Chapter 6 notes (pronouns) feg

ENGLISH 112 (Language Structures and Drills II) Peter Lambe, Spring 2015

CHAPTER 6 Nouns and Pronouns (Supplementary Notes)

Nouns Definition of a Noun Definition of a Noun Phrase Functions of a Noun Phrase

Pronouns Definition of a Pronoun Different Types of Pronouns (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Personal Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Indefinite Pronouns

NOUNS

Noun A noun is a word that “names� something. It normally names a person, a place, a physical object or substance, or an abstract concept. Some examples of nouns include:

teacher, boy, engineer, sister, Peter, Mona, Dr. Khan

(person)

hospital, park, city, street, river, Cairo, Kuwait, Asia

(place)

desk, book, liquid, water, air, cat, hydrogen, plant, cloud happiness, anger, illness, disease, information, death

(object or substance) (abstract concept)

Notice in the examples above that some nouns must be capitalized. These nouns refer to specific people, places, etc. They are called proper nouns. The other nouns are general in meaning and do not refer to any specific person, place, etc. They are called common nouns, and are not capitalized.

Noun Phrase A noun phrase is a group of words which contains a head noun plus any necessary modifying words (such as adjectives, articles, demonstratives, etc.) Some examples of noun phrases include: Riyadh fatal diseases an interesting scientific publication this white alkaline substance In each noun phrase above, the head noun is underlined. Notice that the simplest noun phrase, Riyadh, consists of only a head noun with no modifiers.

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Functions of a Noun Phrase

Noun phrases can fulfill different functions in an English sentence. The most important functions include:

1. Subject (S) S V Our grammar textbook is very useful. noun phrase

2. Direct Object (Od) S V Od I have met that new female secretary. noun phrase

3. Indirect Object (Oi) S V Oi Od The instructor gave those students extra marks. noun phrase

4. Object of a Preposition (OP) S V P OP The student talked about his former instructor. noun phrase

5. Subject Complement (Cs) S V Cs This is my new laptop computer. noun phrase

6. Object Complement (Co) S V Od Co John called his neighbor a lazy person. noun phrase

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PRONOUNS

A noun phrase can normally be replaced by a word called a pronoun. In the first five examples above, we can replace the underlined noun phrases with personal pronouns:

1. Subject (S) S V Our grammar textbook is very useful. = It is very useful. noun phrase

personal pronoun

2. Direct Object (Od) S V Od I have met that new female secretary. = I have met her. noun phrase

personal pronoun

3. Indirect Object (Oi) S V Oi Od Peter gave those students extra marks. = Peter gave them extra marks. noun phrase

personal pronoun

4. Object of a Preposition (OP) S V P OP Ahmed talked about his older brother. = Ahmed talked about him. noun phrase

personal pronoun

5. Subject Complement (Cs) S V Cs This is my new laptop computer. = This is it. noun phrase

personal pronoun

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Notice that a pronoun replaces a whole noun phrase (not just the head noun). The noun phrase that the pronoun replaces (or “refers back to�) is called the antecedent. Every pronoun must have an antecedent. This antecedent can occur in the same sentence, a previous sentence, or be understood from the context.

The little boy saw himself in the mirror.

(The pronoun himself refers back to the noun phrase antecedent the little boy.)

Mohammed is a medical student. He is studying in this university.

(The pronoun he refers back to the noun phrase antecedent Mohammed.)

Abumezyed! I saw you driving a jeep yesterday. (I am talking directly to Abumezyed.)

(The pronoun you refers to the noun phrase antecedent Abumezyed, understood from the context.)

Summary: (1) A pronoun is a word that replaces (or refers back to) a noun phrase.

(2) A pronoun has an antecedent. The antecedent is the noun phrase that is replaced (or referred back to).

Different Types of Pronouns

Pronouns can be subdivided into different types. These include: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Personal Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Reflexive Pronouns Demonstrative Pronouns Interrogative Pronouns Relative Pronouns Indefinite Pronouns

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(1) Personal Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Object Pronouns

I you he she it

me you him her it

we you they

us you them

Personal pronouns occur in two sets (or cases, as they are called in formal grammar). These two sets are called subject pronouns and object pronouns (or subjective case and objective case pronouns). The object pronouns are used after verbs and prepositions.

