Reflexive Pronouns

Introduction

A reflexive pronoun is a special kind of pronoun. It is usually used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject, as you will see below. Each personal pronoun (I, you, she, etc.) has its own reflexive form. This introduction will explain what the different forms of reflexive pronouns are, and when they are used.

The forms of reflexive pronouns

Personal Pronoun Reflexive Pronoun

I myself

you (singular) yourself

you (plural) yourselves

he himself

she herself

it itself

we ourselves

they themselves

When to use a reflexive pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are used in three main situations:

When the subject and object are the same

I hurt myself.The band call themselves "Dire Straits".He shot himself.

As the object of a preposition, referring to the subject

I bought a present for myself.She did it by herself (=alone).That man is talking to himself.

When you want to emphasize the subject

I'll do it myself. (No-one else will help me.)They ate all the food themselves. (No-one else had any.)

Reflexive PronounsType the correct form of the reflexive pronoun for each sentence

1. John hurt ________ while he was fixing his car.

2. At 12.30, Junko and I went to the cafeteria to buy ________ some lunch.

3. When I saw ________ in the mirror, I was horrified -- there was red paint on my nose!

4. I'll have to help Young Hee fill in her form, but Ja Young can do it ________, because her English is excellent.

5. Jody and her husband own their own company, so they can give ________ a holiday any time they like.

6. Can I ask you a question, Sami? Did you go to classes to learn German, or did you teach ________?

7. Welcome to the party, everyone! Just help ________ to sandwiches and snacks.

8. Look! There's a little bird washing ________ in the river.

Reflexive pronounFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search"Herself" redirects here. For the toy elf, see Herself the Elf."Himself" redirects here. For other uses, see Himself (disambiguation)."Oneself" redirects here. For the hip-hop artist, see Oneself (artist)."Ourselves" redirects here. For the 1988 punk album, see Ourselves (album).

A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that is preceded by the noun or pronoun to which it refers (its antecedent) within the same clause. In generative grammar, a reflexive pronoun is an anaphor that must be bound by its antecedent (see binding). In some languages, there is a difference between reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns; but the exact conditions that determine whether something is bound are not yet well defined and depend on the language in question.

In English, the reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, thyself, himself (in some dialects, "hisself"), herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves (in some dialects, "theirselves"). In the statements "I see him" and "She sees you", the objects are not the same persons as the subjects, and regular pronouns are used. However, when the person being seen is the same as the person who is seeing, the reflexive pronoun is used: "I see myself" or "She sees herself".

Contents[hide]

1 Origins and usage 2 Non-standard usage in English 3 Reflexive pronouns in languages other than English

o 3.1 Danish examples o 3.2 Esperanto examples o 3.3 French examples o 3.4 In Icelandic

3.4.1 Examples o 3.5 In Latin

3.5.1 Example o 3.6 Novial examples o 3.7 Portuguese examples o 3.8 Russian examples o 3.9 Serbian examples o 3.10 Spanish examples o 3.11 Swedish examples

4 See also

5 References

[edit] Origins and usageIn Indo-European languages, the reflexive pronoun has its origins in Proto-Indo-European. In some languages, the distinction between the normal objective and the reflexive pronouns exists mainly in the third person: whether one says "I like me" or "I like myself", there is no question that the object is the same person as the subject; but, in "They like them(selves)", there can be uncertainty about the identity of the object unless a

distinction exists between the reflexive and the nonreflexive. In some languages, this distinction includes genitive forms: see, for instance, the Swedish examples below.

In languages with a distinct reflexive pronoun form, it is often gender-neutral.

[edit] Non-standard usage in EnglishSometimes, the reflexive pronoun is added to highlight its antecedent. A reflexive pronoun used in this appositive way is called an intensive pronoun and, in English, is accepted as standard: for example, "I, myself, wrote this" and "We gave the card to our parents, themselves".

It is increasingly common to use reflexive pronouns without local linguistic antecedents to refer to discourse participants or people already referenced in a discourse: for example, "Please, forward the information to myself". Such formulations are usually considered non-standard. Within the linguistics literature, reflexives with discourse antecedents are often referred to as "logophors". Standard English does allow the use of logophors in some contexts: for example, "John was angry. Embarrassing pictures of himself were on display". However, within Standard English, this logophoric use of reflexives is generally limited to positions where the reflexive does not have a coargument.[1] The newer non-standard usage does not respect this limitation. In some cases, reflexives without local antecedents may be better analyzed as emphatic pronouns without any true reflexive sense.

It is common in some subsets of the English-speaking population to use standard objective pronouns to express reflexive relations, especially in the first and sometimes second persons, and especially for a recipient: for example, "I want to get me some supper." This usage is non-standard.

[edit] Reflexive pronouns in languages other than English

[edit] Danish examples Jeg beskytter ham. (I protect him.) Han beskytter ham. (He protects him. Him designates a person other than the one

designated by He.) Han beskytter sig (selv). (He protects himself.)

In Danish, there is also a difference between normal and reflexive genetives:

Anna gav Maria hendes bog. (Anna gave her [Maria's] book to Maria.) Anna gav Maria sin bog. (Anna gave her [Anna's] book to Maria.)

[edit] Esperanto examples

The Esperanto reflexive pronoun is si, or sia for the possessive (to which can be added -j for plural agreement and -n for direct object).

Li legas liajn librojn. (He reads his (someone else's) books.) Li legas siajn librojn. (He reads his (own) books.) Ŝi legas siajn librojn. (She reads her (own) books.) Ili legas siajn librojn. (They read their (own) books.) Li amas lin. (He loves him (someone else).) Li amas sin. (He loves himself.) Li rimarkis ŝian amon al si. (He noticed her love for herself (reflexive).) Li rimarkis ŝian amon al li. (He noticed her love for him (using a normal

pronoun).) Li rimarkis sian amon al si. (He noticed his (own, reflexive) love for himself

(reflexive).) Li rimarkis sian amon al li. (He noticed his (own, reflexive) love for him (someone

else, not reflexive).) Li diras, ke la hundo lavas sian vizaĝon. (He says that the dog is washing its (the

dog's) face.) Li diras, ke la hundo lavas lian vizaĝon. (He says that the dog is washing his (the

speaker's or someone else's, but not the dog's) face.)

[edit] French examples

In French, moi-même, toi-même, lui-même/elle-même/soi-même, nous-mêmes, vous-mêmes and eux-mêmes/elles-mêmes. However Canadian French use nous-autres and vous-autres respectively.

