Personal Pronouns Exercises
Do more with this exercise
Subject Personal Pronouns
Use a short word instead of a name: Maria is here. She is here. I, you, he, she, it, we, and they are subject pronouns.
- I and We:
- Use I for yourself. We means you and one or more other people.
- You:
- You means the person or people you speak to.
- He and She:
- Use he for a man or boy, and she for a woman or girl.
- It:
- Use it for one thing or animal: The book is red. It is red. Use it for the weather and the time too: It is cold. It is five o'clock.
- They:
- Use they for two or more people, animals, or things.
Examples
Maria is my friend. She is kind.
She means Maria.
Tom and I are friends. We are happy.
We means Tom and I.
The cat is small. It is black.
It means the cat.
You are my friend.
You means the person I speak to.
Anna and Ben are here. They are happy.
They means Anna and Ben.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Pronoun
Select the correct personal pronoun to complete each sentence.
1.Tom is my brother. ___ is ten years old.
2.My sister and I are at home. ___ are happy.
3.___ is cold and rainy today.
4.The books are on the table. ___ are new.
5.Are ___ a student?
Fill in the Blanks
Type the correct personal pronoun in the blank.
Build the Sentence
Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.
11. Build the sentence:
12. Build the sentence:
13. Build the sentence:
14. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
15.We use 'you' only for one person.
16.We use 'it' for one thing or one animal.
17.We write 'I' with a capital letter only at the start of a sentence.
18.We use 'they' for people and for things.
How Personal Pronouns Work in English
Read this: 'John is at the airport. John is tired. John is happy.' It sounds strange, because the name is there again and again. Personal pronouns fix this. Short words like 'he,' 'she' and 'it' take the place of a name, and your English sounds natural. These personal pronouns exercises help you use them without thinking.
In English, almost every sentence needs a subject. You cannot say 'is happy' or 'are at school.' You need 'she is happy' or 'they are at school.' The pronoun tells the listener who we are talking about, so it is almost always there.
Two pronouns surprise many learners. 'You' is for one person and also for a big group: it is the same word for one friend or for a room of people. 'They' is for people, and also for things: two bags are 'they,' not 'it.'
'It' has one more job. For the weather and the time, English needs a subject, so we use 'it': 'It is cold.' 'It is five o'clock.' Practice these rules in the exercises above, and you are ready to use pronouns in everyday English.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to say the name of a person before I use a pronoun?
Usually, yes. A pronoun takes the place of a name. If you say 'She is late,' people need to know who she is. Say the name first, or point to the person.
Can I use 'it' for my dog or cat?
Yes, 'it' is correct for animals. But many people say 'he' or 'she' for their own pet when they know if it is a boy or a girl. For other animals, 'it' is normal.
Is there a plural form of the word 'it'?
Yes, the plural of 'it' is 'they'. One book: 'It is on the desk.' Two books: 'They are on the desk.'
Why is 'I' always a capital letter in English?
It is an old spelling rule of English. 'I' is always a capital letter, also in the middle of a sentence. Other pronouns, like 'he' and 'you', have a capital letter only at the start of a sentence.
Answer key
1. Tom is my brother. ___ is ten years old.
Answer: He
Tom is a boy, so we use he.
2. My sister and I are at home. ___ are happy.
Answer: We
My sister and I means me and one more person, so we use we.
3. ___ is cold and rainy today.
Answer: It
We use it to talk about the weather.
4. The books are on the table. ___ are new.
Answer: They
Books are two or more things, so we use they.
5. Are ___ a student?
Answer: you
We say are you. With she we say is she, and with I we say am I.
6. The car is red. ___ is new.
Answer: It
The car is one thing, so we use it.
7. Sarah and Tom are from Mexico. ___ are my friends.
Answer: They
Sarah and Tom are two people, and I am not one of them, so we use they.
8. Hello, my name is David. ___ am a teacher.
Answer: I
David is the speaker, so he uses I. We always write I with a capital letter.
9. Mrs. Lee is my teacher. ___ is very kind.
Answer: She
Mrs. Lee is a woman, so we use she.
10. You and Anna are in my class. ___ are good students.
Answer: You
You and Anna means the person I speak to and one more person, so we use you. You is for one person or for many people.
11. a / doctor / . / she / is
Answer: She is a doctor.
The pronoun she comes first, then the verb is.
12. big / it / . / a / house / is
Answer: It is a big house.
The pronoun it comes first, then is, then a big house.
13. the / class / are / . / we / same / in
Answer: We are in the same class.
The pronoun we comes first, then the verb are.
14. new / they / my / . / friends / are
Answer: They are my new friends.
The pronoun they comes first, then the verb are.
15. We use 'you' only for one person.
Answer: False
You is for one person and for two or more people: You are my friend. You are my friends.
16. We use 'it' for one thing or one animal.
Answer: True
It is for one thing or animal: The cat is black. It is black.
17. We write 'I' with a capital letter only at the start of a sentence.
Answer: False
I is always a capital letter, at the start and in the middle of a sentence: Tom and I are friends.
18. We use 'they' for people and for things.
Answer: True
They is for two or more people, animals or things: The books are new. They are new.