A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
1
vote
1answer
43 views
“The ones” or “those”?
I recently corrected
"ghettos, such as the ones found..." to
"ghettos, such as those found..."
Was I correct or are both versions right?
4
votes
1answer
77 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?
...
12
votes
5answers
698 views
Where “summat” came from
In Scottish English, I know that the word summat is used in place of standard something. But what's the etymology of this pronoun?
It seems unlikely to me that summat could be merely a variant ...
3
votes
1answer
46 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
2answers
1k views
Plural form of “someone”'?
someone
Used for referring to a person when you do not know or do not say who the person is.
So in the sentence:
I will need someone from different continents who can help me to spread ...
0
votes
1answer
37 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?
-4
votes
0answers
45 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.
8
votes
3answers
8k views
Should you use “who” or “that” when talking about multiple people doing something?
Which of the following is correct?
There were 10 people that went to the store.
There were 10 people who went to the store.
Edit:
Which of the following is correct?
There were 10 ...
0
votes
1answer
94 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], ...
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 ...
0
votes
2answers
97 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
143 views
When are you 'You', and when 'you'?
When is it in spelling that the personal pronoun 'you' should be written with capital Y?
2
votes
5answers
7k views
When to use 'ourselves' vs. 'our self'
I wrote
when we place our self
meaning each one of us, his or her self -- and was told to use "ourselves" instead. Who is right?
-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
194 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
67 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
144 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.
6
votes
3answers
814 views
Reason for the current trend to use «she» as the gender-neutral pronoun?
There are some questions on gender-neutral pronouns both here and on Writers.
User Christine Letts writes:
In academia, there is currently a
movement toward using the feminine
pronoun at all ...
2
votes
3answers
3k views
1st or 3rd person in CV/résumé? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it normal in English to talk about oneself in the third person in these cases?
I’m currently preparing my CV in English. I’m not a native English speaker, and I ...
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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
968 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
149 views
“Do it” versus “do that”
Are there any sentences where do that is preferable over do it?
The New Oxford American Dictionary reports when a phrase is informal; it doesn't do that in this case.
The New Oxford ...
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 ...
13
votes
6answers
2k views
Sentence Construction: “Just Because … Does Not Mean”
I've already found an entry on this here.
However, it does not solve my problem:
I just read an entry on "cross platform" from Wikipedia, in which it was written:
Just because a particular ...
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?
19
votes
5answers
981 views
Is “iff” considered a real word or just an abbreviation?
I wonder if "iff" is considered a real word (as LEO says) or is it just an abbreviation (as in Wiktionary)?
3
votes
5answers
2k views
Is [Its'] a word? (Note the apostrophe at the end.)
I just had a strange flashback to a conversation I had when I was in high school, with a man who was regarded by many members of a particular online community as having an impressive degree of ...
3
votes
3answers
153 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
43 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
6k views
How to use “who” vs. “that”
I often get confused when trying to use who vs that.
Some examples that often confuse me:
That
The person that went to the store.
The people that went shopping.
The persons that went ...
12
votes
5answers
6k views
When is it correct to use “yourself” and “myself” (versus “you” and “me”)?
I'm confused by why people use the following:
It's up to yourself.
Rather than:
It's up to you.
Another example of this would be:
Please feel free to contact ourselves if you have any ...
3
votes
6answers
678 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 ...
2
votes
2answers
175 views
'All that' vs 'all what' [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“all that” vs. “all what”
How can I be sure when to use 'all that' or 'all what' in making sentences. Is there any differences in their meaning. ...
4
votes
2answers
131 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
249 views
“We're all each other has”
I heard this phrase
We're all each other has.
in Family Guy and a quick googling shows about a hundred thousand occurrences. It sounds really strange to me. I would say
We are all we have.
...
-3
votes
3answers
718 views
How's it hanging?
Why do some people use "how's it hanging?" as greeting? What is "it" referring to?
-2
votes
1answer
79 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.
2
votes
2answers
186 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
62 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 ...
8
votes
6answers
2k views
Difference in pronunciation between “your” and “you're”?
I'm a native English speaker (Texas counts, I suppose), and I pronounce "your" to rhyme with "core", and "you're" to rhyme with "cure". Is it just me or did I pick this up somewhere?
1
vote
2answers
78 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 ...
3
votes
3answers
286 views
Can “whose” refer to a first-person subject in the third person?
This question came from a friend. It is from a college entrance exam for non-native English speakers.
Link the following sentences with "whose":
I was a small kid. My classmates laughed at ...
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 ...
-4
votes
1answer
89 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 ...
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 ...
57
votes
4answers
3k views
What’s the rule for using “who” and “whom” correctly?
I can never figure out whether I should use who and whom. Most people use who for both colloquially, but that’s not correct.
What’s the rule for using who and whom correctly?
