Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
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0answers
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What noun goes with “I”? [on hold]
Where is the noun of I pronoun?
For example for he ( the name of a boy or a man).
For she ( the name of a girl or woman).
he is a boy
Ahmad is a boy
Mahmood is a boy
she is a girl.
Nilofar is a ...
12
votes
3answers
896 views
Is “Who art” correct?
I came across these lines in a hymn:
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,Which wert and art, and ever more shalt be.
I noticed that "wert", "art", and "shalt" were used with the subject ...
1
vote
2answers
55 views
“What author” wrote this novel?
I have read a line in a book
"What friend did you hang out with ?"
and thought it was an error. However , I came across an English textbook that also used the same construction.
What American ...
0
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2answers
46 views
3
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3answers
68 views
Alternatives to y'all?
I am trying to write one of my first stories right now and I keep getting stuck on one thing. I have lived in Texas my whole life and so I am used to saying "Y'all" to refer to a group small or large. ...
0
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0answers
23 views
Best way to word a sentence [closed]
As I've been trying to decide which one, if any, of the following sentences is the best way to say what I'm trying to say, I was hoping that the writers/editors/grammarians here would help me do that.
...
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2answers
36 views
What's the difference between “ones”, “the ones”, “those”, “one”, “the one”, “that”?
I am wondering what the difference is between "ones", "the ones", "one", the one", "those", and "that"?
Take a noun for example. Some people say a dog=one, dogs=ones, the dog=the one=that, and the ...
2
votes
1answer
52 views
What does “it” in “If it wasn't for Amber…” refer to?
If it wasn't for Amber he wouldn't be able to marry Claire.
Please, what does "it" in this sentence refer to?
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Subject & Object Pronoun Question
What is the rule in use here that allows me to use I do in place of me in the second sentence?
An Olympic sprinter on a bad day runs faster than me on a good day.
An Olympic sprinter on a bad day ...
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0answers
35 views
What does “they” refer to in this sentence?
People have professional talents. With SBV, they are matched with nonprofits that need help in relevant areas.
Do they refer to "People" or " Talents" ( People's Talents )??
Also, Could I combine ...
1
vote
2answers
26 views
How could I reword this sentence to exclude I? [closed]
I am writing a report for choir, and I will get docked points if I use the word "I" or "you." So, I need assistance in figuring out how to reword this sentence to get rid of the I, but in a way that ...
0
votes
1answer
28 views
Several questions regarding a passage by Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle once wrote in one of his papers:
That, then, which I chiefly aim at is to make it probable to you by experiments (which I think hath not yet been done) that almost all sorts of ...
2
votes
3answers
48 views
He looked the same “as she” or “as her”? [duplicate]
"He looked the same as her" or is it "He looked the same as she"
I thought the rule was to complete the clause to figure this out such as "He looked the same as she looked" in which case the answer ...
14
votes
1answer
468 views
-sen for -self in English: history and usage
In my class there is a gentleman from the north of England who uses "-sen" instead of "-self" in such words as "himself" ("himsen") and "myself" ("mysen").
As far as I can tell, he always uses "-sen" ...
1
vote
2answers
59 views
the meaning of “Better off for it” and pronoun “they” from Stephen Hawking's article
The quote is:
But we should have been wary of answering back (to the questions of aliens), until we have develop a bit further. Meeting a more advanced civilisation (aliens from other planets), at ...
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0answers
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Punctuation and Ambigous Pronoun Questions
“The geneticist’s testimony should not be accepted simply because of his reputation. It should be accepted because it agrees with the evidence that the defendant was somewhere else when the crime was ...
0
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1answer
31 views
Should a comma come before 'you' in this sentence?
I'm wondering whether a comma should precede the pronoun 'you' in the sentence examples below:
That's not how the computer works, you fool.
Thanks for the assignment tips, you saviour.
Whenever I ...
