Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase.
1,357
questions
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1answer
50 views
Does the addition of a second “some” change the meaning of the following sentence?
I’d like know to whether the following sentence retains its nuance and meaning with the addition of “some” before the word “others”.
“I’m good at some types of art and bad at others.”
“I’m good at ...
1
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2answers
272 views
Which pronoun is used for Spirit or Ghost and is there a rule that says we must use certain pronoun for the Spirit? Is it a common gender noun?
Which pronoun is used for the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost) in Christian theology? Is there a rule that says we must use certain pronoun for the Spirit? And is it a common gender noun?
The controversy ...
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1answer
43 views
A number of people wanted to, but the investigation failed to reveal they
Fowler reads
“There are a number of people who might have wanted to kill Robert
[...] , but the intervening two decades have failed to reveal whom
[read who].”
(Although whom might seem to be the ...
0
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0answers
6 views
Why is the verb after the words “better” and “rather” always singular (no s)? [migrated]
I don’t know what word type these belong to (are they adverbs?). I notice that the verbs after these two words are always singular verbs even though the pronoun is a singular pronoun.
The following is ...
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1answer
71 views
Does “anything” typically include people? [closed]
I'm stuck trying to figure out if my usage of "anything" is consistent/common/correct. There are three related words to consider:
Thing - (Almost?) Never refers to a person (rarely refers ...
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4answers
37 views
Differentiating appositive phrases and non-restrictive relative clauses
I'm writing my thesis, and I haven't taken an English class in over a decade, so I apologize if I'm using incorrect terminology in my title, but I was curious about the potential role of relative ...
1
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2answers
57 views
I picked up the habit of skipping “I am”, as in “Looking forward to it” instead of “I'm looking forward to it” — is this incorrect? [duplicate]
I picked up this habit from a friend, who skips "I am"/"I'm" most of the time:
"[I'm] going to work on that."
"[I'll] keep you posted."
"[I'm] not sure ...
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0answers
18 views
What the function of the pronoun“it” here, does it refer to the contractor because the author did not know precisely what the contractor's gender is? [duplicate]
To the extent that the Contractor believes it is entitled to additional payment (there can sometimes be a dispute as to what is meant by ‘additional’) then it is required to make a claim in accordance ...
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0answers
40 views
Repetition of “one” as number and pronoun
I am wondering about repetitions related to the use of the word one as a pronoun and as a number inside an adjectival compound.
Here are two examples:
My friend ordered a two-scoop cone, while a got ...
6
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1answer
152 views
Why did the writer use “him”, instead of “himself”? [closed]
On a visit one evening to Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, Herman Melville, MobyDick author, told them a story of a fight he had witnessed on an island in the South Seas, in which one of the ...
4
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3answers
146 views
What is the function of the first “ it”?
Here is a sentence in which two " it" appear in the same coordinate clause.
This job involves a lot of hard work but it is worth it.
Obviously, the second " it" refers back to ...
3
votes
4answers
69 views
They vs it when talking about “your dog” [duplicate]
I have the following example from this blog post:
"Your dog gets some kind of reward when they bark. Otherwise, they wouldn't do it."
Should it actually be:
"Your dog gets some kind ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views
Why “him” not “himself” [closed]
He felt anger rising inside him.
I saw this sentence in the OED; the definition indicates that "He" and "him" refer to the same person.
Under the circumstances, "himself"...
1
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0answers
37 views
“Try on some of them” or “Try some of them on”?
I’ve learnt that some phrasal verbs such as “pick up” or “try on” require us to put the object, especially when it is a pronoun, between the verb and preposition. Is it also possible to say “You ...
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1answer
56 views
Which is correct: “What lurks underneath ARE our lives,” or “What lurks underneath IS our lives”? [duplicate]
I admit, the fact I can't figure this out is embarrassing. I'm not looking to change the wording of the sentence, but rather want an answer to which is the correct verb tense in this exact instance. ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Is it possible put a preposition in front of a relative pronoun what? [closed]
She believed what I was talking about.
