Personal Pronouns

What is a Personal Pronoun?

A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is associated primarily with a particular person, in the grammatical sense.
When discussing person in terms of the grammatical, the following rules apply:

First person, as in I

Second person, as in you

Third person, as in It, he, she

Personal pronouns may take on various forms depending on number (singular or plural for the most part). They may
also take different forms depending on case, gender, or formality. It is important to note that personal pronouns may
refer to objects, animals, or people.
Personal pronouns provide us with the following information:

The person Who is speaking?

The number Is the pronoun plural or singular?

The gender Is the pronoun feminine, masculine, or neuter?

Examples of Personal Pronouns

The word he is an example of a personal pronoun. He is third person (because he is the person being spoken
about), singular, and masculine. The word we is another example of a personal pronoun. We is first person
(because we are speaking as a group), plural, and neuter.
In the following examples, personal pronouns are italicized.
1.

You need to stop lying to me.

2.

We would love for you to join us.

3.

Come look at my cat! He has climbed to the top of that tree.

Personal Pronouns as Subject Pronouns

When a personal pronoun takes the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence, it is both a personal pronoun and
a subject pronoun. What is a subject pronoun? In essence, its any pronoun that is used to replace a common or
proper noun as a sentences subject.

If you are using a personal pronoun to talk about a person, animal, place, or thing that also happens to be the
subject of a sentence, then it is classified as both a personal pronoun and a subject pronoun.

Personal Pronouns as Object Pronouns

When a personal pronoun is the direct or indirect object of a verb, or when it is used as the object of a preposition, it
is called an object pronoun. What is an object pronoun? Its any pronoun that is affected by the action the subject
of the sentence takes.
The personal pronouns that are used as object pronouns are different than the personal pronouns that are used as
subject pronouns, but they are just as important. There are seven object pronouns that also happen to be personal
pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
How Are Subject Pronouns and Object Pronouns Related to Personal Pronouns?
Like all personal pronouns, subject pronouns and object pronouns are used to eliminate repetition within sentences.
Additionally, they are always associated with a specific person, group, animal, or inanimate object.
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between subject and object pronouns. It can be helpful to
remember that a subject is what a sentence is about, while an object is affected by the action of the subject.
Just like other personal pronouns, subject pronouns and object pronouns can take on different forms depending on
number, i.e. whether they are singular or plural. Additionally, they can be used with any of the three grammatical
persons, i.e. first-person, second-person, or third-person.
Finally, subject pronouns and object pronouns are related to one another and all other personal pronouns in that the
words used may differ depending on the natural or grammatical gender of the words they refer to.
Examples of Sentences Containing Both Subject Pronouns & Object Pronouns
1.

I want you to read this book.

2.

You are the fastest runner on the team, and were depending on you.

3.

They talked to me about acting in the play.

4.

We enjoyed hearing her sing.

5.

Comparing Subject and Object Pronouns

6. Use the following table to compare subject and object pronouns. Notice that some subject pronouns are
identical to certain object pronouns.
Subject

Object

Pronoun

Pronoun

It

It

You

You

What

What

Me

He

Him

She

Her

We

Us

Who

Whom

They

Them

Personal Pronoun Exercises

The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how personal pronouns work. Choose the
best answer to complete each sentence.
1.

__________ often reads until late at night.

A.

He

B.

Alan

C.

Mary

D.

They

2.

3.

__________ is running up and down the stairs.

A.

The cat

B.

She

C.

My brother

D.

You
__________ is from Ireland.

A.

Rory

B.

My friend

C.

He

D.

This souvenir

4.

Have __________ got a dog, Mary?

A.

Anyone

B.

They

C.

Someone

D.

It

5.

We enjoy the roses so much. __________ really liven up the garden.

A.

They

B.

Its

C.

Someone

D.

Flowers

6.

Melissa isnt an architect; __________ is an engineer.

A.

He

B.

They

C.

It

D.

She

7.

Are __________ friends or not?

A.

He

B.

She

C.

We

D.

It

8.

My doctor was born in Germany. __________ teaches language lessons in his spare time.
A.

They

B.

It

C.

She

D.

He

9.

All of my teachers are Americans. __________ come from all over the country.
A.

She

B.

We

C.

They

D.

Them

10.

Our friends are athletes. All of __________ are either strong, fast, or both.
A.

We

B.

They

C.

Them

D.

You

Answers:
1.

A He often reads until late at night.

2.

B She is running up and down the stairs.

3.

C He is from Ireland.

4.

B Have they got a dog, Mary?

5.

A We enjoy the roses so much. They really liven up the garden.

6.

D Melissa isnt an architect; she is an engineer.

