How to Change Pronouns in Narration

In the previous chapter, "What Are Direct and Indirect Speech?", we learned the basic difference between quoting someone's exact words and reporting the core message of what they said. We saw that when we remove the quotation marks to report speech, the sentence has to shift to fit the perspective of the person who is now telling the story.

The very first thing that shifts when perspective changes is the pronouns.

Think about it in real life. Imagine your friend Rahul says to you, "I am hungry." Later, you go to your mother to report what Rahul said. If you say, "Rahul said that I am hungry," your mother will give you food. But you aren't hungry; Rahul is! To report the message accurately, you have to change the pronoun: "Rahul said that he was hungry."

Changing pronouns correctly is the foundation of mastering narration. If you get this wrong, the entire meaning of the sentence collapses. Fortunately, there is a foolproof, mechanical system to get this right every single time. It is called the SON rule.

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to look at any pronoun inside quotation marks and instantly know exactly what it should change into.

The Three "Persons" in English Grammar

Before we can use the magic formula for changing pronouns, we need to make sure we understand how pronouns are categorized. In English, pronouns are divided into three "persons" based on who is involved in the conversation.

When you look at a sentence in direct speech, the first thing you must do is identify the "person" of the pronoun inside the quotation marks.

The Magic Formula: The SON Rule

The universal rule for changing pronouns in narration is known as the SON rule. It is a simple acronym that tells you exactly where to look to figure out how a pronoun should change.

Here is how it translates into plain English:

1. 1First-person pronouns (I, we, my) change according to the Subject of the reporting verb (the person who is speaking).
2. 2Second-person pronouns (you, your) change according to the Object of the reporting verb (the person who is listening).
3. 3Third-person pronouns (he, she, they) undergo No change at all.

Let's break down each of these three rules in deep detail, with plenty of examples.

(Note: In the examples below, we will use reporting verbs in the present tense—like "says"—so that the verbs inside the quotes don't have to change. This lets us focus 100% of our attention on the pronouns. We will tackle how to change verbs and tenses in the very next chapter!)

Rule 1: First-Person Pronouns Change According to the Subject

Whenever you see a first-person pronoun inside the quotation marks (I, me, my, we, us, our), it represents the person who originally spoke the words. Therefore, to change it, you must look at the Subject of the reporting verb—the person doing the speaking outside the quotes.

Let's look at a base sentence: Direct: Rahul says, "I am working hard."

Here, the pronoun inside the quotes is "I" (First Person). Who is the subject outside the quotes? Rahul. Since Rahul is a male, "I" changes to "he".

Indirect: Rahul says that he is working hard.

Let's see what happens if we change the subject outside the quotes:

• Direct: Priya says, "I am working hard."
• Subject is Priya (female). "I" becomes "she".
• Indirect: Priya says that she is working hard.

• Direct: They say, "We are working hard."
• Subject is They (plural). "We" (first-person plural) becomes "they".
• Indirect: They say that they are working hard.

• Direct: I say, "I am working hard."
• Subject is I. Since the speaker is already "I", the pronoun doesn't need to shift.
• Indirect: I say that I am working hard.

Notice how the pronoun inside the reported speech acts like a mirror, reflecting whoever the subject is outside the quotes.

Rule 2: Second-Person Pronouns Change According to the Object

Whenever you see a second-person pronoun inside the quotation marks (you, your, yours), it represents the person who is being spoken to. Therefore, to change it, you must look at the Object of the reporting verb—the listener outside the quotes.

Let's look at a base sentence: Direct: The teacher says to me, "You are a good student."

Here, the pronoun inside the quotes is "You" (Second Person). Who is the object (the listener) outside the quotes? "me". Since the teacher is talking to me, the "you" in the quote is actually me. So, "you" changes to "I".

Indirect: The teacher tells me that I am a good student.

Let's see what happens if we change the listener (the object) outside the quotes:

• Direct: The teacher says to him, "You are a good student."
• The listener is "him" (male). "You" becomes "he".
• Indirect: The teacher tells him that he is a good student.

• Direct: The teacher says to her, "You are a good student."
• The listener is "her" (female). "You" becomes "she".
• Indirect: The teacher tells her that she is a good student.

• Direct: The teacher says to them, "You are good students."
• The listener is "them" (plural). "You" becomes "they".
• Indirect: The teacher tells them that they are good students.

The "Missing Object" Trap

What happens if there is a "you" inside the quotes, but there is no listener mentioned outside the quotes?

Direct: Ravi says, "You are late."