[edit] In Icelandic

There is only one reflexive pronoun in Icelandic and that is the word sig. It does not differ between genders nor number.

The reflexive pronouns are as such:

Reflexive pronoun: sig (himself/itself/herself/themselves) reflexive possessive pronoun : sinn (his/her/its/their)

Singular and plural

Masculine Feminine Neuter

Nominative (hann/hún/það/þeir/þær/þau) ("he/she/it/they")

Accusative sig

Dative sér

Genitive sín

[edit] Examples

The reflexive pronoun refers to the third person:

Hann talar um sig. (masc. sing.) (He talks about himself) Þeir tala um sig. (masc. plur.) (They talk about themselves) Stúlkan flýtti sér heim. (fem. sing.) (the girl hurried [herself] home) Þær flýttu sér heim. (neut. plur.) (they [the girls] hurried [themselves] home) Barnið naut sín. (neut. sing.) (the child enjoyed itself) Börnin nutu sín. (neut. plur.) (the children enjoyed themselves)

[edit] In Latin

There only exists one reflexive pronoun in Latin, and that is the word se. It is declined in all cases except nominative and vocative.

Singular or Plural

Masculine Feminine Neuter

Nominative (is/ea/id/eī/iī/eae/ea)

Vocative (is/ea/id/eī/iī/eae/ea)

Accusative sē, sēsē

Genitive suī

Dative sibi

Ablative sē, sēsē

Locative sē, sēsē

[edit] Example per se

[edit] Novial examples

(Novial is a constructed language, mostly based on Romance languages.)

Lo vida lo. (He sees him.) Lo vida se. (He sees himself.) Anna donad lan libre a Maria. (Anna gave her [Maria's] book to Maria.) Anna donad sen libre a Maria. (Anna gave her [Anna's] book to Maria.)

[edit] Portuguese examples Quando ele o vir. (When he sees him.) Quando ele se vir. (When he sees himself.)

[edit] Russian examples Он любит свою жену. On ljubit svoju ženu. (He loves his wife (his own).) Он любит его жену. On ljubit jego ženu (He loves his wife (someone else's).)

[edit] Serbian examples Ana je dala Mariji njenu knjigu. (Ana gave her [Maria's] book to Maria.) Ana je dala Mariji svoju knjigu. (Ana gave her [Ana's] book to Maria.)

[edit] Spanish examples Él lo ve. (He sees him.) Él se ve. (He sees himself.)

[edit] Swedish examples Jag ser honom. (I see him.)

Han ser honom. (He sees him. Him designates a person other than the one designated by He.)

Han ser sig [själv]. (He sees himself.)

In Swedish, there is also a difference between normal and reflexive genitives:

Anna gav Maria hennes bok. (Anna gave her [Maria's] book to Maria.) Anna gav Maria sin bok. (Anna gave her [Anna's] book to Maria.)

[edit] See also

Reflexive verbFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search

In grammar, a reflexive verb is a verb whose semantic agent and patient (typically represented syntactically by the subject and the direct object) are the same. For example, the English verb to perjure is reflexive, since one can only perjure oneself. In a wider sense, it refers to any verb form whose grammatical object is a reflexive pronoun, regardless of semantics; such verbs are also referred to as pronominal verbs, especially in grammars of the Romance languages.

There are languages that have explicit morphology to transform a verb into a reflexive form. English employs reflexive derivation idiosyncratically, as in "self-destruct"; Romance languages do the same with the Greek-derived prefix auto-.

In many languages, reflexive constructions are rendered by transitive verbs followed by a reflexive pronoun, as in English -self (e.g., "She threw herself to the floor.")

Contents[hide]

1 Indo-European languages o 1.1 Properly reflexive o 1.2 Reciprocal o 1.3 Autocausative o 1.4 Anticausative o 1.5 Intransitive or Impersonal o 1.6 Inherent

2 See also 3 References

4 External links

[edit] Indo-European languagesRomance and Slavic languages make extensive use of reflexive verbs and reflexive forms.

In the Romance languages, there are non-emphatic clitic reflexive pronouns and emphatic ones. In Spanish, for example, the particle se is cliticized to the verb (lavarse "to wash oneself"), while in Romanian, the particle precedes the verb (a se spăla "to wash oneself"). Full reflexive pronouns or pronominal phrases are added for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity: Yo me cuido a mí mismo "I take care of myself" (mismo combines with the prepositional form of the pronoun mí to form an intensive reflexive pronoun).

The enclitic reflexive pronoun sa/se/si/się is used in Western and South Slavic languages, while Eastern Slavic languages use the suffix -sja (-ся). There is also the non-clitic emphatic pronoun sebe/себя, used to emphasize the reflexive nature of the act; it is applicable only to "true" reflexive verbs, where the agent performs a (transitive) action on itself.

The Slavic languages use the same reflexive pronoun for all persons and numbers, while the Romance (and Germanic) languages use different forms. In the 1st and 2nd person, the ordinary oblique forms of the personal pronouns are used as reflexive pronouns, while special reflexive forms in s- are found only in the 3rd person. This is illustrated in the following table for the verb "to recall" (e.g. Je me souviens means "I recall", Tu te souviens means "You recall", and so on).

French Danish Serbo-Croatian

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural

1st person

Je me souviens

Nous nous souvenons

Jeg lægger mig

Vi lægger os

Ja se sjećam

Mi se sjećamo

2nd person

Tu te souviens

Vous vous souvenez

Du lægger dig

I lægger jer

Ti se sjećaš

Vi se sjećate

3rd person

Il se souvient

Ils se souviennent

Han lægger sig

De lægger sig

On se sjeća

Oni se sjećaju

In all of these language groups, reflexive forms often present an obstacle for foreign learners[1][2] (notably native speakers of English, where the feature is practically absent) due to variety of uses. Even in languages which contain the feature, it is not always applicable to the same verbs and uses (although a common subset can be generally extracted, as outlined below). For example, the Spanish reflexive construct "se hundió el barco" ("the boat sank") has no reflexive equivalent in Slavic languages (which use intransitive equivalent of sink).

Reflexive verbs can have a variety of uses and meanings, which often escape consistent classification. Some language-common identified uses are outlined below.[3] For example, Davies et al.[1] identify 12 uses for Spanish reflexive constructions; Vinogradov[4] divides Russian reflexive verbs into as many as 16 groups.

