Here's a breakdown:
Personal:
* Focus: Emphasizes the individual, their experiences, feelings, and perspectives.
* Agency: Indicates active involvement, responsibility, or ownership of actions.
* Examples:
* "I am feeling happy today." (Focus on the speaker's feelings)
* "She painted a beautiful picture." (Focus on the individual's action)
* "They decided to go on a trip." (Focus on the group's decision)
Impersonal:
* Focus: De-emphasizes individuals and emphasizes broader concepts, events, or situations.
* Agency: May lack a clear agent or assigns agency to abstract entities.
* Examples:
* "It is raining today." (Focus on the weather, not a specific person)
* "The economy is struggling." (Focus on the economic state, not individuals)
* "The report suggests a decline in sales." (Focus on the report's findings, not the author)
Here are some key points to consider:
* Pronouns: Personal sentences often use personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, they), while impersonal sentences often use impersonal pronouns (it, there) or no pronoun at all.
* Passive voice: The passive voice is often used in impersonal sentences to emphasize the action rather than the actor.
* Tone: Personal language can convey emotion and subjectivity, while impersonal language is often more objective and formal.
Examples in context:
Personal: "I was so excited to see my family." (focus on personal feeling)
Impersonal: "The train arrived on time." (focus on the event)
Personal: "She wrote a bestselling novel." (focus on individual action)
Impersonal: "The novel became a bestseller." (focus on the event)
Understanding the difference between personal and impersonal helps you to write with clarity, focus, and the desired tone for your message.