The World for Freedom

Revision as of 15:58, 4 April 2020

PERSONAL AND REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

1. Personal Pronouns

(a) SUBJECT PRONOUNS occupy the subject position of a sentence: He is a North American; You are at the beginning of this course; She is from southern Europe.

(b) OBJECT PRONOUNS are used as the object of a verb: I know him very well; I see her every day: or as the object of a preposition: I live with them; I spoke to her.

(c) POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES are used to modify (describe) a noun: This is my book; Is she your child? That is our problem

(d) POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS do not appear before nouns: This is mine; This book is yours. They often appear as subjects: Mine is the best.

2. Demonstrative Pronouns

Like personal subject pronouns (I, you, she, etc.), the DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, this, that, these, and those, occupy the subject position of a sentence: This is a picture of my father; That is the formula for success.
a. This refers to a person or thing close to the speaker; This (woman) is an old friend of mine; This (here in my hand) is a rare butterfly.

b. That refers to a person or thing at some distance from the speaker: That is a picture of my mother on the wall; That (a bird up in a tree) is a nightingale.

c. These (the plural of this) refers to persons or things close to the speaker: These are important examples: These are the best years of our lives.

d. Those (the plural of that) refers to persons or things at some distance from the speaker: Those (books up on the top shelf) are very old; Those (apples up in the tree) are ready to pick.

3. Interrogative Pronouns

The main interrogative pronouns are "what," "which," "who," "whom," and "whose." Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.

The other, less common interrogative pronouns are the same as the ones above but with the suffix "-ever" or "-soever" (e.g., "whatever," "whichever," "whatsoever," "whichsoever"). Easy Examples of Interrogative Pronouns

Who did it?
What is that?
Which is his?
Whom shall we invite to the celebration?
Whose are those?
Whatever did you do?
Whomsoever did you pick?
Whosever is this?

4. Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to a person or a thing without being specific.

Like all pronouns, an indefinite pronoun is a substitute for a noun or a noun phrase.
There are some indefinite pronouns are always singular, and others that are always plural, and some that can be both depending on the surrounding text or context. Here is a list:

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns

Here are some examples of indefinite pronouns (shaded):
• A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. (Mark Twain, 1835-1910)
• Of those who say nothing, few are silent. (Thomas Neill)
• Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. (Will Rogers, 1879-1935)
• Everybody likes a kidder, but nobody lends him money. (Arthur Miller, 1915-2005)
• I don't know anything about music. In my line, you don't have to. (Elvis Presley, 1935-1977)

Common Issues with Indefinite Pronouns

(Issue 1) "None" can be singular or plural.
The world is full of people who will tell you that "none" is always singular, but that's not accurate. "None" can be singular or plural.

• None of the students is expected to get an A. (Correct Sentence)
• None of the students are expected to get As or Bs. (Correct Sentence)

Simple way to remember: if your "none" best translates as "not one of," go singular. However, if it best translates "not any of," go plural. That's the usual advice given, but it's not great because "not any of" sounds awkward, which steers writers away from going plural with "none." Here's some more-useful advice. Follow your instincts, but, if you're still unsure, go singular.

• None of the printers is working.
(This isn't wrong, but it sounds awkward.)
• None of the printers are working.
(This sounds more natural.)

There's another factor. If you find yourself treating "none" as singular with a singular "they" or "their" (see Issue 4), go plural throughout.
• None of the attendees has done their homework. (untidy)
("None" is singular (hence "has"). Using "their" is acceptable, but it's untidy.)
• None of the attendees have done their homework. (tidy)
("None" is plural (hence "have"). Using "their" is natural. This is tidy.)

(Issue 2) "Either" and "neither" are singular.
"Either" and "neither" naturally refer to two things, but do not be tempted to treat them as plural. They are singular.
• Either of the sisters are welcome to attend. (Wrong Sentnece)
("Either" is singular. It should be "is welcome to attend.")
• Men's anger about religion is like two men quarrelling over a lady neither of them care for. (Wrong Sentnece) (1st Earl of Halifax Edward Wood)
("Neither" is singular. It should be "neither of them cares for.") (

(Issue 3) Some indefinite pronouns (e.g., "all," "some") can be singular or plural.
The indefinite pronouns "all," "any," "more," "most," and "some" are singular when they refer to something singular but plural when they refer to something plural.
• More of them are required.
("Them" is plural, so "are" is correct.)
• More of it is required.
("It" is singular, so "is" is correct.)
This point gets more complicated when the indefinite pronoun is used with a collective noun (e.g., "group," "team," "crowd").
• Most of the group is leaving. (Correct Sentence)
• Most of the group are waving their national flags. (Correct Sentence)
When used with a collective noun, an indefinite pronoun is singular if you envisage it representing a single body but plural if you envisage it representing individuals.

(Issue 4) Words like "someone" and "anyone" are gender neutral, but it can be tough to maintain that neutrality.
The singular indefinite pronouns that represent people (e.g., "anyone," "each," "everyone," "no one," "nobody," "someone") are gender neutral. However, many other singular pronouns used for people (e.g., "his," "her," "he," "she") aren't gender neutral. We have the gender neutral "it" and "its," but they're not used for people. It's a gap in English grammar, and it can cause problems.
• No one knows what he can do till he tries. (Latin writer Publilius Syrus)
(Why "he"? This also applies to women.)
• From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. (Revolutionary Karl Marx)
(Why "his"?)
This problem is easy to fix. There are two good options:

(Option 1) Reword and go "all plural."
• People don't know what they can do till they try. (Correct Sentence)
(Option 2) Treat "they" and "their" as singular. (Correct Sentence)
• From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs. (acceptable)
Read more about treating "they" and "their" as singular.