[edit] Properly reflexive

The "true" (literal) reflexive denotes that the agent is simultaneously the patient. The verb is typically transitive, and can be used in non-reflexive meaning as well.

Language Examples Compare

Spanish Pedro se baña. Pedro baña al gato.

Italian Pietro si lava. Pietro lava la gatta.

Serbo-Croatian Petar se kupa. Petar kupa mačku.

Polish Piotr kąpie się. Piotr kąpie kota.

Russian Пётр купается. Пётр купает котa.

Danish Peter vasker sig. Peter vasker katten.

German Peter wäscht sich. Peter wäscht die Katze.

English Peter bathes himself. Peter bathes the cat.

[edit] ReciprocalMain article: Reciprocal pronoun

"Reciprocal" reflexive denotes that the agents perform the mutual actions among themselves. In most cases, the transitive verbs are also used.

Language Examples Compare

Spanish María y Pedro se besan. María besa a Pedro.

Italian Maria e Pietro si baciano. Maria bacia Pietro.

Serbo-Croatian Marija i Petar se ljube. Marija ljubi Petra.

Polish Maria i Piotr całują się. Maria całuje Piotra.

Russian Мария и Пётр целуются. Мария целуeт Петрa.

Danish Maria og Peter kysser hinanden. Maria kysser Peter.

German Мaria und Peter küssen sich. Maria küsst Peter.

English Мary and Peter kiss [each other]. Mary kisses Peter.

In modern Scandinavian languages, the passive (or more properly mediopassive) voice is used for medial, especially reciprocal, constructions. Some examples from Danish are,

Maria og Peter skændes; "Mary and Peter are bickering", lit. "Mary and Peter are scolded by each other." Maria og Peter blev forlovet; "Mary and Peter got engaged [to each other]."

(The hypothetical form **kysses (kiss each other) is not often -- if ever -- seen in Danish; however it'll probably be understood by most native speakers, indicating that the mediopassive voice is still at the very least potentially productive in Danish. An

expression like "de kysses uafladeligt" (they kiss each other all the time) could very well be used for humorous purposes).

[edit] AutocausativeMain article: Autocausative verb

"Autocausative" reflexive denotes that the (usually animate) "referent represented by the subject combines the activity of actor and undergoes a change of state as a patient":[5]

Language Examples

Spanish Pedro se ofendió.

Italian Pietro si offese.

Serbo-Croatian Petar se uvrijedio.

Polish Piotr obraził się.

Russian Пётр обиделся.

German Peter ärgerte sich.

English Peter became/was offended.

[edit] AnticausativeMain article: Anticausative verb

"Anticausative" reflexive denotes that the (usually inanimate) subject of the verb undergoes an action or change of state whose agent is unclear or nonexistent.[5]

Spanish La puerta se abrió.

Italian La porta si aprì.

Serbo-Croatian Vrata su se otvorila.

Polish Drzwi otworzyły się.

Russian Дверь открылась.

German Die Tür öffnete sich.

English The door (was) opened.

[edit] Intransitive or ImpersonalMain articles: Impersonal passive voice and Mediopassive voice

"Intransitive" form (also known as "impersonal reflexive", or "mediopassive") take the intransitive verbs with omitted agent. In Slavic languages, practically "the only condition is that they can be construed as having a human agent. The applied human agent can be generic, or loosely specified collective or individual"[6]. The grammatical subject is either omitted (in pro-drop languages) or dummy pronoun (otherwise). Thus, those verbs are defective, as they have only the 3rd person singular (masculine or neutrum, depending on language) form.

Language Examples

Spanish Aquí se trabaja bien. Se dice que...

Italian Qui si lavora bene. Si dice che...

Serbo-Croatian Tu se radi dobro. Smatra se da...

Polish Tam pracuje się dobrze. Myśli się, że...

Russian Здесь хорошо работается. Думается, что...

English [People] work well here. It is said that...

In many cases, there is a semantic overlap between impersonal/anticausative/autocausative constructs and the passive voice (also present in all Romance and Slavic languages)[6]. On one hand, impersonal reflexive constructs have a wider scope of application, as they are not limited to transitive verbs like the canonical passive voice. On the other hand, those constructs can have slight semantic difference or markedness.

[edit] Inherent

"Inherent" or "pronominal" (inherently or essentially) reflexive verbs lack the corresponding non-reflexive from which they can be synchronically derived[5]. In other words, "se is an inherent part of an unergative reflexive or reciprocal verb with no meaning of its own, and an obligatory part of the verb's lexical entry"[7]:

Language Examples

Spanish Pedro se arrepintió.

(a) María y Pedro se separaron.(b) Pedro se queja.

Italian Pietro si pentiva.

(a) Maria e Pietro si separarono.(b)

Pietro si lamenta.(c)

Serbo-Croatian

Petar se pokajao.

Petar se smije.

Marija i Petar su se rastali. Petar se žali.(c)

Polish (a) Piotr śmieje się.

Maria i Piotr rozstali się. Piotr żali się.(c)

Russian Пётр раскаялся.

Пётр cмеётся.

Мария и Пётр расстались.

Пётр жалуeтся.(c)

English Peter repented. Peter laughs. Mary and Peter parted. Peter complains.

(a) The corresponding verb is not reflexive. (b) The verb is reflexive, but not inherently; the transitive equivalent means "to separate". Note the reciprocal semantics. (c) Only the Spanish quejarse exists only in reflexive form; however, in other languages, the corresponding non-reflexive verb has a different meaning, like "lament" or "mourn".

[edit] See also Deponent verb Reciprocal (grammar) Reciprocal pronoun Reflexive pronoun Passive voice

[edit] References1. ^ a b Mark Davies, James Jones, Nicole Tracy. "Syntactic features, register variation, and

the language learner: the case of se in Spanish.".. 2. ̂ "Reflexive Verbs: An Introduction". About.com:Spanish Language. 3. ̂ María Luisa Rivero & Milena M. Sheppard. "On Impersonal se / się in Slavic". Current

Issues in Formal Slavic Linguistics. G. Zybatow, et al., Eds. 137-147. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main. 2002..

4. ̂ V. V. Vinogradov (1947). "Russkiy Yazik: Grammatičeskoe učenie o slove". 5. ^ a b c Mair Parry. "The Reinterpretation of the Reflexive in Piedmontese: Impersonal 'Se'

Constructions". Transactions of the Philological Society, Vol.96:1 (1998) (63-116). 6. ^ a b Milja Djurkovic. "Passive and Impersonal in English and Serbian". Research Centre

for English and Applied Linguistics University of Cambridge. 7. ̂ Grahek, Sabina (2002). "Alternating unaccusative verbs in Slovene". Leeds Working

Papers in Linguistics 9: 57–72.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUN

Definition: We use the reflexive pronouns to indicate that the person who realizes the action of the verb is the same person who receives the action. Reflexive pronouns are identical in form to intensive pronouns.