She believed about what I was talking.
I believe the sentence 1 is grammatically correct, but I'm not sure about the sentence 2.
Is that okay, too? Thank you.
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3answers
134 views
Is “where” the only relative pronoun that cannot be omitted from an adjective clause?
When using adjective clauses, the relative pronoun can be omitted when it is not the subject of the sentence. For example:
"She is the person I ran into."
In the above example, being the ...
1
vote
2answers
53 views
Confusion about what the pronoun refers to [duplicate]
What does "it" refer to in the following sentence?
Humans instinctively seek structures that will shelter and enhance
their way of life. It is the work of architects to create
buildings ...
0
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0answers
28 views
The other (one)
Page 55 of A Practical English Grammar reads
Normally, other(s) is only used alone if it refers to a noun that has
been mentioned before. An exception is the common plural use of (the)
others to mean ...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Is it she and James' or her and James'? [duplicate]
The sentence is— "Her and James' life shouldn't be a topic of discussion for them." I believe that it should be she and James' and not her James'. Which version of the sentence is correct? ...
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0answers
33 views
“A group that X” or “A group who X”? (American English)
I've been asked to proofread a company newsletter, and I came across this line:
[Department name] is something special – an elite unit who finds
opportunities where others cannot.
Should it rather ...
0
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0answers
65 views
Is personal pronoun followed with “verb+ing” grammatically correct? [duplicate]
Is the sentence below correct? What type of pronoun is "You" in this case?
You staring won’t make me walk faster
Below is the result from an online grammar check on the sentence as shown:
...
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0answers
21 views
I vs myself when talking about 3 people (including me) [duplicate]
I’m talking about something I am doing with 2 others. Would I say
1.) My sister, cousin, and I are blah blah blah.
2.) My sister, cousin, and myself are all blah blah blah.
Or neither?
3
votes
1answer
73 views
Why did “it” lose its initial 'h' but other pronouns such as “him” and “her” didn't?
The pronouns it, him, her had an initial h in the older forms of English which has been retained in her, him, but lost in it (formerly hit).
Etymology of it (Wikitionary):
From Middle English it, hit ...
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3answers
95 views
Which is correct - you or your in this context? [closed]
Your staring won’t make me walk faster
or
You staring won’t make me walk faster
Which is correct, you or your?
0
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1answer
26 views
“The partnership with Companyname” vs “Companyname's partnership”
Which of the following sentence is correct?
We hope that Companyname's partnership will help us scale up
faster.
We hope that the partnership with Companyname will help us scale up faster.
0
votes
1answer
254 views
me and whom? vs me and who? [closed]
I'm sure some of us have heard of the Internet meme "me and who?" Strictly speaking, if no fun were allowed, shouldn't it be "me and whom" instead?
I'm a little confused though, ...
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2answers
49 views
Which is correct: “The animal within you” or “The animal within yourself”?
I'm coming up with a slogan for my DJ personal brand. I want to convey the idea that we all have a wild side in us waiting to be triggered. From similar questions, it seems that either version would ...
0
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1answer
41 views
Any one thing: syntactic analysis
None remembered any one thing he’d said.
How should any one be analyzed here?
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0answers
32 views
Is the form “with which” used correctly in this sentence?
Private sales, therefore, represent a way with which auction houses can operate somehow as dealers and galleries.
Is the form "with which" used correctly in this sentence? If not, what is ...
2
votes
2answers
90 views
Why do some British (English) people add a pronoun to the end of a sentence?
I've noticed that in certain parts of England, U.K., people would add pronouns to the end of their sentences when speaking. I'm from the U.S. but I have a couple of friends from West Yorkshire and ...
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0answers
26 views
Why we need two forms of preferred personal pronouns? [duplicate]
Regarding the fact that this is still somehow a hot topiс in English language-speaking communities I need to stress out that is a serious and respectful question without even a trace of intention to ...
1
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1answer
40 views
Is there any situation where an article could be used in front of a pronoun?
