As you know, all parts of speech are divided into independent and auxiliary. As in Russian, pronouns in English belong to an independent part of speech, which denotes an object or is a sign of it, but does not directly name persons and objects. These words do not name relationships and properties, do not give spatial or temporal characteristics.

Pronouns (Pronouns) in English replace a noun, which is why they are called “in place of a name” - He, you, it. These words can also be used instead of an adjective - Such, that, these. As in Russian, so in English, there are a lot of such lexical units, but it is necessary to know them and use them correctly. Therefore, let’s move on directly to the study.

According to their meaning, Pronouns can be classified into several groups. I suggest you familiarize yourself with this classification and the characteristics of each group:

Personal are the most important and most common pronouns. In a sentence they act as the subject. And the word "I (I)" is always written in capital letters, regardless of whether it is at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. And the pronoun you (you, you) expresses both the plural and the singular.

It should also be remembered that lexemes he (he) and she (she) used if they want to designate an animate person, and it- to designate animals, abstract concepts and inanimate objects. A "they" used both in relation to inanimate objects and animate persons.

Personal pronouns in English are declined according to cases. When they act as the subject of a sentence, they are in the nominative case, and when they act as a complement, in the objective case. To make it clearer for you, please study the table

Possessive pronouns

English possessive pronouns (Possessive) we discussed in detail in the previous article. But let me remind you that they express belonging, have two forms - adjective and noun, answer the question “Whose?” and do not change in numbers. There is also a special absolute form. Look at the table showing how Possessive Pronouns are inclined:

Demonstrative pronouns in English

Demonstrative or demonstrative - point to a person or object. Demonstrative pronouns in English do not change by gender, but are declined by number, that is, they have singular and plural forms. At the same time " this" refers to an object that is located next to the speaker, and the word " that" indicates an object located at a considerable distance.

In addition, “that” can be translated into Russian as “this, this.” Demonstrative pronouns in English in a sentence can serve as subject, object, modifier or noun.

Reflexive pronouns in English

Reflexive or reflexive - express a reflexive meaning, show that the action is directed at the actor himself, therefore, reflexive pronouns in English in a sentence correspond in form to the subject.

Their distinguishing feature is that they end with “- self"singular or "- selves"in the plural)". In Russian, this is the verbal suffix “-sya (-s)” or the pronoun “yourself (yourself, yourself, yourself)”: He cut himself - He cut himself

Indefinite pronouns in English

Indefinite is one of the largest groups of English pronouns. Nouns and adjectives can be substituted in sentences. Indefinite pronouns in English can be divided into words formed from “no” (no, not at all), “any” (any, several, a little) and “some” (several, a little).

Other Indefinite Pronouns include: every, each, both, all, few, little, many, much.

Interrogative pronouns in English

Interrogatives are very similar to relatives, but perform completely different functions in a sentence where they are the subject, adjective or object: Who is there? -Who's there? Sometimes they can be a nominal part of the predicate. Interrogative pronouns in English are also called "question words":

• who? - Who?
• which? - which?
• whom? - whom? to whom?
• where? - Where?
• what? - What?
• whose? - whose?
• when? - When?
• why? - Why?

Other pronouns

We dwelled in more detail on the main and more numerous pronouns, but there are other groups of pronouns in English:

• Universal: all, both, everyone, everybody, everything, every, either, each
• Dividers: another, other
• Negative: no, nobody, nothing, no one, neither, none
• Relative: that, which, whose, who

Pronouns (Pronoun)

A pronoun is a part of speech that replaces or describes other parts of speech. There are a huge number of pronouns in the English language. They can be divided into the following groups:

Now let's look at each group of pronouns:

1. Personal pronouns. This is the most common group of pronouns and appears in almost every sentence of the English language, so try to learn them so that they come to mind. Personal pronouns are divided into two cases: nominative and objective.

A pronoun in the nominative case replaces the subject in a sentence, and in the objective case it replaces the object. Let's look at the personal pronouns in the table:

Where is l. - face; units h. - singular; pl. h. - plural.

Personal pronouns in English have a number of features:

• Personal pronoun I always begins with a capital letter, regardless of place in the sentence:
May I come in?- Can I come in?


Personal pronoun you used in singular and plural. In this case, the verb to be is always used in the plural, even if you stands in the singular in a sentence:


You are beautiful.- You are beautiful.


