Reciprocal Pronouns

It is the kind of Pronoun which indicates two people carrying out actions of similar type with both being affected by the consequences simultaneously. It expresses a mutual action or relationship or feeling.

· They are primarily used to avoid the repetition of the same action performed by two or more people.

· Reciprocal Pronouns are phrases and not individual words.

Please Note :

1.  For Reciprocal Pronouns to be used, there must be two or more people, things or groups involved.

2.  And they must be doing the same thing/ activity/ action or have the same feeling.

Examples:

1.       John and Mary care for each other.

2.       The prisoners hate each other’s guts.

3.       The cars were crashing against each other in the snowstorm.

4.       They can’t find each other.

5.       The players played well against one another.

There are basically two Reciprocal Pronouns:

·  Each other and One another, which helps us to form sentences which are simpler, crisper and direct.

·   Use of Each Other

This is used to reflect two performing people performing the same action. If the antecedent is two thing, each other is used.Please note that in case of Reciprocal Pronouns, since one thing needs to reciprocate another’s action , the antecedent will always be more than one Noun. It will always be plural.

Examples:

(Without using Reciprocal Pronoun): Mita is giving a gift to Sita and Sita, in return is also giving her a gift.

(Using Reciprocal Pronouns): Mita and Sita are gifting each other.

·   Use of One another:

It is used to refer to more than two people indulging in the same action. If the antecedent is more than two things, one another is used.

Examples:

(Without using Reciprocal Pronouns): The ball is meant to be passed from the first player to second and then from second player to third.

(Using Reciprocal Pronoun):The ball is meant to be passed to one another.

·   Reciprocal Pronouns can be used as Possessive Pronouns with the use of apostrophe “s”. The Pronouns ‘each other’ and ‘one another’ are Singular entities despite having plural antecedents, hence the apostrophe always comes before‘s’. This is a 100% rule.

Therefore it is always ‘each other’s’ / ‘one another’s ‘.

Examples:

1.       We can wear each other’s dresses too, for fun’s sake.

2.       Trekkers can carry each other’s kit in case of exhaustion or giddiness.

3.       Do you two each other’s courage?

4.       Do you three admire one another’s courage?

·  Reciprocal Pronouns necessitates the presence of two or more people or things performing same action. It can never be used with pronouns like I, you, he, she, it because it requires multiple Nouns and Pronouns to share some action or activity.

Examples:

1.       Jack and Mary gifted each other their wedding vows.

2.       The neighbors hate each other.

3.       Why are you people always fighting with one another?

4.       We don’t talk to each other anymore.

5.       They love each other very much.

6.       The competitors were deliberately blocking one another’s view to gain an advantage.

English Grammar and Composition

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