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FF.1 Identify personal pronouns

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What are personal pronouns?

Personal pronouns are words that take the place of specific nouns, usually referring to people or things. They help avoid repeating the same nouns over and over.

Examples:
  • Maria is my friend. → She is my friend.
  • James and I like pizza. → We like pizza.
  • My dog is funny. → It is funny.
Note

Personal pronouns stand in for people, animals, or things already known to the reader or listener.

Types of personal pronouns

Personal pronouns can show different points of view: first person, second person, and third person.

Examples:
  • First person: I, me, we, us
  • Second person: you
  • Third person: he, she, it, him, her, they, them
Note

“First person” means the speaker, “second person” means the listener, and “third person” means someone or something being talked about.

Subject and object pronouns

Personal pronouns can be used as the subject of a sentence (the one doing the action) or as the object (the one receiving the action).

Examples:
  • Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
  • She plays basketball.” (subject)
  • “Coach called him to practice.” (object)
Note

Check if the pronoun is doing the action or receiving the action to know if it is a subject or object pronoun.

Pronouns and antecedents

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun replaces. The pronoun must match its antecedent in number (singular or plural) and gender.

Examples:
  • Emily loves to read. → She loves to read. (She refers to Emily.)
  • The students finished homework. → They finished homework. (They refers to students.)
Note

Always make sure the pronoun clearly refers to one specific antecedent so the meaning is not confusing.

Using personal pronouns in sentences

Personal pronouns make sentences smoother and less repetitive. Practice replacing nouns with pronouns in full sentences.

Examples:
  • “Michael and I are friends.” → “We are friends.”
  • “The teacher gave Sarah a book.” → “The teacher gave her a book.”
  • “The dogs are barking loudly.” → “They are barking loudly.”
Note

If a sentence sounds too repetitive, try using a pronoun to make it clearer and more natural.