Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.
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When to use an object pronoun or a possessive adjective before a gerund
The rule says that we can use a possessive adjective or an object pronoun before a gerund. Is there a rule that says when to use each or are they interchangeable? Some say that it's wrong to use an ...
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“...than I am” vs. “...than me”
I read an English grammar article in which the author talked about the correct use of pronouns.
He writes:
If the extended sentence is “She’s more likely to ask him than I am,” in which the ...
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Grammatical number agreement in a complex phrase using singular "they"
Answering another question, I used the following phrase:
Your reader is [...], but they are a busy person.
I have two difficulties here:
In the first phrase, a reader, being singular noun, ...
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Using plural or singular verb after "neither" and "none"
With reference to "Neither", "none", "no one" + [of them] + verb-s
None of the above sentences is strictly correct.
Neither of the above sentence/sentences is/...
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Should I write "X and I", "X and me", "I and X", or "me and X" in a conjoined object?
A question was asked in one of my friend's interview. The question was to determine the right form from the below sentences.
Q. Correct form of English:
Samuel was with Susan and I
...
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it vs. this vs. that
I've never understood what is the difference between the subject pronoun "it" and the demonstratives "this" and "that".
To be precise, I understand well the difference ...
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Difference between myself and by myself
Could you please explain me which option should I use?
I would like to have a green house with rare plants from all over the world. I could take care of them (myself / by myself)?
And why?
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anyone vs someone. Which one?
Has someone seen my bag?
Has anyone seen my bag?
Which one is grammatically correct and Why?
Which one should I use at this place?
Can you give some more examples?
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Its or Their to refer to a company?
The company will issue (their, its) annual report next month.
In this case, should I use "its" or "their"?
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Where to find what "this" and "that" refer to?
I read from somewhere a long time ago that "that" refers to something that was mentioned earlier, while "this" refers to something that is going to be mentioned. But I saw some examples where "this" ...
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Grammatical gender of the word "child"
I've been taught that a child is gender-neutral noun. But in the textbook on linguistics I've been reading, the noun is used as feminine. For example, a sentence in the book goes like this:
The child ...
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How to deal with unknown genders in English?
When I start a sentence with words like "someone" or "somebody", I don't know how to choose the right pronoun at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
If anybody asks you about the money, tell (Him - ...
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What exactly is the word "there" in an existential construction? And related questions
Consider the example below:
"There was a cat under the table."
There have been numerous questions asked that have involved the topic of existential constructions and the word "there" that is used ...
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Is it always necessary to repeat the pronoun before each verb?
Is it always necessary to repeat the pronoun before each verb?
For example, do I need always to say:
She called me and she said X
or can I use a shorter one
She called me and said X
?
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Can an 'adverb' modify 'nouns/pronouns'?
While answering to this question here, very interesting discussion took place with CopperKettle.
It's absolutely right that adverbs modify many things, but nouns/pronouns.
But then, expressions ...
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"it" or "he/she" for animals
can i use it for animals in the following sentece?
1- I have a dog named Don. It is a very good dog.
I know most people would use "he" instead of "it" in the following context and my grammar book ...
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Is referring to people as "it" considered rude?
In Japanese, referring to people as "it" considered rude. Instead of "it", We say "that person" or information of the person (ex. a person who wares a blue shirt).
In English, Is referring to people ...
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“It” vs. “that”
Is this sentence correct?
I did it yesterday, but I’m not going to do it again.
I’m not sure about it. Should I replace “it” with “that”?
I did it yesterday, but I’m not going to do it ...
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Can I refer to an ant as "she"?
In a long text about a foraging ant, would it be correct to refer to the ant always as "she" instead of "it"? For example,
She wanders aimlessly until she finds a pheromone trail.
A foraging ant ...
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"By oneself" versus "on one's own"
Is there any difference between these three pairs? If there is, is it the same difference?
I did it by myself.
I did it on my own.
He lives by himself.
He lives on his own.
&...
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Using “she” pronoun to refer to a ship
Why—and based on what—do we use “she” with “ship” in the English language? Why do we consider a ship female when we know that it is not alive?
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Tom is taller than I? [duplicate]
In this question, in one of the comment threads the following was stated
Tom is taller than me" or "Tom is taller than I am" — both are correct. "Tom is taller than I" is WRONG` (link)
Which I'...
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"It's cold today" -- what term do linguists use to call "it" when it's used as the subject of a sentence, but has no real antecedent?
Could you please remind me what term linguists and the grammar people use to call it when it's used as a subject pronoun, but the funky thing is that it doesn't really refer back to anything in ...
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"It is" or "it are"
Does it always agree with a singular verb?
For example, does one say (i) or rather (ii)?
(i) It is the birds he is chasing away.
(ii) It are the birds he is chasing away.
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Can "he" and "man" refer to all genders?
All men must die, but death can vary in its significance. The ancient Chinese writer Sima Qian said, "Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a ...
user108144
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Why is 'where' an adverb and not a pronoun?
A: Where are you going?
B: I am going to school.
