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Noun worksheets, lessons, and tests.

Understanding the parts of speech is fundamental to learning more advanced concepts like sentence structure , grammar, and punctuation. That's why so many language arts units start with the parts of speech. And, if you are starting a unit on the parts of speech, one of the better places to begin is by studying nouns .

Nouns are words that refer to people, places, and things. Most grade school students can tell you this. But the study of nouns gets a little more complex. There are many types of nouns such as common and proper, singular and plural, and abstract and concrete. It is helpful to know these distinctions when studying language. Over the years I've created a catalog of noun worksheets and activities that work well in the classroom. These include multiple-choice tests, practice activities suitable for homework or classroom activities, as well as online noun activities that give students instant feedback and save teachers' time. I've posted all of these activities to this page and made them freely accessible to teachers, parents, and students. May we all one day have a better understanding of what we are saying.

Noun Worksheets

Noun powerpoint lessons.

Here are some multiple-choice tests to help evaluate how well your students understand nouns .

Nouns and Capitalization Common Core State Standards

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Pronoun Worksheets and Activities All Parts of Speech Activities

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Nouns: Definition & Types with Examples

Nouns, also called naming words, would probably be the very first part of speech you would have learnt in your English grammar classes. Anything we can touch, see, smell, taste, hear and hold can be referred to as nouns.

Here is what we will be covering in this article about nouns:

What Is a Noun?

• Examples of Nouns

Types of Nouns

Nouns used as a subject, nouns used as an object, nouns used as a complement, nouns used as verbs, nouns used as adjectives, frequently asked questions on nouns.

Nouns are a part of speech that comprise words that are used to name people, places, animals, objects and ideas. Almost every sentence will definitely have a noun, and they perform different roles in a sentence. Nouns can act as the subject, an indirect object , a direct object , a subject complement and an object complement. Nouns can also function as adjectives and verbs .

Examples of Nouns:

• People – Rahul, Sheela, Man, Person, Tommy, Women, Girl, The Prime Minister
• Places – Bangalore, India, Mexico, North Pole, South Africa, The Nile River, Classroom, Bedroom, Basketball Court, Cricket Ground, Swimming Pool
• Animals/Birds/Aquatic Animals/Reptiles – Lion, Zebra, Snake, Ostrich, Flamingo, Bear, Cat, Fish, Shark
• Ideas – Evolution, Invention, Extinction, Argument, Destruction
• Objects/Things – Bat, Cycle, Curtains, Paper, Bag, Blackboard, Cupboard

Nouns can be broadly classified into:

1.  Proper Nouns : Nouns that are used to name a person, place or thing specifically are called a proper noun. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter.

• My name is Rose . (Name of a particular person)
• This is my dog, Bruno . (Name of a specific pet animal owned by someone)
• David came back from Minsk . (Name of a specific place)
• Louis Philippe is a famous brand of men’s clothing. (Name of a particular clothing brand)

2.  Common no uns : Common nouns are those nouns that refer to a generic item, group or place. This means that, unlike proper nouns, they are not used to identify specific people, places or objects. Common nouns are not capitalised unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.

• I bought a pen yesterday. (Common object)
• I am going to school . (Common place)
• Only ten employees showed up to work today. (Common group)
• The car is out of fuel . (Common items)

3.  Singular nouns : These are words that are used to name a single person, place, animal, bird or object.

• There is a little boy in front of our house. (Single person)
• That is my daughter . (Single person)
• I found a wounded sparrow in the bush. (Single bird)
• A red van has been following us for a long time. (Single object)

4.  Plural nouns : Plural nouns refer to a number of people, places, animals or things. Nouns are made plural by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es’ or ‘ies’ or ‘ves’ to the existing root word. Nouns that end with an ‘s’ remain the same. Some nouns remain the same in both their singular and plural forms, and some others have totally different spelling.

• I need some apples .
• Did you find the boxes you were looking for?
• I bought mangoes from the market.
• We took photos of some deer on our way.