Who is Ravi talking to? The sentence doesn't say. In these cases, standard grammar rules allow you to assume an object. Usually, it is safest to assume the speaker is talking to you (me), or to a generic third person (him/her).

If you assume Ravi is talking to me: Indirect: Ravi says that I am late.

If you assume Ravi is talking to him: Indirect: Ravi says that he is late.

Rule 3: Third-Person Pronouns Do Not Change

This is the easiest rule of all. Whenever you see a third-person pronoun inside the quotation marks (he, she, it, they, his, her, their), it means the speaker and listener are talking about someone else entirely.

When you report this conversation later, that third person is still a third person. Therefore, the pronoun does not change.

• Direct: Amit says, "He is a brilliant doctor."
• "He" is third person. No change.
• Indirect: Amit says that he is a brilliant doctor.

• Direct: She says to me, "They have won the match."
• "They" is third person. No change.
• Indirect: She tells me that they have won the match.

• Direct: I say to him, "She is waiting outside."
• "She" is third person. No change.
• Indirect: I tell him that she is waiting outside.

The Secret to Perfection: Matching the "Case"

Understanding the SON rule is 90% of the battle. The final 10%—and the place where most students lose marks—is matching the case of the pronoun.

Pronouns don't just have a "person" (1st, 2nd, 3rd); they also have a "case" depending on their job in the sentence.

• Subjective Case: When the pronoun is doing the action (I, we, you, he, she, they).
• Objective Case: When the pronoun is receiving the action (me, us, you, him, her, them).
• Possessive Case: When the pronoun shows ownership (my, our, your, his, her, their).

Let's look at a common mistake. Direct: Rahul says to Priya, "I like your new car."

Let's apply the SON rule to the word "your".

1. 1"Your" is a Second-Person pronoun.
2. 2Second-Person changes according to the Object (the listener).
3. 3The listener is Priya (female).

A student might rush and say: "Okay, Priya is a female, so the pronoun is she." Wrong Indirect: Rahul tells Priya that he likes she new car.

Why is this wrong? Because "your" is a possessive pronoun. You must find the possessive pronoun for Priya (a female). The possessive form of "she" is "her".

Correct Indirect: Rahul tells Priya that he likes her new car.

A Quick Reference Guide for Cases

To make this easy, here is how the cases line up. When you swap a pronoun, you must stay in the same bullet-point category:

• Subjective (The Doers): I, we, you, he, she, it, they.
• Objective (The Receivers): me, us, you, him, her, it, them.
• Possessive (The Owners): my, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, their, theirs.
• Reflexive (The "Self" words): myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves.

If the original word in the quotes is "myself", the new word MUST end in "-self" (himself, herself, etc.). If the original word is "us", the new word must be an objective receiver (them, me, etc.).

Worked Examples: Putting It All Together

Let's walk through a few complex sentences step-by-step to see how the SON rule and Case Matching work together in perfect harmony.

(Note: In these examples, we will use the past tense reporting verb "said". Because of this, the verbs inside the quotes will change to the past tense too. Don't worry about the verbs—just watch how we handle the pronouns!)

Example 1

Direct: The old man said to the boy, "I will give you my umbrella."

Let's isolate the pronouns inside the quotes: I, you, and my.

Indirect: The old man told the boy that he would give him his umbrella.

Example 2

Direct: The girls said to us, "We have finished our project, have you finished yours?"

Let's isolate the pronouns: We, our, you, yours.

Indirect: The girls asked us if they had finished their project and if we had finished ours.

(Again, notice how the question format and tenses changed—we will learn those rules soon. But look at how perfectly the pronouns shifted!)

Quick Revision

Here is a rapid summary of everything you need to remember about changing pronouns in narration before you walk into the exam hall:

• The SON Rule is your master key: Subject = 1st Person, Object = 2nd Person, No Change = 3rd Person.
• 1st Person (I, we, my, us): Always look at the speaker (the subject before the comma).
• 2nd Person (you, your): Always look at the listener (the object before the comma).
• 3rd Person (he, she, they, it): Never change them. Leave them exactly as they are.
• Missing Object: If the quote says "you" but there is no listener mentioned, assume the speaker is talking to "me" or "him" based on the exam options.
• Match the Case: Never swap a possessive word (my) for a subjective word (he). "My" must become "his" or "her". "Myself" must become "himself" or "herself".
• Reflect the Plurality: If the original pronoun is plural ("we"), the new pronoun must also be plural ("they").

Mastering pronouns is the biggest hurdle in direct and indirect speech. Now that you have the SON rule locked in your mind, you are ready to tackle the next big piece of the puzzle: changing the tenses!