  Subject Reflexive

Singular

IYouHeSheIt

myselfyourselfhimselfherselfitself

PluralWeYouThey

ourselvesyourselvesthemselves

For example:

I cut my hair myself.* In this example "I" does the action of cutting the hair and at the same time "I" gets the action of the hair being cut.

We defended ourselves brilliantly. * In this example the reflexive pronoun "ourselves" refers back to the subject of the sentence.

John talks to himself when he is nervous.* In this example "Himself" refers to John.

Reflexive pronouns always act as objects not subjects, and they require an interaction between the subject and an object.

For example:

Because she was not hungry when the cake was served, Ellen saved herself a piece.* In the independent clause, "Ellen" is the subject and "herself" is a reflexive pronoun acting as the indirect object. This sentence is grammatically correct.

Jhon and myself are going to the movie.* In this sentence, "Jhon" and "myself" are the subjects. Reflexive pronouns cannot be subjects. This sentence is grammatically incorrect.

Care must be taken to identify whether the noun is singular or plural and choose the pronoun accordingly.

For example:

Nor is she shy about giving herself credit for it. We gave ourselves a second chance to complete the course. Did they lock themselves out of the house again? Give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.

Note: The reflexive pronoun can also be used to give more emphasis to the subject or object (intensive pronoun).

For example:

I did it myself. * I want to emphasise the fact that I did it.

Examples:

He washed himself. She looked at herself in the mirror. Diabetics give themselves insulin shots several times a day. After the party, I asked myself why I had faxed invitations to everyone in my office

building. Richard usually remembered to send a copy of his e-mail to himself.

PRONOUNS

Definition: A pronoun usually refers to something already mentioned in a sentence or piece of

text. A pronoun is a word that substitutes a noun or noun phrase used to prevent repetition of the noun to which they refer. One of the most common pronouns is it.

Rule for PronounsA pronoun must agree with the noun it refer. Therefore, if the noun is singular, therefore the pronoun must be singular; if the noun is plural, use a plural pronoun; if the noun is feminine, use a feminine pronoun, and so on.

For example:

The train was late, it had been delayed. The trains were late, they had been delayed.

Types of pronounsEnglish Pronouns are divided into sub-categories. These are Demonstrative, Personal, Reflexive, Possessive, Interrogative, Negative, Reciprocal, Relative and Quantifier

Type About ExamplePersonal Pronoun Takes the place of a specific or named person or

thing. I, you, he, she, etc..

Reflexive Pronoun Adds information by pointing back to a noun or another pronoun. myself, yourself, etc..

Demonstrative Pronoun Points out a specific person, place, or thing. this, that, these, those

Relative pronoun Begins a subordinate clause and relates the clause to a word in the main clause.

who, whose, which, that, etc..

Interrogative Pronoun Is used to ask a question. who, what, where, etc..

Possessive Pronoun Used to substitute a noun and to show possession or ownership. mine, yours, his, etc..

Negative Pronoun   nothing, no, nobody, etc..

Reciprocal pronoun Express an interchangeable or mutual action or relationship. each other, one another

Quantifier   some, any, something, much, etc.

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun» Reciprocal pronoun

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

Definition: Demonstrative pronouns are pronouns that point to specific things. "This, that, these, those, none and neither" are Demonstrative Pronouns that substitute nouns when the nouns they replace can be understood from the context. At the same time, to indicate whether they are close or far, in space or time, from the speaker in the moment of speaking. They also indicate whether they are replacing singular or plural words. Some grammars describe them as members of the class of function words called "determiners", since they identify nouns and other nominals.

"This" (singular) and "These" (plural) refer to an object or person NEAR the speaker. "That" (singular) and "Those" (plural) refer to an object or person further AWAY.

For example:

This is unbelievable.* In this example, "this" can refer to an object or situation close in space or in time to the speaker.

That is unbelievable.* In this example, "that" can refer to an object or situation farther in space or in time to the speaker.

These are unbelievable.* In this example, "these" can refer to some objects close in space or in time to the speaker.

Those are unbelievable.* In this example, "those" can refer to some objects farther in space or in time to the speaker.

Position

Before the noun. Before the word 'one'. Before an adjective + noun. Alone when the noun is 'understood'

Examples

Who owns that house? (distant - physical ) Is this John's house? (near - physical ) That's nothing to do with me.. (distant - psychological ) This is a nice surprise! (near - psychological )

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun

INTERROGRATIVE PRONOUN

Definition: An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun used in order to ask a question. Some of them refer only to people, like "who" and others refer to people and objects, etc like "what". They do not distinguish between singular and plural, so they only have one form. Interrogative pronouns produce information questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer.

For example:

What is her phone number? What do you want?

Interrogative pronouns are: What, Which, Who, Whose, Whom. In addition, these pronouns may take the suffixes -ever and -soever.

Forms:As we can see in the next table, these pronouns could act as a subject, object or possessive in a sentence.

Subject Object Possessivewho whom whose

which    that    

WHAT can be used to ask about objects or people.For example:

What time is it? What is your name? What do you want?

WHICH can be used to ask about objects or people.For example:

Which chair are you talking about? Which jumper do you like? Which is your mother?

WHO can be used to ask about peopleFor example:

Who are you? Which is your mother? Who has been sitting in my chair?

WHOSE can be used to ask about a possession relation.For example:

Whose is this book? Whose car did you drive here?

WHOM can be used to ask about people.It is less usual and more formal than "who"For example:

Whom did you phone? For whom will you vote?

NOTE: Either "which" or "what" can also be used as an interrogative adjective, and that "who," "whom," or "which" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

For example:

The man whom she chose will do a wonderful job.

Examples Who is in charge? Which wants to see the dentist first? Who wrote the novel Rockbound? Whom do you think we should invite? What did she say?

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun» Reciprocal pronoun

PERSONAL PRONOUN

Definition: Personal pronouns refer to the person who is doing the action or to whom the action affects. In that way we distinguish two types of personal pronouns: Personal "Subject Pronouns" and Personal "Object Pronouns".

