Questions tagged [pronouns]
A pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase.
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Does this sentence “it doesn't meet the blind's need who want to read.” make sense?
Does the following sentence make sense grammatically or practically? Can I use it as it is without any correlation?
"it doesn't meet the blind's need who want to read."
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Which one is correct? [migrated]
You are always complaining about me driving your car.
You are always complaining about I driving your car.
You are always complaining about my driving your car.
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1answer
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What time or which time?
Strictly speaking, when referring to one or more of a definite set of values, the word 'which' should be employed. When referring to one or more of an unknown or infinate set of values, the word 'what'...
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1answer
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“We” vs. “Us” at the beginning of an objective clause
Do I write, "For we who are getting old..." or "For us who are getting old..." I know that "us" is the objective pronoun, but which do I use when the pronoun begins a clause that is the object of a ...
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1answer
28 views
Is “one” in the “one of the” construction a pronoun or a determiner?
In sentences like
One of the criteria is experience.
It was one of the several objects that were sold at the auction.
is one a pronoun or determiner?
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries cites similar ...
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1answer
23 views
“Our generation” - it, they or we?
My sentence is: "Our generation work (because "generation" is a collective noun and here I use it in the plural) mainly on computers, we/they/it do(es) not need...". Which pronoun should I use?
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2answers
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Is there any such thing as noun pronoun proximity?
I have read of Concord (or noun-verb agreement) and was wondering if, is as I have been told, there is a similar grammar rule for noun-pronoun agreement/proximity.
When there's a sentence where two ...
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Principle C of Binding Theory and Cataphoric Reference, why these notions are against each other? [migrated]
Principle C of Binding Theory stated that 'referential expression' can not be c-commanded, even across clause boundaries.
While cataphoric reference refers to a reference which occurs before its ...
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1answer
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Is a subject pronoun needed in the second clause?
The campaign is not only financially beneficial to that organisation but it also has a positive impact on the morale of the employees.
or
The campaign is not only financially beneficial to that ...
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0answers
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What are the rules for what “they” refers to when there are two plural nouns in a sentence?
Some examples:
The Wilsons are angry at the Smiths for the way they parked their car.
The Wilsons haven't hated this Smiths this much since they moved.
The South hasn't hated the North this much ...
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3answers
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Misunderstanding the use of me/him/her/them/us
I'm aware that when the pronoun is also the object of a sentence we use these: me instead of I, them instead of they and so on.
But when I say:
He is a teacher, and her?
Why do I say her instead ...
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5answers
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Is it correct to use “their” when referring to a single person when the gender is known? [duplicate]
I have come accross this sentence:
There is a 2.5% probability that whenever we measure a woman, their height will be less than 142 centimeters.
Is the use of their correct here? Shouldn't it be ...
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3answers
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“me's” when referring to another version of you?
Let's say I want to refer to a toy that I had when I was younger. Would it be incorrect to say "young me's toy"?
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0answers
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“one” as a pronoun for uncountable nouns
Is it grammatically right to use one as a pronoun to substitute for the word water?
I prefer plain water to sparkling one.
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6answers
3k views
“One can do his homework in the library”
One can do his homework in the library.
One can do one's homework in the library.
Nowadays, are these structures part of colloquial English? The use of one as a pronoun is still in use or is it ...
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1answer
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They stayed that way: he/him/his playing his guitar, she/her singing her songs
I've found other threads (see example links below), but I still can't sort this one out on my own. Are these -ings gerunds or participles? And therefore should they be preceded by accusative, ...
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0answers
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Another “and I” vs “and me” question [duplicate]
I see this a lot on Facebook. Two people doing a thing, and the picture captioned with:
"John and I waiting on the bus"
"Mary and I at the Beyonce show"
"Sally and I with our awesome guide Sven"
I ...
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0answers
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him/his - what is the right one and why? [duplicate]
I'm not sure what is the right answer:
I'm looking forward to him/his visiting me next week.
Many thanks.
