My pronouns are:
it/its
(Personal “it”)
Example usage in sentences:
Table:
| Subject | Object | Possessive determiner | Possessive pronoun | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| it | it | its | its | itself |
Normative-ish forms
Those pronouns have been in common use in normative English already, but recently they got a slightly different new usage: describing a single, specific person. If you want to link to plural “they”, use this link.
- they/them/themselves – Singular “they” Normative
- they/them/themself – Singular “they” Normative
- it/its – Personal “it” Normative
- one/one's – Specific “one” Normative
Examples from cultural texts:
Personal “it” (it/its)
"My pronouns are it/its", said Grembi. (Analog Horror: Grembi's Night Show) , ; Grembi is a non-human entity who uses it/its. It's creator has said that even if it was human, it'd still use it/it's. Also, Grembi is a canon pansexual, genderqueer and drag monarch.
- “"My pronouns are it/its." (from it's rentry)
"It's name is Mx. G, or Grembi. Nice person, y'know. Always helping someone out when they need. It's just... Weird sometimes. My friend once told me he saw it chasing my friend, ___" ”
- “"My pronouns are it/its." (from it's rentry)
Matt Braly – Amphibia, ; Darcy is referred to with a variety of pronouns, including it/its and they/them.
Beth Greenfield – Here’s why some LGBTQ youth are now embracing the nonbinary pronoun ‘it/its’ (Yahoo!Life) , 2021
- “Discussions around this aspect of “it/its” are ongoing on social media, with a recent TikTok user (Maeve.digital, below) responding to commenters who were too offended by the pronoun to ever use it. "It's ironic," it says, "because basically what you're saying is 'I want to respect you, therefore I'm not going to use the pronouns that you just told me to use.'”
- “It certainly plays a part in Rouke’s choosing the pronoun — as does being autistic, it explains — because choosing the pronoun is the “reclaiming of dehumanization and ‘otherness’ through the positive use of pronouns typically used in a derogatory manner by others.”
- “It recently tweeted about the topic.”
Patric Fallon – Arca Is the Artist of the Decade (Vice) , 2019
- “The Venezuela-born artist, who came out as non-binary in 2018 and uses the pronouns "she" and "it," has come to embody practically every positive thing that is synonymous with the 2010s.”
Bruce Coville – Aliens Ate My Homework, 1993 ; Initally the character is referred to as a "he" by the narrator; later, after it asks to - as an "it".
- ““Okay,” I said. “Just tell me what pronoun to use when I’m talking about him. Her. Uh, it. I mean . . . see what I mean?”
“It will do just fine,” said Tar Gibbons.
“What will do just fine?”
“It will,” he repeated.
“What will?”
“It. Refer to me as an it.”
“That seems pretty rude,” I said nervously.
“Not as rude as calling me a he or a she,” it said.” - “Before I could answer, or ask the Tar why it kept calling me “Young Rod Allbright,” Plink went scooting back in the other direction, carrying something that looked like the interstellar version of a monkey wrench.”
- ““Pet flap?” asked Tar Gibbons.
“It's a special little door that lets the dog go in and out on his own.”
“Very thoughtful,” said Tar Gibbons approvingly.
I decided not to tell it that Mom had installed the flap more for our convenience than for Bonehead's.”
- ““Okay,” I said. “Just tell me what pronoun to use when I’m talking about him. Her. Uh, it. I mean . . . see what I mean?”
Martha Wells – The Murderbot Diaries, 2017
- “On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid -- a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. ”
Ian McDonald – River of Gods, 2004 ; spelled "yt" in the book but otherwise used and pronounced the same way as personal "it"
- “A sudden lurch throws Tal from the bench seat. The phatphat bounces to a stop. Tal rearranges yts thermal scatter coat, tuts at the dust on yts silk pants, then notices the soldiers. Six of them phase out of rural night camouflage.”
What's the deal with pronouns?
Pronouns are those words that we use instead of calling someone by their name every time we mention them. Most people use “he/him” and “she/her”, so we automatically assume which one to call them based on someone's looks. But it's actually not that simple…
Gender is complicated. Some people “don't look like” their gender. Some prefer being called in a different way from what you'd assume. Some people don't fit into the boxes of “male” or “female” and prefer more neutral language.
This tool lets you share a link to your pronouns, with example sentences, so that you can show people how you like to be called.
Why does it matter? Because of simple human decency. You wouldn't call Ashley “Samantha” just because you like that name more or because “she looks like a Samantha to you”. Or even if she does have the name “Samantha” in her birth certificate but she absolutely hates it and prefers to use “Ashley”. And it's the exact same story with pronouns – if you don't want to be rude towards someone, please address them properly. The only difference is that we usually know names, but not pronouns. We introduce ourselves with a name, but not pronouns. Let's change that!