Personal Pronouns
Personal Pronouns :
Pronouns
A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun as….The man is happy. Because he is benevolent.
Explanation : If we had no such words as pronouns, the nouns for which they stand would have to be repeated. Thus, in the example given, if there were no such word as HE, we would have to say…..
The man is happy. Because the man is benevolent.
In long sentences, containing a good many particulars, the repetition of the noun would become so frequent as to be very disagreeable. Thus, the sentence….William gave his penknife to Henry and he lent it to Mary to sharpen her pencil with it….would become : William gave William’s penknife to Henry and Henry lent the penknife to Mary to sharpen Mary’s pencil with the penknife.
Pronouns are divided into three classes.
1. PERSONAL Pronouns
2. RELATIVE Pronouns
3. ADJECTIVE Pronouns
Personal Pronouns
The Personal Pronouns are five … I, thou, he, she and it with their plurals we, you, they.
They are called Personal Pronouns because they denote person by themselves and without reference to any other word.
Explanation : In the sentence….. I wrote it…. we know at once what person the pronoun I is. This word by itself denotes the first person. It never denotes any other person. In the phrase…..Who wrote it…. the pronoun who may or may not be first person. If the complete sentence be …. It was I who wrote it…. WHO would be the first person, because it refers to I the person speaking. If the complete sentence be….It was he who wrote it or the man who wrote it…..WHO would be third person, because it refers to HE or MAN.
Personal and Relative Pronouns have Gender, Number, Person and Case. Adjective Pronouns have Number only.
The pronoun IT is sometimes used indefinitely, that is, without referring to any other word… as… It snows, It rains, It is dark outside.
Declension of The Personal Pronouns
First person : Masculine and Feminine : Singular
Nominative Case : I
Possessive Case : my or mine
Objective Case : me
First Person : Masculine and Feminine : Plural
Nominative Case : we
Possessive Case : our or ours
Objective Case : us
Second Person : Masculine and Feminine : Singular
Nominative Case : thou
Possessive Case : thy or thine
Objective Case : thee
Second Person : Masculine and Feminine : Plural
Nominative Case : you
Possessive Case : your or yours
Objective Case : you
Third Person : Masculine : Singular
Nominative Case : he
Possessive Case : his
Objective Case : him
Third Person : Masculine : Plural
Nominative Case : they
Possessive Case : their or theirs
Objective Case : them
Third Person : Feminine : Singular
Nominative Case : she
Possessive Case : her or hers
Objective Case : her
Third Person : Feminine : Plural
Nominative Case : they
Possessive Case : their or theirs
Objective Case : them
Third Person : Neuter : Singular
Nominative Case : it
Possessive Case : its
Objective Case : it
Third Person : Neuter : Plural
Nominative Case : they
Possessive Case : their or theirs
Objective Case : them
Note : The first and second persons being always present to the view, their sex is supposed to be known. A separate form, therefore, is not needed to distinguish the sex, as it is in the third person, where the person or thing that is spoken of is or may be absent.
Remarks on The Personal Pronouns
The person, gender, number and case of a personal pronoun are generally known by its form.
Exception : In the first and second persons, however, the gender cannot be known by the form of the word. The pronoun will be of whatever gender the noun is to which it refers. Thus, in the sentence, “ Mary, will you bring me the book?” YOU is feminine, because it refers to Mary. If the noun referred to is not given, as, “Will you bring me the book?” you say that the pronoun is either masculine or feminine.
Exception : So in the third person plural, “ they, theirs, them,” the gender cannot be known by the form of the pronoun, but must be found by referring to the noun for which it stands. Thus, in the sentences…..
The boys were here when you saw them.
The girls were here when you saw them.
The books were here when you saw them.
The pronoun THEM is masculine in the first sentence, feminine in the second and neuter in the third.
Exception : In the second person plural, YOU and in the third person singular neuter IT the nominative and objective cases have the same form. To find, therefore, in any particular instance, whether YOU and IT are nominative or objective, you have to refer to the general meaning of the sentence as you do in finding the case of a noun.
Exception : YOU and YOURS are always plural in form. But to know whether the meaning is singular, you must refer to the noun for which they stand. Thus, in the sentence…..William, I heard you talking….YOU is singular. But, in the sentence…..Boys, I heard you talking….YOU is plural.
Parsing Exercises
Parse HE in the sentence.
When John was at school, he wrote a letter to his father.
Model : He is (1) a personal pronoun (2) masculine gender (3) singular number (4) third person (5) nominative case subject of the verb WROTE.
Parse IT in the sentence…It snows.
IT is (1) a personal pronoun used indefinitely (2) neuter gender (3) singular number (4) third person (5) nominative case, subject of the verb SNOWS.
Parse all the Personal Pronouns in the following examples.
Mary lent her book to her cousin.
John lost his knife in the grove.
My cousin brought her books with her.
The girls recited their lessons to the teacher.
The teacher said to the boys of her class, “I wish you to take your slates and raise them quietly.”
See how it rains. It is a dark night.
