Pronouns: An Introductory Resource

What are pronouns?

Pronouns are words that you use in place of a noun, like someone鈥檚 name.

Instead of always having to use people鈥檚 names, we often use pronouns in their place.

鈥淛ames is over there. Let鈥檚 go say hi to ~~James~~ 丑颈尘!鈥�

Gendered pronouns associate a gender with the person you鈥檙e referring to, whilst gender-neutral pronouns do not.

Gendered pronouns	Gender-neutral pronouns
"He was ecstatic with his feedback!" "When it was her turn she aced it!"	"I think they found their calling in life!"

Want to know more about the history of singular 'they'?

Want to know more about the evolution of singular 'they' as a gender-neutral pronoun?

How do you know what pronouns to use?

You can鈥檛 tell someone鈥檚 gender, or their pronouns, from the way they look.

滨迟鈥檚 important that we learn not to assume gender and gendered pronouns.

鈥淚 use he/him pronouns鈥�

鈥淚 use she/her pronouns鈥�

鈥淚 use they/them pronouns鈥�

滨迟鈥檚 OK to ask what pronouns someone uses.

鈥淗i Morgan! What pronouns would you like me to use for you?鈥�

If you鈥檙e not able to ask, you can use 鈥榯hey/them鈥� pronouns as a gender-neutral default.

How do you share your pronouns?

Sharing your pronouns opens the door for others to share theirs鈥�

鈥淗i, I鈥檓 Amoya and I use she/her pronouns!鈥�

鈥淗i, I鈥檓 Nayan and I use they/them pronouns!鈥�

...and helps to break down the belief that you can assume people鈥檚 gender/pronouns.

You can:

wear a pronoun badge (find out where to get a free badge here),
add your pronouns to your email signature (in line with the University's brand guidance hereLink opens in a new window) and Microsoft profile (), and
introduce yourself to new people including your pronouns.

鈥淗i everyone, shall we introduce ourselves? I鈥檓 Artur and I use he/him pronouns鈥�

"I鈥檝e added my pronouns to my email signature a while ago now, around the same time as I started to invite participants of meetings I chair, to introduce themselves with the addition of their pronouns if they so wish. I tend to do it myself too. 滨迟鈥檚 been well received, as it is just a bit of etiquette to make sure everyone is addressed as they would like to."

Professor Gwen van der Velden
Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Education)

You can find out how to update your email signature in line with the University's brand guidance here.

You can pick up a free pronoun badge from the seating area opposite Senate House Reception:

Why are pronouns important?

Gender can be very important to someone鈥檚 sense of self.

Using the incorrect gender for someone can make them feel upset, embarrassed, misunderstood, and/or dysphoric.

(Dysphoria is the profound sense of discomfort people may feel at their gender being perceived wrongly.)

If you make a mistake with someone鈥檚 pronouns, you should briefly correct yourself and move on.

鈥淜ay said that he鈥� sorry, she鈥�
would like to be involved with the new project鈥�

If someone else uses the wrong pronouns, you can correct them too.

鈥淚 think Jay uses 鈥榯hey鈥� pronouns rather than 鈥榟e鈥�...鈥�

鈥淎ctually, Sarah uses 鈥榮he鈥� pronouns.鈥�

What pronouns are there?

You will be familiar with at least three sets of pronouns:

She/her	*She* believes me	I spoke to her	Her hand reached out	The gift is hers	She thinks to herself
He/him	He believes me	I spoke to him	His hand reached out	The gift is his	He thinks to himself
They/them	*They* believe me	I spoke to them	Their hand reached out	The gift is theirs	They think to themself

鈥楾hey鈥� is grammatically correct for both a single person, and a group of people.

If you find it confusing, imagine you鈥檝e arrived at a cafe to find someone has left a wallet on the table. You would take it to the staff counter and say...

鈥淪omeone left their wallet on the table.鈥�

鈥�They might need it soon.鈥�

鈥淐ould you try to contact them?鈥�

滨迟鈥檚 as simple as that to use singular 鈥榯hey鈥� pronouns for someone.

Some people use a mixture of pronoun sets, such as 'she' and 'they, or 'he' and 'they' (usually communicated in writing as she/they or he/they pronouns).

Other less commonly used pronoun sets include:

Ey/em*	Ey believe me	I spoke to em	Eir hand reached out	The gift is eirs	Ey think to emself
Ze/zir**	Ze believes me	I spoke to zir	Zir hand reached out	The gift is zirs	Ze thinks to zirself
Ze/hir**	Ze believes me	I spoke to hir	Hir hand reached out	The gift is hirs	Ze thinks to hirself