Personal pronouns in English serve the purpose of referring to specific individuals or things. They function as replacements for nouns or noun phrases and can act as subjects, objects, or possessive determiners within sentences.

Here’s a summary of personal pronouns:

Subject Pronouns:

Singular: I, you, he, she, it

Plural: we, you, they

Example: “I am going to the store.”

Object Pronouns:

Singular: me, you, him, her, it

Plural: us, you, them

Example: “She gave it to me.”

Possessive Pronouns:

Singular: mine, yours, his, hers, its

Plural: ours, yours, theirs

Example: “Is this book yours?”

Possessive Determiners:

Singular: my, your, his, her, its

Plural: our, your, their

Example: “I lost my keys.”

Reflexive Pronouns:

Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself

Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Example: “He taught himself how to play the guitar.”

Personal pronouns aid in avoiding repetition of nouns and contribute to sentence conciseness. When selecting the appropriate personal pronoun, it is essential to consider its function within the sentence (subject, object, or possessive). Additionally, it is important to note the person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural) to ensure the correct personal pronoun usage.

Furthermore, while personal pronouns can vary based on gender and formality in some languages, English personal pronouns are generally gender-neutral and do not possess formal/informal distinctions (except for “you,” which is used for both singular and plural and can be formal or informal depending on the context).