(Point 3️⃣) This is good stuff for learning a foreign language.

If you're not someone who says between you and I or someone who puts an apostrophe in theirs, then the next best reason to care about personal-pronoun terminology is that it will help you with learning a foreign language.

If you're a native English speaker, then, whether you know it or not, you currently select a #personal_pronoun having first determined its:

🔸Number. Is the #personal_pronoun representing something singular or plural?

🔸Person. Is the #personal_pronoun representing something in:

• the first person (this is the speaker himself or a group that includes the speaker (I, we)),

• the second person (this is the speaker's audience (you)), or

• the third person (this is everybody else (he, she, it, they).)

🔸Gender. Is the #personal_pronoun representing something male or female?

🔸Case. Is the #personal_pronoun representing something which is a subject or an object?

So, when you say something as simple as We like him, your brain has whipped through that list twice, making eight decisions on #personal_pronouns. That's a lot of grammar processing happening in a flash. When you start learning a foreign language (particularly in the classroom), this grammar processing is done far more consciously and systematically.

(Point 4️⃣) You can use they instead of he/she.

In English, there is no singular gender-neutral #personal_pronoun. This example will make that clearer:

➖If a burglar falls through your skylight, he could sue you.

(Why he? Girls can be burglars too.😁)

Here are your options (ordered for their acceptability) for fixing this problem:

Option 1️⃣: Try an all-plural version.

➖If burglars fall through your skylight, they could sue you.

(This is a good fix, if your sentence allows it.)

Option 2️⃣: Use a "singular" they.

➖If a burglar falls through your skylight, they could sue you.

(Even though they (plural) refers to burglar (singular), using a "singular" they is now an acceptable practice. Some people won't like it, but actually it's a pretty good compromise for handling the fact that we just don't have a singular gender-neutral #personal_pronoun.)

Option 3️⃣: Use he or she or he/she.

➖If a burglar falls through your skylight, he/she could sue you.

(This is a poor option. You'd have to really hate the "singular" they to choose this option.)

Option 4️⃣: Just use he.

➖If a burglar falls through your skylight, he could sue you. (This is out of date. You might get away with it, especially with such a male-dominated "trade" as burglary, but it's clearly sexist. Using he for he/she is only just hanging in there as an option because it used to be an acceptable way of overcoming our grammar's shortcoming. It wasn't uncommon for the opening pages of a document to include the caveat "He means he or she." Avoid this option.🚫)

This issue pertains to possessive determiners too.

➖A journalist must protect his sources.
(His is a possessive determiner.)

Here are some possible fixes:

➖Journalists must protect their sources.
(Go plural - the perfect option👍🏻)

➖A journalist must protect their sources.
(Use a "singular" their - perfectly acceptable👏🏻)

➖A journalist must protect his/her sources.
(Use his/her - poor⚠️)

➖A journalist must protect his sources.
(Use he for his/her - pants👎🏻)


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Personal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

(Point 4️⃣) Don't use myself when giving an order.

A #reflexive_personal_pronoun refers back to the subject. When you give an order (i.e., an imperative sentence), the implied subject is "you." This means you can only use yourself or yourselves in an imperative sentence. You can't use myself.

➖Clean yourself up!❌

(Remember that the #reflexive_personal_pronoun (yourself) must refer back to the implied "you." ("You" clean yourself up!) That's grammatically okay.)

➖Write to myself if there's an issue.❌

(The #reflexive_personal_pronoun myself cannot refer back to the implied "you." ("You" write to myself if there's an issue.) That's grammatically not okay. It should be me not myself.)

(Point 5️⃣) "It was me" is acceptable.

People often question whether they should say "It was me" or "It was I." It's a fair question because a subject complement (in this case, the word after was) is supposed to be written in the subjective case (i.e., I is correct), but we know that everyone has been saying "It was me" for so long that "It was I" now sounds wrong or, at the very least, pretentious for many.

Here's the quick answer: you can say either.😊


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Personal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻Using Object Pronouns in #Informal_English

"There are three situations where the object pronoun is sometimes used (especially in informal English) although it is the subject in terms of meaning:

(A) After than or as in comparisons:
➖They work longer hours than us.

(B) In replies without a verb.
➖'I'm feeling very tired.' ' Me too.'

(C) After the verb be (as complement).
➖'Is that the Prime Minister, in the middle of the photograph?' 'Yes, that's him.'

In all three cases, the subject pronoun (we, I, he) is uncommon and #formal, although some people think it is 'correct.' The object pronoun is much more common.

