Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase.
1,397
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What pronouns to use in technical documentation
I am writing some documentation for a piece of software and I am struggling on what pronouns to use.
I didn't want to use gender related pronouns as my subject is the user so I used they/their, but it ...
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Use of "authorities" without the definite article or a possessive pronoun
I have a question about the usage of "authorities" in the following sentence.
The Kremlin threatened up to 15-year jail sentences for those who report what authorities determine to be false ...
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Is it correct “many to emotional reunions with family and friends.”
Below is excerpted from the BBC News:
Travellers touched down at Auckland Airport on
Monday, many to emotional reunions with family
and friends.
It seems wrong to me, though I know it must be an ...
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Omitting a pronoun from a cleft sentence
I believe this is
a cleft sentence:
It was 10:18 ᴀᴍ when it happened.
However, I cannot explain why the pronoun when can’t
be removed when you rewrite that sentence into this one:
When it (=the ...
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0
answers
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Should it be "we animals" or "us animals"? [duplicate]
In the serialization of my book, I have this passage:
Brief introductions were made, although when Albert tried to tell them the names of we animals, they waved him off.
But now I'm wondering ...
3
votes
2
answers
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What does "it" in this sentence refer to?
Here's a sentence from the Hobbit by JRRT.
The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill - The Hill, as all the people for many miles around called it - ...
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23
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Correct pronouns with participial phrases
In reference to a photo: There’s Bill and I on the mound, he having walked the batter, I handing him the ball...
he/his/him having walked
I/me handing him
Did I get the right pronouns in the above ...
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Can the third person pronoun "they" be used to refer to the singular gender-neutral pronoun "one"? [duplicate]
For instance, would it be correct to say "One must be careful so that they do not lose control of the vehicle while driving in heavy snow"?
I think I have read similar phrases before but I ...
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The identifying properties of "it/that" against the question of "who" [duplicate]
When I ask the question "who broke the bike?" and I respond with "it was Jane", is the word 'it' a pronoun identifying Jane?
My understanding is that 'it' is referring to "the ...
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Interpretation of subjects of gerunds
A paper on the implicit subjects of gerunds that I'm currently reading says that the sentences (1a) and (2a) sound off because John, though semantically appropriate, cannot be the antecedent for the ...
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Pronoun not matching noun
Users are asked to read the document before you come to the venue.
This sentence is grammatically incorrect because "Users" doesn't match "you". Is that a correct understanding?
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In English, are trains female?
In the poem Night Mail by W. H. Auden, the eponymous train is always referred to as being female:
This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the ...
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votes
2
answers
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Purpose of 'it'
What is the purpose of the pronoun 'it' here? Is it merely a dummy pronoun, a semantically empty subject? Or is it a cataphoric pronoun, serving as a placeholder for the extraposed infinitival clause?
...
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votes
2
answers
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Adverbial clause as antecedent of pronoun?
Please consider the following sentence:
When cars collide, it creates a debris hazard on the road.
In a debate, I claimed the sentence is ungrammatical because the pronoun "it" has no ...
- 197
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1
answer
43
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"My" calling or "his" calling? [duplicate]
While writing a profile description for a website, I came across this sentence that got me questioning my English grammar proficiency.
I am a multipotentialite who found his calling in content ...
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1
answer
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Can "your" be omitted from "Majesty"? [closed]
We call various people by an associated title, like "Your Majesty", "Your Lordship" etc. I recently stumbled on a fiction case where someone just calls "Eminence". I ...
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Using 'all' without a noun or pronoun [closed]
As far as I understand, 'all' should always be followed by a noun or pronoun, so the sentence 'I want to buy all' is incorrect. However, in computer games and mobile apps, I often see phrases like '...
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1
answer
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When I use a name or mention a person/character at the beginning of a sentence before referring to them via a pronoun, do I use a comma or semi-colon?
Here's the sentence example:
And Lucy, she often goes for a run.
And Lucy; she often goes for a run.
Which is more appropriate?
Thank you.
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answers
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use of pronoun in the absence of a noun: my vs me [duplicate]
consider the following sentences:
I actually find it quite difficult to remember much about "my being very young".
I actually find it quite difficult to remember much about "me being ...
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1
answer
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When using "their" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun, should a noun that follows be singular or plural?
For instance, would it be correct to say "The pharmacist held the medicine in their hand"?
Thank you so much!
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"She" or "her" for describing a character's point of view
I'm editing a book. The book starts with the following phrase:
SHE, when she was still wondering who she was...
It then goes on to narrate from the female character's point of view.
"It was ...
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answers
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's ending in English simple present tense
I was wondering whether someone would be able to explain the origin of the -s form as used to bind a predicate with a third person subject (he,she,it) to express a "simple " present ...
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answer
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Why is there no relative pronoun in Bronte's sentence?
I have a question for which I hope to get an answer from a professional. My question is: why is there no pronoun in the following sentence in Charolotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Chapter XXIV?
Here is a ...
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making video of me answering questions vs making video of myself answering questions [duplicate]
I wonder what the correct use of the following phrase is?
I'm making the video of me answering several questions...
I thought that this was the only way to say it. However, I came up with an ...
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1
answer
46
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Improper usage of "it"? [closed]
On a language exchange app, a non-English speaker wrote the following:
Whenever I go to a cafe, I order a soda float. I love it because it's tasty.
This sounds very wrong to me, but the person I'm ...
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votes
2
answers
91
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Can we say "they two" the way we say "you two"?
