Personal Pronouns: Definition, Types, Usage and Examples

Personal Pronouns Definition- Standing for first, second and third person in English, Personal Pronouns are used for person/thing that have already been identified. 

 'I',  'we',  'you',  'he',  'she',  'it' & 'they' are examples of Personal Pronouns. They describe following 3 persons in English-

1. The person speaking (First Person)
2. The person spoken to (Second Person)
3. The person spoken of (Third Person)

Also read- Prepositions

Based on persons under context i.e. first, second and third person - there are majorly three types of Personal Pronouns as given below-

1. First Person Personal Pronouns-

Pronouns like “I” and “we” which denote person(s) speaking are called Personal Pronouns of First Person or First Person Personal Pronouns. different forms of First Person Personal Pronouns are given below-

2. Personal Pronouns of Second Person

The Pronoun “you” that denotes person spoken to is called Personal Pronoun of Second Person. different forms of Personal Pronouns of Second Person are given below-

3. Personal Pronouns of Third Person

Pronouns like “he” “she” and “they” which denote person or persons spoken of (or spoken about) are called Personal Pronouns of Third Person. different forms of Personal Pronouns of Third Person are given below-

Also Read- Simple Present Tense

Check out some common and important rules and uses of Personal Pronouns which can prevent you from making a mistake on the IELTS exam. 

1. The Personal Pronoun must be of the same gender, number and person as the noun it replaces. For example:
   1. Ram is a good boy. He always completes his homework. (Explanation: Personal Pronoun “he” is used for the third person singular boy “Ram”.)
   2. Roseline can make complicated tasks easy. She has an eye for detail. (Explanation: Personal Pronoun “she” is used for the third person singular girl “Roseline”.)
2. The possessive cases of Personal Pronouns like “my”, “our”, “your”, “his”, “her”, and “their” are called Possessive Adjectives when they are used with nouns (hence they play the role of adjectives). For example: 
   1. This is my book. 
   2. Those are your books.
   3. These are her books. (Explanation: here the personal pronouns “my”, “your” and “her” are used with the noun “book(s)”, hence they become possessive adjectives).
3. The word “his” can act as both - an adjective and a personal pronoun depending on its placement and use in the sentence. If “his” is used before a noun, it becomes an adjective otherwise, it remains a personal pronoun. For example:
   1. This is his book. (Possessive Adjective)
   2. This book is his. (Personal Pronoun)
4. The Personal Pronoun “it” can be used for the following cases:
   1. For things without life, for example: “Here is your pen, take it away.”
   2. For animals, unless the gender of animals is spoken of, for example: “The horse fell and broke its leg.”
   3. For children, unless their gender is spoken of, for example: “When I saw the child, it was crying.”
   4. For referring to a statement that has been previously spoken/going. For example: “He is telling what is not true, and he knows it.”
   5. To give emphasis to the noun or pronoun, for example: “It was you who began the quarrel” or “It was I who first protested.”
   6. In the context of weather, condition or time. For example: “It is fine”, “It is summer” or “It is 9 o’clock.”
5. For Collective Nouns, if they are viewed as a whole, the Personal Pronoun to be used must be a singular number with neutral gender. For example:
   1. The jury gave its verdict after some time.
   2. The fleet will reach its destination in a week.

Also, Read:

• Best Spoken English Books for Indian Students
• How to Improve English Communication Skills? 

This was all about Personal Pronouns for IELTS Grammar A1. Students can more such topics of preparation on our IELTS Preparation page. 

A basic understanding of topics like Personal Pronouns and Prepositions can help students manifest their studying abroad dreams and participate well in their academic coursework and activities. And not just that, students can also utilise this knowledge to prepare for other exams as well like PTE, TOEFL and Duolingo.