Yes, You Do Have a Pronoun Resource Guide

This is not an exhaustive list but is instead intended to provide a manageable introduction to pronouns, their use, and some of the issues surrounding personal pronouns, the epicene pronoun debate, the singular “they”, and more. Some resources may appear under multiple headings. I’ve tried to include mostly open-access resources, but for those that aren’t immediately available online, you can request access from your local librarian. 

If you have questions or are looking for more resources, contact me.

The Basics

Basic information about pronouns more generally, including definitions, rules, and examples

• Assi, K. (2023, Mar. 6). An easy grammar guide to all 7 types of English pronouns. Berlitz. https://www.berlitz.com/blog/english-pronouns-grammar 
• Caulfield, J. (2025, Jan. 31). Personal pronouns: Definition, list & examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/nouns-and-pronouns/personal-pronouns/  
• Gendered pronouns & singular “they”. (n.d.). Purdue OWL. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/grammar/pronouns/gendered_pronouns_and_singular_they.html 
• Gunner, J. (2025, March 17). The 9 types of English pronouns (with examples and charts). Rosetta Stone. https://blog.rosettastone.com/english-pronouns/ 
• Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Personal pronoun. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20pronoun 
• Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Pronoun. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pronoun 
• Singular "they." (2019, updated 2025). APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/singular-they
• Traffis, C. (2022, Oct. 6). What are personal pronouns? Definition and examples. Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parts-of-speech/personal-pronouns/
• What are pronouns? Definitions and examples. (2024, Jan. 16) Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parts-of-speech/pronouns/ 
• What is a personal pronoun? Definition and examples. (2021, Sept. 8). Thesaurus.com. https://www.thesaurus.com/articles/personal-pronouns 
• What is a pronoun? Types and examples. (2021, Sept. 30). Thesaurus.com. https://www.thesaurus.com/articles/what-are-the-types-of-pronouns  

Beyond the Basics

Longer, more nuanced, and advanced information about pronouns and their use

• Alavidze, M. (2017). The use of pronouns in political discourse. International Journal of Arts and Sciences, 9(4). https://www.universitypublications.net/ijas/0904/html/R6ME325.xml 
• Baron, D. (2020). What’s your pronoun? Beyond he and she. Liveright. (NOTE: This is an affiliate link. If you choose to purchase this or other items via my Bookshop, you don’t pay more, but I receive a small commission. It’s one way to help keep the lights on!) 
• Christiansen, S.L. (2020, Mar. 3). The epicene solution. Science Editor, 43, 29. https://doi.org/10.36591/SE-D-4301-26
• Paterson, L.L. (Ed.). (2023). The Routledge handbook of pronouns (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003349891 
• Renström, E.A. (2024). The implementation of neo- and nonbinary pronouns: A review of current research and future challenges. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1507858
• Sorlin, S. (2025, July 17). What pronouns do you use? The pronoun-sharing practice from an (im)politeness perspective. Journal of Politeness Research. https://doi.org/10.1515/pr-2024-0057            

Historical Use of Pronouns

For historical context about pronouns and how their use has changed over time

• Baron, D. (2025, July 29). The second-oldest neopronoun, coined in 1849: Ne, nis, and nim. The web of language. https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/767430354 
• Baron, D. (n.d.). The gender-neutral pronoun: Still and epic(ene) fail. Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/dictionary/the-gender-neutral-pronoun-still-an-epicene-fail/
• Busse, U. (2017). Pronouns. In A. Bergs & L.J. Brinton (Eds.), Early modern English, Chapter 12. De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789042025981_016 
• Greene, A. (2021). Pronouns: The importance of our everyday language. Curiosity: Interdisciplinary Journal of Research and Innovation, 2, 1–16. https:/​/​doi.org/​10.36898/​001c.18864
• Laitinen, M. (2023). A history of personal pronouns in Standard English. In L.L. Paterson (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of pronouns, Chapter 3. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003349891  
• Mattheis, L. (2023). Nonbinary pronouns in literary history: Queer(ing) pronouns in the works of Aphra Behn and Margaret Cavendish. WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly, 51(3), 44-58. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/wsq.2023.a910066 
• Morse-Gagne, E. (2003). Viking pronouns in England: Charting the course of THEY, THEIR, and THEM [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania] (Order No. 3087442). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (305305334). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/viking-pronouns-england-charting-course-they/docview/305305334/se-2
• Schaefer, S.L. (2013). A progressive prescription: Epicene pronouns and feminism in the Chicago Manual of Style [Master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh]. Mind@UW. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/66219 

Epicene Pronoun

For information on the search for a generic (or epicene) pronoun

• Baranowski, M. (2002). Current usage of the epicene pronoun in written English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 6(3), 378-397. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9481.00193 
• Baron, D. (1981). The epicene pronoun: The word that failed. American Speech, 56(2), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.2307/455007 
• Baron, D. (n.d.). The gender-neutral pronoun: Still and epic(ene) fail. Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/dictionary/the-gender-neutral-pronoun-still-an-epicene-fail/
• Christiansen, S.L. (2020, Mar. 3). The epicene solution. Science Editor, 43, 29. https://doi.org/10.36591/SE-D-4301-26 
• Schaefer, S.L. (2013). A progressive prescription: Epicene pronouns and feminism in the Chicago Manual of Style [Master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh]. Mind@UW. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/66219 
• Stormbom, C. (2023). Epicene pronouns new and old. In L.L. Paterson (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of pronouns, Chapter 28. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003349891  
• Watson, R.M. (2010). Epicene pronoun use in Modern American English [Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University] (No. 2358). BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2358 