5. Countable nouns are those nouns that can be counted or measured.

• Tom brought ten packets of lays for the trip. (specific number – ten)
• Mom asked me to buy a dozen eggs . (specific – dozen means twelve)
• I saw an aeroplane around seven in the morning. (specific – an means one)

6. Uncountable nouns are those nouns that cannot be counted. This category of nouns includes both concrete and abstract nouns.

• I have a lot of homework to do. (Not specific)
• I have a cup of tea . (Cannot count)
• We are facing terrible weather today. (Cannot count)

7.  Collective Nouns : A collective noun is a naming word that is used to denote a group of objects, animals or people.

• A pride of lions
• A flock of sheep
• A swarm of bees
• A herd of elephants
• A band of musicians
• A board of directors
• A crew of sailors
• A company of actors
• A pair of shoes
• A chain of mountains
• A fleet of ships
• A bunch of grapes

8. Concrete Nouns: A concrete noun refers to objects that are material and can be perceived by the human senses.

• The book is on the table.
• I had a cup of coffee .
• Sharon opened the windows .
• Hardy goes to school by bus .

9. Abstract Nouns : Any entity that cannot be perceived by the five senses of the human body are called an abstract noun.

• Love is a strong emotion.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• It takes a lot of courage to raise your voice and stand up against injustice.
• You should not misuse the freedom you are given.

Also Explore: Compound Nouns | Possessive Nouns | Noun Phrases | Noun Exercises

Nouns Used as Different Components of a Sentence

When used as a subject , a noun mostly appears at the beginning of a sentence. It can be identified by asking the question ‘who’.

• Bruno went to the playground.
• The teacher asked the students to submit their assignments.
• The elephant was rescued safely after ten long hours.

When nouns are used as objects, they appear in the latter part of a sentence. It can be identified by asking the question ‘what’.

• I bought a pen .
• Where is your book ?
• I cannot find today’s newspaper .

Nouns can be used as a direct object and an indirect object.

Nouns Used as a Direct Object

You can identify a noun used as a direct object by asking the question ‘what’.

• Do you want a lollipop ? (What do you want? – a lollipop)
• I loved my dress . (What did you love? – my dress)

Nouns Used as an Indirect Object

You can ask the question ‘for whom’ to identify a noun used as an indirect object .

• Dan bought his sister a Mini Cooper. (For whom did Dan buy a Mini Cooper? – his sister)
• Megha baked Julie a cake. (For whom did Megha bake a cake? – Julie)

When a noun is used to modify or describe another noun, it acts as a complement .

Nouns Used as a Subject Complement

Professions and positions can perform the role of a subject complement.

• My brother is an engineer .
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India.

Nouns Used as an Object Complement

Object complements are nouns that follow the noun they modify. Names, professions and positions can perform the role of an object complement.

• We named our dog, Shadow .
• The teacher made Tabitha, the class leader .

Multifunctional Nouns

There are some nouns which can also be used as a verb . Some nouns can be used as verbs with a slight change in the spelling of the original word.

• His divorce is final. (Used as a noun)

I am divorced . (Used as a verb)

• Do you like my new dress ? (Used as a noun)

I am dressed and ready to go. (Used as a verb)

• Derrick had come to collect some ice . (Used as a noun)

My mother iced the fish so that it did not stink. (Used as a verb)

• I have dance practice today. (Used as a noun)

Did you practise the song? (Used as an adjective)

With a slight change in the spelling or adding a suffix to the root word, nouns can sometimes be used as adjectives .

• I have no money . (Used as a noun)

There has been a change in the monetary policy of the country. (Used as an adjective)

• Javed sensed some danger . (Used as a noun)

What you are trying to do is dangerous . (Used as an adjective)

• She is excited about magic . (Used as a noun)

The experience was completely magical . (Used as an adjective)

• Speaking against another religion is a legal offence . (Used as a noun)

What you did was offensive . (Used as an adjective)

What is a noun?

A noun is a part of speech that is used to name or identify a person, place, thing or idea. There are different types of nouns like common nouns, proper nouns, abstract nouns, collective nouns, concrete nouns and so on.

