English Pronouns Quiz
Do you know which pronoun to use and when? Test personal, possessive, reflexive, and relative pronouns across 20 multiple-choice questions at A1–B1 level.
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Pronouns are among the first grammar points learners encounter in English, yet they cause persistent mistakes well beyond beginner level. Choosing between I and me, knowing when to use whose versus who, and understanding when reflexive pronouns like myself or themselves are required — these are distinctions that separate A2 learners from confident B1 speakers. This quiz tests all four major pronoun categories across 20 multiple-choice questions set in realistic conversational contexts.
The questions cover subject and object personal pronouns (I/me, he/him, she/her, we/us, they/them), possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns (my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs), reflexive and emphatic pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves), and relative pronouns used to connect clauses (who, whom, whose, which, that). Each item requires you to select the pronoun that fits both the grammatical slot and the meaning of the sentence.
Pronoun errors are among the most noticeable mistakes in written and spoken English. This quiz gives you an accurate picture of which pronoun types are secure and which need further attention, so you can study more efficiently.
What You Will Learn
- How to choose between subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) in different sentence positions.
- The difference between possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her) that come before a noun and possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers) that stand alone without a following noun.
- When reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself) are grammatically required — for example after verbs where the subject and the object refer to the same person.
- How emphatic reflexive pronouns (I did it myself) differ in meaning and position from reflexive object pronouns (She hurt herself).
- How to select the correct relative pronoun: who and whom for people, which for things, whose for possession, and that in defining relative clauses.
- The difference between defining relative clauses (The book that I lent you) and non-defining clauses (My sister, who lives in Spain, …), and which pronouns each type allows.
- Why it and its are often confused — especially the difference between its (possessive adjective) and it's (contraction of it is or it has).
- Common pronoun agreement issues, such as using their with a singular antecedent and how modern English handles this in everyday usage.
How to Prepare
Before you start, it helps to review the full pronoun table: for each person (1st, 2nd, 3rd singular and plural) there is a subject form, an object form, a possessive adjective, a possessive pronoun, and a reflexive pronoun. Keeping this five-column table in mind for I / me / my / mine / myself and the equivalent rows will help you work through the questions confidently.
You can build familiarity with pronoun patterns using the Complete the Sentence exercise, which lets you fill in missing pronouns in context. The Flash Cards exercise is also useful for drilling the full pronoun paradigm before tackling timed quiz questions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) are used when the pronoun is the subject of the verb — the person or thing performing the action: She called me. Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, them) are used when the pronoun is the object — the person or thing receiving the action or following a preposition: He spoke to her. A very common mistake is using a subject pronoun after a preposition: between you and I is incorrect; between you and me is correct because a preposition always takes an object pronoun.
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) always come directly before a noun and cannot stand alone: That is my book. Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) replace the entire noun phrase and stand alone — there is no noun after them: That book is mine. Note that his serves as both a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun. Also note that its is a possessive adjective only; there is no form its' or its's in standard English.
Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) are used in two main situations. First, as the object of a verb when the subject and the object refer to the same person: She cut herself. Second, as emphatic pronouns to stress that the subject did something without help: The president himself opened the ceremony. Do not use reflexive pronouns simply because another pronoun is present: He gave it to my colleague and myself is incorrect when the simpler me is what is required.
Use who (or whom in formal English) for people: the woman who helped me. Use which for things and animals: the car which broke down. Use that in defining relative clauses for both people and things: the student that passed / the book that I read. Use whose to show possession for people, animals, or things: the author whose novel won the prize. In non-defining relative clauses (set off by commas), use who or which — never that: My brother, who lives in Edinburgh, called yesterday.
Who is a subject pronoun and is used when the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause: the man who called (who is the subject of called). Whom is an object pronoun and is used when the relative pronoun is the object of the verb or follows a preposition: the man whom I called (whom is the object of called); the person to whom I spoke. A quick test: if you can replace the pronoun with he/she, use who; if you can replace it with him/her, use whom. In informal speech, who is often used in both positions.
Its (no apostrophe) is the possessive adjective of it, meaning belonging to it: The cat licked its paw. It's (with apostrophe) is the contraction of it is or it has: It's raining (= It is raining); It's been a long day (= It has been a long day). The confusion arises because apostrophes normally signal possession for nouns (the dog's lead), but with pronouns the apostrophe always signals a contraction. No possessive pronoun in English takes an apostrophe: yours, hers, ours, theirs, its are all written without one.
Yes. Singular they has been used in English for centuries when referring to an unspecified person whose gender is unknown: Someone left their umbrella — they should collect it. This usage is now also widely accepted for individuals who use they/them pronouns: My colleague Alex said they would join the meeting later. Major style guides including the Chicago Manual of Style, the AP Stylebook, and Merriam-Webster all endorse singular they in both informal and formal writing.
One of the most common mistakes is using an object pronoun as a subject: Me and my friend went to the cinema instead of My friend and I went to the cinema. Another frequent error is using a possessive adjective where a possessive pronoun is needed: This coat is my instead of This coat is mine. Confusing its and it's is also extremely common, as is incorrectly using a subject pronoun after a preposition: between you and I instead of between you and me.
A defining (restrictive) relative clause identifies which specific person or thing you mean — it is essential to the meaning and is not separated by commas: The student who fails the test must resit it. A non-defining (non-restrictive) relative clause adds extra information about something already identified — it can be removed without changing the core meaning and is always separated by commas: My sister, who lives in Berlin, is visiting next week. Crucially, that cannot be used in non-defining clauses; only who or which are correct there.
Pronoun accuracy is tested in grammar sections of Cambridge Key (KET), Preliminary (PET), and Trinity GESE exams at A1–B1 level. Personal pronoun selection and possessive forms appear regularly in gap-fill and multiple-choice grammar questions. Relative pronouns are a core B1 item in Cambridge Preliminary. This quiz covers all the pronoun types that appear in those exams, making it a targeted way to identify and fix weaknesses before test day.