A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
3
votes
0answers
52 views
Is “who did what” grammatically correct?
Sometimes I wish to know what each person in a group of people did, or where each person went, or which book goes where. Is it correct to say,
Who went where?
Who did what?
Who told whom?
...
3
votes
1answer
44 views
Using the pronouns “he” and “she” for animals
I've been wondering for some time under which conditions the pronouns he/she can be used when talking about animals. I know that they are used when talking about pets (esp. larger ones) and when you ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
who or whom in this context? [duplicate]
I am unsure which is the grammatically correct one in the following context:
...trying to find a programmer with who / whom I could collaborate.
Which one is the correct usage?
-5
votes
0answers
44 views
“I only” vs. “me only” as an answer to a question [closed]
Given the question, "Who is doing the pay slip here?", can I give the answer as "Me only" or "I only"?
I would like to know which is grammatical.
0
votes
1answer
93 views
Meaning of “it” in “it [. . .] settled into its unbreakable parts”
Please help me understand the meaning of “settled into its unbreakable parts” as used in this excerpt below from Flannery O’Connor’s The Violent Bear It Away:
He was sitting forward on the seat, ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Pronouns and declension for merged/hermaphroditic entities
I have a pair of friends who since entering into a relationship have become rather disgustingly effusive and clingy, to the point where people around them have begun referring them an 'it' [singular], ...
0
votes
2answers
96 views
Meaning of “that” in “holomorphic function in the sector S that is continuous”
I have encountered a confusing sentence in a math textbook:
Suppose F is a holomorphic function in the sector S that is continuous
on the closure of S.
What does that mean in the above ...
0
votes
4answers
130 views
When are you 'You', and when 'you'?
When is it in spelling that the personal pronoun 'you' should be written with capital Y?
-1
votes
0answers
36 views
'He' vs 'she' predicament [duplicate]
With gender sensitivity and social equality in mind, I framed this sentence snippet in one of my group e-mails : ".. if one feels that she cannot complete the work within three days, ..."
Needless to ...
-1
votes
1answer
37 views
Comma before indefinite pronoun
While I would surround a noun or pronoun with commas, should I do the same for indefinite pronouns? For example:
Have a good weekend, all.
I'm sorry, everybody, I can't do that.
Thanks.
5
votes
2answers
188 views
How should I avoid this reflexive pronoun, or is it okay?
I typed a sentence in Microsoft Word as:
o Each mobile operating system implements encryption in their own way.
It was part of a list of bullet points. I got dinged for their own being ...
4
votes
2answers
65 views
Why is the pronoun “I” written with an uppercase letter, even when it's not at the beginning of a sentence? [duplicate]
In the following sentence, the pronoun I is written capitalized, even if it is not at the beginning of a sentence. Why?
What kind of questions can I ask here?
should I capitalize all the ...
4
votes
3answers
139 views
Who vs whom in "Who is the right person to turn to?
Take the sentence:
Who is the right person to turn to?
I'm not sure whether who or whom should be used in this position.
0
votes
0answers
53 views
You vs. Your — as in “Jane is confused by you/your using the metric system” [duplicate]
Which of the following two sentences is preferred (and why)?
Jane is confused by you using the metric system.
Or:
Jane is confused by your using the metric system.
I've seen both but my ...
0
votes
2answers
64 views
“Photographic” Pronouns [closed]
If someone labels a particular photograph, would it be "The kids and me" or "The kids and I"? If you break it down, you have two perspectives on this: "[This picture features or shows] the kids and ...
3
votes
3answers
150 views
Is using “she” when the gender is unknown ungrammatical? [duplicate]
I often come across the use of "she" not as an gender neutral pronoun as such but as the pronoun of choice when the gender is unknown. This is particularly common in scientific/technical documents but ...
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Addressing someone with no specified gender [duplicate]
How do you address someone whose gender is not specified, when you are writing something? Take this as an example:
The teacher said we should go, ____ said we are good pupils.
Would you insert ...
-1
votes
1answer
42 views
An ambiguous sentence from the music Dreamtale
The whole sentence is
As the last ship sailed towards the distant horizon, I sat there watching on a rock. My mind slowly drifting away, forming into my...dreamtale.
I can't figure out whether ...
4
votes
2answers
127 views
Is it typical native speaker usage to inconsistently use the pronoun “one” in a paragraph?
[NB: This is a re-post of a closed question that was rightly judged "off topic". It does present an interesting problem, though, so I've rewritten it and asked an on-topic usage question.]
Is it ...
-2
votes
1answer
78 views
What is correct: “both sides of you” or “both sides of yours”?
Which is right?
both sides of you
both sides of yours
Example:
I know both sides of you(rs) and they make you the girl I love.
1
vote
2answers
99 views
Antedecent of “its” in “the dog attacked the cat and its friends” [duplicate]
The dog attacked the cat and its friends.
Does the sentence imply that the dog attacked the cat and the cat's friends or that it attacked the cat and the dog's friends?
How would one properly ...
2
votes
2answers
184 views
Is the usage of “in your humble opinion” correct?
We use "in my humble opinion" to express humility. But I even see usage of "in your humble opinion" to ask for others' opinions. What does it mean?
I see the usage in the original message here, ...
0
votes
4answers
94 views
Using “you” and “your” as a representation for yourself and everyone in general
Example sentence:
"I love when your dog just lets you sit there to pet them. You don’t necessarily know if they are enjoying it, but they love you enough to just sit there with you for a bit."
Is ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Which pronoun should be used to refer back to actions?
Which word is better suited to reference an action? For example,
Setting appearance of each report component is too long process. It’s
easier to use styles for it.
or
Setting appearance of ...
