Personal Pronouns | Definition, List & Examples
Personal pronouns, like “she,” “us,” and “yourself,” are words that represent other nouns, which are called antecedents.
When used correctly, personal pronouns lead to better writing because they prevent unnecessary repetition. For example, if someone is writing about the moon, they could substitute the pronoun “it” for the antecedent “moon” in some of the sentences.
Some personal pronouns only refer to people (e.g., “me” or “he”), but others (e.g., “it”) refer to places or things.
One of the most important rules for personal pronouns is to have a clear antecedent. Always use the antecedent before substituting it with a pronoun in other sentences.
Isaac had a scholarship for the first year of college because he got excellent grades during high school.
Role-playing games like Stardew Valley are really entertaining, but they also take a lot of time.
Personal pronouns list
Personal pronouns have different forms based on these categories:
- Number (singular or plural)
- Person (first-person, second-person, or third-person)
- Case (subject, object, possessive, or reflexive)
Some of the singular third-person pronouns (e.g., “he,” “she,” and “they”) have different forms based on the antecedent’s gender identity.
The following list will help you choose pronouns that accurately represent their antecedents.
| Person | Number | Case | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive | ||
| First | Singular | I | me | mine | myself |
| Plural | we | us | ours | ourselves | |
| Second | Singular | you | you | yours | yourself |
| Plural | you | you | yours | yourselves | |
| Third | Singular
(one person) |
she | her | hers | herself |
| he | him | his | himself | ||
| they | them | theirs | themself/ themselves | ||
| Plural (2+ people) |
they | them | theirs | themselves | |
| Singular (one place or thing) |
it | it | – | itself | |
| Plural (2+ places or things) |
they | them | theirs | themselves | |
Personal pronoun number
The number of a personal pronoun can be singular or plural. Sentences with pronouns should have pronoun-antecedent agreement. When the antecedent is singular (e.g., “plant”), the pronoun that refers back to it should also be singular (e.g., “it”). Antecedents that are plural (e.g., “flowers”) need plural pronouns (e.g., “they”).
The third-person pronouns “they,” “them,” “theirs,” and “themselves” can be singular or plural depending on the context:
- Plural for two or more places/things
- Plural for two or more people
- Singular for one nonbinary or hypothetical person
“They,” “them,” “theirs,” and “themselves” can only be singular when they refer to a person. These four personal pronouns are always plural when they refer to places or things.
| Example | Explanation |
|---|---|
| We don’t have any pumpkins for Halloween because the squirrels ate them. | “Them” and the antecedent “pumpkins” are both plural. |
| The party was canceled, but the hosts will reschedule it soon. | “It” and the antecedent “party” are both singular. |
| If a student is sick, they should stay home and rest. | “They” refers to a hypothetical person whose gender is irrelevant, so it’s a correct singular, third-person pronoun. |
Personal pronoun cases
A pronoun’s role in a sentence determines what case it should be. Personal pronouns have four different cases: subject, object, possessive, and reflexive.
| Case | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject pronouns
(I, we, she, he, they, you, who, it) |
Subject that performs the action of the verb | Geraniums are gorgeous, and they bloom all summer. |
| Predicate nominative that describes or renames the subject | The book club hosts next week are Cathy and I. | |
| Object pronouns
(me, us, her, him, them, you, whom, it) |
Direct object that receives the action of the verb | We always plant potatoes in March and harvest them in July. |
| Indirect object that receives the direct object | Mom made us pancakes every Sunday morning. | |
| Object of a preposition | Daphne is popular, so everyone wants to sit by her. | |
| Possessive pronouns
(mine, ours, hers, his, theirs, yours, whose) |
Any of the same roles as subject or object pronouns (e.g., a subject) | Of all the performances in Wicked, hers was the best. |
| Reflexive pronouns
(myself, ourselves, herself, himself, themself, themselves, yourself, yourselves) |
A direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition, but only when the same person is the subject | The toddlers wore themselves out on the playground. |
Like personal pronouns, possessive adjectives need clear antecedents.
First-person pronouns
First-person pronouns refer to the person or people who are speaking or writing. The first-person subject pronoun “I” is always capitalized.
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | I | me | mine | myself |
| Plural | we | us | ours | ourselves |
The correct first-person pronoun depends on how it’s used in a sentence and the number of the antecedent (plural or singular).
The neighbors cooked us dinner for our anniversary.
The lilac bushes next to the driveway are ours.
I bought myself the new Zelda game.
- Essays that don’t require details about yourself should usually stay in the third person. Phrases like “I think” and “I believe” are unnecessary.
- Narrative essays and other assignments that require you to write about yourself should almost always include first-person pronouns. Don’t refer to yourself in the third person (e.g., “this learner” or “this researcher”) unless it’s required.
- Academic research frequently includes first-person pronouns when writers describe their own steps in an experiment (e.g., “We surveyed 24 teachers”).