Personal PronounsSubject form Object form

I MeYou YouHe himshe herit itwe usyou youthey them

Personal Subject PronounsWe use the Personal Subject Pronouns to refer to the person who is doing the action of the verb or the verb speaks about. A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence.

For example:

Jhon is listening to music. => He listens to music every day.* In this case, "he" substitutes "Jhon" which is the subject of the sentence.

Are you the delegates from Malagawatch? After many years, they returned to their homeland.

Personal Object PronounsWe use the Personal Object Pronouns to refer to the person whom the action of the verbs affects. An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase.

For example:

Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.* The objective personal pronoun "her" is the direct object of the verb "forced" and the objective personal pronoun "him" is the object of the preposition "with."

Deborah and Roberta will meet us at the newest café in the market.* Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will meet."

Christopher was surprised to see her at the drag races.* Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see."

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun» Reciprocal pronoun

POSSESSIVE PRONOUN

Definition: We use the Possessive Pronouns when we want to substitute a group of words that are indicating a possession relation.

Subject PossessiveI Mine

You YoursHe HisShe HersIt Its

We OursYou Yours They Theirs

For example:

This is my book.* In this example, we can substitute "my book" for the possessive pronoun "mine". => This is mine.

This is your disk and that's mine.* Mine substitutes the word disk and shows that it belongs to me.

A possessive pronoun indicates it is acting as a subject complement or a subject of the sentence.

For example:

The smallest gift is mine.This is yours.* Here the possessive pronouns acts as a subject complement.

His is on the kitchen counter.Theirs will be delivered tomorrow.Ours is the green one on the corner.* Here the possessive pronoun acts as the subject of the sentence.

Note : Possessive pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives.

For example:

You can borrow my book as long as you remember that it's not yours.=> The possessive "my" depends on the noun "book."=> The possessive "yours" is a pronoun which stands in the place of "your book".

When you drive to Manitoba, will you take your car or theirs?=> The possessive "your" depends on the noun "car."=> The possessive pronoun, "theirs," stands in the place of the noun phrase, "their car."

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun» Reciprocal pronoun

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RELATIVE PRONOUN

Definition: We use the relative pronouns to refer to a noun mentioned before and of which we are adding more information. They are used to join two or more sentences and forming in that way what we call "relative sentences".

Relative pronounsWho, Whom, That, Which

whoever, whomever, whichever

For example:

People who speak two languages are called bilingual.* In this example, the relative "who" introduces the relative sentence "speak two languages" that describes or gives more information about the noun "people".

Relative pronouns: Subject or ObjectAs the relative pronouns relate to another noun preceding it in the sentence, they connect a dependent clause to an antecedent (a noun that precedes the pronoun.) Therefore, relative pronouns acts as the subject or object of the dependent clause.

For example:

The chef who won the competition studied in Paris.* Here, "who" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "Chef". "Who" also acts as the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "won".=> The dependent clause: who won the competition. => The independent clause: The chef studied in Paris.

The shirt that Carl bought has a stain on the pocket.* Here, "that" relates back to (or is relative to) the noun "shirt". "That" is also the object of the verb "bought". => The dependent clause is: that Carl bought. => The independent clause: The shirt has a stain on the pocket.

Referring to people: Who, Whom, Whoever, WhomeverThese pronouns take a different case depending on whether the relative pronoun is a subject or an object in the dependent clause.

1. Subjective caseUse the subjective case when these relative pronouns are the subject (initiating the action) of the dependent clause: Who, Whoever

For example:

Negotiations were not going smoothly between the two leaders, who made no bones about not liking each other.* "Who" relates back to the noun "leaders" and is the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "made".

Most workers, whoever was not employed by the auto manufacturer, toiled at one of the millions of little minnow companies.* "Whoever" relates back to the noun "workers" and is the subject of the dependent clause and the verb "was employed".

22 Objective caseUse the objective case when these relative pronouns are the object (receiving the action) of the dependent clause: Whom, Whomever

For example:

This is the approach taken by journalists, whom some consider to be objective.* "Whom" relates back to the noun "journalists" and is the object of the verb "consider". The subject of the dependent clause is "some".

The three representatives, whomever the committee chooses, should be at the meeting tomorrow.* "Whomever" relates back to the noun representatives and is the object of the verb "chooses". The subject of the dependent clause is "Committee".

Referring to a place, thing or idea: Which, ThatWhen using relative pronouns for places, things or ideas, rather than determining case, the writer must decide whether the information in the dependent clause is essential to the meaning of the independent clause or simply additional information.

When information is critical to the understanding of the main clause, use That as the appropriate relative pronoun and do not set the information off by commas.

For example:

Russian generals have delivered a message that is difficult to ignore.* "That" relates back to the noun "message" and is necessary for the reader to know what "message" the sentence is about.

There is another factor that obviously boosts the reputation of both of these men.* "That" relates back to the noun "factor" and is necessary for the reader to know what "factor" the sentence is about.

When information is not critical to the understanding of the main clause, use "Which" as the appropriate relative pronoun and set the information off by commas.

For example:

The toughest intramural fight of all for Clinton was the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he undertook a full year before the 1994 election.* "Which" relates back to the noun "agreement" and the information following it is not necessary for the reader to know what "agreement" the sentence is about.

Clinton refused to head toward the center on affirmative action and abortion, which are the two most sacred issues to the traditional liberal wing of the party.* "Wich" relates back to the noun "affirmative action and abortion" and the information following it is not necessary for the reader to know what "affirmative action and abortion" the sentence is about.

When referring to more than one place, thing or idea use these relative pronouns: Whatever, Whichever

For example:

The three approaches, whichever works is fine, produce a more ambiguous picture of a man.* "Whichever" relates to the noun "approaches" and the information contained within the commas is additional, not critical information.

Any excessive profits, whatever exceeded accepted limits, would attract the notice of representatives.* "Whatever" relates to the noun "profits" and the information contained within the commas is additional, not critical information.

» Pronouns» Demonstrative pronoun» Interrogative Pronoun» Personal Pronoun

» Possessive Pronoun» Relative Pronoun» Reflexive Pronoun» Reciprocal pronoun

RECIPROCAL PRONOUN

Definition: We use the reciprocal pronouns to indicate that two people can carry out an action and get the consequences of that action at the same time. There are two reciprocal pronouns:

Reciprocal pronounseach other

one another

They enable you to simplify sentences where the same general idea is expressed two or more times.

