Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase.
1,304
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Why only "it", not "this" or "that"?
It seems you are incompetent to achieve our goal.
The chocolate tastes sweet when it is tasted. (Quasi-passive voice)
It is raining.
Your request, it is under consideration now.
and so on, so on and ...
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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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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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What does it refer to or what role does it take?
One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his
Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn 't as
bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg ...
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What does "it" refer to here?
"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at
Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and
practice?" "No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never
had anything ...
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2
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he and his wife OR him and his wife?
I'm asking my readers to read a blog of my friend Kevin and his wife's celebration of their daughter's life.
Should I say:
I've met Kevin awhile back. Read about he and his wife's amazing story.
...
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Is “him or her self” correct grammar?
I have this sentence:
I completely believe that teenager working is the foundation step for any child to rely on him or her self.
Is this correct? Should I instead say “himself or herself”?
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In this passage, what does "a pair of" refer to?
“Er — Petunia, dear — you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have
you?” As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry.
After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have a sister.
...
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vote
1
answer
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How does these 'all's be parsed?
[nurse, Madam Pomfrey] “And you have another visitor.” “Oh,
good,” said Harry. “Who is it?” Hagrid sidled through the door
as he spoke. As usual when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be
...
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vote
1
answer
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What do "that" and "it" in "That's it" refer to?
What do "that" and "it"in the following sentence refer to ?
Schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that's it.
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Is this pronoun a dummy-it or referring to something?
“D’you think he meant you to do it?” said Ron. “Sending you your
father’s cloak and everything?” “Well, ” Hermione exploded, “if
he did — I mean to say that’s terrible — you could have been
...
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3
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"Come to mind" vs. "come to one's mind"
Which of the following phrases is correct: "to come to mind" or "to come to one's mind"?
If both are possible, do they have the same meaning?
If not, when should I use each of them?
Would you ...
Paolo Riccioni
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1
answer
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Are “those things that …” the “two things” mentions before?
“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 ...
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votes
1
answer
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Can "which" indicate a noun which is not the head of noun phrase?
Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but
Ron said this made him feel ill, so they wandered down to the lake and
flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan ...
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vote
1
answer
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What does this "their" mean?
"But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to
be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?"
"It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough ...
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2
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How can I tell what "that" refers to in this sentence?
"Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on
your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?"
"Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. ...
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2
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Who do these pronouns refer to?
"Malfoy's got detention! I could sing!"
"Don't," Harry advised her.
Chuckling about Malfoy, they waited, Norbert thrashing about in his crate. About ten minutes later, four broomsticks ...
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vote
1
answer
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What do these pronouns mean?
It was a mark of how bad the last week had been that the other two
agreed with him. Anything to get rid of Norbert –– and Malfoy.
There was a hitch. By the next morning, Ron's bitten hand [by ...
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1
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Can 'all' be used as a predicative complement?
"But what are you going to do with it [= dragon’s egg] when it's
hatched?" said Hermione. "Well, I've bin doin' some readin', said
Hagrid, pulling a large book from under his pillow. "Got this ...
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vote
4
answers
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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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1
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Correct usage of pronoun in the following sentence
1) Every student was selected for their/his placement training in the
college.
2) Each girl was given a bunch of flowers which pleased her/them very much.
Could anyone clear my doubt which ...
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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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1
answer
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"After her" or "after she"?
The first time was in March-April 2012, when I was still in Canada visiting family and relatives, and Sandra had returned to Australia. I returned to Australia 3 weeks after she.
It sounds strange, ...
Felipe Alvarez
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2
answers
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Should I use "went over" or "went over it" in the following sentence?
Sometimes I find myself having a hard time deciding whether I should add "it" at the end of a sentence or not.
Here's an example:
She scanned the room for a moment, her eyes finally settling on ...
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1
answer
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Can "all" be combined with a singular pronoun?
Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also ...