5
votes
2answers
97 views
Combining demonstrative and possessive pronoun
I know of at least one language (German, although it’s considered old-fashioned nowadays) where it’s possible to combine demonstrative and possessive pronoun:
Diese deine Worte sind wahr.
...
0
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2answers
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What does the word “these” refer to in the given paragraph?
We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities,
particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably the
fruits of development. These must have the first claim on
...
1
vote
0answers
55 views
Using of the pronoun 'She' with Objects
While I was watching 'dinnerladies' yesterday, I noticed that they referred to 'ladder' as (she) in lieu of (it), so I wonder if it was an idiom or accent.
Thanks
One of the contexts was like this.
...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Interrogate pronoun “which” question
I have a question about the verb in the sentence:
Which animal do you think _____ most?
1)weighs
2)weighing
I chose 2)weighing because I think it could be re-write as
"Which animal do you think ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
When using the word “you” to mean a group of people (like in a blogpost) what sense of the word is it?
I cannot remember the proper word to use, and it’s driving me batty. I can imagine the sentence in my head “I’m not saying you, as in you, Katherine, I mean “you” in the _____ sense of the word. I ...
1
vote
2answers
75 views
Is it okay to use “he” when the subject of the sentence is “his wife”? [closed]
This is the sentence in question:
While Dev’s wife is in India for a few weeks, he and Miranda spend almost every day together.
The subject of the sentence is "Dev's wife", and I'm pretty sure that "...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
“to whom it may offend” vs. “to whom I may offend” [closed]
In my opening speech, is it right if I say
I apologize to whom it may offend"
or
"I apologize to whom I may offend"
2
votes
1answer
407 views
Me too or mine too
My favorite movie is Star Wars.
If my favorite movie is also Star Wars what should be the response to this, me too or mine too, or something else?
I found this but the answer didn't have any ...
0
votes
1answer
88 views
“It was he/him who/whom I voted for.”
I'm not particularly a grammar pedant, but I thought of this sentence this morning and it has defied my searching skills.
It was he/him who/whom I voted for.
The question here covers something ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Is it a noun or pronoun or something else?
Circle the nouns in the following paragraph.
For the first time in her life, Mary was seeing two boys at once. It involved extra laundry, an answering machine, and dark solo trips in ...
3
votes
1answer
72 views
The grammar of “one another”
In sentences such as:
They talked to one another
Is the string one another a constituent, or are the two words part of a mandatorily gapped coordination of preposition phrases (or even verb phrases)?...
4
votes
2answers
175 views
How is “plenty” a pronoun in “plenty of time”?
The Oxford Dictionaries list "plenty" as a pronoun. Example sentences include:
I would have plenty of time to get home before my parents arrived
There are shops in plenty
But pronoun by ...
1
vote
2answers
44 views
Usage of 'I' and 'Me' [duplicate]
Is there any rule as to what is used in the beginning of a sentence, 'I' or 'Me'?
Example: 1) I and x are good friends.
2) Me and x are good friends.
Which is correct? Or are both of these ...
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votes
1answer
36 views
The only player who can use [my / his / their] hands
If a person is talking about his experience being a goalie in soccer, should which pronoun should he use? "His" seems grammatically correct but sounds really weird.
3
votes
2answers
54 views
Please put it on the rack above yourself
Why do we say
Could you please put it on the rack above you?
In other words, why is there no reflexive needed here?
Can we also say "above yourself”, that is, use a reflexive pronoun?
3
votes
1answer
79 views
My wife, I just have the one, is
A: Those are my wives
B: Well, my wife, I just have the one, ...
This conversation is taken from the series shameless, s07e03, min. 22:47.
What is the meaning of the definite article in B's ...
4
votes
3answers
468 views
Are articles pronouns?
I'd like to know whether articles are a kind of pronoun. I believe that "a/an" should be an indefinite pronoun because "a" is similar to "any", and "the" should be a definite pronoun. For example:
...
1
vote
2answers
59 views
Is “that” a relative pronoun here?