For example:

On their wedding day Jhon gave Mary a gold ring and Mary gave Jhon a gold ring.* Using the reciprocal pronoun, "each other", this could be rewritten:=> On their wedding day Mary and Jhon gave each other gold rings.

Peter and Mary kissed each other.* In this example "each other" indicates that both people involved in the action of "kissing" got the result, kisses, at the same time.

If you need to refer to more than two people, say the students in a classroom, then we could use the reciprocal pronoun, "one another".

For example:

The students in this classroom cooperate with one another. The teachers gathered to congratulate one another on the year's conclusion.

What is a Pronoun?A pronoun can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like "he," "which," "none," and "you" to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive.

Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun.

Personal PronounsA personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to indicate person, number, gender, and case.

Subjective Personal PronounsA subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they."

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun and acts as the subject of the sentence:

I was glad to find the bus pass in the bottom of the green knapsack. You are surely the strangest child I have ever met. He stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him. When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a coal miner. After many years, they returned to their homeland. We will meet at the library at 3:30 p.m. It is on the counter. Are you the delegates from Malagawatch?

Objective Personal PronounsAn objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is an objective personal pronoun:

Seamus stole the selkie's skin and forced her to live with him.

The objective personal pronoun "her" is the direct object of the verb "forced" and the objective personal pronoun "him" is the object of the preposition "with."

After reading the pamphlet, Judy threw it into the garbage can.

The pronoun "it" is the direct object of the verb "threw".

The agitated assistant stood up and faced the angry delegates and said, "Our leader will address you in five minutes."

In this sentence, the pronoun "you" is the direct object of the verb "address."

Deborah and Roberta will meet us at the newest café in the market.

Here the objective personal pronoun "us" is the direct object of the compound verb "will meet."

Give the list to me.

Here the objective personal pronoun "me" is the object of the preposition "to".

I'm not sure that my contact will talk to you.

Similarly in this example, the objective personal pronoun "you" is the object of the preposition "to".

Christopher was surprised to see her at the drag races.

Here the objective personal pronoun "her" is the object of the infinitive phrase "to see."

Possessive Personal PronounsA possessive pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as a marker of possession and defines who owns a particular object or person. The possessive personal pronouns are "mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs." Note that possessive personal pronouns are very similar to possessive adjectives like "my," "her," and "their."

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a possessive personal pronoun:

The smallest gift is mine.

Here the possessive pronoun "mine" functions as a subject complement.

This is yours.

Here too the possessive pronoun "yours" functions as a subject complement.

His is on the kitchen counter.

In this example, the possessive pronoun "his" acts as the subject of the sentence.

Theirs will be delivered tomorrow.

In this sentence, the possessive pronoun "theirs" is the subject of the sentence.

Ours is the green one on the corner.

Here too the possessive pronoun "ours" function as the subject of the sentence.

Demonstrative PronounsA demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. "This" and "these" refer to things that are nearby either in space or in time, while "that" and "those" refer to things that are farther away in space or time.

The demonstrative pronouns are "this," "that," "these," and "those." "This" and "that" are used to refer to singular nouns or noun phrases and "these" and "those" are used to refer to plural nouns and noun phrases. Note that the demonstrative pronouns are identical to demonstrative adjectives, though, obviously, you use them differently. It is also important to note that "that" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a demonstrative pronoun:

This must not continue.

Here "this" is used as the subject of the compound verb "must not continue."

This is puny; that is the tree I want.

In this example "this" is used as subject and refers to something close to the speaker. The demonstrative pronoun "that" is also a subject but refers to something farther away from the speaker.

Three customers wanted these.

Here "these" is the direct object of the verb "wanted".

Interrogative PronounsAn interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns are "who," "whom," "which," "what" and the compounds formed with the suffix "ever" ("whoever," "whomever," "whichever," and "whatever"). Note that either "which" or "what" can also be used as an interrogative adjective, and that "who," "whom," or "which" can also be used as a relative pronoun.

You will find "who," "whom," and occasionally "which" used to refer to people, and "which" and "what" used to refer to things and to animals.

"Who" acts as the subject of a verb, while "whom" acts as the object of a verb, preposition, or a verbal.

The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is an interrogative pronoun:

Which wants to see the dentist first?

"Which" is the subject of the sentence.

Who wrote the novel Rockbound?

Similarly "who" is the subject of the sentence.

Whom do you think we should invite?

In this sentence, "whom" is the object of the verb "invite."

To whom do you wish to speak?

Here the interrogative pronoun "whom " is the object of the preposition "to."

Who will meet the delegates at the train station?

In this sentence, the interrogative pronoun "who" is the subject of the compound verb "will meet".

To whom did you give the paper?

In this example the interrogative pronoun "whom" is the object of the preposition "to."

What did she say?

Here the interrogative pronoun "what" is the direct object of the verb "say."

Relative PronounsYou can use a relative pronoun is used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The relative pronouns are "who," "whom," "that," and "which." The compounds "whoever," "whomever," and "whichever" are also relative pronouns.

You can use the relative pronouns "who" and "whoever" to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, and "whom" and "whomever" to refer to the objects of a verb, a verbal or a preposition.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a relative pronoun.

You may invite whomever you like to the party.

The relative pronoun "whomever" is the direct object of the compound verb "may invite".

The candidate who wins the greatest popular vote is not always elected.

In this sentence, the relative pronoun is the subject of the verb "wins" and introduces the subordinate clause "who wins the greatest popular vote". This subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying "candidate."

In a time of crisis, the manager asks the workers whom she believes to be the most efficient to arrive an hour earlier than usual.

In this sentence "whom" is the direct object of the verb "believes" and introduces the subordinate clause "whom she believes to be the most efficient". This subordinate clause modifies the noun "workers."

Whoever broke the window will have to replace it.

Here "whoever" functions as the subject of the verb "broke".

The crate which was left in the corridor has now been moved into the storage closet.

In this example "which" acts as the subject of the compound verb "was left" and introduces the subordinate clause "which was left in the corridor." The subordinate clause acts as an adjective modifying the noun "crate."

I will read whichever manuscript arrives first.

Here "whichever" modifies the noun "manuscript" and introduces the subordinate clause "whichever manuscript arrives first." The subordinate clause functions as the direct object of the compound verb "will read."

Indefinite PronounsAn indefinite pronoun is a pronoun referring to an identifiable but not specified person or thing. An indefinite pronoun conveys the idea of all, any, none, or some.