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0
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Why this is happening to me? vs Why is this happening to me? [duplicate]
1) Why this is happening to me?
2) Why is this happening to me?
Which is correct while speaking (not written English)? Which native english speakers user mostly?
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Is this "that" a relative pronoun or a demonstrative pronoun?
"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to
start." . . . . . .
Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently
placed a four-legged stool in ...
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2
answers
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Is this 'all' a pronoun?
Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it
was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at
Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon ...
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vote
2
answers
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What's the referent of this 'that'?
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts[bank]," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose ...
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"It must have been a powerful wizard to ... " -- is "it" a pronoun or a dummy?
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts [bank]," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I ...
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Using "That" in a sentence
Is that your name, copycat?
Is your name, copycat?
There is an animal that lives by night.
There is an animal lives by night,
He was saying that your ideas are false.
He was saying ...
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vote
1
answer
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Using "it" at the beginning of a sentence
It can be difficult to talk about subjects like XXXX.
It can be difficult to learn a new language.
I hope it doesn't rain Today.
What does it means in the above sentences?
Why should we start ...
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1
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Correct usage of verb with neither and none? [duplicate]
I got confused when my teacher's statements got contradicted. Unfortunately I was not able to clarify my doubt. The sentences were:
None of the employees working in the office have invested in
mutual ...
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4
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Can 'what' designate a person?
What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
In this case, ‘what’ seems to be the subject, and no doubt a person. So I’m wondering if ...
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"His/her" or just "his"? [closed]
Should I use his or his/her in the following sentence?
The user can determine his name.
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Why do we use *that* instead of *those* in this sentence?
Given this sentence:
I wish I had shoes like that
Is it possible to say:
I wish I had shoes like those
or not?
Why is the first correct?
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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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"Has" or "have" in this sentence?
Mr. Raj is one of the famous teachers who has/have come to teach you now.
I'm confused between the two. I think have should come. But here noun is singular so has could also come.
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Combining sentences with 'that'
When we connect sentences and when we use clauses, should we omit the subject in the second sentence, or should we still use it?
For example, I'm not sure whether the following are correct:
An ...
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Is it correct/acceptable to leave out the personal pronoun in this case?
Being used to writing in Italian, where using a personal pronoun as the subject of a clause is not mandatory, I wrote the following sentence:
It could be a user thinks the post could make better, ...
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How to choose the right pronouns in elliptical clauses? [duplicate]
I'm having some difficulties to understand how to use the right pronoun in a elliptical clause.
For example:
Ronaldo is a better football player than (I/me).
I am a better teacher than (he/him)
Is ...
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What do these pronouns refer to? [closed]
Who blames me? Many, no doubt; and I shall be called discontented. I could not help it; the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes. Then my sole relief was to walk along ...
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Function of these two 'that's
Anybody may blame me who likes, when I add further, that, now and then, when I took a walk by myself in the grounds; when I went down to the gates and looked through them along the road; or when, ...
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0
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That or which? Which pronoun to use for things? [duplicate]
For example:
That book which is on the table is mine.
That book that is on the table is my book.
Are there any rules when to choose that or which?
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What does 'it' reference in this sentence? [closed]
“Will you walk this way, ma’am?” said the girl; and I followed her across a square hall with high doors all round: she ushered me into a room whose double illumination of fire and candle at first ...
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1
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Is 'it' a pronoun or expletive in this sentence?
"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's
not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far
apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in ...
- 24k
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4
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Why do some sentences have "thy" instead of "the"?
I saw many times thy used instead of the, so why is that? When should I use it? What is the pronunciation of thy?
From the Bible (Christianity.SE)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy ...
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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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3
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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 ...
- 24k
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votes
4
answers
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"the wife" instead of "my wife", are there any other contexts where a possessive pronoun gets replaced by a definite article?
In English, one occasionally sees a replacement of my wife by the wife, such as in this sentence:
there was a sudden thud and I joked to the wife that someone had run into us
Does this ...
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