Second-person pronouns
Second-person pronouns refer to the people who are being addressed (e.g., the recipient of an email). They’re common in face-to-face conversations, workplace memos, and personal correspondence but not academic writing.
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | you | you | yours | yourself |
| Plural | you | you | yours | yourselves |
“You” and “yours” can be singular or plural. The contraction “y’all” for “you all” is an informal second-person pronoun that’s common in spoken English and informal writing (e.g., a text message).
Read the envelope before you open it to make sure that it’s yours.
Third-person pronouns
Third-person pronouns refer to people or places and things. There are far more possibilities for third-person pronouns than first- or second-person pronouns.
| Subject | Object | Possessive | Reflexive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular
(one person) |
she | her | hers | herself |
| he | him | his | himself | |
| they | them | theirs | themself/ themselves | |
| Plural (2+ people) |
they | them | theirs | themselves |
| Singular (one place or thing) |
it | it | – | itself |
| Plural (2+ places or things) |
they | them | theirs | themselves |
The correct third-person pronoun depends on several factors:
- Whether the antecedent is a person (e.g. “she”) or another noun (e.g., “it”)
- If the antecedent is a person, the gender identity (e.g., “she,” “he,” or “they”)
- The role that it plays in a sentence (subject, object, possessive, or reflexive)
- The number of the antecedent (plural or singular)
The third-person pronouns “they,” “them,” “theirs,” and “themselves” are singular when they refer to one nonbinary or hypothetical person.
Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17 years old.
After several customers requested donuts, the restaurant added them to the menu.
The history teacher inspired each student to think for themselves.
The artist signed the painting so everyone would know it was hers.
- Each candidate is convinced that she or he has the best platform.
- Each candidate is convinced that they have the best platform.
Impersonal pronouns
The impersonal pronouns “one” and “oneself” refer to a nonspecific, generic individual. Impersonal pronouns are common in generalizations about human behavior.
“One” can be a subject pronoun or an object pronoun, and “oneself” is a reflexive pronoun (but only when the subject of the same sentence is “one”).
Anything is possible if one believes in oneself.
Frequently asked questions about personal pronouns
- What is the difference between personal and possessive pronouns?
-
Possessive pronouns are one of the four cases of personal pronouns, which also include subject pronouns, object pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.
The possessive pronouns (“mine,” “ours,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “theirs,” and “whose”) represent nouns that belong to people (e.g., Maria said that the ginger ale in the refrigerator is hers”).
Possessive pronouns can play any of the roles that nouns can play in sentences.
They’re sometimes confused with possessive adjectives (“my,” “our,” “your,” “his,” “her,” “its,” “their,” and “whose”), which modify nouns that go right after them in a sentence (e.g., “Maria asked us not to drink her ginger ale”).
When you’re writing with personal pronouns, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
- What is the difference between a personal and impersonal pronoun?
-
A personal pronoun usually refers to a specific person, place, or thing, but an impersonal pronoun only refers to a generic person.
There are over twenty personal pronouns, including “she,” “he,” “them,” “we,” and “themselves.” They can be first-person, second-person, or third-person.
There are only two impersonal pronouns—”one” and “oneself.” They usually occur in sentences that describe general human behavior (e.g., “One can never have enough socks”).
When you’re writing with personal and impersonal pronouns, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
- What is the difference between first- and second-person pronouns?
-
The main difference between first- and second-person pronouns is the person or people they refer to.
First-person pronouns represent the person who is speaking or writing (e.g., “We love helping people become stronger writers, and we hope you enjoy our blog”). They include “I,” “we,” “me,” “us,” “mine,” “ours,” “myself,” and “ourselves.”
Second-person pronouns represent the person you are speaking or writing to (“The more you practice writing, the better your writing will become”). They include “you,” “yours,” “yourself,” and “yourselves.”
First- and second-person pronouns can function as subject pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.
There are fewer second-person pronouns than first-person pronouns for two reasons.
- Only second-person reflexive pronouns have singular and plural forms. For example, “you” can mean one person or “you all.” (Although in spoken English, the contraction “y’all” for “you all” is a common plural for “you.”) “Yours” can also be plural or singular.
- Second-person pronouns don’t have different subject and object cases. The second-person pronoun “you” can be a subject pronoun or an object pronoun.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use first- and second-person pronouns correctly.
- What’s the difference between subject and object pronouns?
-
Subject pronouns (“I,” “we,” “she,” “he,” “they,” “you,” “who,” and “it”) perform the action in a sentence or clause (e.g., “We watched a documentary about pyramids yesterday”).
Object pronouns (“me,” “us,” “him,” “her,” “them,” “whom”) receive the action (e.g., “The instructor gave us a new assignment today”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes with subject and object pronouns.
- Is they singular or plural?
-
“They” has been traditionally used as a plural pronoun, but it can be either singular or plural depending on the context.
The singular they can be used when referring to someone whose gender is unknown or irrelevant, as well as someone who identifies as nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, or otherwise uses “they/them” personal pronouns.
For example, “If a customer has any questions, they can ask the staff.”