The most common indefinite pronouns are "all," "another," "any," "anybody," "anyone," "anything," "each," "everybody," "everyone," "everything," "few," "many," "nobody," "none," "one," "several," "some," "somebody," and "someone." Note that some indefinite pronouns can also be used as indefinite adjectives.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are indefinite pronouns:

Many were invited to the lunch but only twelve showed up.

Here "many" acts as the subject of the compound verb "were invited".

The office had been searched and everything was thrown onto the floor.

In this example ,"everything" acts as a subject of the compound verb "was thrown."

We donated everything we found in the attic to the woman's shelter garage sale.

In this sentence, "everything" is the direct object of theverb "donated."

Although they looked everywhere for extra copies of the magazine, they found none.

Here too the indefinite pronoun functions as a direct object: "none" is the direct object of "found."

Make sure you give everyone a copy of the amended bylaws.

In this example, "everyone" is the indirect object of the verb "give" -- the direct object is the noun phrase "a copy of the amended bylaws."

Give a registration package to each.

Here "each" is the object of the preposition "to."

Reflexive PronounsYou can use a reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject of the clause or sentence.

The reflexive pronouns are "myself," "yourself," "herself," "himself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves." Note each of these can also act as an intensive pronoun.

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a reflexive pronoun:

Diabetics give themselves insulin shots several times a day. The Dean often does the photocopying herself so that the secretaries can do more important work. After the party, I asked myself why I had faxed invitations to everyone in my office building. Richard usually remembered to send a copy of his e-mail to himself. Although the landlord promised to paint the apartment, we ended up doing it ourselves.

Intensive PronounsAn intensive pronoun is a pronoun used to emphasise its antecedent. Intensive pronouns are identical in form to reflexive pronouns.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are intensive pronouns:

I myself believe that aliens should abduct my sister. The Prime Minister himself said that he would lower taxes. They themselves promised to come to the party even though they had a final exam at the same time.

Written by Heather MacFadyen

 

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

A student page by Gina Lee

subjectpronouns

reflexive

pronouns

subjectpronouns

reflexive pronouns

singular plural1st person I myself we ourselves2nd person you yourself you yourselves

3rd personhe himself

 they themselvesshe herself

it itselfChoose the correct reflexive pronouns to complete the sentences.

1) He only thinks of ___ .

1) oneself 2) yourself 3) himself 4) itself

2) She looked at ___ in the mirror.

1) herself 2) herselves 3) himself 4) himselves

3) Tom did the work ___.

1) Tomself 2) himself 3) hisself  4) itself 

4) I must speak to your father ___.

1) itself  2) herself 3) himself  4) yourself

5) It was Mary ___ who met him in the park.

1) itself  2) herself  3) himself 4) yourself

6) She went there ___.

1) at herself 2) at itself 3) by itself 4) by herself

7) The door opened ___.

1) of itself 2) by itself 3) of herself 4) by herself

8) He solved the problem ___.

1) himself 2) herself 3) itself 4) itselves

9) A newborn animal can't take care of ___.

1) itself 2) yourself 3) yourselves 4) oneself

10) He did his homework without any help.

1) He did his homework by himself. 2) He did he's homework by himself.

3) He does his homework by itself. 4) He does he's homework by itself.

You have correct answers out 10

Top of Form

 Pronoun: 

he

day

 Pronoun: 

empty

we

 Pronoun: 

who

very Pronoun:   Personal pronoun:   Demonstrative pronoun: 

sure

some

they

none

them

these Relative pronoun: 

which

no one

 Select the correct version 

Dan Penn, who leads the gang, denied the charges.

Dan Penn who leads the gang denied the charges. Objective case: 

he

him 

 Select the correct version 

After they had run out, they started to use ours. 

After they had run out, they started to use our's.

Pronouns TestI. PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct personal pronouns.

1. She is very handsome. I envy _____.

2. They are not reliable. He doubts ______.

3. I taught her. ________ learned it from ______.

4. We asked for his advice. ______ advised ______ not to come.

5. He dislikes her, and ______ hates ______; it’s evident.

6. You should be there on time. I want _____ to come on time.

7. She is English; _____ gave me lessons in English.

8. They are our friends. We invited _____ to the party.

9. It was him who wrote this letter. I recognized _____ by _____ handwriting.

10. Did you see the snake? – Yes, I saw _____ and _____ saw _____.

11. Where’s Tom? – That’s _____ over there.

12. Where’s my map? – I left _____ on the desk.

13. Look at that bird. _____ always comes to my window.

14. What time is _____? – _____ is four.

15. Who is that? – _____’s me.

16. Hi, it is so nice to see _____ again.

17. _____ doesn’t matter.

18. _____ is not a boy, _____ is a girl.

19. You object to our visiting _____, don’t you?

20. You are not guilty of _____, are you?

II. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct possessive pronouns.

1. This book belongs to me. This is _____ book.

2. Whose book is that? It is not _____.

3. The cat ate _____ food.

4. She took out _____ purse and gave it to me.

5. A friend of _____ gave me that toy.

6. This is their car. That car is _____ too.

7. May I introduce to you one of _____ colleagues?

8. Has anyone here lost _____ books?

9. Every season is beautiful in _____ own way.

10. They would like a house of _____ own.

11. I’ll try _____ best, I promise.

12. Each country has _____ own customs.

13. He is going to be late. Would you mind _____ coming a bit later?

14. Lend me _____ pen, I’ve lost _____.

15. They like it. It’s a favourite habit of _____.

III. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct demonstrative pronoun.

1. What is _____?

2. _____’s how he does it.

3. They talked about _____ and _____.

4. _____ is his book, isn’t it?

5. _____’s why they accepted his proposal.

6. _____ is Ann speaking.

7. After _____ they decided not to come.

8. _____ will do.

9. I’ll take _____ books.

10. He’s been waiting _____ three weeks.

11. She went to _____ doctor and _____, no result.

12. _____ rooms are better than _____.

13. I’m tired out. _____’s why I’m going home early.

14. George likes Mary, but she doesn’t like him. _____’s what annoys him.

15. The engine starts and the light goes on. _____’s when you press the button.

16. The book _____ I spoke of belonged to me.

17. _____ was the biggest mistake in his life.

18. What is all _____?

19. _____ is what I think.

20. _____ will help her to come in time.

IV. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct interrogative pronouns.

1. _____ is speaking?

2. _____ children are they?

3. _____ were you talking to?

4. _____ do you mean?

5. _____ did you receive it from?