1
vote
2answers
77 views
About a sentence structure including 'arise' and a relative pronoun 'that'
I'm not sure about the sentence structure below;
"All kinds of problems arise that smaller animals or plants do not have to cope with."
It looks like 'that' works as a relative pronoun for 'all ...
1
vote
2answers
73 views
Multiple Instances of Same Noun: Does the use of “that” distinguish between them?
Consider the following sentence taken from some co-operative housing rules:
"Any costs of repairing a suite are the responsibility of the owner of a suite, which could be a different suite from ...
3
votes
6answers
674 views
Why do programmers always use 'we' when really they mean 'me' or 'you'? [closed]
Something I've noticed a lot from reading articles on stack overflow is that programmers tend to use the term 'we' a heck of a lot. I'm a programmer myself and I must admit, of all the times I've ...
-5
votes
1answer
86 views
Does the use of the word 'itself' defy logic? [closed]
In simple arithmetic the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are all binary.
That means you need two numbers, one on each side of the operation, for an expression ...
1
vote
4answers
217 views
Is “else” in “someone else” necessary?
Since I'm already referring to a person in third-person by using "someone", isn't the "else" in "someone else" redundant? If it not, why is that? The only significance I see in the addition of ...
-2
votes
1answer
167 views
“For what” vs. “what for” [closed]
Is there any difference in the meaning between for what and what for?
If they are different, could you explain to me both?
0
votes
2answers
80 views
People referring to themselves with verbs with “-s”
Sometimes I see people on the internet saying something like "Me has a box" "Me does the job", or "I has a box" (or even "I haz a box"). And I'm sure they do it intentionally.
Why do people refer to ...
-2
votes
1answer
93 views
Singular or plural pronoun for an antecedent of the form “A, B, or C”?
The number, gender, and person of a pronoun must match its closest antecedent. Most style manuals advise using a singular possessive pronoun when the antecedent is a disjunctive set of singular nouns:
...
0
votes
2answers
75 views
Determining pronoun antecedents
What is the antecedent of the relative pronoun who in the following sentence?
Hector Berlioz is one of those French composers who is famous for his operatic music.
Is it one or is it composers? ...
-1
votes
2answers
168 views
Difference between “anyone” and “everyone”? [duplicate]
What's the difference between anyone and everyone?
Everyone should keep quiet in the classroom.
Anyone should keep quiet in the classroom.
0
votes
0answers
52 views
“Taller than me” or “taller than I”? [duplicate]
Which one is correct here and why?
He is taller than me.
He is taller than I.
2
votes
1answer
263 views
“I care for you” versus “I care about you”
I would like to know if there is a semantic difference between I care for you and I care about you.
0
votes
2answers
132 views
Multiple objects + relative clause [duplicate]
Which would be best / acceptable?
"He saw people, animals and buildings THAT / WHICH had suffered greatly."
As I see it, there are 3 subjects; people, animals and buildings. The grammar rules I know ...
0
votes
1answer
129 views
How to use “if you will” in third person
How would one say "if you will" in third person POV?
I'm constantly finding myself wanting to type this phrase in papers but I usually refrain from it since "you" is second person and my teachers are ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
“fraction of relevant instances that are retrieved”: Should it not be 'those are'?
I was reading a Wiki page which had this statement:
recall is the fraction of relevant instances that are retrieved
Shouldn't it be the following?
recall is the fraction of relevant ...
-1
votes
1answer
70 views
Word-Grammar choice improvement [closed]
I have an example:
I have two bikes. Both of them are expensive models. The first one has a red color and the second one has a green color. One of them is damaged because of its old age. And one ...
-1
votes
0answers
84 views
Is it correct to say “My partner and I”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“My friends and I” vs. “My friends and me” vs. “Me and my friends”
I'm not sure since sometimes people also say 'My partner and me'
2
votes
1answer
179 views
Default gender for pronouns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is using “he” for a gender-neutral third-person correct?
I’m sure this is a duplicate, but I've heard that when the gender is unknown you are to use he instead of he or ...
1
vote
3answers
143 views
“I draw myself” vs. “I draw me”
"How can I draw myself using a mirror?" — I came across this question and couldn't help but wonder if it should be "draw me". Draw here is to mean "make a picture".
What do you think?
5
votes
2answers
113 views
Pronoun to refer to “Mrs. Jeffrey's class” — “it” or “them”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Which pronoun refers to a group …
Helping my sister with 3rd-grade homework, feel silly for checking.
She wrote:
The candy was brought by Mrs. Jeffrey's class. The ...
-3
votes
3answers
684 views
How's it hanging?
Why do some people use "how's it hanging?" as greeting? What is "it" referring to?
-2
votes
2answers
89 views
Is the use of “there” redundant in these expression? [closed]
Is he there in his room?
Yes, it is there in our warehouse.
Was he there at the party?
All of these can be said without there is it, but is the given use correct? If yes, why are adding ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Is it “a company who makes …” or “a company that makes…”?
Regarding the fact that a company is made up of people and we use who for people, is it proper to use who here?
1
vote
4answers
138 views
“I and others” or “others and I”?
I have traditionally learned that a first-person pronoun should always come last in a list, e.g.
Bob and I found this to be interesting.
However, it sounds awkward to me when this rule is used ...
-1
votes
2answers
171 views
About adjective possessive pronouns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a correct gender-neutral, singular pronoun (“his” versus “her” versus “their”)?
In the sentence ‘Everyone should make everyone’s part’, what adjective ...
0
votes
2answers
300 views
Should a company be referred to as “he/she” or as “it”?
When a customer represents a company, not a person, and a pronoun is needed to refer back to that customer, should one use he/she, or should one use it?
