Distributive Pronoun

What is a Distributive Pronoun?

A distributive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to individual members of a group of people or things rather than referring to the whole group. For example, Both children enjoyed playing in the park.

Distributive Pronouns Examples

Uses of Distributive Pronouns

Distributive pronoun are mainly used to emphasise more about the persons or things which are present in the group individually. Different distributive pronoun are used for different purposes.

Each

1. When two or more things or people from a group are included in a concept, the distributive pronoun ‘each’ is used to describe each one of them.
2. The distributive pronoun ‘each’ is used when a group (number) is small.
3. For example, Each invitation card is handmade.

Every

1. When we refer to a group of people or things as a whole, we use the distributive pronoun ‘every’.
2. ‘Every’ is used when a group (number) is indefinite.
3. For example, Every student in the class participated in the event.

Either

1. The demonstrative pronoun ‘either’ is used when we refer to one of two people or individuals.
2. We only use singular verbs with either.
3. For example, You can use either a pen or a pencil to fill out the form.

Neither

1. The distributive pronoun ‘neither’ refers to neither the one nor the other of two things or people.
2. We use singular verbs with neither.
3. For example, Neither of the students was prepared for the test.

Rules of Distributive Pronouns

1. Distributive pronouns are considered singular as they refer to things or people one at a time. Therefore, singular verbs and singular possessive pronoun are used. For example, ‘Each invitation cards are handmade.’ is an incorrect sentence. The correct sentence will be ‘Each invitation card is handmade.’
2. When distributive pronouns refer to individuals, it is considered singular. Thus singular verbs are used.
3. When distributive pronoun refer to groups, it is considered plural.
4. Plural nouns and singular verbs are followed by either of, neither of, each of. For example, Neither of the options presented seemed appealing to him.
5. When we refer to two or more things or people, we use ‘either’ and ‘neither’. For example, You can either eat at home or at a restaurant.
6. When we refer to more than two people or things, we use none, any or no one. For example, None of the guests showed up at the event.

Difference Between Distributive Pronouns and Distributive Adjectives

To Read About Indefinite Pronoun: Click here

Difference Between Distributive Pronouns and Indefinite Pronouns

Common Mistakes with Distributive Pronouns

1. One of the most common errors some students make is that they use the wrong subject-verb agreement. They may use plural verbs with distributive pronouns that refer to individuals and singular verbs with distributive pronouns that refer to groups. For example, students may write ‘Each of the students are’ rather than ‘each of the students is’.
2. When students use distributive pronouns, their sentences occasionally become confusing. For example, "Each of the children brought their lunch" is confusing because it's unclear whether each child brought one lunch collectively or if they each brought their own lunch.
3. Some students get confused with ‘either’ and ‘neither’. In affirmative sentences, we use ‘either’, whereas in negative sentences ‘neither’ is used. Using them incorrectly can result in improper usage. For example, ‘Neither of the options are good’ is an incorrect sentence. The correct sentence is ‘Neither of the options is good.’.

Usage of Distributive Pronouns in Sentences

→ Each of the students did their work.
→ None of the boxes were damaged.
→ Neither of them can swim.
→ Both of the dresses are beautiful.
→ Every child is unique.

FAQs

1. What is a distributive pronoun with an example?

Answer: When there are multiple things or people, a distributive pronoun denotes that each object or person is taken separately. For example, Either Lucy or Steve will guide you.

2. What are the examples of distributive pronoun?

Answer: Examples of distributive pronoun are each, every, either, neither, none, any, both, etc.

3 How are distributive pronouns different from indefinite pronouns?

Answer: Distributive pronouns are used to replace nouns to avoid repetition of words. Whereas, indefinite pronouns are used to refer to individuals or things without defining them.