Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase.
1,496 questions
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Omitting prepositional phrases after 'some' [closed]
Some of the mangoes are for him
Some are for him.
Some of the milk is for him.
Some is for him.
Are all sentences correct or not?
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relative pronouns and their order in instruction manuals [migrated]
I struggle with how pronouns are used in English sentences. I want to give an example of a sentence I have trouble comprehending. This sentence below comes from documentation read by software ...
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2
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Translation or equivalent feature to using an pronoun to highlight interest like with the French « arrête-moi ça » in colloquial speech?
– [Annoying behavior]
– Arrête ça ! [Stop that!]
– [Annoying behavior, again]
– Arrête-moi ça !
In French a pronoun can be used in colloquial speech to highlight the interest or importance of the ...
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What does "My pronouns are they, theirs and them" mean?
I'm watching the show Billions and there's a scene on Taylor Mason's debut in Axelord's office, see YouTube.
The first words came out is "My pronouns are they, theirs and them". What is that ...
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2
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Noun vs pronoun [duplicate]
Are all numeral numbers (Cardinal, ordinal, mulplicative & decimal) Noun, pronoun or both?
Though we know that one is a pronoun. But what about others?
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"Why should one cook their own food" <--- Why can you use "someone" and "they" but not "one" and "they"?
As I understand it, one and someone are both indefinite pronouns. But they get used differently:
Why should someone cook their own food?
Why should one cook one's own food?
While I might sometimes ...
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0
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Sequence of pronouns
In a series of first, second, and third person pronouns in a sentence containing, she/he, you, and I, what is the correct sequence order? Which of the following sentence is correct?
I, you and he ...
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2
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The content of "that"
Below is a part of the lyrics of "Again" by Shiloh Dynasty.
Baby, oh If I had the money, love
Would that make you love me? No
Would that make you love me? Oh, oh, oh
What would native ...
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3
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Difference between “demonstrative pronouns” and “demonstrative determiners”
What is the difference between “demonstrative pronouns” and “demonstrative determiners”?
Are they the same thing? If not, what are the differences between them?
I definitely have searched the ...
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What are the rules for demonstrative pronouns?
I'm wondering about how to determine what demonstrative pronoun points to. The specific example I have in mind is from 2024 DnD rules, but I'd like answers that focus on grammar if that's possible. ...
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5
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Taylor Swift - Use of "them" in her text "she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them"
Three hours ago, Taylor Swift posted on Instagram, which includes the following sentence:
I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to ...
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When should I use proximity rule in English grammar, and how to use pronouns? [duplicate]
For example, we have a sentence
Mother beat her daughter because she was drunk.
who was drunk in this sentence, mother or daughter? Is the sentence ambiguous, so I can't conclude who was drunk, or ...
7
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2
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Use of "us" as personal determinative
Consider this sentence:
There is lots of stuff in us shoppers' carts.
I know it is awkward but I am interested in whether it is grammatically correct. Should "us" be changed to "we&...
3
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3
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Is it correct to say your pronouns are "she/they" or should it be "she/them"?
My daughter just submitted a college app and said her pronouns were "she/they". I told her, in the nicest way that I didn't want to be demeaning, but your pronouns can't be "she/they&...
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Reflexive pronouns and prepositions of direction [duplicate]
Can you please explain the following?
She dragged it toward her. (Why not: She dragged it toward herself.)
He pulled her against him. (Why not: He pulled her against himself.)
I look around me. (But: ...
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1
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'It' or 'that' pronouns in why- questions
In the dialogue below:
Person A: My trip was stressful.
Person B: Why was it?
I feel like "why was it?" sounds wrong and "why was that?" sounds correct and more natural in casual ...
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1
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Use of generic "one" without having to revel the gender
I want to say the following:
The more one knows about a subject, the more one realizes how little he knows about it.
I want to make it formal and general, thus my use of "one" instead of &...
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1
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To which object in a previous sentence does "those" refer?
For example, in the sentence:
The cats rarely have fleas. Those that are there are orange.
Those is intended to refer to the fleas, but is that incorrect? Can those only refer to the cats?
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2
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Necessity of pronoun "that" or "those" when comparing two things
We usually use "that" or "those" when we repeat the noun(s) used before especially in comparative sentences.
But what about in this sentence?
The intellectually inferior mice ...
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1
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What is the origin of the "one" pronoun
There are many pages of questions on the "one" pronoun, so I apologise if this has been asked before. I would like to know the origin of the "one" pronoun. Ideally as much info as ...
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What pronoun should I use, "by we who" or "by us who"? [duplicate]
He will be yelled at by we who hate him.
He will be yelled at by us who hate him.
After by you use us, but in this case I'm confused. Which one of these sentences is correct?
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Is omitting the definite article in this case grammatically correct (and preferable)?
I had written the following sentence in a manuscript:
After each transaction, the balance of the sender account equals their balance immediately before the transaction minus the amount of funds ...
2
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0
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When it comes to names and pronouns, what takes precedence: past, present, or future?
This answer on Chess Stack Exchange said it’s grammatically incorrect to call someone by their current pronoun in a sentence talking about a hypothetical future scenario when their pronoun would be ...
4
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2
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How does the word "it" function in: "What is it that makes us uneasy ... ?"
What is it that makes us uneasy about accepting credit for something wonderful we have done?
In this sentence, how does the word "it" function?
Is it a pronoun or a dummy subject?
Or is it ...
0
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2
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What is the difference between "Us girls gotta stick together" and "We girls gotta stick together"?
I am looking into the difference between the "we" and "us" pronouns, and have found some very useful information here.
In the context of emphasizing a particular group, you can put ...