"To be safe, for (A) and (B) above, use the subject pronoun + auxiliary; everyone is happy with this!

➖Her sister can sing better than she can.
➖'I am feeling very tired.' ' I am, too.'"

(Geoffrey Leech, Benita Cruickshank, and Roz Ivanic, An A-Z of English Grammar & Usage, 2nd ed. Pearson, 2001)


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Personal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

2️⃣ Demonstrative Pronouns


In grammar, a #demonstrative is a determiner or a pronoun that points to a particular noun or to the noun it replaces. There are four #demonstratives in English:
• the "near" demonstratives this and these, and
• the "far" demonstratives that and those.
This and that are singular; these and those are plural.

🔹A #demonstrative_pronoun distinguishes its antecedent from similar things. For example:

➖Let me pick out the books. I want these, not those.
➖Here's a copy of the plan. Study this carefully.
➖Your notes are worthless. Read these instead.
➖The rolls I brought are fresh. Those are stale.

🔹When a demonstrative comes before a noun, it's sometimes called a #demonstrative_adjective or a #demonstrative_determiner:

➖Son, take this bat and hit that ball out of the park.
➖This movie is boring.
➖That idea is crazy.
➖These brownies are delicious.
➖Those children are hungry.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Demonstrative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻Determiners and Their Antecedents


"Like other determiner classes, the #demonstrative_pronoun must replace or stand for a clearly stated antecedent. In the following example, that does not refer to 'solar energy'; it has no clear antecedent:

➖Our contractor is obviously skeptical about solar energy. That doesn't surprise me.

When a this or that has no specific antecedent, the writer can usually improve the sentence by providing a noun headword for the #demonstrative_pronoun--by turning the pronoun into a determiner:

➖Our contractor is obviously skeptical about solar energy. That attitude (or His attitude) doesn't surprise me.

A combination of the two sentences would also be an improvement over the vague use of that."

(Martha Kolln, Understanding English Grammar. Allyn & Bacon, 1998)


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Demonstrative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻More about #Demonstrative_pronouns


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#Demonstrative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

3️⃣Interrogative Pronouns


🔻What Are #Interrogative_Pronouns?

The main #interrogative_pronouns are what, which, who, whom, and whose. #Interrogative_pronouns are used to ask questions. The other, less common #interrogative_pronouns are the same as the ones above but with the suffix -ever or -soever (e.g., whatever, whichever, whatsoever, whichsoever).

➖What is that?
➖Which is yours?
➖Who done it?
➖Whom shall we ask?
➖Whose is this?
➖Whatever did you say?
➖Whomsoever did you find?
➖Whosever is this?

The suffix -ever and -soever are used for emphasis or to show surprise. (The suffix -soever is less common as it considered old fashioned.)

➖What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. (William Shakespeare)

(Here, the word which is not an interrogative pronoun. (It's actually a #relative_pronoun.) Remember that most words can play several different roles (or "functions" as grammarians like to say). In other words, which is only an #interrogative_pronoun when it's functioning as one!)

✨#Interrogative_pronouns can also be used to create indirect questions.

➖Do you know what this is?
(Here, the #interrogative_pronoun what is being used in an indirect question (bold), which is part of a wider question.)

➖I want to know what this is.
(Indirect questions can also feature in statements, i.e., in non-questions.)

✨⚠️#Do_not confuse:

🔸#interrogative_pronouns with interrogative determiners (called "interrogative adjectives" in traditional grammar), which look the same as interrogative pronouns.

➖Which feat is the greater?
(This is not an #interrogative_pronoun. It is an #interrogative_determiner. The word Which modifies feat. Therefore, it's a determiner.)

🔸#interrogative_pronouns with #interrogative_adverbs (how, when, why, where), which are also used to ask questions.

➖🅰️:Who are you and how did you get in here?
🅱️:I'm a locksmith. And...I'm a locksmith.
(from the 1982 TV series "Police Squad!")

(In this example,
✨the answer to the #interrogative_pronoun who is the noun phrase a locksmith.

✨The answer to the #interrogative_adverb how is the unstated adverbial phrase by virtue of being a locksmith.

✨The answer to a question starting with an #interrogative_pronoun will be a noun (typically a person, place, or thing).

✨The answer to a question starting with an #interrogative_adverb (how, when, why, where) will be an adverb (typically a manner, a time, a reason, or a term linked to place, e.g., in the city.)

#Grammar
#Pronouns
#interrogative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

4️⃣ Indefinite Pronouns


🔻What are #Indefinite_Pronouns?

