Additional information for 'Pronoun':
1. Sequence of Persons: If all the three persons have to be used in a sentence, their order of preference in a normal condition will be as: Second person (you) + third person ((s)he/it/they) + first person (I/we). But if a fault is to be confessed, their order will be like this: first person + second person + third person.
Example:
You, Tony and I must enjoy the equal share of success (Normal condition).
I, you and Tony are to be blamed for the failure of the project (Confession).
In this process the speaker is always the first person who must necessarily say 'we', 'our/ours', 'ourselves', 'us'. And even if the second and the third person go together in a sentence, the first person backs again as the speaker for them and says 'you', 'your/yours' and/or 'yourselves (not: yourself)' (Be careful).
Example:
1. You, she and I have our own houses but Jack doesn't have any.
2. You and Jane will have to take care of yourselves if I leave for London.
2. Consistency of Person: If a pronoun in the second person 'you' is introduced in a sentence, it must be followed only by its other forms (your/s), yourself, yourselves) to maintain the same person in discussion.
So, mistakes are possible and often made in case of the pronouns in third person like, every, all, each, anyone, somebody, one, etc. Of this kind, singular pronouns like each, any, etc., will usually take masculine gender unless gender discrimination is demanded, or turns a point of discussion.
Example:
Just as you had your day and I had my day, everyone else also will have his day to prove himself.
But, one must be sure of one's facts before making a public accusation.
Somebody has lost his purse here; let's ask him if this is his.
3. When 'every' or 'each' ---- two different singular nouns joined by 'and', the pronoun to describe them is the third person singular.
Example:
Don't say: Each girl and each woman always lies about their age.
Say: Each girl and each woman always lies about her age.
4. Pronoun Vs Noun: If a collective noun like jury, government, etc., remains united in its views then it is singular and is followed only by a singular neuter gender i.e., 'it' and the family. Otherwise it will be followed by a plural neuter gender i.e., 'they' and family.
Example:
The team is jubilant after its victory.
The team were divided in their opinion about the decisions of the ICC.
5. Pronoun in Cases:
(A) The pronoun that comes after the phrase 'to be' and the comparative conjunction 'than' must always be in the subjective (or nominative) case.
Example:
It is he that has brought a great change in me.
She plays tennis better than I. (Not : me).
(B) The pronoun that comes after a preposition and after the words 'like' and 'unlike' must always be in its objective (or accusative) case.
Example:
My wife has confidence in me; I don't like lying to her. (not : I, or she)
I have never thought that I can have a son like him. (not : he).
(C) Five of nine interrogatives in English, are pronouns which stand for different cases. They are:
Who - denotes persons in the subjective case
Whom - denotes persons in the objective case
Whose - denotes persons in the possessive case
Which, What - denote persons and things in the subjective and objective cases
Example:
Who do you think is the cleverest among them?
Whom should we consult regarding this?
What caused him to leave her?
Which of them is your choice?
6. Relative Pronoun: a pronoun that describes a noun should be placed immediately after its antecedent otherwise confusion may rise.
Example:
If it is not Henry, ask someone else whom you do not believe .(wrong)
If it is not Henry, whom you do not believe, ask some one else.(correct)
7. Relative pronoun 'that': In preference to 'who' or 'which', 'that' is used: after adjectives in superlative degree, after the words 'all', 'any', 'same', 'such', 'only', 'nothing', 'none', and also after interrogatives 'who' and 'which'.
Example:
All that glitters is not gold. (not : which).
The Mahabharath is the best epic that I have ever read. (not : which).
And also when there are two antecedents (a man and an animal/a thing) then the relative pronoun is 'that'.
Example:
The little boy and his dog which we see everyday have not come today(wrong)
The little boy and his dog that we see everyday have not come today.(correct)
8. 'But', as a relative pronoun often replaces 'who-not' and 'that-not' in negative sentences.
Example:
1. There is no rose that has not a thorn.
There is no rose but has a thorn.
9. Confusion often takes place incase of certain phrases like 'each other' and 'one another'. The former stands for only two subjects while the latter for more than two.
Example:
John and Jane like each other a lot.
In our colony we help one another in times of difficulty.
10. Reflexive pronoun: In case of certain verbs like 'enjoy', 'apply', 'absent', 'avail', 'resign', 'acquit', 'drive', 'pride', 'exert', the object for them is always a reflexive pronoun which is formed by adding 'self' to 'my', 'your', 'him', 'her', 'it' and 'selves' to 'our', 'your' and 'them'.
Example:
Nobody helped him; he availed himself of the opportunity and got a job.
We enjoy ourselves a lot every Sunday evening.
11. When two or more singular nouns are joined by 'either...or', 'neither...nor', or 'or', the pronoun coming after them is a singular.
Example:
Either David or Jack will lend us his car. (not : their).
Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica prides herself on being rich. (not : themselves).
However if a singular noun and a plural noun are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the pronoun coming after them is plural.
Example:
Neither the management nor the workers are compromising on their demands.
12. 'Let' has to be followed by a pronoun in the objective case.
Example:
Let us not stay here for a long time.
Let him make his own decision.