0
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0
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to be fair to myself or to be fair to me? [duplicate]
To be fair to myself, he could, at times, become a bona fide drone.
To be fair to me, he could, at times, become a bona fide drone.
Is an 'I' not required before using the reflexive pronoun 'myself'?
...
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3
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Why is it correct to use "me" instead of "I" in this sentence? [duplicate]
I have been blessed beyond measure in having friends far wiser and more learned than me.
My gut reaction to this sentence was that "I am" should've been used in place of "me." ...
0
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0
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Direct vs indirect object pronoun forms
I understand that it would be trivial to ask whether or not English has object pronouns classifiable as either direct or indirect - this is a matter of grammatical structure.
My question is whether ...
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0
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Which pronoun for a photo caption? [duplicate]
Which is the correct pronoun, if you have a title for a photo that is, for example “John and me, outside our house”. To my mind that is the correct way to write it but others think it should be “John ...
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Is the double pronoun "it mine" correct in "You did it your way, now let me do it mine"?
I am a non-native English speaker, so I would just like to increase my knowledge of the language.
I heard this phrase in a TV show:
You did it your way, now let me do it mine.
The let me do it mine ...
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2
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"I was approached by what looked like a group of priests"
Is there a name for the construction in bold in the following sentences?
I was approached by what looked like a group of priests.
This is the beginning of what might be a new era of science!
I'm ...
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1
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Why is "each" ungrammatical in "It’s an insult to us each"?
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Pages 427-28) has this:
Universal personal pronouns of the type us all
[6] i a. They’ve invited us all. b. It’s an insult to us both. ii a. She likes ...
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The use of "one" as a pronoun
When using "one" as a pronoun, should subsequent pronouns also be "one" or variations thereof? If not, which pronoun should be used?
Example:
When describing oneself in a resume, ...
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1
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you vs yourself?
Please help me with grammaticality or acceptability of the two sentences:
A) No one is better at persuading yourself than you.
B) No one is better at persuading you than yourself.
Which is correct?
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1
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What seems more accurate "You and your kid discover their true capability" or "You and your kid discover his/her true capability"? [duplicate]
I have been asked to look at some old admission response forms that our school mails back to applying students. This letter consists of their test scores and the programs that is offered to them.
Now, ...
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0
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Does this sentence need "me" or "I"? [duplicate]
Here is the sentence. Which one is correct?
Dec. 21st from 9:30-10:30 can work for both I-SHEA and I.
Dec. 21st from 9:30-10:30 can work for both I-SHEA and me.
I think it should be I-SHEA and me ...
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2
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Why is "it" used instead of "he/she" for human being in "it becomes a wise and virtuous man…"?
Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists on playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times.
—Thomas Aquinas
Is the bold phrase ...
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1
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The "editorial we" - pronouns and number agreement
I am wondering if the esteemed members of this forum can help me with these questions, which have bothered me for a long time and are what have brought me to this forum.
One thing I struggle to ...
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2
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Where better to whet one's grammar?
I wonder if all interrogative pronouns can be used in structures like
Where better to learn about the resilience of life?
For example,
Who better to repair my car?
How better to cook potatoes than ...
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0
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Object / accusative personal pronouns replacing actor in certain clauses [duplicate]
I'm a native English speaker, and I noticed that I sometimes use accusative pronouns (him, her, me) to replace actors in certain clauses. I have a feeling this is prescriptively considered incorrect ...
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0
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Subjective and objective case? [duplicate]
Is it correct to say
I am faster than him at swimming
Or
I am faster than he at swimming
I've heard that the first sentence is wrong because you can't compare the subjective case with the ...
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1
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Is it normal to say "Allow myself to introduce myself"?
When Austin Powers says this phrase? Is it considered to be somewhat of an exception to normal use, like with,
Myself is often used where I or me might be expected,
Or was it more abnormal than that,...
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1
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Who is your favorite singer? It is [duplicate]
A Japanese friend of mine recently asked me a question that I could not quite explain.
A. Who is your favorite singer?
B. It is Ed Sheeran.
A. Who is the president of the United States?
B. ...
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1
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Is it correct to say "None can stop me" without mentioning a specific group of people? [closed]
Is it correct to say "None can stop me?" I feel like "No one can stop me" is the one I've seen used most often, but I'm not sure if "none" works too? Does there have to ...
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1
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Can the pronoun 'its' referring to a clause as a whole be placed at the beginning of the next sentence? [closed]
(1)Bill doesn't want to go and that's the problem.
(2)Bill doesn't want to go and it's the problem.
I understand (1) is good, but (2) is not natural,
because it referring to the entire clause cannot ...
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2
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Can you write "... me's" (the possessive)?
Could you use me's as in something like this?
The person behind me's phone keeps ringing.
The person behind me's breathing sounds laboured.
I've tried looking at other questions but I couldn't find ...
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1
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Why does emphasis of "it" allow phrasal verb syntax that would otherwise not be grammatical?
Edit: the answer cited with the closure doesn't answer the question I posed; it merely reinforces the usual placement of the pronoun.
Consider the phrase dash it off.
I dashed it off without thinking ...
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Case assignment to conjoined nouns/pronouns [duplicate]
I suspect that this subject has been addressed already, but I've been unable to find this specific issue with the search terms I've used.
My concern is the assignment of accusative (or objective, if ...
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8
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Usage of "you" in scientific papers
According to numerous questions (e.g Is it recommended to use "we" in research papers?), one should use "we" instead of "I" while writing a scientific paper.
However, it'...
2
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0
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First and second person pronouns in academic writing [closed]
I've been told numerous times in high school that "first and second person pronouns in academic writing" should be avoided. This supposed wisdom is echoed in various style manuals as well. ...