Blog about English
Using each other and one another.
Reciprocal pronouns express a mutual relationship between two or more people or things.
English has two reciprocal pronouns: each other and one another.
Each other is commonly used when two people or things perform the same action toward one another.
Example: Tom and Anna helped each other.
One another is traditionally used when more than two people or things are involved.
Example: The students encouraged one another throughout the competition.
Modern English often uses each other and one another interchangeably.
The traditional distinction between two participants and more than two is no longer strictly observed.
Reciprocal pronouns indicate that the action is shared equally between participants.
They differ from reflexive pronouns, which refer back to the subject individually.
Reciprocal pronouns may form possessive expressions.
Examples include each other's ideas and one another's opinions.
Reciprocal pronouns may follow prepositions.
Examples include talking to each other, learning from one another and working with each other.
Collective nouns may take reciprocal pronouns when the members interact mutually.
Example: The team congratulated each other after the match (more naturally: the team members congratulated each other).
Reciprocal pronouns should clearly express mutual relationships.
Rephrase sentences when the reciprocal meaning is unclear or could be interpreted as reflexive.
Formal writing may preserve the traditional distinction between each other and one another, although both are widely accepted.
Modern style guides generally treat the two expressions as interchangeable.
Some common expressions naturally contain reciprocal pronouns.
Examples include know each other, trust each other and support one another.
Do not confuse reciprocal pronouns with reflexive pronouns.
Common mistakes include using themselves instead of each other, omitting the possessive apostrophe in each other's and overusing one another based on outdated grammar rules.