Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
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questions
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Why are the 1st and 2nd person reflexive pronouns (“myself”, “yourself” etc.) possessive, while the 3rd person reflexives (“themself” etc.) aren't? [duplicate]
English has 9 (8, if you don't count singular "they") reflexive pronouns.
The 1st and 2nd person reflexives (myself, ourselves, yourself and yourselves) are compounds of the corresponding possessive ...
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1answer
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Preventing pronoun confusion
I have two people. Fred knows something about X. Jim is curious how much Fred knows. Fred has also made some wrong assumptions about X.
In describing the scene, I wrote this:
Perhaps Fred didn't ...
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1answer
41 views
Is the the compound subject “I and my friend” grammatically correct as opposed to “My friend and I”?
Some people say it is outright wrong to use "I and my friend" or "I and my X". Their reasoning is it should be "My friend and I love the sun" is right because when separated "My friend loves the sun" ...
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1answer
30 views
Regarding “ this”and “it”
"This"is used to specify objects placed closer.
"It "is used for non living things
I have seen sentences like
This is a pen.
My question is
It is a pen. .. ..... is correct?
Why can't we use" it" ...
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2answers
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Exceeding a possessive adjective before subject pronouns
Is there any possibility for exceeding a possessive adjective before subject pronouns?
For example: can we use a structure as
Historically, in his seminal article, Markus introduced several ...
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2answers
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“her colleague and she/her” which pronoun should I use here?
I read a friend of mine writing this and I wondered if that was incorrect.
her colleague and her were working on the web app
shouldn't this have been:
her colleague and she were working on the ...
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0answers
49 views
“After being” vs “After one has been”
Sentence:
"What is one to do, after being prematurely stuffed into a coffin, when one is still plain as day, on the whole, a breathing, thinking, perfectly living individual?"
Is the above ...
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What part of speech is 'enough' in '[Subject] is enough.'?
All the dictionaries I know of classify 'enough' in 'Something is enough.' as a pronoun, not an adjective.
Dictionaries such as LEXICO, Oxford Learner's Dictionaries and Collins classify it as a ...
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3answers
69 views
Use of Whoever and Whomever [duplicate]
We are debating the use of Whoever vs Whomever in this sentence "Thanks to whoever fixed this".
What is the correct form?
- Thanks to whoever fixed this
- Thanks to whomever fixed this!
Any ...
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0answers
20 views
This kind of or these kind of [duplicate]
I like this kind of foods.
Or
I like these kind of foods.
Which pronoun is correct here?
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0answers
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āThe needs of the many outweigh the needs of the fewā
Think of Star Trek's quote:
āThe needs of the many outweigh the needs of the fewā (or āthe oneā)
In the context of Star Trek, does the many/few refer to a specific group of many/few beings or many/...
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Is there an alternative modern approach to the fused-head NP?
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Page 410) defines "Fused-head NPs" as follows:
Fused-head NPs are those where the head is combined with a dependent function that in ordinary NPs is ...
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4answers
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I have so many: POS of 'many'
Do you have any questions? I have so many.
Dictionaries indicate that many here is a pronoun; it is certainly standing in for the noun questions.
If this is so, how could the adverb so modify a ...
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4answers
232 views
a relative few vs. a relatively few
Engineers in World War I dug through the earth to build serpentine trenches borne from horrifically clear logic.
If enemy soldiers ever breached it, the zigzagging pattern would prevent them from ...
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Combination of different types of nouns results in which pronoun?
When I combine a noun that refers to a person and another noun, do I use whom or which? Like in the following simple example.
Jesus was crucified because of Caiaphas and the Roman Empire, whose (/...
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1answer
56 views
Can we use a/an for plural pronouns?
First of all English isn't my first language so bear with me if you see any grammar mistakes here and there.
So my question is: can we use 'a/an' for plural pronouns? For example, "they are a good ...
