Two editors are reviewing a manuscript. Maya checks Daniel’s draft, while Daniel checks Maya’s. Rather than describe both actions separately, we can say:
Maya and Daniel reviewed each other’s drafts.
Reciprocal pronouns express a mutual action or relationship between two or more participants. English has two reciprocal pronouns: each other and one another.
These expressions show how people, groups, or things relate to one another. They can describe exchanged actions, ongoing relationships, and relative positions.
Reciprocal Pronouns List
English has two reciprocal pronouns.
| Reciprocal pronoun | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Each other | Expresses a mutual action or relationship between participants | The two departments consult each other before changing the schedule. |
| One another | Expresses the same general reciprocal meaning | The committee members listened carefully to one another during the discussion. |
Both expressions are written as two words.
In each example, the participants are already identified. The reciprocal pronoun shows the relationship between them without repeating their names.
For example:
The two companies trust each other.
This means the first company trusts the second, and the second trusts the first.
Reciprocal expressions are not limited to relationships between people.
The chairs were positioned opposite each other.
Here, the expression describes the relative positions of the chairs. They are not performing an action.
The important feature is the relationship between the participants or things.
Each Other vs. One Another: Is There a Difference?
A traditional grammar rule recommends each other for two participants and one another for three or more.
However, this distinction is not a strict requirement in modern English.
Both expressions can refer to two participants or a larger group.
Consider two researchers discussing their findings.
The two researchers shared their results with each other.
The two researchers shared their results with one another.
Both sentences are grammatical and express the same relationship.
The same flexibility applies to larger groups.
The five committee members consulted each other before voting.
The five committee members consulted one another before voting.
Neither expression becomes incorrect because the group contains five people.
Each other is generally more common in everyday English. One another can sometimes sound slightly more formal, but the difference is usually small.
For most writing, choose the expression that sounds natural in the sentence. There is no need to count the participants before deciding.
The traditional distinction may still appear in school materials or individual style preferences, but it should not be presented as a universal grammatical rule.
Reciprocal Pronouns vs. Other Relationships
The meaning of a reciprocal pronoun becomes clearer when we compare it with sentences describing different relationships.
Imagine Maya and Daniel are editing the same publication.
| Sentence | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| Maya reviewed Daniel’s draft. | Maya reviewed Daniel’s work; the sentence does not establish that Daniel reviewed hers |
| Maya and Daniel reviewed each other’s drafts. | Each editor reviewed the other’s work |
| Maya and Daniel reviewed their own drafts. | Each editor reviewed the draft they had written |
| Maya and Daniel reviewed the drafts together. | They collaborated on the review, but the sentence does not specify which drafts each person reviewed |
All four sentences are grammatical. They describe different arrangements.
Each other identifies a relationship between the participants. Their own connects each editor with their individual work, while together emphasizes joint participation without necessarily indicating an exchange.
Choosing the right expression depends on what actually happened.
Reciprocal vs. Reflexive Pronouns
A particularly important distinction is between reciprocal and reflexive pronouns.
Compare:
The two athletes blamed each other for the defeat.
The two athletes blamed themselves for the defeat.
In the first sentence, each athlete directs blame toward the other.
In the second, the athletes direct blame toward themselves.
The same difference appears in:
The two speakers introduced each other.
The two speakers introduced themselves.
The first describes the speakers introducing one another. The second describes each speaker introducing themselves.
Reciprocal pronouns express relationships between participants. Reflexive pronouns can express actions directed back toward the subject.
They are not interchangeable simply because a sentence has a plural subject.
Reciprocal Relationships Do Not Have to Be Equal or Simultaneous
A reciprocal relationship does not necessarily mean that everyone contributes equally or performs an action at the same time.
For example:
The two researchers exchanged messages over several months.
One researcher might have sent more messages than the other. They might also have replied at different times.
The sentence describes an exchange without establishing equal numbers of messages, identical contributions, or simultaneous actions.
The same applies to:
The researchers communicated with each other throughout the project.
The communication is reciprocal, but the sentence does not specify how often each researcher communicated.
Does Everyone in a Group Have to Interact with Everyone Else?
Not necessarily.
Consider:
The four students reviewed one another’s essays.
The sentence describes reciprocal reviewing within the group, but it does not identify exactly who reviewed whose essay.
Depending on the context, different reviewing arrangements may be involved.
Arrangement 1: Students work in pairs.
Maya reviews Daniel’s essay, and Daniel reviews Maya’s. Priya and Noah form a second pair and do the same.
To make that arrangement clear, write:
The four students worked in pairs. Each student reviewed their partner’s essay.
Arrangement 2: Every student reviews every other student’s essay.
Each of the four students reads the other three essays.
We can state that explicitly:
Each student reviewed all three of the other students’ essays.
A general reciprocal sentence does not necessarily establish that every possible pair interacted. However, the precise interpretation depends on the context and the relationship being described.
If the arrangement matters, explain it rather than expecting the reciprocal pronoun to supply the missing details.
When a Reciprocal Sentence Would Be Misleading
Suppose a supervisor reviews three assistants’ reports. The assistants do not review the supervisor’s work.
We can accurately write:
The supervisor reviewed the assistants’ reports.
But this sentence would misrepresent the situation:
The supervisor and the assistants reviewed one another’s work.
It suggests reciprocal reviewing between the supervisor and assistants, which the facts do not support.
A reciprocal pronoun should describe the relationship accurately, not simply make a sentence shorter.
