Lecture 4 Pronouns

Lecture 4 Pronouns • 1. Classification of pronouns • 2. Pronoun and antecedents Concord • 3. Choice of pronoun case forms • 4. Reflexive pronouns • 5. Generic use of personal pronouns

Pronouns • Definition • Pronouns refer to words used to replacenouns that have already been mentioned, or that the speaker/writer assumes are understood by the listener/reader. • For example, Iwant you to read this again.

Bob told Lucy that Ruth was leaving, but she didn’t believe him. • When he was at college, Alex was a great friend of mine. • Compare: • After the ship weighed anchor, she sailed out of the harbor. • After she weighed anchor, the ship sailed out of the harbor.

5.1 Classification of pronouns: 1. Personal pronoun: people or animate nouns or objects 2. Possessive pronoun:shows ownership or possession 3. Reflexive pronoun:objects co-referential to the subject 4. Reciprocal pronoun:shows “mutuality of action ” . 5. Demonstrative pronoun:used to distinguish and indicates 6. Interrogative pronouns: used to begin questions. 7. Relative pronouns:a relative clause 8.Indefinite pronouns: not have a specific referent.

5.2 Pronoun concord: • The doctor shook his head in despair. • Pronoun concord refers to an agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent not only in number, but also in person and gender as well.

In number: 1) Pronoun concord with every-, some-,any- compounds as antecedent Everyone thinks ___ ___the most suitable person for the job. Anybody can attend the meeting if ___ ___ interested.

2) Pronoun concord with collective noun as antecedent The committee will insist on ____ rights. The committee wishes to reconsider ____ decision. p. 127, 8A

In gender: 1) Pronoun concord with male / female noun as antecedent 2) Pronoun Concord with common gender noun as antecedent The baby has got ___ first tooth. Some common gender nouns such as baby, infant, and child may be refereed to either by a personal or by a non-personal (with the sex unknown) pronoun.

3) Pronoun concord with neutral gender noun as antecedent Generally use “it” When the thing is spoken of with emotion or is personified, it may be referred as she or he. China had made it plain that ___ will reject the project. P.132, 8B

In person: • Person is a grammatical category. • First person: the speaker • Second person: the listener (the one spoken to) • Third person: (the persons or things spoken about)

1) Pronoun concord in person on sentential level An employee who smokes will either flick their ashes on the floor or on your table.

2) Pronoun concord in person on textual level When it comes to making a conscious effort to help keep a public clean, most people just don’t make the effort. I’m a maintenance man for a department store. If you did make the effort to keep the public place where I work clean, we probably wouldn’t have a job. P. 135, 8C

1. Our association, which has consistently pressed for greater employment opportunities for the disabled, will publish ____ proposals in the near future.(2008)A. their B. our C. his D. its • 2. Children who stay away from school do ________ for different reasons.(2005) A. them B. / C. it D. theirs • 3. _______ of the twins was arrested, because I saw both at a party last night.(2002) A. None B. Both C. Neither D. All • 4. When one has good health, ______ should feel fortunate. • A. you B. they C. he D. we

5.3 Choice of pronoun case forms Case: subjective case (subject pronoun) objective case (object pronoun) possessive case: nominal determinative

a. Subjective Personal Pronouns • A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the sentence. • The subjective personal pronouns are "I," "you," "she," "he," "it," "we," "you," "they."

b. Objective Personal Pronouns • An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb, compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. • The objective personal pronouns are: "me," "you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

C. Possessive pronoun • Nominal possessive pronoun= determinative possessive + noun • I’ll do my work and you yours.

Who told her the news? ___. • What could I do? ___ , a helpless girl. • Look what I’ve done! Silly ___. • You and ___ have got ready for the journey. • He runs much faster than ___. • It is ___ who asked for the music to be turned down. • ___ did you want to nominate?

Choice between subjective and objective case • The basic rule: the choice between subjective case and objective case generally depends on whether a pronoun function as subject or object.

Compare: • I love you as much as her. • I love you as much as she. • Compare: • Nobody but she can solve our problems. • Nobody can solve our problems but her.

Choice between objective and possessive case • General rule: when a personal pronoun is used as the object, it usually occurs in the objective case, and, when used to denote possession, in the possessive case.

She don’t mind ___ (I) opening the window. • I told them about ___ (you) resigning from office. • He denies ___ (he) knowing the plan. • ___ (he) refusing to accept the job is really surprising. In most cases, the pronoun appear in the possessive rather than objective case. P. 142, 9A

Question for thought: • They caught ___ (he) cheating in the exam. • They found ___ (he) lying on the ground.

5.4 Reflexive pronoun • We usually use the reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same person or thing. • Basic formation: -self, -selves • I teach myself English.

Use of reflexive pronouns: The manager himself will interview Lucy. You think too much of yourself. He absented himself from the meeting. Now I feel quite myself. Question: what about subject?

1. position of reflexive pronoun as appositive Alice herself has watered the flowers. Alice has watered the flowers herself. Herself, Alice has watered the flowers. Jack himself, but not Henry, painted the door. Mary loves Jack himself, not his wealth. ? He spoke to the president himself.

62. In the sentence "The manager interviewed Jim himself in the morning", the italicized word is used to modify _____. • A. the object B. the verb C. the subject D. the prepositional phrase

3. Preposition + reflexive I will clean the house by myself. All this is between ourselves. He wished to have a room to himself. Do everything for yourself. Ambition is not a vice in itself. She is beside herself with joy. He is a bit above himself.

Compare: He did it himself. He did it by himself. He did it of himself.

4. V + reflexive + complement The baby cried himself blind. She worked herself ill. The man ran himself out of breath.

Demonstrative pronouns • He had a bad cold. That is why he was absent. • To be or not to be, that is a question. • He will scold them , that he will. • I must see him, and that immediately. • It all boils down to this: he is a snob.

5.5 Generic use of personal pronouns • Such personal pronouns as one, we, you, they can be used to refer to people in general. • One is commonly used in formal style, including ourselves. US English rarely uses one, but prefers you. • One tends to learn to fend for oneself if one lives alone. • One must be patient, if he wants to succeed.

4. When one has good health, ______ should feel fortunate. • A. you B. they C. he D. we

We is also used in formal style, such as in a lecture, article, or a thesis, in advertisements etc. the author seeks to make an intimate appeal to the reader. We must be conscientious in our work if we value our careers. In the following chapter, we shall discuss international relations.

You is typically an informal equivalent of one, but with a very intimate tone, meaning “people in general including you and me”. You can not eat and have it. If you want to succeed, you must be patient.

They is also informal, but excludes ourselves. They behave really badly at football matches. They say = people say = it’s said They say it’s going to rain this afternoon. People/they say she is a born musician. P.149, 9B

Sometimes he can refer to people in general, mainly in the construction of “He who/that…” He who hesitates is lost. He that works hard will succeed. He who dies rich dies disgraced.

Exercises: • The child ___ we thought was lost was found in the next block. • I can’t understand ___ (he) refusing to do that for me. • One must not lose ___ temper when ___ is being criticized for ___ conduct. • I have bought several paintings of ___(she).

Thank you!

Lecture 4 Pronouns