6. _____ book did you take?

7. _____ one do you prefer?

8. _____ employees took their vacation in May?

9. _____ do you take me for?

10. _____ is the news today?

11. _____ is she like?

12. _____ of the boys do you like best?

13. _____ money is that?

14. _____ are the people she is speaking with?

15. _____ is it made of?

16. _____ car was stolen?

17. _____ is the French for “dog”?

18. _____ daughter are you?

19. _____ did you say?

20. _____ are these toys?

V. REFLEXIVE-EMPHATIC PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct reflexive-emphatic pronouns.

1. What will you do with _____ this morning?

2. They were whispering among _____.

3. We should seldom speak of _____.

4. I drive the car _____.

5. Did you see the manager _____?

6. I often walk by _____.

7. The cat that walks by _____.

8. The house _____ is not worth much.

9. He has the habit of talking to _____.

10. He cut _____.

11. She told me the news _____.

12. The machine works by _____.

13. He examined _____ in the mirror.

14. They are making fools of _____.

15. She stretched _____ out on the sofa.

16. Behave _____!

17. She lives by _____.

18. Help _____ to coffee.

19. Make _____ at home!

20. He _____ conducted the interview.

VI. RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct reciprocal pronouns.

1. Love _____ _____.

2. They chattered to _____ _____ about fashion.

3. They were looking for _____ _____.

4. Why do you deceive _____ _____?

5. They dislike _____ _____.

6. The two reports contradict _____ _____.

7. They pretended not to notice _____ _____.

8. They are devoted to _____ _____.

9. We missed _____ _____ while being on holiday.

10. They get on well with _____ _____.

11. They greeted _____ _____ with kisses.

12. We all know _____ _____.

13. They ignored _____ _____ for some time.

14. They are afraid of _____ _____.

15. Are they in love with _____ _____?

16. They fight with _____ _____.

17. Help _____ _____ in learning English.

18. They are ideally suited to _____ _____.

VII. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct relative pronouns.

1. The man _____ was here is a doctor.

2. Take the book _____ is on the table.

3. With _____ are you talking?

4. The boy _____ is reading a book is my son.

5. _____ eats must pay.

6. The night _____ we went to the theatre was very warm.

7. He doesn’t know the people _____ live next door.

8. I have books _____ I must read.

9. We had a river in _____ we could swim.

10. I have some letters _____ I must write.

11. He was the first man _____ reached the top.

12. The Queen Elizabeth is the largest ship _____ has been built on the Clyde.

13. The last person _____ leaves the room must turn out the lights.

14. Here are some accounts _____ you must check.

15. Show me _____ you have in your hand.

VIII. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

Fill in the correct indefinite pronouns.

1. There’s _____ milk in that jug.

2. She wanted _____ stamps but there weren’t _____.

3. They can’t have _____ more strawberries; I want _____ to make jam.

4. There is _____ ice-cream left.

5. Did she tell you _____?

6. There is hardly _____ milk left.

7. She won’t lend you _____ money.

8. I haven’t seen _____ yet.

9. There is _____ wrong with this car.

10. This has _____ to do with me.

11. You have money and I have _____.

12. The child refused to let _____ feed her.

13. They didn’t make _____ mistakes.

14. The event was marked by _____.

15. Your health comes before _____.

16. Am I supposed to take _____ she washes up?

KEYS:I. 1. her; 2. them; 3. She, me; 4. He, us; 5. she, him; 6. you; 7. she; 8. them; 9. him, his; 10. it, it, me; 11. him; 12. it; 13. It; 14. it, It; 15. It; 16. you; 17. It; 18. It, it; 19. them/him/her; 20. it.

II. 1. my; 2. mine; 3. her/his; 4. her; 5. mine; 6. theirs; 7. my/our; 8. his/her; 9. its; 10. their; 11. my; 12. its; 13. his; 14. your, mine; 15. theirs.

III. 1. this/that; 2. That; 3. this, that; 4. This/That; 5. That; 6. This/That; 7. that; 8. That; 9. these/those; 10. these; 11. this, that; 12. These, those; 13. That; 14. That; 15. That; 16. that; 17. That; 18. this/that; 19. This/That; 20. This/That.

IV. 1. Who; 2. Whose; 3. Who; 4. What; 5. Whom; 6. Whose; 7. Which; 8. Which; 9. What; 10. What; 11. What; 12. Which; 13. Whose; 14. Who; 15. What; 16. Whose; 17. What; 18. Whose; 19. What; 20. Whose.

V. 1. yourself; 2. themselves; 3. ourselves; 4. myself; 5. himself/herself/yourself; 6. myself; 7. itself; 8. itself; 9. himself; 10. himself; 11. herself; 12. itself; 13. himself; 14. themselves; 15. herself; 16. yourself; 17. herself; 18. yourself; 19. yourself; 20. himself.

VI. 1. one another; 2. each other; 3. one another/each other; 4. one another/each other; 5. one another; 6. each other; 7. one another; 8. each other; 9. one another; 10. one another; 11. one another; 12. each other; 13. one another; 14. each other; 15. one another; 16. each other; 17. one another; 18. one another.

VII. 1. who; 2. which; 3. whom; 4. who; 5. Who; 6. that; 7. who; 8. that; 9. which; 10. that; 11. who; 12. which; 13. who; 14. that; 15. what.

VIII. 1. some/no; 2. some, any; 3. any, some; 4. no; 5. anything; 6. any; 7. any; 8. anything; 9. something/nothing; 10. nothing; 11. none 12 anyone; 13. any; 14. everyone; 15. everything; 16. everything.

Compiled by Helen Kisunko

 

Self-Test: pronouns

Think you understand pronouns?1. Which of the following sentences are correct?

Bill and me listened to the speaker with interest.They had to choose between him and I.Barry and he were the best of friends.Big Dog ran after Anne and I.

2. Enter the correct choice in the text box below each sentence.

My brother has always been able to read faster than (me, I).

It was (he, him) at the front desk.

Maggie ran after John and (I, me) when we took her bike.

3. Try your hand at who and whom in the sentences below. Again, enter the correct choice in the text box below each sentence.

Scott is the one (who, whom) causes the most trouble around here.

Do not ask for (who, whom) the bell tolls.

Rosa Montero is an author (who, whom) I enjoy reading.

One of the steaks (who, which) I grilled looks a little rare.

The teacher (who, whom) everyone hates has decided to resign.

So how was it? Use your incorrect responses to guide you through another review.

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