A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
2
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3answers
333 views
Can the feminine pronouns be gender-neutral? [closed]
I know this sounds weird but I've been noticing a lot of texts on the Internet like this one:
"Any citizen is concerned with her well-being ...". The word in question is "her". To me it seems like in ...
1
vote
1answer
405 views
Do “that” and “it” refer to different things in this sentence?
He likes going to the library
to study. That always makes her happy.
What if the last sentence were to be changed to
It always makes her happy.
Do these two sentences mean something ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Use of “it” and “its” for people and animals
Can I use it and its for people?
Example:
The fear is the essential attribute of a human nature. It figures a crucial role in its survival.
where its means human's.
Can I use it and its for ...
12
votes
4answers
1k views
Is “so” a pronoun?
Reminded by What is the grammatical function of so in this sentence, something that has always bothered me is that the word "so" can be used as a pronoun:
It looks like rain
Responding with:
...
16
votes
7answers
12k views
What does “thy” mean?
I read a sentence containing the word thy, but I cannot find the meaning of that word.
Is it older English, or is it still used in contemporary English today?
7
votes
5answers
1k views
Use of “myself” in business-speak
Occasionally, I will hear or read coworkers using "myself" in place of "me," as in:
If you have any questions, you can contact Gimli or myself.
I have sent the list to Legolas, Glorfindel, ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Why do we use the object instead of the subject pronoun in constructions like “stupid me”?
I'm trying to find out how come we say lucky me and stupid us rather than lucky I and stupid we. My understanding is that this is not a recent invention, but a relic from the distant past where it was ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
Is “Me neither” incorrect?
I've heard that "me neither" is incorrect. Instead one should say "neither do I." People definitely say "me neither" conversationally, but is it technically incorrect?
6
votes
3answers
3k views
“like I” or “like me”?
In high school we learned to say "than I" and "as I" because you could potentially add an "am" to the end of the sentence. Examples:
"She is smarter than I." (Think: "...than I am.")
"He is as tall ...
8
votes
5answers
421 views
Why does legal English sometimes repeat the antecedent noun after “which”?
Here's a standard English sentence:
The folder which is missing from the principal's office contained the answers to today's exam.
(Separate question, discussed elsewhere I'm sure, whether it ...
6
votes
2answers
543 views
Which is grammatically correct: “Let he who…” or “Let him who…”
1) "Let he who believes in this prophet speak now what he knows."
2) "Let him who believes in this prophet speak now what he knows."
4
votes
1answer
529 views
Everyone Else's Lives
It would seem as though this is incorrect, since we each only have one life. Is my intuition correct that it should be everyone else's life and not everyone else's lives?
4
votes
3answers
3k views
With who vs. With whom
Is this correct?
The person with whom I'm doing the project should be here soon.
If it is, is "with" always a dative preposition? (like "mit" in German)
4
votes
2answers
3k views
Is it correct to use “me too” and “I too”?
I'm a bit confused. Is it correct to use "me too" and "I too"? (Also with other pronouns.)
For example, if I want to say that Juan gives a present to Ana and I give a present to Ana:
Juan gives a ...
0
votes
3answers
266 views
Is the use of “who” correct in this sentence?
"The Turk is chess engine who can interact with user interfaces
which support Winboard protocol at the moment"
I feel that which can be used instead of who but I'm not sure. If that's not ...
10
votes
3answers
318 views
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
For example, possessive nouns (both proper and common) are written with a apostrophe before the final s:
...
10
votes
2answers
5k views
How do you make the possessive form with “He and I”-style subjects?
Despite being a native speaker of American English, I cannot find a construction that sounds natural when trying to form a possessive from coordinated subjects including a first person pronoun, like ...
9
votes
2answers
445 views
Whence the “it” in “I like it here”?
What is the origin of the use of the object (it) in the following sentences, and what is its purpose?
I like it here!
and
Did you like it there?
In essence, the things we are saying we ...
7
votes
2answers
445 views
Historical usage of “was”/“were” with “you”
I was reading letters from a surgeon to his wife during the Civil War and noticed he used "was" as opposed to "were" on many occasions. Examples:
I truly wish you was here with me.
Was you ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
Gender neutral reflexive pronoun — equivalent to “himself” and “herself”
How would you refer to a gender neutral subject with a reflexive pronoun?
It is unbelievable how a perpetrator will cast oneself in the role of victim.
That does not seem right. Is there a ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
Why “themselves” and “himself”
In the earliest grades of elementary schools, students learn that "hisself" and "theirselves" are not words. I do not understand why this is.
If you wanted to refer to 'his' sock, you would say "his ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
“My another account” vs. “my other account”
A little debate going on here so I just want to know which one it is; I'm saying it's my other account since my another would be my one other account.
The other person insists they both can be used; ...
5
votes
0answers
503 views
When do I use “me” and when “I”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Should I put myself last?
I get this mixed up so often. Should I say:
Me and Rob are going swimming.
or
I and Rob are going swimming.
I know the latter ...
5
votes
4answers
624 views
“Till death do us part”
Every time I see this expression, I can't help thinking it's grammatically wrong. Is it grammatically acceptable? Why is it used extensively in this form?
3
votes
1answer
160 views
Do we use “which” or “that” when referring to the preceding main clause as a whole?
