There are several parts of speech. While noun is the basic part that we all engage with, a pronoun is another important and basic part that everyone needs to understand.
Basically, a pronoun is the substitution of a noun. But under pronouns, there exist several types that people often oversee. Today we will discuss one such type. Namely, personal pronouns.
Personal pronouns are the elementary division of pronouns. Let us discuss them in detail with proper examples.
What is a personal pronoun?
In a very simple sense, personal pronouns are the substitute words or phrases that we use in place of people or a person we are referring to. These are basically shortened words used to indicate a person or the people without causing any repetition of their names or identities in a sentence.
Personal pronouns are I, she, he, they, we, you, and it.
Let us understand with an example;
I saw Priya at school today, but she did not attend the math class.
Here, we see that Priya is a proper noun. But when we are referring to her again, we are using the personal pronoun she and not Priya.
My name is James. I work at the bank.
Here, once we have introduced ourselves with our names, we do not refer to ourselves again with that particular name. We are most likely to use I or me whenever the sentence demands.
Usage of personal pronouns
Now that we know personal pronouns, it is important to realize how and when they are used.
Personal pronouns are used based on the following ways;
The first way is to recognize the three persons.
The first-person pronoun indicates or refers to the one who is speaking. It is the speaker, which means I.
The second-person pronoun indicates or refers to one the speaker is talking to. It is the person being spoken to, which means you.
The third-person pronoun refers to the person that the speaker is talking about. It is the person who is being spoken of, which means he, they, or she.
The second way to use them is to recognize their number.
Singular:
- First-person = I
- Second-person = you
- Third-person = he, she, it
Plural:
- First-person = we
- Second-person = you
- Third-person = they
Another point that is inclusive of this rule is recognizing gender. If a person is male, we use he. If a person is female, we use she, and if it’s the case of neuter, we use it.
Personal pronouns as subject and object pronouns
Personal pronouns can be either subjective or objective in nature.
When a personal pronoun is subjective or normative in nature, it means the pronoun is acting as the subject of the verb. In this case, we use the pronouns as follows;
- First-person = I – singular, we – plural
- Second-person = you
- Third-person = he, she, it – singular, they – plural
Examples;
- She is playing with her dog.
- I am going to the doctor.
When a personal pronoun is objective in nature, it means the personal pronouns act as an object, either direct or indirect objects of prepositions. In this case, we use the pronouns as follows;
- First-person = me – singular, us – plural
- Second-person = you
- Third-person = him, her, it – singular, them – plural
Examples;
- He was talking about me.
- Let the teacher talk to them.
So, these are the basic points that one needs to keep in mind to make proper use of personal pronouns.