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0answers
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Pronoun “something” in negative sentences [duplicate]
I haven't found any information about a grammar rule that describes the possibility of somebody/something in negative sentences. My example is:
"Something is not right."
Please give me a reference to ...
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2answers
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Question about pronoun who
I was writing something like: Speaking is an umbrella term itself who encompasses grammar, vocabulary, fluency and accuracy and pronunciation.
Herein lies two problem, 1.can i use who here?
2.does ...
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3answers
84 views
How to get rid of pronoun ambiguity?
We are discussing on ELL how to get rid of pronoun ambiguity. The intial sentence with apparent pronoun ambiguity was
When Anneās grandmother died she lit an extra candle for her on her birthday.
...
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2answers
103 views
Is “they” plural or singular when it's someone's preferred pronoun? [duplicate]
Andy's preferred pronoun is "they". They goes to school in Denver, where they studies philosophy.
or
Andy's preferred pronoun is "they". They go to school in Denver, where they study philosophy.
...
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2answers
87 views
What pronouns should you use after the pronoun one? [duplicate]
For instance, if I wanna write: one should not be judgmental if they don't know the truth. Is this correct?
I found this structure e.g. One is said to communicate successfully when he or she is able ...
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0answers
40 views
One subject for every paragraph?
I've heard that a paragraph should have exactly one subject. I'm looking at the caption of a figure, and wondering if it should be reworded:
If the factor model is good, it interrupts the effect ...
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1answer
73 views
What dictionary provides gender association for each word? [closed]
As a nonnative English speaker, I often struggle to define gender in many words. Earth is a āsheā, war is āheā, for example, but what gender a word āpersonā belongs to? Same about thousands of other ...
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4answers
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Why do people use all 3 components in their gender pronouns? [closed]
When people talking about their gender pronouns, why do people use all 3 components?
For example, I identify myself as a male, so I understand the use of "HE", but why people use "HE/HIM/HIS"? Is it ...
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1answer
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Whats the best way to phrase this? “Gary Payton tells Marcus Smart that he reminds him of himself” [closed]
Is "he reminds him of himself" correct usage of pronouns in this case?
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1answer
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How can one omit the third-person pronoun in sentences entirely? [closed]
I have a task which involves my having to show how I can write in different ways in English. Thus far, I have shown how I can write in a multitude of ways in a reasonably successful way, but I am ...
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1answer
37 views
Confusion on using this/that and that/those
I have confusion regarding the use of that/those and this/that properly.
My first question:
Jobs those are generally involved in a lot of repetitive work are boring.
Jobs that are generally ...
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1answer
37 views
Me or I proper usage in a formal sentence
The President recently sent a letter with the following sentence. I think the last word in the sentence is incorrect and should be āmeā. Would someone please clarify this for me please?
āIt is a ...
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4answers
315 views
'The Queen That Never Was' or 'The Queen Who Never Was'?
A documentary drama about the American Wallis Simpson (the influence upon Edward VIII causing him to abdicate the throne of England on 10th December 1936) is titled 'Wallis : The Queen That Never Was'....
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1answer
40 views
Can object pronouns and possessive pronouns be used side by side without a preposition? [duplicate]
In a previous post on this site, the question was asked, "Can we use two pronouns side by side?" However, the example given (and thus answers offered) didn't quite suit the particular question that I ...
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1answer
52 views
Object pronouns [duplicate]
I've managed to get myself confused about using object pronouns in some cases. I'm unsure whether it's correct usage, or incorrect, but very common, usage
Q: Who is hungry?
A: Me
or should it be:
A: ...
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3answers
158 views
Is “its” ambiguous in “This bucket is produced in a factory overseas. Its capacity is small”?
I would like to show two sentence patterns:
A) The purpose of the capacitor is not to provide energy.
Its capacitance therefore does not have to be large.
B) This bucket is produced in a factory ...
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1answer
49 views
pronouns before nouns
I have this sentence: "Tilly laid down in the center of the room, arms under her head and eyes closed serenely."
