Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase.
1,350
questions
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2answers
37 views
Confusion about what the pronoun refers to
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 ...
-1
votes
0answers
12 views
management practices AND their survival OR their associated survival
Could you please help me to choose, which of the following sentences is more correct. Nonoperative management practices have no survival, patients have. Thus, is the first sentence uncorrect or the ...
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0answers
25 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 ...
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0answers
44 views
Is "…your love for them” grammatical? [closed]
I'm wondering if this sentence below is grammatically correct?
"Thank you for your love for them."
Also, does this sound natural? If not, is there an alternative way to express the same ...
-2
votes
0answers
38 views
He had a friend to say was his friend [closed]
Is it possible to insert a pronoun, He had a friend to say (that) HE was his friend? (friend and he being co-referents)
0
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0answers
32 views
Which pronoun (you vs. I) to use while answering word problems in mathematics? [closed]
Let us say there is a word problem like this:
Question 1: I bought apples for $4 each. I spent $12 total to buy apples. How many apples did I buy?
I solve this problem and find the answer to be 3 ...
0
votes
1answer
46 views
Is it she and James' or her and James'?
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? ...
0
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0answers
23 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
votes
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?
2
votes
1answer
63 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
91 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
votes
2answers
30 views
“It's raining”, vs. “I tried to make a reservation online, but it says 'no available spots today'.” [closed]
The it in "it's raining" seems to refer to no clear subjects. But I think "it's raining" and "it's getting warm" are both used.
I used this sentence today in my ...
0
votes
1answer
25 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.
1
vote
1answer
70 views
me and whom? vs me and who?
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, ...
1
vote
2answers
47 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
votes
1answer
33 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
31 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
77 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 ...
0
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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
vote
1answer
39 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
60 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
35 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 ...
0
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0answers
27 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
votes
0answers
53 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
votes
4answers
103 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
71 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
49 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"...
0
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0answers
34 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 ...
1
vote
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 ...
0
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0answers
27 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
88 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
21 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
48 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
48 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 ...
0
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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 ...
0
votes
2answers
50 views
Can a pronoun be dropped in a list?
Towing insurance provides protection against collision damage to your automobile while you are attaching (it) to, towing (it) by, or detaching it from a covered rental truck or while it is loaded onto,...
0
votes
2answers
46 views
Demonstrative Pronouns
I understand that a demonstrative pronoun is a word that replaces a noun as if pointing to it. For example, "I want to buy a car. This one is cheap. Those are expensive." This and those are ...
0
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0answers
17 views
Pronouns and nouns [duplicate]
I am trying to understand why the provided sentence makes sense. I understand a grammar rule: the pronoun in the sentence should match the noun in the sentence. However, how can we use "they"...
0
votes
3answers
88 views
Are there any old third-person singular pronouns the way “thou” is an old second-person pronoun?
Thou is an old second-person singular pronoun in English.
Are there any old third-person singular pronouns?
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votes
1answer
59 views
Correct use of 'whatsoever'
Which is the correct usage: 'for whatsoever reason' or 'for any reason whatsoever'?
Example (taken from here):
A governor may give a pardon or commute a sentence any day of the week, for any reason ...
0
votes
2answers
34 views
Is the possessive “its” or “their” after “all of the country's states and territories”?
Which statement is correct?
All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents.
All of the country's states and territories imposed travel restrictions on their ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views
The right possessive pronoun for “one”? [duplicate]
Is it ok to use "their" as a general reference to the pronoun "one"? For example in a sentence as follows:
One should be aware of the differences between spreadsheets and ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Are reflexive pronouns typically used in compound objects?
We can all agree that the reflexive pronoun in this sentence is necessary:I bought drinks for myself.
However, I cannot seem to find a definitive answer regarding the following sentence:I bought ...
0
votes
1answer
27 views
That creates or which creates? [duplicate]
"let's make a robot ___ creates a copy of itself"
What would be the right word to use here? That or which?
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Complex sentences, confusing pronouns [closed]
To a ESL student like me, below sentence is very difficult to understand. I've read this sentence like 20 times and I still don't get it 100%.
"Investors in the past have expressed to us that ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Which reflexive or intensive pronoun should I use for an unknown person (himself, herself or itself)?
I want to reffer to a person whose gender I don't know.
Should I say a person himself/herself or a person itself?
Two examples below:
Reflexive: If someone wants to kill somebody else, then do it him/...
0
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0answers
26 views
[Subject pronoun], not [Subject pronoun or Object Pronoun] + predicate
I know first pronoun is Subject, but what about second pronoun after "not"? Is it subject too like these two quotations? In first, not "he, not her"? In second, not "he, not ...