What are the different functions of nouns?

Nouns can also function as verbs and adjectives with a slight change of spelling or by adding a suffix. For example, divorce can be used as a noun and a verb; money is a noun, while monetary is the adjective form of the verb. Nouns can also function as different components of the sentence as well.

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Noun Worksheets

A person, place of thing.

These grammar worksheets help kids learn to recognize and use nouns . A noun is a word for a person, place or thing. Our nouns worksheets also cover plural nouns, common and proper nouns, possessive nouns, collective nouns and abstract nouns.

Grade 1 nouns worksheets

• Identifying simple nouns as a person, place or thing
• Identifying nouns in sentences
• Completing sentences with nouns
• Identifying plural nouns
• Making nouns plural by adding "s" or "es"
• Identifying common and proper nouns
• Making nouns possessive by adding apostrophe plus s

Grade 2 nouns worksheets

• Classifying nouns: person place or thing
• Writing nouns in your own sentences
• Capitalize common and proper nouns appropriately
• Identify singular and plural nouns
• Plural nouns: nouns ending in "y"
• Plural nouns: nouns ending in a vowel plus y
• Irregular plural nouns
• Collective nouns

Grade 3 nouns worksheets

• Classifying nouns as a person, place or thing
• Nouns as direct objects
• Countable and uncountable nouns
• Regular plural nouns
• Irregular nouns
• Concrete and abstract nouns

Sample Nouns Worksheet

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Nouns (Grades 2-3)

Our Nouns lesson plan for grades 2-3 introduces students to the concept of nouns and teaches them about different types of nouns, such as common and proper nouns. Students are also taught to distinguish between people, places, and things.

Included with this lesson are some adjustments or additions that you can make if you’d like, found in the “Options for Lesson” section of the Classroom Procedure page. One of the optional additions to this lesson is to read a story aloud to your students, asking them to identify the people, places, and things in each sentence.

Description

Additional information, what our nouns (grades 2-3) lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Nouns introduces the concept of nouns to young students and prepares them to define noun, common and proper noun, and distinguish between a person, place, or thing. This lesson is for students in 2nd grade and 3rd grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the orange box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The supplies you will need for this lesson are scissors, glue or paste, and the handouts. To prepare for this lesson ahead of tine, you can number 10-12 items in your classroom for the lesson opening, copy the handouts, and gather the supplies.

Options for Lesson

Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section that lists a number of suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in the lesson. One optional addition to the lesson activity is to let students use magazines or other resources to find pictures of people, places, or things to use. The only other suggested addition is to read a story aloud to your students, asking them to identify the people, places, and things in each sentence.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.

NOUNS (GRADES 2-3) LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

The Nouns (Grades 2-3) lesson plan includes three content pages. The lesson begins by stating that everything you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch has a name! You have a name, because you are a person; you live in, and visit, places like home and school; you use or interact with things like pencils and books. We call all of the objects in the whole world nouns. Nouns are the words we use for people, places, and things. Some examples of the nouns we use for people are children, men, and women . Some examples of the nouns we use for places are school, home, and store . Finally, some examples of the nouns we use for things are pencil, book, and desk . The lesson includes many more examples of each kind of noun.

We have millions and millions of nouns that we use to identify people, places, and things. We use nouns when speaking and writing. The lesson asks students to try to identify the nouns in the following sentence: The teacher gave candy to the kids at school. The nouns in this sentence are teacher, candy, kids, and school . Teacher and kids are people, candy is a thing, and school is a place. An easy shortcut that you can use is that words like a, an , and the typically precede nouns in sentences.

Common and Proper Nouns

All of the nouns discussed so far are common nouns, which are regular words that we use for people, places, and things. However, specific people, places, and things also have names (just like you). We call these names proper nouns, which are specific people, places, or things. The lesson includes a helpful chart that lists common and proper nouns side by side. For example, boy is a common noun, by Noah is a proper noun. We always start proper nouns with a capital letter. Learning how to identify and use different types of nouns will help you be a better reader and writer!