Do I need pronouns before the nouns ie "Tilly laid down in the center of the room, her ...
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1answer
3k views
“I hope you all/both are doing well” vs “I hope you are all/both doing well”?
Do both convey the same message, or not?
I hope you all are doing well.
I hope you are all doing well.
It occurs to me that the same thing happens with both when I'm only addressing two people ...
0
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1answer
78 views
When to use “she's”(short form) and and “she is”(full form)? What is the difference? [duplicate]
Example : He isn't tired but she is. Why can't use "she's"? Why is "she is" used?
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1answer
45 views
Is the repetition of a pronoun instead of stressing it possible?
In English it is usual to stress a personal pronoun or a noun so as to introduce a departure from the preceding spell of conversation in which is mentioned another agent in relation to the same ...
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1answer
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Pronoun ambiguity with titles
I was wondering if the use of "it" is ambiguous in the following sentence:
"The XYZ is an excellent book, and it was later made into a movie."
The use of it refers to the book/XYZ vice versa. Is ...
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1answer
203 views
Using commas and pronouns correctly in “Not only because, but also” construct
Firstly, I know that there are plenty of questions concerning "not only, but also" construct on StackExchange. However, none of them could give me an explanation for what I am trying to figure out...
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1answer
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Should I use the pronoun “it” with the word “person”? [duplicate]
For instance, is it grammatical?
I looked from the window and spotted a person. It crossed the street.
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1answer
103 views
Something versus anything
"They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary."
Is it also fineļ¼or more appropriateļ¼ to replace "anything" with "something" in the sentence ...
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2answers
242 views
Do all āepiceneā pronouns mean the same thing as one another?
There have been many proĀposed epicene or genĀder-neuĀtral
pronouns
that have been proĀposed over the years and have reĀceived some level
of use. My quesĀtion is: do all of them mean the same thing? ...
0
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0answers
32 views
Everyone and plural usage [duplicate]
"Everyone want their homes to be at the centres of cities"
Is this correct usage or is there any alternative way to convey the same?
4
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1answer
217 views
How many demonstrative pronouns are there really?
Are there only four demonstrative pronouns this, that, these, and those in English, or are there more like thik which is a variation of this and that?
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1answer
278 views
'I don't know WHOM he is' or 'I don't know WHO he is'? [closed]
I don't know who(m) he is.
I'm trying to figure out if I should use 'who' or 'whom' in the sentence above. I'm attempting to reach a conclusion by identifying the deep structure, but I'm not sure ...
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1answer
68 views
Indefinite pronoun in negative sentence [closed]
Can we write "Everybody didn't know he was a famous inventor."
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2answers
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How likely is a native speaker to confuse HE and SHE?
As a non-native English speaker whose mother tongue has not distinct pronouns to address male/female third persons, it is trying to avoid confusing he/she in speaking. I wonder how would native ...
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1answer
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Whatās the difference between a reflexive and intensive pronoun?
There are a few types of pronouns, among other there are reflexive and intensive pronouns. Every website I visit, they give me the same examples.
E.g.
Found on Grammar Monster:
ā¢ Reflexive ...
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1answer
42 views
What would “they” refer to in this sentence?
The benefits of addressing, or simply displaying oneself to, a large news audience can be so great that many subjects conclude they are worth the risks of being misrepresented.
Would the boldfaced "...
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1answer
51 views
Object Pronoun or possessive pronoun
I wonder why option (C) is wrong? I think it is still possible that the possessive pronoun āhersā is used to replace āher birthdayā
Ms. Greelayās colleagues, who discovered that her birthday is on ...
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0answers
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Why “him” in “For neuer resting time leads Summer on / To hidious winter and confounds him there, …” instead of it or her?
There is a passage in William's V sonnet that confounds me :
For neuer resting time leads Summer on,
To hidious winter and confounds him there,
Sap checkt with frost and lustie leau's quite gon.
...
