Those Pesky Personal Pronouns

Most English grammar books introduce personal pronouns like he, she, him, and her very early on. However, it seems to take many ESL students a long time to really master them. Unfortunately, when you misuse these little words, you can really confuse your listener. Also, using personal pronouns correctly can improve your scores on tests such as the TOEFL iBT and IELTS.

When I taught Low Intermediate Grammar, I used to have the class practice personal pronouns by arranging the students in a circle and having them take turns describing each other. But how do you practice when you’re by yourself?

One simple way is to get a group photo of men and women from the Internet or a magazine. Practice describing these people out loud. For example, you could say: She (a woman) is wearing a green dress. Her shoes are green too. She is sitting by a man. He looks like her father. His hair is gray. He is talking to her. They look happy.

Be sure to speak aloud and don’t just “think” the words. It’s important to get really comfortable with speaking quickly about men and women. Your goal should be to be able to use the correct personal pronoun without giving it any thought. This can take time, but it’s worth the effort.