If there are several personal pronouns in a sentence, then their order is as follows - 2 l. and 3 l. placed before 1 l., 2 l. placed before 3 l. in any cases (remember that pronouns always replace other parts of speech, so if instead of a pronoun there is a noun, then the word order is determined by the same rule):


You and your brother should do the homework.- You and your brother must do your homework.
He asked father and me.- He asked his father and me.


The objective case of personal pronouns can be in the genitive (whom?, what?), dative (to whom?, what?), instrumental (by whom?, what?) and prepositional (about whom, about what) cases, examples:


I did it for her.- I did it for her. (for whom?)
She gave me an apple.- She gave me an apple. (to whom?)
It was bought by us.- It was bought by us. (by whom?)
The bird cared about them.- The bird took care of them. (about whom?)


A peculiarity of the English language is that the division by gender in speech is expressed only with people. In other cases the personal pronoun is used It. It is placed in place of inanimate objects, animals or children. This greatly simplifies the process of learning a language, since we do not need to learn what kind of this or that noun in order to replace it with the corresponding pronoun, as we do in Russian. However, if we want to emphasize the gender of some phenomenon, animal, it is allowed to use pronouns he And she. Also pronoun It can be used as a formal subject (when there is no subject in the Russian translation - see general information about the sentence), examples:


I took a pen. It is black- I took the pen. She's black.
It is hot now.- It's hot now.

Possessive pronouns. They indicate that a noun belongs to an object or subject. Typically corresponds to the personal pronoun in a sentence. There are basic and absolute forms.

Basic form A possessive pronoun stands in a sentence together with a noun and characterizes its belonging.

Absolute form replaces a noun in a sentence, but it is implied that the noun has been previously spoken about. This allows you to get rid of unnecessary repetition of the same word in the text.

Please note that the possessive pronoun is used much more often in English than in Russian. In English, if we talk about parts of the body, items of clothing, personal belongings, then a possessive pronoun is required, although in Russian it is usually omitted:

Let's look at possessive pronouns:

Basic form examples:

Examples of absolute form:

Sentences with other possessive pronouns are constructed similarly. And also, if there is an adjective before the noun, then the possessive pronoun is placed before the adjective:

Possessive pronoun its often confused with the combination it "s - the short form it is (I am). Its surface was damaged.- Its surface was damaged.
It is its hair.- this is her hair.

You need to look at the place in the sentence and the words nearby.

Also, reflexive pronouns act as determiners of nouns, so the use of articles with them is not allowed.

Reflexive pronouns. They show that the subject directs the action towards itself and is translated into Russian as an addition to the ending of the verb -sya(-s) or the pronoun seba, sebe, sam... . Each reflexive pronoun has a corresponding personal pronoun. All of them are shown in the table:

However, when using reflexive pronouns you need to remember a number of rules:

Instead of a personal pronoun, there can be a corresponding noun:


My dog ​​opened a door itself.- My dog ​​opened the door itself.


Reflexive pronouns are not used with verbs, which themselves imply that the action is directed towards oneself, or towards each other. These include wash, bath, feel, shave, dress, undress, change, relax, hide:


She felt bad (you can’t say felt herself).- She felt bad.
They kissed at street.- They kissed on the street.


Reflexive pronouns cannot be used with prepositions of place. Since the personal pronoun in the objective case can also be translated itself, to itself, confusion may arise. In order not to be confused which pronoun to put (reflexive or personal pronoun in the objective case), use the rule: if in the Russian translation of a sentence you can put “sam”, then the reflexive pronoun is used, otherwise the personal pronoun in the objective case is used:


She spent all the money herself.- She spent all the money herself.
She put an ambrella in front of her.- She put the umbrella in front of her (you can’t tell in front).

Interrogative pronouns (words). Also a very common type of pronouns that is used in interrogative sentences. Let's look at the main ones:

In general, English question words correspond to Russian ones, but there are a number of features:

Interrogative pronoun who acts as a subject, and is used when asking questions about people.


Who runs with him? -Who is running with him?

Although the interrogative pronoun who has an objective case whom - whom, but increasingly fulfills this role itself in a sentence:


Who (whom) did they invite to us? - Who did they invite to us?

Pronoun which used in interrogative sentences when a choice from a limited number of items is offered:


Which lock of these three do you prefer? - Which castle of these three do you prefer?


But if we were talking about an unlimited number of locks of all types, the pronoun would be used what:

What lock do you prefer? - Which castle of these three do you prefer?

