Personal Pronouns

Introduction

Personal pronouns are substitutes for noun phrases. We often use them to refer back to people (sometimes animals) and things. Examples of personal pronouns include “I”, “you”, “he”, “she”, “it”, “we”, “they”, “me”, “him”, “her”, “it”, and “them“. In this article, we will define personal pronouns and explore their various types. Illustrative examples will be provided.

Let’s start with the definition of personal pronouns!

What are Personal Pronouns?

Personal pronouns are words that replace noun phrases in sentences. Examples include “I”, “you”, “he”, “she”, “it”, “we”, “they”, “me”, “him”, “her”, “it”, and “them“.

Personal pronouns are used to make communication more concise and less repetitive. Consider this example:

• Jane did her homework. The teacher was proud of Jane. The teacher congratulated Jane. Jane was happy.

You would agree that the above example is unnecessarily repetitive. It can be reformulated more concisely as follows:

• Jane did her homework. The teacher was proud of her. He congratulated her. She was happy.

Types of Personal Pronouns

Let’s now explore the different types of personal pronouns. In English, there are typically two types of personal pronouns: subjective and objective.

1. Subject Pronouns:
   • Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
   • Used as the subject of a sentence.
2. Object Pronouns:
   • Examples: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
   • Used as the object of a verb or preposition.

Subject Pronouns

What are subject pronouns?

A subject pronoun, also called subjective or subject personal pronoun, is used as a substitute for proper and common nouns. Here are the subject pronouns in English:

I, You, He, She, It, We, They

Examples

• John is a doctor – He is a doctor
• The laptop is on the desk – It is on the desk

A subject pronoun is used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence.

Example

• ______ did the job.
  • The pronouns “I“, “you“, “he“, “she“, “it“, “we“, and “they” all fit into the blank space and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

A subject pronoun indicates:

• Number: singular or plural.
• Gender: male or female.
• Person: first, second, or third person.

Here are some illustrated examples:

The words “I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they” are subject pronouns. They refer to a person or thing in speech or writing.

Object Pronouns

What are object pronouns?

Object pronouns are words used to replace nouns functioning as the object (of a verb or a preposition) within a sentence. Here are the object pronouns in English:

Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, Them

Here are examples using object pronouns:

1. She gave the book to me.
2. Do this favor for me!
3. I appreciated you when you helped with the project.
4. Sarah invited him to the party.
5. The teacher praised her for the excellent presentation.
6. I found the lost key and placed it on the table.
7. They are expecting us at the meeting.
8. I sent an email to remind them about the event.
9. This app was designed for them.

Person	Subject Pronouns	Object Pronouns
1st person	I	Me
2nd person	You	You
3rd person	He/She/It	Him/Her/It
1st person (plural)	We	Us
2nd person (plural)	You	You
3rd person (plural)	They	Them

Things to Take Into Consideration

1. Subject Pronouns with Verbs:
   • Subject pronouns are employed with verbs in all tenses, except for the imperative.
   • Example: He is running. (Present tense)
     Run as fast as you can. (Imperative)
2. Object Pronouns with Verbs and Prepositions:
   • Object pronouns are utilized as the object of a verb and also as the object of a preposition.
   • Examples: She saw him. (Object of a verb)
     The gift is for her. (Object of a preposition)
3. Neutral Pronouns for Gender Neutrality:
   • The neutral pronouns “they” and “them” are employed when referring to individuals or entities of neutral gender.
   • Example: Someone left their bag here. (Using “they” as a neutral pronoun)

These considerations help ensure proper usage of subject and object pronouns in various linguistic contexts.

Review of Pronouns in English

Subject pronouns	Possessive adjectives	Possessive pronouns	Reflexive pronouns	Object pronouns
I	my	mine	myself	me
you	your	yours	yourself	you
he	his	his	himself	him
she	her	hers	herself	her
it	its	its	itself	it
we	our	ours	ourselves	us
you	your	yours	yourselves	you
they	their	theirs	themselves	them

Conclusion

In conclusion, personal pronouns serve as indispensable substitutes for noun phrases, offering a succinct means to reference individuals, animals, and objects. Their versatility allows for clearer, more concise communication by eliminating the need for repetitive use of specific names or entities.

You may also be interested in:

• Exercise on subject pronouns
• Object pronouns
• Possessive adjectives
• Possessive pronouns
• Reflexive pronouns