(2) Possessive Pronouns

mine yours his hers ours yours theirs

Possessive pronouns replace noun phrases that show ownership or possession. For example, we can say: You’ve ridden in Ali’s car, but you’ve never ridden in my car. noun phrase

= You’ve ridden in Ali’s car, but you’ve never ridden in mine. possessive pronoun

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Your grammar class is after lunch. Our grammar class is in the morning. noun phrase

= Your grammar class is after lunch. Ours is in the morning. possessive pronoun

Notice that we do not have a possessive pronoun for it.

The cover of that book is in good condition, but this book’s cover is torn. noun phrase

*The cover of that book is in good condition, but ( . . . ) is torn. (*This kind of construction must be avoided!)

Possessive Adjectives The words my, your, his, her, its, our, your, and their are called possessive adjectives because they are used just like adjectives (i.e. they must occur inside of a noun phrase and have a (head) noun placed after them).

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Pronouns

This is [ my office ].

This is [ your office ].

This is [ his office ].

This is [ her office ].

This office is mine.

This office is yours.

This office is his.

This office is hers.

We have a grammar book. [ Its title ] is Fundamentals of English Grammar.

( . . . no possessive pronoun . . . )

These are [ our offices ].

These are [ your offices ].

These are [ their offices ].

These offices are ours.

These offices are yours.

These offices are theirs.

Notice that the possessive adjective its is written without an apostrophe. The word it’s is a contraction and means either it is or it has.

I can’t find the post office. Do you know its location?

(possessive adjective)

Please turn on the air conditioner. It’s getting hot in here.

(contraction of it is)

It’s been a long day. I’m exhausted!

(contraction of it has)

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(3) Reflexive Pronouns

myself yourself himself herself itself ourselves yourselves themselves

Normally, the subject (S) and object (O or OP) of a sentence refer to different people (or things).

S O Ibrahim met his friends in the coffee shop yesterday.

S O Bandar bought a new cell phone last weekend.

S O The fire destroyed several buildings.

S OP Khalid was talking about his vacation plans.

S OP Nasser often travels to Dubai with his friends.

If the object (O or OP) refers to the same person (or thing) as the subject, the object noun phrase must be replaced by a reflexive pronoun.

S O Mona saw herself in the mirror.

S O We served ourselves in the restaurant.

S Oi I bought myself a new jacket last week.

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S OP Tareq is studying by himself in the library right now.

S OP The students wrote compositions about themselves.

(4) Demonstrative Pronouns

this

these

that

those

Demonstrative pronouns are “pointing words”. They can be used in the singular or plural for things that are near or far.

I am reading Hussain’s essay right now. This is the best essay he has written.

I have brought several books with me. These are novels that I want you to read.

There is a large room at the end of the corridor. That will be your new office.

Don’t eat the apples on the counter. Those are rotten.

Demonstrative pronouns can also be used like adjectives. In this case, they must be placed at the beginning of a noun phrase and be followed by a (head) noun. [ This newspaper article ] is very interesting.

I’m going to return [ these books ] to the library tomorrow.

I would like to visit Korea. I haven’t traveled to [ that country ] yet . [ Those new apartments ] are very expensive to rent.

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(5) Interrogative Pronouns

Question Words who* whom* what* where when what time why how how often

which* whose* how many how much how + ADJ how + ADV what kind of + NOUN

* Five of the question words above (who, whom, what, which and whose) are considered (interrogative) pronouns because they request information in the form of a noun phrase.

See Chapter 5 (Fundamentals of English Grammar).

The list of question words in English contains five interrogative pronouns. For practice in using these pronouns and the other question words, refer to Chapter 5 of Fundamentals of English Grammar.)

The first group of question words (who, whom, what, where, when, what time, why, how and how often) are used alone, without nouns after them.

*Who is sitting in the corner?

(Ali is sitting in the corner.)

*Whom did you meet in the bank?

(I met Faisal in the bank.)

*What did Sami order for lunch?

(Sami ordered a sandwich for lunch.)

Where is Peter’s office?

(Peter’s office is on the top floor.)

When will Omar arrive in Riyadh? (Omar will arrive in Riyadh next Tuesday.)

What time did the class begin?

(The class began at 10:10 am.)

Why is Yasser wearing a jacket?

(Yasser’s wearing a jacket because he is cold.)

How did Rashid get here?

(Rashid got here by bus.)

How often does Laila go shopping?

(Laila goes shopping twice a week.)

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The second group of question words (which, whose, how many and how much) can be used alone without a noun after them, or with a noun after them.

I have a blue pen and a red pen. *Which do you want? / Which pen do you want?

I want the red pen.

I found this key on the floor. *Whose is it? / Whose key is it?

It is Ahmed’s (key).

We have lots of cups. How many do you need? / How many cups do you need?