Relative pronouns. These pronouns are used in complex sentences and belong to subordinate clauses. Most of them also apply to interrogative pronouns. Unlike conjunctions, they act in a subordinate clause as a member of the sentence (usually the subject). Let's look at the basic relative pronouns:

Who- who, which. Used in sentences with animate objects - people: I saw the gardener who planted this tree. - I saw the gardener who planted this tree.


Whose- which (whose)

Indicates that an item belongs to some object:

We know a man whose spoon you took.- We know the person whose spoon you took.


Which- which. Applies to inanimate objects or animals:


Parents knocked the door which was closed.- The parents knocked on the door, which was closed.


That[ðæt] - which

Replaces previous pronouns who And which, and can refer to both animate and inanimate objects:

This was the writer that can"t finish his last book.- This was a writer who could not finish his last book.
Mother bought the new knives that were very sharp.- Mom bought new knives, which were very sharp.

Demonstrative pronouns. Point to an object or person. Basic demonstrative pronouns:

Demonstrative pronouns denote distance not only in distance, but also in time. In a sentence they can be as the following members of the sentence:

Subject:


This is my ball.- This is my ball.
Those were their friends.- These were their friends (Although this is translated, it means that the friends are in a different place).


Noun determiner:

These cars are very beautiful.- These cars are very beautiful.
I like that place.- I like that place.


Addition:

Remember this!- Remember this!
A doctor chose these. - The doctor chose these.

Please note that if the noun is preceded by a demonstrative pronoun in the form of a determiner, then there is no need to use the article, since the pronoun itself acts as an article.

Two more pronouns can be classified as demonstrative pronouns:

For example:

Quantitative pronouns.

The most famous of this group are two quantitative pronouns, which can come before any noun in almost any situation: some

AND any["eni]. Therefore, if it is difficult to choose a determiner for a noun, you can always use one of these pronouns. They denote the quality or quantity of an object. Moreover, the pronoun some usually used in affirmative sentences, and the pronoun any in negative or interrogative sentences:
I have some question.- I have a question (some question).
I don't have any questions.- I don't have any questions.
Do you have any questions?- Do you have any questions?
Some boy calls you.- Some guy is calling you (quality).

Often when translated into Russian they are omitted as articles:

There are a number of features with these pronouns:

In questions of requests, the pronoun is used some:


Will you give us some water?-Will you give us some water?


If the pronoun some stands before the numeral, then it is translated about, approximately:


Some twenty time he went past her.- He walked past her about twenty times.


Pronouns some And any before the preposition of is translated as some, any:


Some of them can go away.- Some of them may leave.
Did you see any of us there?- Did you see any of us there?


Pronoun any translated in affirmative sentences - any:


You can arrive there by any car.- You can come there in any car.

The remaining quantitative pronouns have similar qualities, so let’s summarize them in one table:

Often these pronouns are classified as adverbs, since they are translated into Russian by adverbs, and one cannot say that this would be a mistake (look at the formation of degrees of comparison of adverbs).

And there is another quantitative pronoun that determines nouns: several["sevrəl] - several

Indefinite and negative pronouns. This is the largest group of pronouns in the English language.

Look at the negative pronoun first no

Which is involved in the formation of other negative pronouns. It comes before a noun and denotes the absence of something categorically (that is, this issue is not discussed further):

To form indefinite and negative pronouns, they are used some, any And no. We must remember that in English there cannot be a double negative, that is, if in Russian we can say: Nobody can help me in English this sentence will contain only one negation: Nobody can help me or Anybody can"t help me. Also derivatives formed from particles -one And -body, mean the same thing. For clarity, let's look at these pronouns in one table:



I cooked something for you. -
I have prepared something for you.
Did the professor ask you anything? -
Did the professor ask you anything?
Somebody will come here. -
Someone will come here.
I don't see anyone. -
I don't see anyone.
He is somewhere over there. -
He's out there somewhere.
Did we meet anywhere else? -
Have we met somewhere else?


Pronouns each- every

AND every["evri] - although each has a similar meaning, they still differ in meaning:

Pronoun each selects an object from a group (therefore only used with countable nouns):


Each forester could do it differently.- Each forester could do this differently (each of the foresters separately).

Pronoun every in general whole value (all):


Every forester likes a forest.- Every forester loves the forest (all foresters).

