What Are Personal Pronouns? A personal pronoun

Should you use personal pronouns in an essay?
Personal pronouns are perfectly acceptable in essays. However, in academic essays and other formal papers, it’s best to avoid the first- and second-person pronouns (I, me, we, us, you) for the sake of objectivity.

List of Personal Pronouns

There are several types of pronouns in the English language, each of which can be used to replace a noun in a sentence. Personal pronouns are the type that takes the place of specific nouns naming people, places and things.

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Comprehensive Personal Pronouns List

Personal pronouns are often used instead of repeating a name in multiple sentences that are close together. This can help avoid repetition and ease the flow of sentences. Review the complete list of personal pronouns below, presented in alphabetical order.

• 
  I
  
• 
  he
  
• 
  him
  
• 
  her
  
• 
  it
  
• 
  me
  
• 
  she
  
• 
  them
  
• 
  they
  
• 
  us
  
• 
  we
  
• 
  you
  

Though the name suggests that personal pronouns would only be used to describe people, certain personal pronouns (such as "it" and "they") can also stand in for objects, places and ideas.

Using Personal Pronouns

Writers and speakers usually inject personal pronouns into a sentence when the name of the noun has been previously mentioned. The reader or listener will still understand what is being referred to and the sentences sound less awkward. For example:
Richard bought a new laptop three months ago. He absolutely loves it.
In the second sentence, there are two personal pronouns. The personal pronoun "he" takes the place of "Richard," while the personal pronoun "it" takes the place of "laptop."

Categorizing Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns can be divided into singular and plural categories depending on the number of items they refer to. They can also be divided into first, second and third person points of view.