NOUNS (GRADES 2-3) LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Nouns (Grades 2-3) lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.

PROPER NOUNS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

The activity worksheet asks students to first cut out the six pictures included on the worksheet. They will then paste each picture next to the category it belongs to on the next page: person, place, or thing. Next, students will come up with a proper noun for each common noun, writing them on the blank lines on the worksheet. Finally, they will share their proper nouns with the class.

Students may work in pairs for this activity if you’d prefer.

NOUNS PRACTICE WORKSHEET

For the practice worksheet, students will complete two short exercises. The first exercise asks them to circle the nouns in each sentence. The second asks them to write a proper noun in each blank space in the provided sentences.

PERSON, PLACE, OR THING HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

The homework assignment asks students to first identify whether the underlined noun in each sentence is a person, place, or thing. Next, they will circle all of the proper nouns in each sentence.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the activity worksheet, the practice worksheet, and the homework assignment.  If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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Course: Grammar   >   Unit 1

• Introduction to nouns

Identifying nouns

• Introduction to singular and plural nouns
• Singular and plural nouns

A bird landed.

• (Choice A)   A A A
• (Choice B)   bird B bird
• (Choice C)   landed C landed

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assignment noun

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What does the noun assignment mean?

There are 14 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun assignment , six of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

assignment has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

Entry status

OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.

How common is the noun assignment ?

How is the noun assignment pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun assignment come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun assignment is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for assignment is from 1393, in the writing of John Gower, poet.

assignment is a borrowing from French.

Etymons: French assignement .

Nearby entries

• assignably, adv. 1674–
• assignat, n. 1790–
• assignate, adj. 1471
• assignation, n. a1400–
• assigned, adj. c1374–
• assignee, adj. & n. 1419–
• assigneeism, n. 1883–
• assigneeship, n. 1829–
• assigner, n. 1667–
• assigning, n. 1580–
• assignment, n. 1393–
• assignor, n. 1690–
• assilag, n. 1698–
• assimilability, n. a1834–
• assimilable, adj. & n. 1646–
• assimilado, n. 1953–
• assimilant, adj. & n. 1680–84
• assimilate, adj. & n. 1671–
• assimilate, v. 1578–
• assimilated, adj. 1797–
• assimilateness, n. 1731–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for assignment, n..

assignment, n. was first published in 1885; not yet revised.

assignment, n. was last modified in March 2024.

Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:

• corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into assignment, n. in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1885)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View assignment in OED Second Edition

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Factsheet for assignment, n., browse entry.

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Definition of assign

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

• intrust

ascribe , attribute , assign , impute , credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing.

ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign .

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

Examples of assign in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French assigner , from Latin assignare , from ad- + signare to mark, from signum mark, sign

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing assign

• pre - assign

Dictionary Entries Near assign

Cite this entry.

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assign. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of assign, legal definition, legal definition of assign.

Legal Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on assign

Nglish: Translation of assign for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assign for Arabic Speakers

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• Knowledge Base
• Nouns and pronouns
• What Is a Pronoun? | Definition, Types & Examples

What Is a Pronoun? | Definition, Types & Examples

Published on October 17, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on March 2, 2023.

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun , often to avoid the need to repeat the same noun over and over. Like nouns, pronouns can refer to people, things, concepts, and places. Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun.

People tend to use “pronouns” to mean personal pronouns specifically, but there are many other kinds of pronouns that are just as important to English grammar. The words highlighted in bold below are all pronouns.

It might rain tomorrow, but there isn’t much we can do about that .

These are the days that I like best.

Table of contents

How are pronouns used in sentences, pronouns vs. nouns, pronouns vs. determiners, personal pronouns (first-, second-, and third-person).

• Demonstrative pronouns
• Interrogative pronouns
• Relative pronouns
• Indefinite pronouns
• Reciprocal pronouns
• Dummy pronouns (expletives)

Other interesting language articles

Frequently asked questions.

The main function of pronouns is to replace nouns. Because of this, they are used in sentences in similar ways to nouns.

