Distributive Pronouns: Meaning, Examples & Worksheet and Exercises with Answers

Distributive Pronouns refer to individual members of a group instead of the group as a whole. These English Pronouns enable better communication by emphasising the individuality of people or objects in a group.  Have a look at a few examples of Distributive Pronouns below for better understanding:

• Each of the students passes the tests.
• Neither of the parents attended the annual function.
• Either of the parties will win the elections.
• None of the candidates has been selected for appointment.
• Any of the pictures can be posted.

Also Read: Use of Punctuation Marks

There are several examples of Distributive Pronouns such as each, either, neither, none, all, every, etc. Here we have shared the 10 Distributive Pronoun examples in Sentence form below:

• Either of you must be present before 7:00 am tomorrow.
• Every family in the society came for the celebrations.
• Each of the apples is rotten.
• Neither of the notebooks is up to the mark.
• None of you is qualified for the finals.
• Both movies are great.
• I like all the songs on the new album.
• You can play any of my games.
• Some of the food is stale.
• Pick any of the chairs and take a seat.

Also Read: List of Preposition Words

Now that we have become familiar with the meaning and examples, let’s look at how to use Distributive Pronouns to form a sentence in English:

1. Distributive pronouns are singular and are used with singular verbs.

For example:

• Neither of the options is
• Either of the parents is coming today.

2. Distributive Pronouns are followed by ‘of’ and a plural noun or plural pronoun. 

For example:

• Each of you can come and play outside.
• You can have either of the desserts.

3. Each VS Every

One can get confused with the usage of each pronoun and every pronoun in a sentence. Have a look at the image below to know how to use both pronouns:

4. Use of ‘Any’ Pronoun

In Grammar, ‘any’ pronoun is used in all types of sentences- affirmative, negative and interrogative. Have a look at the examples below for better understanding.

5. None Pronoun Agreement

As per the Distributive Pronoun rules, none takes singular as well plural verbs, depending on the context.

None pronoun takes a singular verb when it refers to not one or uncountable items. For example:

• None of the data is true.
• None of the fence was broken.

None takes a plural verb when it talks about not any or countable items. For example:

• None of the teachers have come.
• None of the phones are working.

Also Read: English Words with Meanings

Distributive pronouns are often mistaken for Reciprocal pronouns, thus creating confusion in their usage. It is important to know the difference between the pronouns for better communication and writing skills. Have a look at the difference between Distributive Pronouns and Reciprocal Pronouns below:

Particular	Distributive Pronouns	Reciprocal Pronouns
Meaning	Pronouns that refer to individuals or things within a group	Pronouns that show a mutual relationship between two or more individuals or things
Purpose	Focuses on individuality	Focuses on mutual or reciprocal action
Examples	Each, every, all, any, none, either, neither, some, etc.	Each other, one another
Example of usage in a Sentence	Each of the girls received the gifts. Every boy here is a genius.	They both hate each other. All the members of the team helped one another.

Also Read: What are Para Jumbles?

Distributive Pronoun and Distributive Adjective both refer to individual members or things of a group. However, both of them function differently. Distributive pronouns replace nouns and act as subjects or objects, and Distributive adjectives modify the nouns in a sentence. 

We have curated a list of the best books for Distributive Pronoun below. Students can refer to these books for preparation and practice:

Books	Authors
High School English Grammar and Composition	Wren & Martin
Oxford Modern English Grammar	Bas Aarts
Arihant English Grammar and Composition	SC Gupta
The Pronoun Book	Chris Ayala-Kronos
Pronouns and Word Orders in Old English	Linda van Bergen
Mastering Pronoun: A Comprehensive Guide	Deepak Patidar

These books will help you master Distributive Pronoun as a topic for any of the management exams, entrance exams or recruitment exams.

Also Read: Books on English Tenses

Test your knowledge of the topic by practising the following Distributive Pronouns exercises with answers below:

Worksheet 1: Complete the sentence with the appropriate Distributive Pronoun.

1. You can choose ____ of the options. (Some/ either)
2. ______ of the family members came for help. (None/ Not one)
3. ______ student should attend the seminar. (Any/ Every)
4. I invited ____ of my friends. (Each/ Either)
5. We have not watched ___ of the new movies yet. (Some/ Any)

Worksheet 2: Identify the Distributive Pronoun in the given sentences.

1. She invited every officer to the party.
2. Neither of the answers given by you is correct.
3. The teacher counselled every student personally.
4. Hannah invited everyone in the class. None of them came.
5. You can sit on either side of the table.

Answers to Exercise 1

1. Either
2. None
3. Every
4. Each
5. Any

Answers to Exercise 2

1. Every
2. Neither
3. Every
4. Everyone, none
5. Either

Other English Worksheets:

Adverbs of Degree Exercises with Answers	Adverbs of Place Worksheets with Answers	Past Perfect Continuous Tense Worksheet with Answers
Past Perfect Tense Exercises with Answers	Prepositions of Place Exercises with Answers	Euphemism Worksheet with Answers