Is the use of "that" in the sentence below a relative pronoun? It does stand in place of the noun ('view'), but I'm not sure if this is a relative pronoun. Can someone please explain? Thank you.
It ...
1
vote
2answers
54 views
“If this isn't flying, I don't know what is.” Is this sentence correct?
If this isn't flying, I don't know what is.
The meaning I'm trying to achieve is that
If this isn't flying, I don't know what else would be
Instead of
If this isn't flying, I don't know what ...
0
votes
1answer
39 views
Which pronoum do I use to refer a gender-neutral subject? [duplicate]
I want to say that "Feeding from a human doesn't mean killing them" (yes, vampire stuff), but i feel like the them i'm using isn't correct. But I don't want to use he/she because human can be either, ...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
Use of “its” in place of his or her
I've come across the following sentence where "its" is used, instead of using his/her:
Unless a parent can keep up with its children, its fate is sealed." [example from Longman Dictionary of
...
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votes
1answer
37 views
Should “that of” pronoun be used after “as well as” in this sentence?
Nearby is the jousting armor of Emperor Ferdinand as well as England’s Earl of Pembroke.
Or is this correct:
Nearby is the jousting armor of Emperor Ferdinand as well as that of England’s Earl of ...
3
votes
1answer
46 views
How do I identify subjects when quantities are involved?
I'm working my way through The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, and I came across a difficulty.
In one of the quizzes, the book asks you to identify the subjects and verbs in sentences, and ...
16
votes
2answers
839 views
Is the signature of a letter a subject or an object?
I want to sign a letter jokingly not by name, but by a personal pronoun. Is the signature a subject or an object? I feel like using object pronoun (me) sounds better, but why? The signature looks more ...
0
votes
2answers
61 views
Parts of speech in sentence “Amber is a real person” [closed]
Specifically I am wondering about the word "person" in the sentence, because at first thought I believed it was a common noun but it is qualifying a proper noun, so I am confused if it is a noun or a ...
0
votes
1answer
31 views
What is the difference in meaning between the sentences“You can be a singer or a dancer” and “You can either be a singer or a dancer”?
Do the sentences have the same meaning ?If they have same meaning,the use of the word"either" seems somewhat redundant in this particular type of sentences as the meaning still remains intact after ...
0
votes
3answers
176 views
Why is there no formal version of “you”? How does one get around it? [duplicate]
Many languages, such as German (and Spanish), have "Sie" (you-formal) as a formal version of you. One can say use "Mr." and "Mrs.", but in a thank-you note / email, there is no formal word for English ...
0
votes
2answers
83 views
Is it me or does Grammarly have it wrong: “Your” vs “You're” [closed]
My friend and I are having a debate whether the following is wrong
your saying Grammarly is wrong and your smarter.
since it's the wrong your.
But Grammarly seems to not pick up on it, is it ...
1
vote
0answers
13 views
Personal Pronoun Usage [duplicate]
It had been him and Nina that had decided years ago. Now it was her who had to clean up their mess.
or
It had been he and Nina that had decided years ago. Now it was she who had to clean up their ...
12
votes
2answers
2k views
What's the origin of the second-person 'we'?
I've often heard the phrase what do we have here to mean what do you have. And also, recently, I've heard a teacher ask one of his students struggling with an assignment: do we have a problem?, as in ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
“We” when referring to a team of 1
When contacting different departments of companies many will end an email/letter with something like
Sincerely,
The [Company Name] Support Team.
additionally they will refer to themselves as "...
1
vote
0answers
48 views
use “they” to refer one thing [duplicate]
As you see in this example of online Cambridge dictionary,"they" is used to refer "a porsche". How can it possible?
4
votes
2answers
147 views
Which are right choices in: “Can you imagine him/his forgetting his own birthday?”
Which one of the following is correct?
Can you imagine his forgetting his own birthday?
Can you imagine him forgetting his own birthday?
The question was asked in SNAP 2009 and I can't understand ...