An #indefinite_pronoun is a pronoun that refers to an unspecified or unidentified person or thing. It's vague rather than specific, and it doesn't have an antecedent.

#Indefinite_pronouns include:

🔹quantifiers (some, any, enough, several, many, much);
🔹universals (all, both, every, each); and
🔹partitives (any, anyone, anybody, either, neither, no, nobody, some, someone).

Many of the #indefinite_pronouns can function as determiners. Positive #indefinite_pronouns ending in -body can be interchanged with those that end with -one, such as anybody and anyone.

Types of #indefinite_pronouns fit two categories:

🔸those that are made up of two morphemes and are called compound pronouns, such as somebody, and

🔸those that are followed by the word of, called of-pronouns, such as all or many. 


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#indefinite_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻Singular Indefinite Pronouns

Most #indefinite_pronouns take singular verbs, either because they represent one thing or because they are collective, and, like collective nouns, agree with singular verbs and pronouns.

➖Neither of us is available for the committee.
➖Each member of the family has the flu.
➖Everyone works well together.
➖Someone came into the room looking for her water bottle.
➖Everybody kept the information on the surprise to him or herself.
➖Either option presents its own challenges.

In #informal speech, someone would likely say, "Everybody kept the information on the surprise to themselves," and no one would find a reason to correct the speaker, because the context is clear!

🔻Plural and Variable Pronouns

🔹Plural #indefinite_pronouns take plural verbs. For example:

➖Both of us match the description. 
➖Many were hoping for a better outcome.
➖Few were optimistic about this ballgame.

🔹Variable #indefinite_pronouns (all, any, more, most, none, some) can go with either a plural or a singular verb, based on what noun they're talking about.

➖Most employees are getting a raise. 
➖All the ice is gone.
➖Some ice cubes are in that cooler. 
➖Any experience is beneficial to the job. 
➖Some of his sadness practically feels tangible.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#indefinite_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

5️⃣ Possessive Pronouns


🔻What Are #Possessive_Pronouns?

A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that can take the place of a noun phrase to show ownership

➖This phone is mine.

🔹The weak possessives (also called #possessive_determiners) _my, your, his, her, its, our, and their_ function as determiners in front of nouns. 

➖My phone is broken.

🔹In contrast, the strong (or absolute) #possessive_pronouns stand on their own: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. The strong possessive is a type of independent genitive.

🚫A #possessive_pronoun NEVER takes an apostrophe.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#possessive_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻Possessive Pronouns 🆚 Possessive Determiners

✨"The possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, etc.) are like possessive determiners, except that they constitute a whole noun phrase.

1️⃣The house will be hers you see when they are properly divorced.

2️⃣Writers have produced extraordinary work in conditions more oppressive than mine.

#Possessive_pronouns are typically used when the head noun can be found in the preceding context; thus in 1️⃣, hers means 'her house,' and in 2️⃣, mine means ' my conditions.' Here the #possessive_pronoun is parallel to the elliptic use of the genitive."

(D. Biber, S. Conrad, and G. Leech, Longman Student Grammar of Student and Written English. Pearson, 2002)


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#possessive_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

✨"[The] construction with the #possessive_pronoun [e.g. a friend of mine] differs from the alternative of #possessive_determiner + noun (e.g. my friend) mainly in that it is more indefinite. The sentences below illustrate this point.

🅰️You know John? A friend of his told me that the food served at that restaurant is awful. 👉🏻 (unspecified friend)

🅱️You know John? His friend told me that the food served at that restaurant is awful. 👉🏻 (the speaker and listener both know what friend is intended)”

(Ron Cowan, The Teacher's Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2008)


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#possessive_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🔻More about #possessives with parts of the body and clothes!


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#possessive_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

6️⃣ Reciprocal Pronouns


🔻What Are #Reciprocal_Pronouns?

A #reciprocal_pronoun is used to express a mutual action or relationship. There are two #reciprocal_pronouns:

• Each other
• One another

Some usage guides insist that each other should be used to refer to two people or things, and one another to more than two.

➖Jack and Jill hate each other.
➖The team members played their hearts out for one another.

🔻Note: Both are treated as singular. Therefore, the possessive apostrophe is placed before the s.

➖Have you seen each other's solution?
➖They deliberately blocked one another's proposals.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#reciprocal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

🤔It's a little more complicated because it depends on what the writer had in mind:

➖Friends are kind to one another's dreams.☑️
➖Friends are kind to each another's dreams.☑️

Both of these could be correct. In the second version, the writer might have been focused on how one person treats another, i.e., two people.

