The pronoun

The Pronoun is a part of speech which points out objects & their qualities without naming them.

Classification of Pronouns:

1. personal (I, he, she, they, we, you)

2. possessive (my, his, her, its, their, our, theirs, ours, his, hers, mine)

3. reflexive (myself, yourself, himself, herself, themselves, ourselves, yourselves)

4. reciprocal (взаимный) ( each other, one another)

5. demonstrative (this, that, theses, those)

6. interrogative (who, whose, what, which)

7. relative (относительное) ( who, whose, which, that as)

8. conjunctive (соединительное) ( who, whose, which, what)

9. definite (each, every (-thing, -body, -where, -one), all, both, other)

10. indefinite (some. any (-thing, -body, -where, -one)

11. negative ( no (-thing, -body, -where, -one)

Personal Pronouns:

• They have the categories of person, case, number & gender (3d person )

• They have 2 cases: the nominative case & the objective case. I-me, he-his, she-her, they-them.

• (The archaic pronoun of the second person singular is thou. The objective case of thou is thee.)

• In colloquial speech me not I is used commonly as a predicative. Who is that?—It’s me.

• They have two numbers: singular & plural. The second person you is both singular & plural. We define the number of you by means of intonation, structure of a sentence, choice of words.

• The Pronoun of the 3d person he, she, it distinguish gender. Male beings are referred to as he. Female beings are referred to as she. Inanimate things are referred to as it.

• To define sex in such words as friend, teacher, doctor personal pronouns are often used. Tell your friend that he must come to see us.

• They have the following functions in a sentence: object (He wanted to tell me the truth), subject (He gave us some names), predicative (That was him who spoke in such a way).

Possessive pronouns:

• They have the same distinctions of person: gender, number as personal pronouns.

• They have 2 forms: dependent (conjoint) & independent (absolute). The conjoint form is used before the noun it modifiers: my book, his bag, her story, etc.) The absolute form is used when the possessive pronoun doesn’t modifier any noun (subject, predicative, and object). My dictionary is not very good but yours is excellent. Sometimes we can use the combination: the nouns + preposition + the absolute form of the Pronoun — the dictionary of yours, a friend of mine.

• The possessive pronouns are often used before the names of the parts of the body, clothes, and things below to a person. In this case they are not translated into Russian. He raised his hand to answer this question.

Reflexive Pronouns:

• They have the categories of person, number & gender (3d person sing.)

• They refer to the subject of the sentence in which they are used, indicating that the action performed by the doer passes back to him or is associated with him. He will tell me about it himself. She can’t translate the text herself.

• They may be used as a predicative in a sentence: When they returned they were not themselves. They may be used as objects, attributes & adverbial modifiers.

• Sometimes they are used emphatically. He himself doesn’t know what to do.

Reciprocal Pronouns:

• They express mutual action or relation. The subject to which they refer must always be in the plural. We haven’t seen each other for many years.

• Each other imply only two participants of the action, one another presupposes two or more than two persons.

• They have two case forms: common (in the function of an object) & genitive (in the function of an attribute). Girls moved towards each other. We forgot each other’s names.

Demonstrative Pronouns:

1. This/ that

• They have two numbers: plural & singular: this-these, that-those.

• This is used to point at which is nearer in time or space. That is used to point what is farther away in time or space.

• This & that may be applied both to persons & things.

• Ina sentence they may be subjects, predicatives, objects, attributes)

2. Such (a)

• Can be used in a sentence as a subject, predicative, object, attribute.

3. The same

• Can be used in a sentence as a subject, predicative, object, attribute.

Interrogative Pronouns:

• They are used in inquiry to form special questions.

1. Who

• It has the category of case: nominative & objective (whom). It refers to human beings.

2. What

• When it is not attributive it usually refers to things but it may be applied to persons when one inquires about their occupation.

3. Which

• It has a selective meaning (который из).

• In the sentences interrogative pronouns are subject (Who told you this?), predicative (What are you?), object (What do you mean?), attribute (Which picture do you like best?)

Relative Pronouns:

• They not only point back to a noun or a pronoun mentioned before but also have conjunctive power. They introduce attribute clauses. The word they refer to is called their antecedent (a noun or a pronoun).

1. Who It is used with reference to human beings or animals. He was the man who knew that.

2. Whose It is mainly used with reference to human beings or animals but it may be applied to things.

3. Which, That, Such : They are used with the reference to things & animals

Conjunctive Pronouns:

• They not only back to some person or thing mentioned before but also have conjunctive power, introducing subordinate clauses (subjective, objective & predicative clauses)

• I don’t want to hear that what you’ve come for. He helped to carry my case what was very kind of him.

• In the clause they may be subject, predicative, attribute, object.

Definite Pronouns:

1. All It is a generalizing pronoun, it takes a group of things or persons as whole. It may be used as subject, predicative, object & attribute.

2. Both It points out two persons, things or notions mentioned before. It may be used as subject, object & attribute.

3. Each & Every They refer to all members of the group of persons, things or notions mentioned before & taken one by one. Each may be used as subject, object & attribute. Each presupposes a limited number of the members. Every is used as an attribute. Every presupposes an unlimited number of the members.

4. Everybody, Everyone They refer to all the members of the group of persons mentioned before or taken one by one. They have two cases: common (subject, object) & genitive (attribute).

5. Everything It may be applied to things, animals & abstract notions. It is used as subject, predicative & object.

6. Either It has two meanings: each of the two & one or the other. It is used as an attribute or a part of the subject.

7. Other, another Other denotes some object different from the one mentioned before. It has 2 numbers & 2 cases. It is used as subject, object & attribute. Another has two meanings: a different one or an additional one. It may be used as subject, object & attribute.