What Are Personal Pronouns?
What Are Personal Pronouns? (with Examples)
Personal pronouns represent people or things. The personal pronouns are:
- I
- you
- he
- she
- it
- we
- they
Subjective Personal Pronouns
The list above shows the subjective personal pronouns. These are the versions used for the subjects of verbs. For example:
- You are happy.
- They won the league.
Objective Personal Pronouns
The objective personal pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
These are the versions used when the personal pronouns are objects (like direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of prepositions). For example:
- Paul knows her.
- Paul gave them the letter.
- Paul went with him.
(The personal pronoun is a direct object.)
(The personal pronoun is an indirect object.)
(The personal pronoun is an object of a preposition.)
Choosing Personal Pronouns
Native English speakers rarely make mistakes when selecting which personal pronoun to use. However, whether we know it or not, we all select a personal pronoun having first determined its:
- Number
- Person
- Gender
- Case
Is the personal pronoun representing something singular or plural?
Is the personal pronoun representing something:
In the first person? (This is the speaker himself or a group that includes the speaker, i.e., I, me, we, and us.)
In the second person? (This is the speaker's audience, i.e., you.)
In the third person? (This is everybody else, i.e., he, she,it, they.)
Is the personal pronoun representing something male, female, or neuter?
Is the personal pronoun representing something which is a subject or an object?
The Personal Pronouns and Their Possessive Versions
The table below shows the subjective personal pronouns and the objective personal pronouns. For completeness, it also shows the associated possessive adjectives and absolute possessive pronouns.
| Person | Subjective Case | Objective Case | Possessive Case Possessive Adjective | Possessive Case Absolute Possessive Pronouns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person Singular | I | me | my | mine |
| Second Person Singular | you | you | your | yours |
| Third Person Singular | he/she/it | him/her/it | his/her/its | his/hers/its |
| First Person Plural | we | us | our | ours |
| Second Person Plural | you | you | your | yours |
| Third Person Plural | they | them | their | theirs |
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