7.

C Are we friends or not?

8.

D My doctor was born in Germany. He teaches language lessons in his spare time.

9.

C All of my teachers are Americans. They come from all over the country.

10.

C Our friends are athletes. All of them are either strong, fast, or both.

Personal pronouns

Gender

Subject
pronoun

Object
pronoun

Examples

male / female

me

I saw John yesterday.

John saw me yesterday.

male / female
(singular, plural)

you

you

You like John.

John likes you.

male

he

him

He loves Angela.
Angela loves him.

female

she

her

She knows David.

David knows her.

neuter (things,
animals)

it

it

It costs a lot of money.

Eric bought it.

us

We saw John.
John saw us.

you

Do you both live here?

Ill show you both the garden.

them

They live together in Paris.

We met them in Spain.

male / female
(plural)
male / female
(plural)
male / female
(plural)

we

you

they

Personal Pronouns
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns. This means that a pronoun renames a
person, place, thing, or idea.
Examples of Personal Pronouns:
We use pronouns so that we don't constantly have to repeat the noun.
Personal Pronouns are pronouns that replace specific people or things.
Some personal pronouns are subjective, meaning they are used as subjects of the main
clause or of a dependent clause. Other personal pronouns are objective, meaning that they
are used in predicates as objects or complements.
Examples of personal pronouns:
I (subjective)
Me (objective)

You (subjective and objective)

He (subjective)
She (subjective)
Him (objective)
Her (objective)
It (subjective and objective)
We (subjective)
Us (objective)
They (subjective)
Them (objective)
Examples of pronouns in a sentence:
I would like some water.
Marie, did you forget something?
Kevin said he would share his cake with me.
The dog acts like it is hungry.
My parents said they need a night out.
Are we going to the lake with them?
I am friends with him.
Pam gave the cookies to her.
She is my little sister.
Don't be rude to us.

We use subject pronouns as subjects of sentences and object pronouns as objects.

Subject Pronouns

Singular

Plural

1st person

2nd person

you You like to study.

3rd person (male)

he

3rd person (female)

she She likes ice cream.

her

John kissed her.

3rd person (nonperson)

it

it

John smashed it.

1st person

we

2nd person
3rd person

Extra Credit

I kicked the ball

Object Pronouns
John kicked the ball
me
to me.
John wants to talk
you
to you.

He eats green cheese.

It bit John.

him Mary doesn't like him.

We enjoy going to the

us
The politician lied to us.
movies.
you You are the best students. you I wouldn't lie to you.
the
They are not happy.
y

the
m

Mary didn't invite them.

We use pronouns as substitutes for noun phrases. The pronoun and the noun phrase that it refers to mean the
same thing.

Subject Pronouns
What is a Subject Pronoun?
A subject pronoun is exactly what it sounds like: a pronoun that takes the place of a noun as the subject of a
sentence. Remember, a sentences subject is the person or thing that performs the action of a verb. When you take
an even closer look, youll see that a subject pronoun is used as the subject of a verb, while an object pronoun is
usually used as a grammatical object.

Subject Pronouns Exercises

1.

__________ kicked the ball so hard that his shoe came off.
A.

She

B.

They

C.

He

D.

It

2.

Correct me if Im wrong, but I think __________ enjoy studying.

A.

He

B.

She

C.

You

D.

3.

4.

The dog stole Taras ice cream before __________ ran away.
A.

You

B.

C.

They

D.

It
__________ enjoys going to the gym early each morning.

A.

B.

She

C.

They

D.

We

5.

__________ prefer hiking to movies.

A.

She

B.

He

C.

We

D.

It

6.

__________ is raining again.

A.

It

B.

She

C.

He

D.

We

7.

__________ puts ketchup on everything she eats.

A.

He

B.

She

C.

We

D.

It

8.

You can have ice cream after __________ finish your dinner.
A.

We

B.

You

C.

It

D.

She

Answers:
1.

C He kicked the ball so hard that his shoe came off.

2.

C Correct me if Im wrong, but I think you enjoy studying.

3.

D The dog stole Taras ice cream before it ran away.

4.

B She enjoys going to the gym early each morning.

5.

C We prefer hiking to movies.

6.

A It is raining again.

7.

B She puts ketchup on everything she eats.

8.

B You can have ice cream after you finish your dinner.

A subject pronoun (such as I, we, he, she, they) refers to the person doing the action in the
sentence.
Example: She is cooking dinner for them. (She is the subject pronoun)

An object pronoun (such as me, us, him, her, them) refers to the person receiving the action in
the sentence.
Example: She is cooking dinner for them (Them is the object pronoun)