking industry.

Continue reading: Nice to Meet You | Meaning, Synonyms & Examples

Interrogative Pronouns | Examples, Definition & List

Published on September 25, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

Interrogative pronouns (“what,” “which,” “who,” “whom,” and “whose”) are pronouns that refer to the missing piece of information in a question.

Interrogative pronouns are often question starters, but they can also go in the middle or at the end of a question. Some questions even have two or more interrogative pronouns.

Like all pronouns, interrogative pronouns have antecedents—the nouns that they represent. Unlike other pronouns, the antecedent for an interrogative pronoun isn’t known until someone answers the question.

Each interrogative pronoun asks about a specific type of antecedent, which can be a thing, animal, or person.

Interrogative pronouns examples
Pronoun Asks about… Question Answer
What A thing or animal from a large or unlimited number of options What is your favorite Rolling Stones song? “No Expectations” is my favorite Rolling Stones song.
Which A thing or animal from a narrow range of options Which is Jake’s favorite musical instrument? The dobro is Jake’s favorite instrument
Who A person who performs the action in the answer or is described Who lives in that giant Victorian mansion on the hill? The Kauffman family has lived in that mansion for decades.
Whom A person who receives the action in the answer Whom did Terry interview on the podcast this week? Terry interviewed Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Whose The owner of something Whose is that white van in the driveway? That van is Tom’s.

Continue reading: Interrogative Pronouns | Examples, Definition & List

Object Pronouns | Examples, Definition & List

Published on September 23, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

An object pronoun (“me,” “us,” “her,” “him,” “them,” “you,” “whom,” or “it”) represents another noun and functions as a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.

Whereas subject pronouns (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “who”) perform the action in a sentence or clause, object pronouns receive the verb or the direct object.

Object pronouns can be first person, second person, or third person. They can also be plural or singular.

  • Us is always plural.
  • Me, her, him, and it are always singular.
  • Them, you, and whom can be singular or plural.

Third-person, singular object pronouns sometimes show gender: “her” (feminine), “him” (masculine), and “them” (nonbinary). In addition, “them” is a singular object pronoun for a hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant to the context or is unknown.

Object pronoun examples 
Pronoun Person Number Examples
Me First Singular Clark taught me how to crochet.
Us First Plural The instructor gives us homework on Fridays.
You Second Singular Since you’re my best friend, I’ll let you borrow my favorite sweater.
Plural Because you’re such great neighbors, I’m making you dinner.
Her Third Singular Jelena won the writing contest, so the college gave her a scholarship.
Him Third Singular Jinx was hiding again, but I found him under the bed.
Them Third Singular We haven’t seen Shay in ages, and I hope we see them this weekend. (Shay is a person whose pronouns are “they”/”them”)

Every time a patient makes an appointment, the office sends them an email confirmation.

(In this context, gender is irrelevant, so “them” is correct)
Plural If you have any extra coats, please donate them to charity.
Whom Third Singular Taylor Swift, whom I’ve never seen in concert, had dinner at my favorite restaurant.
Plural Taylor’s biggest fans, whom she absolutely adores, trade friendship bracelets at concerts.
It Third Singular The old dresser looked dingy, so I painted it blue.

Continue reading: Object Pronouns | Examples, Definition & List

What Is Paraphrasing? | Definition, Steps & Examples

Published on September 23, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on January 13, 2025

Paraphrasing involves rewording information from an outside source that you’re using as evidence in your own writing. Most academic writing includes paraphrases from multiple sources to show your readers that you researched your topic thoroughly.

Paraphrasing also helps you avoid overusing quotations so that the majority of your sentences reflect your own writing voice.

However, paraphrasing incorrectly can lead to plagiarism. To paraphrase correctly, you must state the information in your own words and give credit to the source with an in-text citation.

Paraphrase vs quotation example
APA style quotation APA style paraphrase
Haidt (2024) explained, “Experience, not information, is the key to emotional development. It is in unsupervised, child-led play where children best learn to tolerate bruises, handle their emotions, read other children’s emotions, take turns, resolve conflicts, and play fair” (p. 53). Haidt (2024) argued that unsupervised free play is crucial for emotional development because it helps children learn how to bear minor discomforts, regulate their emotions, empathize with others, and resolve conflicts.

Continue reading: What Is Paraphrasing? | Definition, Steps & Examples

You’re Welcome | Meaning, Synonyms & Examples

Published on September 17, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on June 4, 2025

When someone says “thank you” for a gift, favor, or gesture, the most common response is you’re welcome. It’s a polite way to acknowledge the person for thanking you and to show that you enjoyed doing something nice for them.

You can make the phrase “you’re welcome” longer by modifying “welcome” with an adverb like “most,” “very,” or “quite” (e.g., “You’re very welcome, and the pleasure was all mine”).

“You’re welcome” is perfectly acceptable, but there are many other ways to acknowledge someone’s thank you message. Some synonyms for “you’re welcome” are formal, and other versions are casual.

You’re welcome examples
When Mom thanked me for watching her cats while she was out of town, I replied, “You’re welcome, Mom! You know I don’t mind helping.”

You are most welcome for the favor, and I will help you again anytime.

I told Grace how grateful I was for the surprise party, and she said, “You’re so welcome.”

Note
In the expression “you’re welcome,” “you’re” is a contraction for “you are” and should not be confused with the possessive pronoun “your.”

  • “Your welcome,” Diana said after I thanked her for the flowers.
  • “You’re welcome,” Diana said after I thanked her for the flowers.

Continue reading: You’re Welcome | Meaning, Synonyms & Examples

Subject Pronouns | Definition, Examples & List

Published on September 16, 2024 by Nicole Routh, M.Ed Revised on November 24, 2025

A subject pronoun (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “they,” “you,” “who,” or “it”) performs the action in a sentence or clause. It’s different from an object pronoun (“me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them,” “whom”), which receives the action in a sentence.

Subject pronouns can be first person, second person, or third person. They can also be plural or singular.

  • We is always plural.
  • I, she, he, and it are always singular.
  • They, you, and who can be singular or plural.

Third-person, singular subject pronouns sometimes show gender: “she” (feminine), “he” (masculine), and “singular they” (nonbinary). In addition, “they” is the right subject pronoun for a hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant to the context or is unknown.

Subject pronouns examples 
Pronoun Person Number Examples
I First Singular I watched a fascinating movie about pinball last night.
We First Plural When my friends and I visited New Orleans, we got matching tattoos.
You Second Singular You tell the best jokes, Dusty.
Plural You have been a fantastic audience, and I hope everyone enjoyed the show.
She Third Singular Michelle Yeoh deserved the Oscar because she gave the best performance.
He Third Singular After he invented record players, Edison invented movies.
They Third Singular Korey loathes cilantro because they think it tastes like soap. (Korey is a person whose pronouns are “they”/”them”)

If a student has questions about the assignment, they should meet with the instructor. (In this context, gender is irrelevant, so “they” is correct)
Plural The archeologists published several articles after they discovered the artifacts.
Who Third Singular The candidate who won the election wants to increase teacher salaries.
Plural Viewers who like The Office will enjoy Abbott Elementary.
It Third Singular The owl dropped a feather as it flew across the meadow.

Continue reading: Subject Pronouns | Definition, Examples & List