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2answers
49 views
It's + plural noun
Please consider the following sentences:
1. I want you to know that IT'S the decisions you should make.
2. I want you to know that THEY ARE the decisions you should make.
which one is the more ...
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0answers
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The use of reflexive pronouns [closed]
I am currently doing homework for a linguistics course I am taking.
The question is about creating a rule to make confirm if certain sentences are grammatical or ungrammatical.
Here are some ...
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1answer
52 views
Using 'I' with 'who' in a sentence. Is this grammatically correct?
I am not sure whether the following sentence is grammatically correct. Could someone please guide me on this? Is there a better alternative?
I am the new CEO of this company who has taken over from ...
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1answer
57 views
The all too frequent conundrum involving “who” and “whom” [duplicate]
Sir Reginald Wingate, a British general, is said to have described the Bedouin as “an untrained rabble, most of whom have never fired a rifle.”
Should it not have been "who" instead of "whom" in that ...
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1answer
24 views
Following (a) training: verb and pronoun
I am not a native English speaker but I work in an organisation with English as corporate language. I have set up an automatic reply because I was following a 3-day course, and I have received a ...
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0answers
27 views
Everybody's / anybody's [closed]
"There is enough for everybody's need, but not for anybody's greed."
Is this sentence correct?
Everybody's.
Anybody's
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1answer
31 views
Them or their after despite? [duplicate]
What's the correct usage: embattled customers whose flats are in limbo despite them or their having made the payment? What's the logic?
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0answers
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Grammar issue regarding them [duplicate]
I have a confusion regarding this sentence, " I think it's great that we are a team because if one feels low and demotivated the other can pick THEM up"
Is the usage of them correct?
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2answers
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Can “individual” be referred to as “it”? [duplicate]
Can "individual" be referred to as "it"? Or only he/she/they?
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5answers
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“I showed the monkey himself in the mirror”. Why is this sentence grammatical?
I am asking this question for a homework assignment where we have to explain why certain uses of reflexive pronouns i.e. himself, herself, are grammatical or ungrammatical.
For one of the questions, ...
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2answers
75 views
Beat bad vs beat badly [duplicate]
Is it correct to say that the use badly is only used when there is a negative conjugation?
For example. When you beat someone at a game. Would you say you beat a person bad or badly? Because isn't ...
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1answer
31 views
How do you combine these sentences using proper relative pronouns?
I have this sentence:
"She asked six of her employees to come to the meeting. Four of them turned up."
I tried combining the sentences this way:
"Six of her employees were asked to come to the ...
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1answer
20 views
Correct construction for “easily protected against”
What I am trying to express is that I have a problem P and a good G and it is easy to protect G from P.
However, G is not the focus of the sentence and P was described in the previous sentence.
So I ...
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1answer
27 views
Ambiguity with two possessive pronouns in a sentence
Is it clear who the first and second "their" refer to in the following sentence, or is the sentence likely to confuse the reader --
"It has been decided between the parties that party number 1 will ...
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1answer
201 views
He/Him/His VS She/Her/Her
How did her become the female equivalent of both him and his instead of only being a possessive pronoun like his? Is there a reason?
For example:
She likes him and his dog.
He likes her and her dog.
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2answers
104 views
Which pronoun should be used after the word ‘like’? [closed]
For example, which of the following is considered correct?:
Don't be like him
Don't be like he is
There are other examples I can't think of right now where people use him instead of ...
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2answers
26 views
Use of “the same”
Thank you for sparing your time to watch this one.
I'm having a problem with this sentence - "I see the same through your glasses as I do through mine" here "the same" seems to have been used as an ...
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3answers
2k 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 ...
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2answers
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“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 ...
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2answers
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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. ...
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2answers
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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 ...
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1answer
70 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?
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1answer
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Subject & Object Pronoun Question [duplicate]
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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2answers
32 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 ...
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1answer
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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 ...
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3answers
136 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 ...
15
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1answer
534 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" ...
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2answers
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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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1answer
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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 ...
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3answers
136 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.
...
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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
...