How Reciprocal Pronouns Work in Sentences
Reciprocal pronouns normally function as objects of verbs or prepositions rather than as subjects.
As Objects of Verbs
Some verbs take a reciprocal pronoun directly.
The two business partners trust each other.
Here, each other is the object of trust.
Similarly:
The rival teams congratulated one another after the final.
One another is the object of congratulated.
After Prepositions
Other expressions require a preposition.
The mediators spoke to one another after the hearing.
The neighboring charities depend on each other during emergencies.
The architects disagreed with each other about the entrance design.
The prepositions belong to the verbs and expressions being used.
We normally speak to someone, depend on someone, and disagree with someone. The same constructions apply when the relationship is reciprocal.
Can Reciprocal Pronouns Be Subjects?
In standard English, reciprocal pronouns do not normally function as the subject of a clause.
Incorrect:
Each other reviewed the inspection reports.
Correct:
The two inspectors reviewed each other’s reports.
In the corrected sentence, the two inspectors is the subject. The possessive expression each other’s identifies whose reports were reviewed.
Subject-Verb Agreement
The verb agrees with the sentence’s grammatical subject, not with the reciprocal pronoun.
The two departments coordinate with each other.
The two departments is plural, so coordinate is correct.
A singular collective expression can also refer to two people:
The couple relies on each other during difficult periods.
Here, the couple is treated as a singular collective noun, so relies is appropriate.
The reciprocal pronoun does not determine whether the verb is singular or plural.
Possessive Forms: Each Other’s and One Another’s
Reciprocal pronouns have possessive forms:
- each other’s
- one another’s
These expressions function as possessive determiners before nouns, showing possession, association, or a relationship involving something connected with the other participant or participants.
Consider two coauthors reviewing a manuscript.
The coauthors checked each other’s citations before submitting the final draft.
Each author checked citations supplied by the other.
With a larger group:
The trainees studied one another’s feedback before the next assessment.
The feedback came from other trainees in the group.
Each Other’s vs. Their Own
The possessive expression can change the meaning of a sentence.
Compare:
The two designers revised their own proposals.
The two designers revised each other’s proposals.
In the first sentence, each designer revised the proposal they had prepared.
In the second, each designer revised the other designer’s proposal.
Both sentences may be correct in different situations. The choice depends on whose work was actually revised.
This distinction is particularly useful in instructions and collaborative work where responsibilities need to be clear.
Apostrophe Placement and Spelling
The possessive ending ‘s is added to the complete reciprocal expression.
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| each other’s notes | each others’ notes |
| one another’s feedback | one anothers’ feedback |
| each other’s responsibilities | each others responsibilities |
Do not make other or another plural to form the possessive.
The reciprocal pronouns themselves are always written as two separate words.
Correct: each other, one another
Incorrect: eachother, oneanother
The spelling does not change according to the number of participants.
Check Your Understanding
Choose the correct form, interpret the meaning, or revise the sentence.
1. Are both forms correct?
Two historians are comparing translations.
The historians checked one another’s translations.
Does one another become incorrect because there are only two historians?
2. Choose the appropriate pronoun.
After a disappointing match, each of two athletes accused the other of making costly mistakes.
The athletes blamed (themselves / each other) for the defeat.
3. Identify the relationship.
Maya and Daniel are editors.
Maya and Daniel reviewed their own drafts.
Does this sentence mean that Maya reviewed Daniel’s draft and Daniel reviewed Maya’s?
4. Complete the prepositional expression.
The neighboring charities depend ______ one another for emergency supplies.
Choose on or for.
5. Correct the possessive spelling.
The researchers discussed each others findings during the meeting.
6. Explain the group meaning.
Four students reviewed one another’s essays.
Does this necessarily mean every student reviewed all three of the other students’ essays?
7. Choose the correct verb.
The two departments (coordinates / coordinate) with each other before publishing their annual reports.
8. Revise the inaccurate reciprocal sentence.
A research supervisor reviewed the reports written by three assistants. The assistants did not review the supervisor’s work.
The original sentence says:
The supervisor and the assistants reviewed one another’s work.
Rewrite it so that the description matches what actually happened.
Answers
1. Yes, both forms are correct.
One another can refer to two participants. The traditional two-versus-three distinction is not a strict rule in modern English.
The sentence could also use each other’s translations.
2. Each other
The athletes blamed each other for the defeat.
The sentence describes blame directed between the athletes.
Blamed themselves would describe blame directed back toward themselves rather than specifically toward the other athlete.
3. No
Their own drafts indicates that each editor reviewed the draft they had written.
For reciprocal reviewing, we would say:
Maya and Daniel reviewed each other’s drafts.
4. On
The neighboring charities depend on one another for emergency supplies.
The normal expression is depend on someone or something.
5. Each other’s
The researchers discussed each other’s findings during the meeting.
The possessive ending is added after the two-word expression each other.
6. No
The sentence describes reciprocal reviewing within the group, but it does not establish that every student reviewed every other student’s essay.
If that arrangement matters, it must be specified.
7. Coordinate
The two departments coordinate with each other before publishing their annual reports.
The plural subject the two departments takes coordinate.
The reciprocal pronoun does not control the verb agreement.
8. The supervisor reviewed the three assistants’ reports.
The corrected sentence accurately describes a one-way review.
The original implied reciprocal reviewing involving the supervisor and assistants, which did not occur.
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