Relative Pronouns
The Relative Pronouns are : who, which, what and that.
These are called Relative Pronouns because they relate to some word going before, called the antecedent as….The boy who wishes to be learned must be studious.
Note : A Relative Pronoun is always of the same gender, number and person as its antecedent.
WHO is used in speaking of persons as…. The gentleman who called.
The lady who called.
WHICH is used ordinarily in speaking of inferior animals or of things without life as …. The horse which was bought
The pencil which was given
THAT is sometimes used instead of WHO or WHICH.
WHAT, as a relative, takes the place of WHICH when ever the antecedent is omitted.
“This is [the thing] which I wanted." If we omit the antecedent, the WHICH must be changed to what. “This is […………] what I wanted.”
No reason can be given for this peculiarity, except that custom has made it so. It is a law of the language.
WHO and WHICH are alike in both numbers and are thus declined.
Singular
Nominative Case : who
Possessive Case : whose
Objective Case : whom
Plural
Nominative Case : which
Possessive Case : whose
Objective Case : which
WHAT and THAT are indeclinable.
Compound Relatives
The Compound Relatives are six, namely, whoever, whosoever, whichever, whichsoever, whatever, whatsoever.
They are formed by adding ever and soever to the relatives who, which, and what.
Whosoever is regularly declined like WHO thus,
Singular and Plural
Nominative Case : whosoever
Possessive Case : whosesoever
Objective Case : whomsoever
The other Compound Relatives are indeclinable.
Interrogatives and Responsives
In asking questions, who, which and what are called Interrogatives.
In answering questions, who, which and what are called Responsives.
Parsing Exercises
Parse WHO in the sentence….John, who was at school, wrote a letter to his father.
Model : WHO is….
(1) a relative pronoun, relating to John for its antecedent
(2) masculine gender
(3) singular number
(4) third person to agree with John
(5) it is in the nominative case subject of the verb was.
Note : When the case of the pronoun is not determined by its form, it must be determined by inquiring whether it is the subject or the object of the verb.
Parse the Relative Pronouns in the following sentences.
We should avoid all habits which injure the health.
A thief, who stole a cow which belonged to a poor man, was caught in the trap which had been laid for him.
Children, who fear the Lord, obey their parents.
The man of whom I bought the knife, which I lost, gave a better knife to me in its place.
The bird whose nest John robbed, uttered pitiful cries.
Parse the nouns, articles, adjectives, and personal pronouns in the foregoing sentences.
Adjective Pronouns
The Adjective Pronouns are so called because they qualify or limit a noun as an adjective does.
The Adjective Pronouns are subdivided into three kinds or classes.
1. Distributive Adjective Pronouns
2. Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns
3. Indefinite Adjective Pronouns
Distributives Adjective Pronouns
The Distributive Adjective Pronouns are each, every, either, neither.
These are called Distributives, because they refer separately and singly to each person or thing of a number of persons or things. The Distributive Adjective Pronouns, therefore, are all in the singular number.
EACH is used when speaking of two or more.
Example : Each of you must go directly home.
This would be correct whether it is addressed to two persons or to more than two.
Every is never used except when speaking of more than two.
Example : Every one of you must go directly home.
This would not be correct if addressed to only two persons.
EACH AND EVERY mean all that make up the number, although taken separately.
EITHER means one or the other, but not both. It is used, therefore, when speaking of but two persons or things.
NEITHER means not either.
Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns
The Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns are THIS and THAT with their plurals THESE and THOSE.
They are called Demonstratives, because they point out in a definite manner the objects to which they relate as….
This boy recited well, but that boy did not.
These men are officers, but those men are privates.
Indefinite Adjective Pronouns
The Indefinite Adjective Pronouns are any, all, such, some, both, one, none, other, another.
They are called Indefinites, because they point out in an indefinite manner the objects to which they relate.
ONE, OTHER and ANOTHER are sometimes used as nouns. When thus used, they are declined. Thus…
Singular
Nominative Case : one
Possessive Case : one’s
Objective Case : one
Plural
Nominative Case : ones
Possessive Case : ones’
Objective Case : ones
Singular
Nominative Case : other
Possessive Case : other’s
Objective Case : other
Plural
Nominative Case : others
Possessive Case : others’
Objective Case : others
Another is merely the article an and other and is used only in the singular number.
Nominative Case : another
Possessive Case : another’s
Objective Case : another
Parsing Exercises
Parse THIS in the sentence : John wrote this letter.
Model : THIS is a
(1) demonstrative adjective pronoun
(2) singular number
(3) belongs to or limits the noun LETTER.
Parse the Pronouns, Personal, Relative, and Adjective in the following sentences.
Every person who receives these favors should be thankful for them. Where is that book which I gave to you on Monday and that other book which you received on Tuesday? Answer : I have both books. Each is in its right place.
The father said to his son, “Do you remember any of those stories which you heard in either of the lectures of last week?"
Parse all the adjectives, nouns and articles.
Personal Pronouns :
Elementary English Grammar Index
Related Links : Personal Pronouns