Gender and Pronouns

For a deeper dive on the connection between gender and pronouns, including discussion of sexism in language

• Adami, E. (2009). “To each reader his, their or her pronoun”: Prescribed, proscribed and disregarded uses of generic pronouns in English. In A. Renouf & A. Kehoe (Eds.), Corpus Linguistics: Refinements and reassessments, pp. 281-308. Brill.  https://doi.org/10.1163/9789042025981_016 
• Bodine, A. (1975). Androcentrism in prescriptive grammar: Singular “they”, sex-indefinite “he”, and “he or she.” Language in Society, 4(2), 129–146. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4166805 
• Curzan, A. (2003). Gender shifts in the history of English. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486913 
• Earp, B.D. (2012, Spring). The extinction of masculine generics. Journal of Communication and Culture, 2(1), 4-19. Available via PhilPapers. https://philarchive.org/rec/EARTEO-3 
• Gastil, J. (1990). Generic pronouns and sexist language: The oxymoronic character of masculine generics. Sex Roles, 23, 629–643. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00289252 
• Gustafsson Sendén, M., Bäck, E.A., & Lindqvist, A. (2015, June). Introducing a gender-neutral pronoun in a natural gender language: The influence of time on attitudes and behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00893 
• Gustafsson Sendén, M., Renström, E., & Lindqvist, A. (2021). Pronouns beyond the binary: The change of attitudes and use over time. Gender & Society, 35(4), 588-615. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432211029226 
• van Berlekom, E., Sczesny, S., & Sendén, M. G. (2024). Toward visibility: Using the Swedish gender-inclusive pronoun hen increases gender categorization of androgynous faces as nonbinary. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 43(5-6), 525-543. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X241289914 

LGBTQ+ Community and Pronouns

For pronoun information more specific to the queer community

• Alvarez, B. (2022, Oct. 5). Why pronouns matter. NEA Today. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/why-pronouns-matter 
• Bradley, E.D., Salkind, J., Moore, A., & Teitsort, S. (2019). Singular ’they’ and novel pronouns: Gender-neutral, nonbinary, or both? Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America, 4(1), 36, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v4i1.4542
• McKeel, R. (2023, Nov. 13). Pronouns matter: Building LGBTQIA+ inclusion in STEM. American Society for Microbiology. https://asm.org/articles/2023/november/pronouns-matter-building-lgbtqia-inclusion-in-stem  
• Pronouns.org is a practical resource dedicated to the empowering and inclusive use of personal pronouns in the English language.
• The Trevor Project (2025). Pronoun usage and mental health impacts of pronoun respect in TGNB young people. https://doi.org/10.70226/KTUU7547 
• Understanding gender identities and pronouns. (2024, Sept. 25). The Trevor Project.  https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/understanding-gender-identities-and-pronouns/ 
• Wamsley, L. (2021, June 2). A guide to gender identity terms. NPR.  https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq 

Use of “They”

For information about the use of the singular “they”

• Adami, E. (2009). “To each reader his, their or her pronoun”: Prescribed, proscribed and disregarded uses of generic pronouns in English. In A. Renouf & A. Kehoe (Eds.), Corpus Linguistics: Refinements and reassessments, pp. 281-308. Brill.  https://doi.org/10.1163/9789042025981_016 
• Bodine, A. (1975). Androcentrism in prescriptive grammar: Singular “they”, sex-indefinite “he”, and “he or she.” Language in Society, 4(2), 129–146. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4166805 
• Debczak, M. (2022, Jul. 8). The 600-year history of the singular ‘they’. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/singular-they-history 
• Keener, E., Kotvas, K. (2023). Beyond he and she: Does the singular use of “they, them, their” function generically as inclusive pronouns for cisgender men and women? Gender Issues, 40, 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-022-09297-8 
• Konnelly, L., Conrod, K., & Bradley, E.D. (2023). Non-binary singular they. In L.L. Paterson (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of pronouns, Chapter 3. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003349891  
• Loughlin, A.T. (2022). Who is they? Pronoun use across time and social structure [Master’s thesis, University of Victoria]. University of Victoria Libraries digital repository.  http://hdl.handle.net/1828/14266 
• Merriam-Webster’s words of the year: They is 2019’s word of the year. (n.d.). Wordplay. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year-2019-they  
• Oxford University Press. (n.d.). They, pron., adj., adv., n. In Oxford English dictionary. https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1194337021
• Renström, E.A., & Klysing, A. (2024). Ideological origins of resistance against gender-inclusive language reforms: Singular they as a de-gendering or multi-gendering strategy. Political Psychology, 46(5), 1062-1080. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.13058 
• Saguy, A. C., & Williams, J. A. (2021). A little word that means a lot: A reassessment of singular they in a new era of gender politics. Gender & Society, 36(1), 5-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432211057921