Like nouns, pronouns commonly serve as the subject of a sentence, followed by a verb (a word expressing an action).

We have never been to Germany before.

A pronoun can also function as the object in a sentence—either a direct or indirect object:

• The direct object is something or someone that is directly acted upon by the verb.
• The indirect object is someone or something that receives the direct object.

Can you promise her this ? Note A noun phrase is a noun or pronoun in combination with any determiners applied to it. Despite the name, noun phrases can just as well consist of pronouns as of nouns.

Pronoun antecedents

The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun that it refers back to. It’s usually mentioned in the text before the pronoun, but sometimes it comes just after it in a sentence. The antecedent may also be something the person you’re speaking to said. Pronoun-antecedent agreement means ensuring that the pronoun you use matches its antecedent in number, person, and gender.

As they debated the point, the students became increasingly animated.

Person A: What do you think of Julian ?

When you use any type of pronoun, it’s important to ensure that the antecedent is clear and unambiguous. If there is any ambiguity, use the noun instead. For example, below, “it” would be unclear, as it could refer to either the interview or the test.

• After the interview and the written test were completed, it was checked for incomplete answers.
• After the interview and the written test were completed, the test was checked for incomplete answers.

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While pronouns constitute a relatively small class of words that tends not to change over time, nouns are a much broader class that is constantly expanding. Like pronouns, nouns refer to things, people, places, and concepts, but they do so with much greater specificity.

Like pronouns, nouns can function as the head of a noun phrase and as the object or subject of a verb . A complete sentence may consist of just a noun and a verb (“Jeremy spoke.”), just as it could of a pronoun and a verb (“He spoke.”).

Unlike pronouns, nouns are fixed in form—they don’t change spellings depending on their grammatical role in a sentence. For example, while the third-person masculine pronoun “he” becomes “him” when used as an object, the noun “man” doesn’t change.

Many pronouns are closely related to determiners, being spelled similarly (or identically) and expressing related meanings. For example, possessive pronouns like “yours” are closely related to possessive determiners like “your”; and demonstrative pronouns like “that” are identical to the demonstrative determiners.

The grammatical distinction between the two is that pronouns stand on their own as the subject or object of a verb, whereas determiners are only used to modify nouns, not acting as subjects or objects in their own right.

Personal pronouns are words like “he” that refer to yourself, the person you’re addressing, or other people and things. They usually refer to an antecedent but may occur without one when the reference is self-evident (e.g., “I” always refers to the person saying or writing it).

Personal pronouns can change their form based on:

• Person ( first- , second- , or third-person )
• Number (singular or plural)
• Gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, or epicene)
• Case ( subject , object , possessive , or reflexive / intensive )

The impersonal pronoun “one” is used in general statements about no particular person. It has fewer forms than the personal pronouns but is otherwise used in the same way.

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The four demonstrative pronouns ( this , that , these , and those ) are used to indicate something previously mentioned or, in conversation, something that is clear from the context. For example, in the sentence “Take this,” “this” has no explicit antecedent, but it would be clear in context that it referred to whatever object you were being given.

The demonstrative pronouns give information about the relative closeness (literal or figurative) of the things they refer to, especially when they’re contrasted with each other:

• The “near” demonstrative this (singular) or these (plural) indicates something close to you.
• The “far” demonstrative that (singular) or those (plural) indicates something farther from you.

Interrogative pronouns are used (along with other types of interrogative words) to introduce questions. The interrogative pronouns are:

• What and which , used to ask questions about things
• Who and whom , used to ask about people
• Whose , used to ask about ownership

What were your favorite classes at school?

A relative pronoun is used to introduce a relative clause—a phrase that usually supplies more information about the preceding noun. They have a lot in common with interrogative pronouns. The relative pronouns are:

• Which(ever) , that , and what(ever) , used in relation to things
• Who(ever) and whom(ever) , used in relation to people
• Whose , used to indicate ownership

Relative pronouns are often omitted in practice (e.g., “the book [that] I read”). There’s nothing wrong with doing this as long as it doesn’t create ambiguity.

