Grammar: Pronouns.
Definition:
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.
Rule 1
Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
Example:
______ did the job.
I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.
Rule 2
Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow to be verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be.
Examples:
It is he.
This is she speaking.
It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
NOTE: In spoken English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns. Many English teachers support (or at least have given in to) this distinction between written and spoken English.
Example:
It could have been them.
Better:
It could have been they.
Example:
It is just me at the door.
Better:
It is just I at the door.
Rule 3
Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
Examples:
Jean talked to him.
Are you talking to me?
To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject.
Rule 4a
A strong clause can stand on its own.
Examples:
She is hungry.
I am feeling well today.
Rule 4b
A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own.
Examples:
Although she is hungry...
If she is hungry...
Since I am feeling well...
Rule 4c
If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide which pronoun is correct.
Examples:
Weak
Strong
[Although she is hungry,]
[she will give him some of her food.]
[Although this gift is for him,]
[I would like you to have it too.]
Rule 5
To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence.
Examples:
Tranh is as smart as she/her.
If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say, "Tranh is as smart as she is." Therefore, she is the correct answer.
Zoe is taller than I/me.
Mentally completing the sentence, we have, "Zoe is taller than I am."
Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me.
We can mentally complete this sentence in two ways: "Daniel would rather talk to her than to me." OR "Daniel would rather talk to her than I would." As you can see, the meaning will change depending on the pronoun you choose.
Rule 6
Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes.
Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
NOTE: The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
Examples:
It's a cold morning.
The thermometer reached its highest reading.
Rule 7
Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.
Correct:
I worked myself to the bone.
Incorrect:
My brother and myself did it.
The word myself does not refer back to another word.
Correct:
My brother and I did it.
Incorrect:
Please give it to John or myself.
Correct:
Please give it to John or me.
Read more at http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Showing posts with label Pronouns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pronouns. Show all posts
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Teaching Reflexive Pronouns
Teaching Reflexive Pronouns.
quote Thank you very much, everything you share is very important to review or learn. Usually I start making the student see her/his face in a mirror to compare the situation and start expressing ideas using "myself", later they listen about the other cases of reflexive and understand them easily.
Form
myself
yourself
himself / herself / itself
ourselves
yourselves (plural)
themselves
Functions and examples
We use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same.
I burnt myself on the stove this morning.
NOT: I burnt me on the stove this morning.
You can help yourselves to drinks.
NOT: You can help you to drinks.
He blames himself for the accident.
NOT: He blames him for the accident.
Read more at http://www.eslbase.com/grammar/reflexive-pronouns
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
quote Thank you very much, everything you share is very important to review or learn. Usually I start making the student see her/his face in a mirror to compare the situation and start expressing ideas using "myself", later they listen about the other cases of reflexive and understand them easily.
Form
myself
yourself
himself / herself / itself
ourselves
yourselves (plural)
themselves
Functions and examples
We use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same.
I burnt myself on the stove this morning.
NOT: I burnt me on the stove this morning.
You can help yourselves to drinks.
NOT: You can help you to drinks.
He blames himself for the accident.
NOT: He blames him for the accident.
Read more at http://www.eslbase.com/grammar/reflexive-pronouns
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Super Duper Homonyms and Pronouns
Super Duper Homonyms and Pronouns An Interview with Clint Johnson.
Clint, I understand that Super Duper has created two new educational grammar-based card decks
Let me ask you some questions about them–
1) What exactly are homonyms and why should we study them?
Homonyms are words that we spell and pronounce the same, but have different meanings. For example, the word file can mean to file something in a drawer, to file one’s nails, and to walk in a single file. Understanding and using homonyms is critical for language comprehension and reading decoding. A student that only understands one or two meanings for the word file will have significant difficulty interpreting the meaning of the word as the context of the sentence (the words around file) changes.
Read more at http://educationviews.org/2011/10/21/an-interview-with-clint-johnson-super-duper-homonyms-and-pronouns/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Clint, I understand that Super Duper has created two new educational grammar-based card decks
Let me ask you some questions about them–
1) What exactly are homonyms and why should we study them?
Homonyms are words that we spell and pronounce the same, but have different meanings. For example, the word file can mean to file something in a drawer, to file one’s nails, and to walk in a single file. Understanding and using homonyms is critical for language comprehension and reading decoding. A student that only understands one or two meanings for the word file will have significant difficulty interpreting the meaning of the word as the context of the sentence (the words around file) changes.
Read more at http://educationviews.org/2011/10/21/an-interview-with-clint-johnson-super-duper-homonyms-and-pronouns/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Super Duper Homonyms and Pronouns An Interview with Clint Johnson
Super Duper Homonyms and Pronouns An Interview with Clint Johnson.
Clint, I understand that Super Duper has created two new educational grammar-based card decks
Let me ask you some questions about them–
1) What exactly are homonyms and why should we study them?
Homonyms are words that we spell and pronounce the same, but have different meanings. For example, the word file can mean to file something in a drawer, to file one’s nails, and to walk in a single file. Understanding and using homonyms is critical for language comprehension and reading decoding. A student that only understands one or two meanings for the word file will have significant difficulty interpreting the meaning of the word as the context of the sentence (the words around file) changes.
Read more at http://educationviews.org/2011/10/21/an-interview-with-clint-johnson-super-duper-homonyms-and-pronouns/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com http://amplify.com/u/a1i52a
Clint, I understand that Super Duper has created two new educational grammar-based card decks
Let me ask you some questions about them–
1) What exactly are homonyms and why should we study them?
Homonyms are words that we spell and pronounce the same, but have different meanings. For example, the word file can mean to file something in a drawer, to file one’s nails, and to walk in a single file. Understanding and using homonyms is critical for language comprehension and reading decoding. A student that only understands one or two meanings for the word file will have significant difficulty interpreting the meaning of the word as the context of the sentence (the words around file) changes.
Read more at http://educationviews.org/2011/10/21/an-interview-with-clint-johnson-super-duper-homonyms-and-pronouns/
http://www.languagecorpsasia.com http://amplify.com/u/a1i52a
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