Take Something Personal vs. Take Something Personally – Which is Correct?
Both “take something personal” and “take something personally” appear in American English, but “take something personally” is the standard choice in formal writing. “Personally” is an adverb modifying “take,” while “personal” is an adjective used informally after the verb. Use “personally” when you mean feeling offended or targeted by criticism.
Take Something Personal or Take Something Personally: Which Is Correct?
“Take something personally” is the standard and safest expression, especially in professional, academic, and edited writing. It means to feel hurt, offended, or targeted by someone’s words or actions.
“Take something personal” is also heard in American English, particularly in casual conversation and some regional or cultural varieties. However, many traditional grammar guides consider it informal or nonstandard because personally is the adverb that naturally modifies the verb phrase take something.
Use “Don’t take it personally” when you want to tell someone not to feel offended. In formal writing, avoid “Don’t take it personal” unless you are intentionally preserving a speaker’s informal wording or dialect.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the adverb test: ask whether the final word describes how someone takes the comment. Because personally describes an action, it is the standard choice: She took the criticism personally.
A quick memory trick is to connect personally with the phrase “in a personal way.” If you could replace the final word with “in a personal way,” choose personally. The shorter phrase take it personal may occur in casual speech, but take it personally is the reliable choice.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| personal | Adjective | Private, individual, or connected with a particular person; informal in this expression | He tends to take criticism personal. |
| personally | Adverb | In a personal or emotional way | He tends to take criticism personally. |
How to Use Personal
Personal is an adjective meaning related to a particular person, private rather than public, or based on an individual’s feelings, experiences, or preferences. In the phrase take something personal, it functions as an adjective describing the emotional significance of the comment or action. This construction is common in casual American speech, but it is less suitable for formal writing than take something personally.
Outside this expression, personal is fully standard and widely used in both formal and casual contexts.
Because personal and personnel are often confused, Personal vs. Personnel clarifies their distinct meanings in formal and casual writing.
Example 1: She keeps her personal opinions separate from her professional duties.
Example 2: The manager asked employees not to take the schedule change personal.
Example 3: That is a personal decision, so the company should respect it.
What Are the Different Forms of Personal?
Personal is an adjective and does not normally change for number or gender. Its comparative and superlative forms are usually formed with more and most: more personal and most personal. Forms such as personaler and personalest are rare and generally avoided.
Etymology of the Word Personal
Personal entered English through Anglo-French and Middle English from Latin personalis, meaning “relating to a person.” The Latin word is derived from persona, meaning “person,” “character,” or “role.” Its modern meanings developed around individual identity, private matters, and subjective experience.
How to Use Personally
Personally is the adverbial form of personal. In take something personally, it explains how a person responds to a remark, criticism, rejection, joke, or action. The phrase usually suggests that someone interprets the event as a personal attack or allows it to cause emotional pain.
Personally can also introduce an individual opinion, as in Personally, I prefer the earlier version. It may also mean “in person,” although that meaning is different from the meaning in take something personally.
Example 1: Try not to take the editor’s suggestions personally.
Example 2: She took his refusal personally because she had expected strong support.
Example 3: Personally, I think the revised policy is easier to understand.
What Are the Different Forms of Personally?
Personally is an adverb and does not have ordinary tense, plural, or comparative forms. In unusual contexts, writers may use more personally or most personally, but these combinations are uncommon. The related adjective is personal.
Etymology of the Word Personally
Personally is formed by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to personal. Since personal comes from Latin personalis, personally ultimately shares the same root connected with the idea of a person or individual.
Related Concepts
Understanding the difference between adjectives and adverbs makes this expression easier to choose correctly.
- Adjectives: Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns. In the phrase personal attack, personal describes the noun attack.
- Adverbs: Adverbs can describe verbs and explain how an action occurs. In take criticism personally, personally describes the way someone takes the criticism.
- Verb complements: Some verbs can be followed by adjectives, while others are more naturally followed by adverbs. Although take it personal occurs in informal American English, take it personally is the conventional standard form.
- Idiomatic expressions: The phrase take it personally has a meaning beyond its individual words: to feel offended or emotionally affected by something.
Examples from Media and Literature
The standard expression take it personally appears frequently in advice, dialogue, journalism, and professional communication. These examples show its typical use:
- Workplace advice: A manager may tell an employee, “Please don’t take the performance feedback personally,” to separate constructive criticism from personal hostility.
- Film dialogue: A character who loses a competition may be told not to take the defeat personally because the result was based on circumstances rather than dislike.
- News writing: An article about public criticism may explain that a politician “said she did not take the remarks personally.”
- Fiction: A mentor in a novel might advise a young character not to take rejection personally while learning a difficult skill.
- Everyday communication: A friend may say, “I was tired and distracted, so please don’t take my short reply personally.”
Practice Exercises
Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. In casual speech, personal may be heard, but these exercises use the standard form for formal and general English.
- Try not to take the customer’s complaint ______.
- He took the referee’s decision ______, even though it was not directed at him.
- That is a ______ matter, so I would rather not discuss it.
- She did not take the rejection ______ and continued applying for other positions.
- ______ speaking, I would choose the simpler design.
Answer Key
- personally — The adverb describes how the complaint is taken.
- personally — The standard idiom is take something personally.
- personal — The adjective describes the noun matter.
- personally — The sentence uses the standard expression for emotional reaction.
- Personally — Here, the adverb introduces the speaker’s individual opinion.
Personal Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Private | Not intended for public knowledge or general discussion. |
| Individual | Related to one particular person rather than a group. |
| Subjective | Based on personal feelings, opinions, or experiences. |
| Intimate | Deeply private, familiar, or emotionally close. |
| Private-life | Connected with someone’s life outside public or professional activities. |
Personally Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Emotionally | In a way involving feelings or emotional responses. |
| Offendedly | In a manner showing hurt or displeasure; this word is uncommon. |
| Individually | As a separate person or in relation to one person. |
| Subjectively | According to personal feelings, opinions, or experiences. |
| Directly | In a way that affects or concerns someone specifically. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is it correct to say “don’t take it personal”?
“Don’t take it personal” is common in informal American speech and in some dialects, but “don’t take it personally” is the standard form for formal writing, business communication, and general edited English.
Question 2: Why is “personally” preferred after “take”?
Personally is an adverb, so it describes how someone takes a comment or action. The phrase take something personally means to interpret something as a personal attack or to feel emotionally affected by it.
Question 3: Does “take something personal” always sound wrong?
No. It can sound natural in casual conversation and is established in some varieties of American English. However, readers may view it as nonstandard or informal, so take something personally is the safer choice when correctness and professionalism matter.
Conclusion
Both take something personal and take something personally occur in American English, but take something personally is the standard expression. Use personal as an adjective before nouns, such as personal criticism, and use personally to describe how someone responds. Pro Tip: Choosing personally in professional writing demonstrates careful grammar and protects your credibility.