I need six (cups).

That ring is expensive. How much does it cost? / How much money does it cost?

It costs five hundred riyals.

The third group of question words (how + ADJ, how + ADV, and what kind of + NOUN) always require the final element (ADJ, ADV, or NOUN) after them.

How + ADJ How tall is that man?

(He is over 6 feet tall.)

How far is it to the bank from here?

(It is five blocks to the bank from here.)

How cold are Canadian winters?

(Canadian winters are very cold.)

How + ADV How well does Ibrahim speak English?

(Ibrahim speaks English fluently.)

How quickly did Ali write that letter?

(Ali wrote that letter in fifteen minutes.)

How accurately can Hani spell?

(Hani can spell quite accurately.)

What kind of + NOUN What kind of novels do you like to read?

(I like to read mystery novels.)

What kind of car does Naif drive?

(Naif drives a Toyota.)

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(6) Relative Pronouns

who

whom

which

that

Ă˜

whose

where

when

See Chapter 12 (Fundamentals of English Grammar).

Relative pronouns are used to introduce adjective clauses. The antecedent of a relative pronoun occurs in the main clause, normally before the place where the adjective clause begins.

The student

[ who is sitting beside me ]

is from Dammam.

antecedent relative pronoun

The man [ whom I met in the library ] teaches biology. antecedent relative pronoun

I’ve already mailed the letter [ which I wrote last night ]. antecedent relative pronoun

We are taking a grammar course [ that lasts for four months ]. antecedent

relative pronoun

The food [ Ă˜ we ate in that restaurant yesterday ] was delicious. antecedent relative pronoun

The man [ whose car was stolen ] called the police. antecedent relative pronoun

This is the room [ where the meeting will be held ]. antecedent

relative pronoun

August is the month antecedent

[ when temperatures soar in Riyadh ]. relative pronoun

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(7) Indefinite Pronouns

(every- group) everyone every one everybody everything

each all several enough

(some- group) some someone somebody something

much many more most

(forms of other: another

(any- group) any anyone anybody anything

little less few fewer

one both the five *

the other others

(no- group) none no one nobody nothing

either neither

the others)

See Chapter 11 (Fundamentals of English Grammar).

Indefinite pronouns refer to people, places or things that are not specifically named. They can have singular or plural reference.

Everybody arrived at our place before 6 pm. (everybody = all of the unspecified guests) I am hungry. I need something to eat.

(something = unspecified food)

Sameer didn’t buy anything on the mall.

(anything = unspecified items)

Nobody was sitting on the bus.

(nobody = no specific person)

We have twenty students in our class. Several are from Jeddah. (several = a few unspecified students) Eighteen people attended the meeting. Many were from our department. (many = a large number of unspecified people) I found lots of interesting novels in the bookstore. Few, however, were on sale. (few = a small number of unspecified novels) Jamal has three close Pakistani friends. One is from Karachi. (one = an unspecified Pakistani friend)

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Forms of other

The indefinite pronouns also include the following set of words derived from other:

(other group) another

the other

others

singular

the others

plural

singular forms

another

(means select one more item from a larger group)

the other

(means select the last remaining item from a group)

There are many languages spoken in Europe.

English is one of the languages spoken there. German is another. French is another.

Spanish is another, etc.

There are many types of team sports. Football is one team sport. Another is basketball.

Another is volleyball. Another is cricket, etc.

We study two grammar books in our English program. One of the books is black, and the other is blue.

Khalid has four brothers. Three of them live in Riyadh. The other lives in Dammam.

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plural forms

others

(means select several more items from a larger group)

the others

(means select the last remaining items from a group)

I have a large collection of books at home.

Some of my books are adventure stories. Others are mysteries. Others are science fiction.

Others are romances, etc.

The people living in our apartment building practice many different professions.

Some of them are teachers. Others are engineers. Others are doctors. Others are construction workers, etc.

The earth has seven continents. Four of these continents are Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia. The others are North America, South America and Antarctica.

I have five classes every day. Three of them are in the morning. The others are in the afternoon.

Notice that the words above (another, the other, others and the others) are all pronouns.

Therefore, they can be replaced by noun phrases.

German is another. = German is another language.

German is another one.

The other is blue. = The other grammar book is blue.

The other one is blue.

Others are mysteries. = Other books (in my collection) are mysteries.

Other ones (in my collection) are mysteries.

The others are in the afternoon. = The other classes are in the afternoon.

The other ones are in the afternoon.

________________ Peter Lambe, Spring 2015

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