I am familiar with the expression "you two" used in sentences that address two people at once, as in:
You two weren't present in the meeting.
But is it okay to use this kind of expression ...
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votes
1
answer
87
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Could someone tell me how to use ‘that which’ together in a sentence? [closed]
I’ve read various sentences in which ‘that which’ is used together.
user443644
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0
answers
24
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Modern pronoun usage [duplicate]
Is there such a thing as the generic pronoun anymore? I am not starting a fight—I just want to know about this to teach in class.
I just saw an article on Demi Lovato that used the pronouns “their” ...
2
votes
2
answers
228
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Confusion with pronouns proceeding gerunds
In The Stranger, we have the following passage.
So we took our time getting back, him telling me how glad he was that he'd been able to give the woman what she deserved.
I understand the meaning, ...
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1
answer
76
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"Give this work to whoever looks idle." or "Give this work to whomever looks idle." [duplicate]
I was under the impression that any object, compound or not, following a preposition such as "to" must take the objective case; therefore, "Give this work to whomever looks idle."
...
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Important! Is there a term for misusing the pronoun “you”? [duplicate]
This is somewhat challenging to describe but I’m taking a crack at it. I have the tendency to use the pronoun “you” when speaking to someone about an event, or story. I would almost describe it as a ...
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1
answer
58
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difficulty understanding these pronouns [duplicate]
Who are you/he/she in your/his/her highness or in your/his/her excellency?
Who are these people? I mean "her majesty" is the queen. But who is her?
One more example is "his holiness&...
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Committed team vs dedicated team [closed]
I want to express that I am managing a team that is responsible for API integrations. How is the best and tightest way to say it?
Managing a committed on API integrations team
Managing a team, ...
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vote
2
answers
133
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Could I use the gender-neutral “their” for the antecedent “account”?
I’ve come across this sentence and found the pronoun-antecedent reference quite confusing:
I am led to believe that account is not genuine about their country of origin.
Is this a common or ...
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Discovering their self and discovering themselves
In adolescence, teenagers discover their self. (as in the “self” with a possessive their)
OR
In adolescence, teenagers discover themselves (reflexive pronoun).
I think both are potentially acceptable. ...
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2
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Who is saying the line
(1) Harry and Hermione dashed across to him.
(2) 'Ron - are you OK? '
(3)'Where's the dog? '
(4) 'Not a dog,' Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. 'Harry, it's a trap -'
(5)'What-'
(6) 'He's ...
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The British writer or British writer
I know this sounds dumb but I have just come across this sentence:
The book was Jude the Obscure, a novel by the British writer Thomas Hardy.
So the phrase "British writer" is preceded by ...
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vote
1
answer
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Does grammar become tricky when ‘she is’ becomes ‘they is/are’? [duplicate]
Hilary Mantel said recently that she had been ‘misgendered’ in a university publication by being referred to as ‘they’, not ‘she’. She says she was not singled out; all other alumni were similarly ...
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Can two different pronouns (that, who) be used to refer to the same antecedent (a statue representing a person)?
"He is being crowned by a female figure that accompanies him and who represents Victory."
The figure itself is, of course, not a human, but its representation is (or at least is ...
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"nor" + pronoun + pronoun
I've never seen the following phrase structure before and I couldn't find any resources on Google:
"nor" + pronoun + pronoun
Context:
...and she just couldn't find me, nor I her.
Source: ...
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Use of pronoun for objects in the preceding sentence [duplicate]
I am having some doubts regarding the use of pronouns.
Please have a look at the following sentences.
I picked a pen from the dustbin yesterday.
It writes very smoothly.
I picked a pen from the ...
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Yourself vs By yourself/On your own
I'm confused with this sentence:
Do they give you the topic or can you choose it [...]
So my book says the correct answer is "yourself".
Is it grammatically incorrect to use "By ...
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Why ships and countries are 'her' in the old texts but not 'it'?
I have read both of these two good questions and answers and I got the answer of my question, that in the modern English "it" is used more than "her" while referring to a ship or ...
user431762
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"Enough" can't appear in the subject of a negative sentence
Don't use enough (with or without a noun) as the subject of a
negative sentence, ✳‘Enough people didn’t come', but ‘Not
enough did’.
https://www.wordreference.com/EnglishUsage/enough
Why is it so?
...
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Does "much of a (countable noun)" mean the same as "much (countable noun)?"
(a): The countries did not have much of a choice when it came to
vaccines.
(b): The countries did not have much choice when it came to vaccines.
Are the sentences above semantically identical? Are ...
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6
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913
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"This is your rear-window heater." Is this a "your" with "typifying generic force" or is it something unique to marketing?
I've just gotten behind the wheel at the car dealership. The sales rep continues talking: "This is your rear-window heater and here is your electronic parking break." This use of your rubs ...
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"Within me" or "within myself"
I always hesitate between within me or within myself when the subject is I. Is there a rule that can help me decide? For example, in this sentence
The fullness of life that we receive within us/...
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The use of What as a relative pronoun
I was doing a TOEFL exercise and I stumbled on this particular error-analysis question:
In the Indus Valley, what is now Pakistan and western India, most dwellings had drains for waste disposal.
The ...
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3
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How does "_ and I"/"_ and me" rule change when inside brackets?
This question was specifically motivated by the Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iitXhgif_lo which has the title "How one little boat (and me) held up miles of London traffic".
...
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its vs. their in the following example
I am not sure whether the possessive pronoun can refer to the plural noun or only to the singular noun in the following example:
Clarity on the non-identity between the underlying algorithms and
...
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