Derivatives from every- (every):

everything["evriθiŋ] - everything

For better remembering, let's break the pronoun into two words: every - every and thing - thing. And if you add up both parts of the Russian translation: each + thing = everything, example:

I know everything about him.- I know everything about him. Everything will start here.- It all starts here.

everybody["evribɒdi] - everything

To remember, we will resort to the same method: every - each and body - body. And if you add up both parts of the Russian translation: each + body = everything, example:

Our teacher said to do this exercise to everyone.- Our teacher told everyone to do this exercise. Everybody likes ice-cream.- Everyone loves ice cream.

everywhere["evriweə(r)] - everywhere

: There were pencils everywhere.- There were pencils everywhere. It was dangerous everywhere.- It was dangerous everywhere.

Please note that all these pronouns correspond to 3l. units h. (from the word each), so the verb after them takes the appropriate form.

Pronoun one applies:

In the form of an indefinite personal pronoun and usually not translated into Russian:


One must not smoke here.- You can't smoke here.
One never can go faster this area.- No one can go faster in this area.


As a substitute word, to avoid unnecessary repetition of a word in a sentence:


I buy new book. This is one more interesting.- I'm buying a new book. This book is more interesting.


Pronouns other["ʌðə(r)] - another, one more

, another[ə"nʌðə(r)] - different.

Other comes before a noun and indicates that the noun is definite, but not the one mentioned earlier in the sentence:


I took this glass and you take the other glass on the table.- I took this glass, and you take another glass on the table. (There were 2 glasses on the table, I took one, and you take the second glass)


That is, the pronoun other used if selected from a certain number of specific items. If the other item is unknown, then before other the indefinite article an is placed and the pronoun takes the form another:


I took this glass and you take another glass.- I took this glass, and you take another glass.


This means any other glass. But if the noun is plural, then the pronoun is always used other:


Give me other glasses.- Give me other glasses.


In the case when the pronoun stands without a noun, the noun itself is put in the plural:


These are my glasses. You can take others.- These are my glasses. You can take others.

• Pronoun both- both, both

  : I like both colors.- I like both colors.
  They are both twenty years old.- They are both 20 years old.
  

• Reciprocal pronouns. This group includes two pronouns:

  each other	each other, one to another
  one another	each other, one to another

  These pronouns mean the same thing, and in principle they can be interchangeable in a sentence:
  

  We love each other.- We love each other. Parents didn't see one another for a long time.- The parents did not see each other for a long time.

The table of pronouns in English is a tricky business, if only because there are not two of them, but at least eleven. Surprised? But don't worry, they're not that easy to confuse if you at least know something about them.

Let's look at the classification of English pronouns and discuss in detail several of their problem groups.

Let's combine personal and possessive pronouns into one table for clarity. Moreover, this will make it much easier for you to draw parallels and remember them:

Please carefully read the following important points on the table of pronouns in English:

• I is always written with a capital letter. When listing people, put it last:

Jill, Mark and I went to the Zoo. – Jill, Mark and I went to the zoo.

• Pronouns he And she can serve to highlight gender, however, when talking about animals, you can only use them in this way in fairy tales or when talking about your favorite pets:

Ginger is our cat. She is very naughty. - Ginger is our cat. She is very capricious.

• It can be used in relation to inanimate nouns, any animals, as well as children. Yes, yes, this is completely normal:

The baby run away patterning with its feet. “The child ran away, stamping his feet.

• Reflexive pronouns combine with verbs. You can translate them by adding the suffix -xia. You will also need to learn several common expressions with them.

Don't forget that in English, unlike your native language, this is a whole word, and not just a suffix:

She hurt herself when she was cleaning the roof. — She injured herself while cleaning the roof.
Help yourselves.- Help yourself!

• Indefinite pronouns are formed using words some, any, no:
  

  	Some	Any	No
  -body	Somebody - someone	Anybody+Any- Nobody? Anyone	Nobody
  -thing	Something – Something	Anything+ Anything- Nothing? Anything	Nothing - nothing
  -where	Somewhere - somewhere, somewhere	Anywhere+ Anywhere- Nowhere?Anywhere	Nowhere - nowhere

  Indefinite pronouns in English will make you sweat. Pay special attention to how their translation changes depending on the type of sentence:

Do you have anything interesting to read? — Do you have anything interesting to read?
We didn't have anything in the house - it was empty. “We had nothing in the house - it was empty.
I won't take my old clothes to Paris, choose anything you want. “I won’t take old clothes with me to Paris, choose whatever you like.”

• Interrogative pronouns Fully justify their name: they will be useful to you for special questions:

Who- Who? Used with animate nouns and sometimes with animals;
Whom- Whom? To whom?
What- What? Which?
Whose- Whose?
Which- Which?