It doesn’t matter whose it was; it’s ours now!

Indefinite pronouns are words like “somebody” that refer to an unspecified person or thing. Many of them are formed using some combination of some- , any- , every- , or no- with -thing , -one , -where , or -body .

There are also various indefinite pronouns used to describe quantity, such as “little,” “many,” “none,” and “enough.” And there are distributive pronouns like “neither” and “each” that allow you to distinguish between options.

The impersonal pronoun “one” can also be regarded as indefinite.

No one likes him, and he doesn’t like anyone .

Some are born lucky, while others have to work hard for everything they get.

Reciprocal pronouns are used to indicate a reciprocal relationship between two people or things, where the members of a group each perform the same action relative to the other(s). The English reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another .

Some writers claim that “each other” should only be used to refer to groups of two and “one another” to groups of three or more. But this distinction is rejected by most style guides and not borne out in practice; you can use the two interchangeably.

A dummy pronoun (also called an expletive ) is a pronoun that doesn’t have any explicit meaning but is necessary to the sentence structure . Unlike other pronouns, dummy pronouns don’t actually replace a noun.

The two words used as dummy pronouns in English are it and there . Note that both words can also fulfill other grammatical roles. Dummy pronouns are commonly used to talk about the weather, to emphasize certain elements in a sentence, or to introduce the existence of something.

There are thousands of different species of birds in the world.

If you want to know more about nouns , pronouns, verbs , and other parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations and examples.

Nouns & pronouns

• Common nouns
• Proper nouns
• Collective nouns
• Personal pronouns
• Uncountable and countable nouns
• Verb tenses
• Phrasal verbs
• Types of verbs
• Active vs passive voice
• Subject-verb agreement
• Interjections
• Determiners
• Prepositions

The term preferred pronouns is used to mean the (third-person) personal pronouns a person identifies with and would like to be referred to by. People usually state the subject and object pronoun (e.g., “she/her”) but may also include the possessive (e.g., “she/her/hers”).

Most people go by the masculine “he/him,” the feminine “she/her,” the gender-neutral singular “they/them,” or some combination of these. There are also neopronouns used to express nonbinary gender identity, such as “xe/xem.” These are less common than the singular “they.”

The practice of stating one’s preferred pronouns (e.g., in a professional context or on a social media profile) is meant to promote inclusion for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. The first- and second-person pronouns (“I” and “you”) are not included, since they’re the same for everyone.

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun. Like nouns, pronouns refer to people, things, concepts, or places. Most sentences contain at least one noun or pronoun.

A pronoun can serve as the subject or object in a sentence, and it will usually refer back (or sometimes forward) to an antecedent—the noun that the pronoun stands in for. Pronouns are used to avoid the need to repeat the same nouns over and over.

Pronouns can be categorized into many types, all of which are very commonly used in English:

• Subject and object pronouns
• Possessive pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns and intensive pronouns
• Impersonal pronouns

Pronouns are words like “I,” “she,” and “they” that are used in a similar way to nouns . They stand in for a noun that has already been mentioned or refer to yourself and other people.

Pronouns can function just like nouns as the head of a noun phrase and as the subject or object of a verb . However, pronouns change their forms (e.g., from “I” to “me”) depending on the grammatical context they’re used in, whereas nouns usually don’t.

Sources in this article

We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.

Caulfield, J. (2023, March 02). What Is a Pronoun? | Definition, Types & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 11, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/pronouns/

Aarts, B. (2011).  Oxford modern English grammar . Oxford University Press.

Butterfield, J. (Ed.). (2015).  Fowler’s dictionary of modern English usage  (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Garner, B. A. (2016).  Garner’s modern English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Definition of 'assignment'

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assignment in American English

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• It was a jammy assignment - more of a holiday really.
• He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
• His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
• She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
• He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
• act as something
• all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
• be at work idiom
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• housekeeping
• in the line of duty idiom
• undertaking

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acting or speaking together, or at the same time

Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)

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