Corollary Theorems: PRONOUNS

 

English Grammar Notes #5:

PRONOUNS

 

 Back to GRAMMAR main page:

 

Grammar Notes

 
Definition (fragment from Definition M4.0 in LSEG)
"Pronoun" is the sentence element used to replace a noun, or a noun equivalent construction. The replaced noun is named the "antecedent".

The structure employed to present pronouns is: 
1. Categories of Pronouns
2. Personal Pronoun - Declension
3. Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun
4. Demonstrative Pronoun
5. Possessive Pronoun
6. Interrogative Pronoun
7. Relative Pronoun
8. Reciprocal Pronoun
9. Indefinite Pronoun
 
ATTENTION
These Grammar Notes are not sufficient to understand the topics presented. For accurate and detailed information we recommend Logically Structured English Grammar book.
 
 CATEGORIES OF PRONOUNS

Syntactically, pronouns have the same functions as nouns do; morphologically, pronouns are used to avoid repetition, and to set/clarify nouns' person and gender. In addition, pronouns can be:
A. nouns 
B. adjectives
C. numerals
D. adverbs
E. conjunctions
F. prepositions


There are eight categories of pronouns, because reflexive and emphatic pronouns are considered one single group (they have exactly the same form, and they differ only in position and phonetic accent). Following are the categories of pronouns:
1. Personal Pronouns
2. Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns
3. Demonstrative Pronouns
4. Possessive Pronouns
5. Interrogative Pronouns
6. Relative Pronouns
7. Reciprocal Pronouns
8. Indefinite Pronouns


Pronouns agree in gender, number, and person with their antecedent. Grammatical category of case is different, depending on the position pronouns have within the sentence structure. Generally, pronouns follow the antecedent nouns within the sentence structure. However, there are instances when pronouns are positioned ahead of their antecedent nouns.

ATTENTION
Some pronouns have exactly the same form as determining adjectives. 
 PERSONAL PRONOUN DECLENSION

Fragment from LSEG: personal pronoun forms.

LSEG: personal pronoun

 

 REFLEXIVE AND EMPHATIC PRONOUN

Reflexive pronoun is used with an active voice verb in order to reflect the action of the verb back on the subject (the antecedent).

Emphatic pronoun accompanies its antecedent in order to accentuate its action/state.

Reflexive and emphatic pronouns take different positions within the sentence structure. The following examples should clarify few aspects.


REFLEXIVE AND EMPHATIC PRONOUN
 
Pronoun Example
Singular
myself I wash myself. (Reflexive)
herself She went to the door herself. (Emphatic)
Plural
ourselves We ourselves believe that is true. (Emphatic)
yourself You did it yourself. (Reflexive)
Impersonal
oneself The one who cares, should do it oneself. (Emphatic)

The examples presented summarily above are not sufficient to understand the topics, because they do not have the accompanying explanations/rules for each instance. Besides, both topics are fairly complex. Details are presented in LSEG.

 DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

Demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adjectives have exactly the same forms. The way to differentiate them depends on their position relative to the antecedent/determined nouns. A fragment from LSEG is presented next.

LSEG: demonstrative pronoun


The word "that" has four main functions:
1. demonstrative pronoun or adjective:
That is my boy.
2. relative pronoun:
That is the man the papers are writing about.
3. conjunction:
He said that he had been there.
4. adverb:
The snow was that high.

 POSSESSIVE PRONOUN

You will never find a possessive pronoun near a noun, despite the fact it is the genitive of personal pronoun. Following is a fragment from LSEG.

LSEG: possessive pronoun

 

 INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN

Interrogative pronoun replaces the antecedent in an interrogative sentence.


INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
 

Case Pronoun Example
Nominative who? Who is this man?
Genitive whose? Whose shoes are those?
Dative to whom? To whom shall I speak?
Accusative whom? Whom have you seen?

 

 RELATIVE PRONOUN

Relative pronouns are:
1. Who:
John, who is often late, gets scolded.
2. Which:
He had two brothers, of which one was still underage.
3. What:
That is all, and it is also what I want you to do.
4. That:
It is a good horse that never stumbles.
5. As:
He prefers not to see such animals as the ones at the Zoo.
6. But:
There was no leaf but stirred in the breeze.

Relative pronouns have the same number and person as the antecedent noun, but they take a different case, depending on their position within the sentence structure.
 RECIPROCAL PRONOUN

Few reciprocal pronouns are:

1. "one another":
They went closer to one another.
2. "each other":
We like each other.
3. "for one another":
They care a lot for one another.
4. "for each other":
They care for each other.
 INDEFINITE PRONOUN

Indefinite pronoun replaces a noun to which it refers in a vague, indefinite manner. There are very many indefinite pronouns, and only few of them are listed here. Please be aware these pronouns have specific use in affirmative, interrogative, and negative constructions.

1. some; somebody; someone; something.
2. any; anybody; anyone; anything.
3. no; nobody, none; nothing.
4. every; everybody; everyone; everything.
5. one; another; the other; the others; all; little; many.
Back to GRAMMAR main page:
Grammar Notes

LINKS

 LOGICALLY STRUCTURED ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Learn English grammar as it is known to few professionals only
Study Logically Structure English Grammar Table of Contents
Ask an English grammar question and read previous interesting topics



MOST VISITED PAGES AT COROLLARY THEOREMS
 

1. LOGICALLY STRUCTURED ENGLISH GRAMMAR - if you think you know English grammar, think again
2. LEARN HARDWARE FIRMWARE AND SOFTWARE DESIGN - and develop your own commercial product the easy way!
3. AMAZING ARTICLES - "Reality is never what it appears to be"
4. NEWS - "Global Picture" in news presented by Corollary Theorems
5. GRAMMAR FAQ - we answer your English grammar questions here


 
Back to GRAMMAR main page
Grammar Notes
Send your comments regarding this page using support@corollarytheorems.com 
Page last updated on:
April 16, 2008
© Corollary Theorems Ltd. All rights reserved.
 

Valid HTML 4.01!

Page valid according to W3C