Where took the place of school and something that takes the place of a noun is a pronoun. So, why isn't where a pronoun?
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Is there a way to refer to a person (using a pronoun) without mentioning a sex? [duplicate]
I just found myself in situation that I am telling about someone who added to me in Skype: because of the nickname I think that it is a girl and used all the time the word «she». But as she didn't say ...
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3 ambiguous pronouns by Justice Antonin Scalia
Source: *Agency For International Development Et Al. v. Alliance For Open Society International, Inc., Et Al, Justice Scalia's dissent
[Start from last para on p 19 of 25 of this PDF.] The First ...
user8712
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Can a ship or a car be a "he"?
In English, especially in a poetic description, ships and cars are referred to as "she".
Maybe their owners compare their beauty and elegance with those of women, but what if a female owner wanted ...
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Use of each and every
Practically every part of the banana tree is used by man.
I think this sentence is correct but my grammar book say there should be each instead of every. I know we can't use every as a pronoun but in ...
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difference between "it" vs "this" vs "that"
Can any native speaker tell me whether I should use it, this, or that in the following context?
John: Have you ever seen the movie "Titanic"?
Me: Yes, It/this/that is a great movie.
To me, '...
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Is using "someone" in a question correct?
When reading about someone on the OALD, I saw the following note:
The difference between someone and anyone is the same as the difference between some and any. Look at the notes there.
The note ...
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What do these pronouns indicate?
To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the ...
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With the phone ringing: "I don't know who it is" or "I don't know who they are"?
Your phone is ringing and your daughter picked up the phone but she hasn't answered the call. Then do you ask her:
Who is it?
or
Who are they?
And when she tells you, would she say:
I don'...
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Each other's / each others'
This always nags me... I would prefer a logical as well as a grammatical explanation of it.
We enjoyed each other's company.
We enjoyed each others' company.
Which one is correct? Why is the ...
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Can adjectives modify a pronoun like "rich they", "poor you" and "beautiful I"?
I want to modify a pronoun with adjectives like "rich he", "poor they" and "beautiful I". Can I do that?
For example, can I say "I saw rich him driving a supercar", "Poor you can't buy foods enough", ...
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How to use "any of"
Am I using any of correctly in these sentences?
Any of its members are admitted.
Any of its members is admitted.
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"It's difficult organising me" or "It's difficult organising myself"
I have been studying the use of the pronouns me, myself and I. I am fairly confident in tests, but there are some sentences that does not feel "right" to me (being a a native speaker myself). Maybe ...
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Wow! Nice! I smelled you baking cake!
Which one is grammatical?
"Wow! Nice! I smelled you baking cake!"
"Wow! Nice! I smelled your baking cake!"
Both of them are acceptable, maybe?
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What is difference between 'it' and 'this'?
Please explain to me which are correct/natural:
This is my wife. / It is my wife.
This is my cat. / It is my cat.
This is the worst building. / It is the worst building.
This is beautiful. / It is ...
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Is 'his not having a name' grammatical correct?
As I read the following paragraph out of the book Breakfast at Tiffany's on page 39,
She was still hugging the cat. "Poor slob," she said, tickling his
head, "poor slob without a name." "It's a ...
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"Without his telling me" vs. "Without him telling me"?
I was reading a book and encountered this sentence (emphasis added by me):
I know it without his telling me.
Despite being grammatically correct, it seemed a little strange to me. What came ...
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which vs what usage
Which determiner, which or what, to use for some situations, like these:
What month is it? What school are you attending now?
or
Which month is it? Which school are you attending now?
I ...
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"as much as me" & "as much as I"
Sentence 1: He doesn't earn as much as me.
Sentence 2: He doesn't earn as much as I.
In sentence 1, the second "as" is a preposition so it is followed by an object pronoun.
In sentence 2, the second ...
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"Andrew looked at him in the mirror": can "him" refer to Andrew?
(1) Andrew looked at him in the mirror.
(2) Andrew looked at himself in the mirror.
Does (1) include (2)’s possibility? Or does him in (1) only refer to someone other than Andrew?
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Whom did she invite or Who did she invite?
Whilst in most cases, I'm clear using who or whom but this is one of the sentences bothering me!
Whom/who did she invite?
Whom did she invite looks very very natural to me. The general rule (...
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'For me' vs 'For myself'
[Source:] Myself is used as the object of a reflexive verb (“I hurt myself”), as an intensifier (“I myself will go”), and can be used in absolutive clause (“for my wife and myself it was a happy time”)...
user8712
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When to use "Me" and "I" in comparative sentences?
He is taller than me/I?
Also, what is the difference between the two:
1 - I love you better than him.
2 - I love you better than he.
user25493
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Using a plural possessive pronoun for a singular noun?
I am aware that this structure is called "distributive plurals". However, after much research, I feel no closer to the answer. I am writing for a website where the gender of the Members is ...
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What's the meaning "them" here?
I've confused about the word "them" in the middle of the sentence:
They know all about them
Westovers in Idaho.
Could you please tell me what the meaning of "them" here is?
Does it mean "they ...
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