➖Old and young disbelieve one another's truths.

Each other could be justified if you envisage an old person disbelieving a young person.

▫️If you're picked up for writing each other instead of one another, there's a fair chance you can fight back by claiming you had two people (or things) in mind.

▫️If you're picked up for writing one another instead of each other (i.e., for using one another with an antecedent of two), then you're toast.

▪️More generally, if you're picked up for using the wrong reciprocal pronoun, then you have a world-class grammar pedant on your hands.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#reciprocal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

✨More about #reciprocal_pronouns:

📖Michael Swan, Practical English Usage. Fourth edition. Oxford Univ.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#reciprocal_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

7️⃣ Relative Pronouns


🔻What Are #Relative_Pronouns?

In English grammar, a #relative_pronoun is a pronoun that introduces an adjective clause (also called a relative clause) which follows a noun:

(1) To identify it.

➖The man who won the lottery is outside.

(2) To tell us something interesting about it.

➖Inspector Smith, who won the lottery, is outside.

The standard #relative_pronouns in English are which, that, who, whom, and whose.

✨Who and whom refer only to 👉🏻people.
✨Which refers to 👉🏻things, qualities, and ideas—never to people.🚫
✨That and whose refer to 👉🏻people, things, qualities, and ideas.

➖The girl who stole your phone is outside.

➖I rode the bike that Jack gave me back home.

➖Mrs Miggins, who owns a pie shop, is outside.

➖I rode my bike, which now had two flat tyres, back home.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#relative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

✨Here are the 5️⃣ most frequently asked questions related to #relative_pronouns:👇🏻

(1️⃣) Do you put a comma before which?

The answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. This applies to all relative pronouns, not just which. (Actually, it doesn't apply to that, but we'll cover that point later.) Look at these two examples using who:

➖The man who won last week’s lottery gave all his money to a donkey sanctuary.

➖My neighbour, who won last week’s lottery, gave all his money to a donkey sanctuary.

These two sentences are nearly identical, but one has commas and one doesn’t. They are both correct.☑️

It all depends whether the adjective clause (the bold text) specifies its noun. If it does (like in the first example, where it specifies the man), then don’t use commas. If it doesn’t (like in the second example, where it’s just additional information about my neighbour), then use commas. Now look at this example:

➖My neighbour who won last week’s lottery gave all his money to a donkey sanctuary.

This is also correct. This time the adjective clause is specifying my neighbour. We’re now talking about my lottery-winning neighbour as opposed to any neighbours who didn’t win the lottery. So, you have to think carefully about whether an adjective clause specifies or doesn’t.

💡Here’s a good tip:

Treat the commas like brackets. If you’d happily put brackets around the adjective clause, then use commas because the clause will just be additional information. If you'd happily delete the clause, then it must be just additional information, meaning you should offset it with commas.

So, the question was about using a comma before which, but the answer used examples with who. There is a good reason for that. Lots of Americans, and increasingly Brits, insist on using that instead of which without a comma (i.e., when which heads an adjective clause that specifies its noun). Look at these examples:

➖The dog which bit the postman has returned.☑️
➖The dog that bit the postman has returned.☑️

Both of these are correct, but lots of people find the top one a little awkward. (When a clause specifies its noun, it is called a #restrictive_clause. When it’s just additional information, it’s called #nonrestrictive_clause.)

So, which can head a #restrictive_adjective_clause (without commas) or a #nonrestrictive one (with commas), but, if you’re writing to Americans, use that for the former.

➖My dog gives a trust which is total.
➖My dog gives a trust that is total.
(These are both #restrictive_adjective_clauses.)
➖My dog gives total trust, which is very endearing.
(This is a #nonrestrictive_adjective_clause.)

You can’t use that to head a #nonrestrictive_adjective_clause. So, if the question had been “Do you put a comma before that?” It would have been a much quicker answer. No.


#Grammar
#Pronouns
#relative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1

(2️⃣) Can you use whose for inanimate things?

Yes. Who is used for people. Which is used for things. Whose is used for people and things.

➖Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. (Author Erma Bombeck)

➖An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. (French philosopher Albert Camus)

(In each example, whose is used with a person.)

➖An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come. (French poet Victor Hugo)

➖I could a tale unfold whose lightest word would harrow up thy soul. (from Hamlet by William Shakespeare)

(In each example, whose is used with a thing.)

#Grammar
#Pronouns
#relative_pronouns

@PMPerfect1