13. Pronouns joined by 'and' must be in the same pronoun case.
Example:
He and myself are colleagues
He and I are colleagues
She and him are wife and husband
She and he are wife and husband
1. Sequence of Persons: If all the three persons have to be used in a sentence, their order of preference in a normal condition will be as: Second person (you) + third person ((s)he/it/they) + first person (I/we). But if a fault is to be confessed, their order will be like this: first person + second person + third person.
Example:
You, Tony and I must enjoy the equal share of success (Normal condition).
I, you and Tony are to be blamed for the failure of the project (Confession).
In this process the speaker is always the first person who must necessarily say 'we', 'our/ours', 'ourselves', 'us'. And even if the second and the third person go together in a sentence, the first person backs again as the speaker for them and says 'you', 'your/yours' and/or 'yourselves (not: yourself)' (Be careful).
Example:
1. You, she and I have our own houses but Jack doesn't have any.
2. You and Jane will have to take care of yourselves if I leave for London.
2. Consistency of Person: If a pronoun in the second person 'you' is introduced in a sentence, it must be followed only by its other forms (your/s), yourself, yourselves) to maintain the same person in discussion.
So, mistakes are possible and often made in case of the pronouns in third person like, every, all, each, anyone, somebody, one, etc. Of this kind, singular pronouns like each, any, etc., will usually take masculine gender unless gender discrimination is demanded, or turns a point of discussion.
Example:
Just as you had your day and I had my day, everyone else also will have his day to prove himself.
But, one must be sure of one's facts before making a public accusation.
Somebody has lost his purse here; let's ask him if this is his.
3. When 'every' or 'each' ---- two different singular nouns joined by 'and', the pronoun to describe them is the third person singular.
Example:
Don't say: Each girl and each woman always lies about their age.
Say: Each girl and each woman always lies about her age.
4. Pronoun Vs Noun: If a collective noun like jury, government, etc., remains united in its views then it is singular and is followed only by a singular neuter gender i.e., 'it' and the family. Otherwise it will be followed by a plural neuter gender i.e., 'they' and family.
Example:
The team is jubilant after its victory.
The team were divided in their opinion about the decisions of the ICC.
5. Pronoun in Cases:
(A) The pronoun that comes after the phrase 'to be' and the comparative conjunction 'than' must always be in the subjective (or nominative) case.
Example:
It is he that has brought a great change in me.
She plays tennis better than I. (Not : me).
(B) The pronoun that comes after a preposition and after the words 'like' and 'unlike' must always be in its objective (or accusative) case.
Example:
My wife has confidence in me; I don't like lying to her. (not : I, or she)
I have never thought that I can have a son like him. (not : he).
(C) Five of nine interrogatives in English, are pronouns which stand for different cases. They are:
Who - denotes persons in the subjective case
Whom - denotes persons in the objective case
Whose - denotes persons in the possessive case
Which, What - denote persons and things in the subjective and objective cases
Example:
Who do you think is the cleverest among them?
Whom should we consult regarding this?
What caused him to leave her?
Which of them is your choice?
6. Relative Pronoun: a pronoun that describes a noun should be placed immediately after its antecedent otherwise confusion may rise.
Example:
If it is not Henry, ask someone else whom you do not believe .(wrong)
If it is not Henry, whom you do not believe, ask some one else.(correct)
7. Relative pronoun 'that': In preference to 'who' or 'which', 'that' is used: after adjectives in superlative degree, after the words 'all', 'any', 'same', 'such', 'only', 'nothing', 'none', and also after interrogatives 'who' and 'which'.
Example:
All that glitters is not gold. (not : which).
The Mahabharath is the best epic that I have ever read. (not : which).
And also when there are two antecedents (a man and an animal/a thing) then the relative pronoun is 'that'.
Example:
The little boy and his dog which we see everyday have not come today(wrong)
The little boy and his dog that we see everyday have not come today.(correct)
8. 'But', as a relative pronoun often replaces 'who-not' and 'that-not' in negative sentences.
Example:
1. There is no rose that has not a thorn.
There is no rose but has a thorn.
9. Confusion often takes place incase of certain phrases like 'each other' and 'one another'. The former stands for only two subjects while the latter for more than two.
Example:
John and Jane like each other a lot.
In our colony we help one another in times of difficulty.
10. Reflexive pronoun: In case of certain verbs like 'enjoy', 'apply', 'absent', 'avail', 'resign', 'acquit', 'drive', 'pride', 'exert', the object for them is always a reflexive pronoun which is formed by adding 'self' to 'my', 'your', 'him', 'her', 'it' and 'selves' to 'our', 'your' and 'them'.
Example:
Nobody helped him; he availed himself of the opportunity and got a job.
We enjoy ourselves a lot every Sunday evening.
11. When two or more singular nouns are joined by 'either...or', 'neither...nor', or 'or', the pronoun coming after them is a singular.
Example:
Either David or Jack will lend us his car. (not : their).
Neither Elizabeth nor Jessica prides herself on being rich. (not : themselves).
However if a singular noun and a plural noun are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the pronoun coming after them is plural.
Example:
Neither the management nor the workers are compromising on their demands.
12. 'Let' has to be followed by a pronoun in the objective case.
Example:
Let us not stay here for a long time.
Let him make his own decision.
13. Pronouns joined by 'and' must be in the same pronoun case.
Example:
He and myself are colleagues
He and I are colleagues
She and him are wife and husband
She and he are wife and husband
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