Sorry, I don't think I can use all the grammatical terms right, so I'll illustrate:
Peptide
adsorption curves may cross [...] results in the inversion of peptide
elution order.
I've found a ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Pants — “is it” or “are they”?
This question has come straight from this great question title: Pants — why is it plural?
I just thought that if somebody hadn't already edited the title, it is either written right, or all editors ...
2
votes
3answers
141 views
Which pronoun refers to a group such as an orchestra — “they” or “it”?
Which pronoun should be used to refer to, say, an orchestra? Does it go on concert tours, or do they?
Intuitively I’d go for “they”, but intuition is known to fail…
2
votes
3answers
600 views
Is the singular “they” acceptable in formal writing? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a correct gender-neutral, singular pronoun (“his” versus “her” versus “their”)?
I am linking to this post for reference.
...
2
votes
2answers
505 views
Speaking about someone of unknown gender [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Gender neutral pronoun
For example, user clicked the button. I don't know if the user is male or female, what gender should I use? Now I read a book, where the user is ...
2
votes
3answers
729 views
Can “his/her” be replaced by “his”?
Yesterday, I asked this question on Web Apps:
If a Facebook user dies, what happens
to the account?
Actually, I wanted to ask it this way:
If a Facebook user dies, what happens
to ...
1
vote
2answers
5k views
“What day is it today?” vs. “What day is today?”
Which of the following is grammatical?
What date/day is it today?
What date/day is today?
1
vote
2answers
986 views
“Myself” vs. “by myself”
I get confused with the following. Any explanation would be greatly appreciated.
I can't do it myself.
I can't do it by myself.
0
votes
2answers
1k views
“Thank you for coming” and “Thank you for your coming”
Consider "Thank you for coming" and "Thank you for your coming".
Would the latter one be grammatical? Why? Is it possible to recognize latter "coming" as noun? Some say you need no pronoun because it ...
10
votes
3answers
560 views
“Can I help who's next?”
This seems to happen every time I go to my local bagel shop. Everyone is waiting in a line, and when the cashier is ready to help the next person, he/she asks, "Can I help who's next?" or "May I help ...
10
votes
1answer
7k views
Which is correct: “you and I” or “you and me”?
I was told the correct usage is for example:
"My wife and me" but I hear often "I and my wife" or "my wife and I".
Google gives 34M results for "My wife and I" and 909K results for "My wife and me"
...
10
votes
4answers
289 views
Is there a name for the practice of dropping pronouns in written speech?
I’m specifically thinking about emails I receive all day where someone will write:
Haven’t seen it yet. Will respond when received.
If it were spoken, we would certainly hear:
I haven’t ...
2
votes
1answer
2k views
Correct usage of “of which”
I have two books, of which one is borrowed.
Is this correct? Is there such a phrase?
2
votes
4answers
3k views
“He” / “she” vs. “it” regarding beloved objects
Is that normal to regard a beloved object (an animal, a car, a book) as he/she? If yes, what gender should be used in this case?
One comment in this question touched the tendency to humanize things ...
33
votes
4answers
2k views
How to pronounce “720p” and “1080p”
How do you pronounce 720p and 1080p?
Because I don't live in a country that uses English, I haven't heard it yet.
I guess it doesn't have a rule.
seven hundred twenty p
seven twenty p
seventy two ...
17
votes
1answer
4k views
Ones or one's: Which is the correct usage?
I've been confused about this as long as I can remember. Should it be:
One should do ones duty.
or
One should do one's duty.
I'm guessing it should be the latter. But that doesn't sit well ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
“Me being” versus “my being” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Gerund preceded by possessive pronoun (e.g. “He resents your being more popular than he is”)
Until a few months ago, I had always thought that sentences like ...
4
votes
4answers
9k views
When to use “me” or “myself”?
Which one is correct:
Someone like me...
or
Someone like myself...
Is "like myself" ever correct?
3
votes
2answers
309 views
“It is having time to think that makes me depressed” - grammatical function of “that”?
It is having time to think that makes me depressed.
In this sentence, what is the grammatical function of the word that?
Thank you for your help!
3
votes
1answer
963 views
In non-spatial contexts, when should I use “this” versus “that”?
I'm always quite confused to choose which word should I put in the sentence like this/that :)
That/This is not a problem at all.
To be or not to be, this/that is the question.
I know which one I ...
2
votes
3answers
236 views
Use of they as singular [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it correct to use “their” instead of “his or her”?
I, and many people I have heard, occasionally use 'they' and 'their' in the singular when ...
2
votes
1answer
581 views
Using 'they' for person of unknown sex [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Gender neutral pronoun.
In everyday use, I often use the pronoun "they" to refer to a unknown person if I do not know their sex. As in:
Bob: Who was it that emailed ...
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 ...
1
vote
2answers
174 views
How should I understand this “that” clause?
The following sentence is from an article of Harry Frankfurt who is a professor from Princeton University:
It must be part of the point of saying that humbug is "short of lying," that while it has ...
1
vote
1answer
2k views
How to use it's vs is?
I've seen that people use "how easy is it to […]?" and "how easy is to […]?"
Another example could be:
I couldn’t ignore the barrage of research showing how easy it is to screw up your kids.
...
10
votes
7answers
6k views
Which is correct: “If it were I” or “If it were me”?
I'm fairly sure it's the former, but it sounds even more stilted than the usual cases in which "I" is less common, but more correct.