I was reading an online copy of the King James Bible and (in John 18:1) found this:
When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into ...
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0answers
34 views
To what do the two relative pronouns “which” refer?
In the sentence:
The sense that life as a whole is absurd arises when we perceive, perhaps dimly, an inflated pretension or aspiration which is inseparable from the continuation of human life and ...
0
votes
2answers
141 views
Verb conjugation for singular they [duplicate]
Ostensibly, verb conjugation is plural vs singular: "The apple is big." vs "The apples are big."
But that doesn't match up with the centuries-old singular they.
"They is nice.&...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Doesn't number affect pronoun agreement? [duplicate]
I saw the sentence: "the crowd took its guns and its swords" in French the other day; now I'm wondering if it's right in English. Since the crowd is singular, why do we say "their guns ...
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0answers
30 views
In “Brown Man's Burden” is the antecedent changing?
I was reading the "The Brown Man's Burden" by Henry Labouchère.
I was a little confused because the antecedent for "you," seemed to be changing from the White men to the Brown men (...
2
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0answers
56 views
“Handsome is as handsome does,” and the puzzling use of “as”
When I saw the film Forrest Gump, I first heard the expression “Stupid is as stupid does,” and inferred that (to Forrest, at least) it meant something like “Don’t judge me stupid because of my words, ...
2
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4answers
105 views
Use of the pronoun “which”
I have a few silly questions about the use of the pronoun which:
In the sentence "A statistical model is a family of probability distributions of a random variable which is smoothly parametrized ...
3
votes
2answers
89 views
American English: Must I always use a singular pronoun with a collective noun?
Here's the stretch of text that I'm struggling with:
The [company] team and the [client] team will formally
introduce themselves and explain their roles to one another. The
[company] team will share ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
Glad to hear it / this / that - are all of these correct?
In most cases, I have seen "Glad to hear it" or "Glad to hear that", which expresses your feelings about smth you have heard or read. Is it ok to write "Glad to hear THIS"...
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0answers
35 views
Which pronoun is appropriate when the subject of a dependent clause is implied?
The context is:
The point always is to remember what it was to be [me/myself].
Joan Didion
The writer is addressing herself here, so that the subject of remembering is implied. The original text ...
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0answers
41 views
Does a pronoun usually refer to the nearest preceding person(s)?
See the following paragraph:
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon ...
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0answers
28 views
Is this a typo in The Call of the Wild?
Here is the scene of the final fight between Buck and Spitz at the end of chapter 3 in The Call of the Wild by Jack London:
Spitz was untouched, while Buck was streaming with blood and panting
hard. ...
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0answers
42 views
What does “they” refer to in this sentence?
I don't understand the pronoun "they" and the subject of "are" in the following sentence.
Silver prices yesterday jumped 13% to an eight-year high after some online investors ...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
Is the pronoun 'it' used correctly in this sentence?
I have come across a sentence in which the pronoun 'it' occurs but seems to have no antecedent, and I think it should be omitted:
A controlling idea: what the writer is going to focus on it in the ...
0
votes
1answer
23 views
Pronoun referring to noun [duplicate]
In an article that gives general work advice, I've seen the following sentence
Don’t take your complaint to your boss when she’s running between meetings ...
There is no context that states the ...
0
votes
2answers
63 views
Using possessive pronouns for an academic degree (e.g. my masters degree) [closed]
One of my pet peeves...people using the possessive pronoun to refer to a graduate degree. For instance, people saying I'm going to get "my doctorate" or writing "while working on my ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Pronoun cases (e.g. “my,” “his”) before gerund constructions [duplicate]
Which of the following is correct?
It stands in the way of my being successful.
It stands in the way of me being successful.
This led to his succeeding in the workplace.
This led to him succeeding ...
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0answers
25 views
it of them in the sentence
I had to saw off the lower limbs of the tree to keep my young kids
from climbing it.
or
I had to saw off the lower limbs of the tree to keep my young kids
from climbing them.
Does the pronoun ...
