Personal pronouns take the place of nouns that refer to people, places, and things.  Pronoun usage is one of the top ten problems beginning college writers struggle with because they primarily use the pronouns I, you, and they as the subjects of their sentences in normal conversation.  However, in written texts, the overuse of pronouns without combining them with the nouns they refer back to causes vague sentences and students’ written ideas to become unclear.  This handout is designed to help you understand that the primary function of the pronoun as a part of speech is to help in avoiding the overuse of nouns, not to replace nouns altogether.

A all another any anybody anyone anything
B both
E each each other either everybody everyone everything
F few
H he her hers herself him himself his
I I it its itself
M many me mine more most much myself
N neither no one nobody none nothing
O one one another other others ours ourselves
S several she some somebody someone something
T that their theirs them themselves these they this those
U us
W we what whatever which whichever who whoever whom whomever whose
Y you your yours yourself yourselves