Reciprocal Pronouns

Reciprocal pronouns show that two or more people perform the same action towards each other. English has two reciprocal pronouns: each other and one another. At this level, you will practise using them accurately in complex sentences -- including multi-clause structures, possessive forms, and sentences where the choice between "each other" and "one another" requires careful thought.

What You'll Learn

How to choose between each other (two people) and one another (three or more people) in complex sentence contexts
How to form and use the possessive forms each other's and one another's
How to use reciprocal pronouns with prepositions in compound and complex sentences
How to avoid confusing reciprocal pronouns with reflexive pronouns

When to Use

Two people performing the same action: "Although they had quarrelled earlier, the two brothers eventually apologised to each other."
Three or more people performing the same action: "The delegates from the different ASEAN countries introduced one another at the conference."
Possessive form showing mutual ownership: "The twins often borrowed each other's books without asking."
With prepositions in complex sentences: "Despite their differences, the committee members learnt to rely on one another during the project."
In reported speech or embedded clauses: "The teacher reminded the students that they should help one another with their revision."

How to Form

Reciprocal Pronoun Table

Pronoun	Used For	Possessive Form	Example
each other	Two people or things	each other's	The two friends praised each other's work.
one another	Three or more people/things	one another's	The classmates respected one another's opinions.

Reciprocal Pronouns with Prepositions

Reciprocal pronouns often follow prepositions. The preposition depends on the verb, not on the pronoun.

Verb Phrase	With Reciprocal Pronoun
look at	The two players looked at each other in disbelief.
rely on	The five team members relied on one another to complete the assignment.
talk to	The neighbours seldom talked to each other.
learn from	The students from different schools learnt from one another.
sit next to	The couple sat next to each other on the MRT.
write to	The pen pals wrote to each other every month.

Reciprocal vs Reflexive Pronouns

These two pronoun types are easy to confuse because both refer back to the subject. The key difference is direction.

Type	Direction	Example
Reciprocal	A does something to B, and B does it to A	The sisters helped each other with homework.
Reflexive	A does something to A (same person)	Each sister helped herself with her own homework.

Key Rules

"Each other" for two; "one another" for three or more: Traditionally, each other is used when exactly two people are involved, and one another when three or more people are involved. "The two siblings encouraged each other." "All six prefects supported one another."
The subject must be plural: Reciprocal pronouns require a plural subject (or a subject that refers to more than one person). "They congratulated each other" is correct. You cannot write "He congratulated each other" because there is only one person.
Add 's for the possessive form: To show that something belongs mutually, add an apostrophe and s after the pronoun. "The two artists admired each other's paintings." "The group members reviewed one another's essays."
Do not split the pronoun: "Each other" and "one another" are fixed two-word phrases. Never insert a word between them. Write "They helped each other," not "They helped each the other."
Choose the correct preposition for the verb, not the pronoun: The preposition is determined by the verb phrase. "They depended on each other" (depend on), not "They depended each other." Check the verb's preposition requirement.
Do not confuse with reflexive pronouns: If the action goes back and forth between two or more people, use a reciprocal pronoun. If the action goes back to the same person who performs it, use a reflexive pronoun. "The two boys blamed each other" (A blamed B and B blamed A) vs "The two boys blamed themselves" (each boy blamed himself).

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
The three friends helped each other with the project.	The three friends helped one another with the project.	Three or more people should use "one another," not "each other."
He and she congratulated one another.	He and she congratulated each other.	Only two people are involved, so use "each other."
The two sisters borrowed each others books.	The two sisters borrowed each other's books.	The possessive form needs an apostrophe before the s -- "each other's."
The classmates helped each-other during the examination.	The classmates helped each other during the examination.	"Each other" is two separate words, never hyphenated.
The two boys blamed themselves for the argument.	The two boys blamed each other for the argument.	If they blamed one another (not themselves individually), use the reciprocal pronoun, not the reflexive one.
The teammates relied each other during the competition.	The teammates relied on each other during the competition.	"Rely" requires the preposition "on" -- the preposition belongs to the verb, not to the pronoun.

Clue Words

Verbs commonly paired with reciprocal pronouns

help, support, encourage, congratulate, blame, forgive, respect, admire, understand, trust, comfort, remind, greet, thank

Prepositions that often appear with reciprocal pronouns

to (talk to each other), at (look at one another), on (rely on each other), from (learn from one another), with (agree with each other), about (care about one another), for (wait for each other)

Phrases that signal reciprocal meaning

both, the two of them, all of them, together, mutually, in turn, side by side

Tip: If you can rephrase the sentence as "A did it to B, and B did it to A," you need a reciprocal pronoun. If it is "A did it to A" (the same person), you need a reflexive pronoun. Picture arrows: reciprocal arrows go both ways between people; reflexive arrows loop back to the same person.

Practice Tips

Count the people: Before choosing between "each other" and "one another," count the number of people involved. Two people = each other. Three or more = one another. Look for clues like "both," "the two," "all," "the group," or "the class."
Arrow test: Draw arrows between the people in the sentence. If the arrows go back and forth between them (A to B and B to A), use a reciprocal pronoun. If each arrow loops back to the same person, use a reflexive pronoun.
Possessive check: When the reciprocal pronoun is followed by a noun, check whether you need the possessive form. "They read each other's essays" -- the essays belong to each person, so the possessive apostrophe is needed.
Preposition scan: Identify the verb first, then check whether it requires a preposition. "Listen to each other," "look at one another," "depend on each other." Missing the preposition is a common error in PSLE papers.

Quick Reference

Choosing the Right Pronoun

Number of People	Reciprocal Pronoun	Possessive Form	Example
Exactly 2	each other	each other's	The two neighbours waved at each other.
3 or more	one another	one another's	The five classmates corrected one another's work.

Reciprocal vs Reflexive -- Quick Comparison

Situation	Pronoun Type	Example
A helps B, B helps A	Reciprocal	They helped each other.
A helps A, B helps B	Reflexive	They each helped themselves.
A and B admire A-and-B's work	Reciprocal	They admired each other's work.
A admires A's own work	Reflexive	He admired his work himself.

Reciprocal Pronouns (P6) (Primary 6)