And although there are very few of them, you still have to spend time on them. So, for example, in a question to the subject with these comrades, auxiliary verbs are not used in Present And Past Simple:

Who came there with you? -Who came there with you?
Which of you goes to the swimming pool on Tuesdays? — How many of you go to the pool on Tuesdays?

• Relative pronouns completely coincide with their interrogative neighbors, but serve to connect main clauses with subordinate clauses:

The girl who is sitting next to the window is my cousin. — The girl who sits next to the window is my cousin.
We thought which of the boys could speak French. — We were wondering which of the boys could speak French.
Tell me whom you gave the book last week. — Tell me who you gave the book to last week.
This is the man whose house was robbed. — This is a man whose house was robbed.
This lipstick is just what I want.- This lipstick is exactly what I want. But don’t be fooled, it’s not that simple.

Sometimes that can replace relative pronouns, and also always comes after nouns with superlative adjectives, ordinal numbers and words all, any, only:

These are the people that I saw in the street. - These are the people I saw on the street.
This is the most beautiful flower that I have ever seen. - This is the most beautiful flower I have ever seen.
He has seen all the movies that I gave him. — He watched all the films I gave him.

It's time to sum it up. The topic of pronouns is one of the most extensive in the English language. Here you will have to first learn all their sections, then practice them in speech and exercises, and finally memorize all the nuances of use. The pronoun table will be your best assistant in this matter. Rely on it, and difficulties will gradually disappear.

A word that denotes an object or a sign of an object, but does not name it, is called a pronoun. Pronouns are divided into several groups, each of which has its own grammatical characteristics.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns change by case: if they are used in a sentence as a subject, then they stand in nominative case; if they are used as a complement, then they stand in objective case.

The pronoun "I" is always capitalized. The pronouns "he / she" are used to refer to animate persons; "it" - in relation to inanimate objects, abstract concepts and animals. The pronoun "they" is used to refer to both animate and inanimate objects.

Possessive pronouns. (Possessive Pronouns)

Possessive pronouns serve as modifiers of nouns and always take place before the nouns they define. Unlike the Russian language, where there is a pronoun “svoy”, used with all persons, English possessive pronouns are used strictly in accordance with the pronouns. If there is a need to use a possessive pronoun without a noun, then there is a special form called the absolute form.

In English, possessive pronouns are used much more often and are simply obligatory with nouns denoting parts of the body, items of clothing and relatives, and possessive pronouns are used instead of a noun to avoid repetition

Julie's car is red. Mine is blue.

Possessive pronouns are used without an apostrophe.

The dog wagged its tail.

“It"s” is not a possessive pronoun or adjective — it means “it is”:

It's not my dog.

Reflexive pronouns. (Reflexive Pronouns)

Pronouns ending in “-self (-selves in the plural)” are called reflexive. Reflexive pronouns show that the action named in the sentence is directed at the person who performs it, therefore the reflexive pronoun must be related in form to the subject.

Forms of reflexive pronouns

Use

1. When the subject and object are the same:

I hurt myself. (I got hurt.)

The band call themselves “Dire Straits”.

He shot himself.

2. When a preposition is used

I bought a present for myself.

She did it by herself. (She did it alone.)

That man is talking to himself.

3. When we want to emphasize the subject

I"ll do it myself. (No one else will help me.) - I will do it myself.

They eat all the food themselves. (No one else had any.)

Demonstrative pronouns. (Demonstrative pronouns)

Demonstrative pronouns change according to numbers. Moreover, the pronoun “this” denotes an object located next to the speaker, and “that” - at a considerable distance; “that” can also be translated into Russian by the words “this, this”. In a sentence, demonstrative pronouns can be used as a subject, a noun modifier, or an object.

This is my father. And that is my uncle.

This is my father. And there is my uncle.

I don't like these apples. I don't like these apples.

They are too sour. They are too sour.

This is not salt. It's sugar. It's not salt. It's sugar.

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns include all, each, either, neither, both, some, any, no, none, much, many, little, few, other, one.

Some, any, no

To indicate that they mean a certain number of (several) countable objects or a certain amount of substance, in English the pronoun “some” is used in affirmative sentences, and “any” in interrogative and negative sentences. These pronouns are usually pronounced without stress and do not allow any articles to be used before the noun.

Some - several, a little

Any- any amount

No - no, not at all

Take some glasses from that shelf. Take some glasses from that shelf.

Pour some water in them. Pour water into them.

Don't take any books from the case. Don't take books from the closet.

Have you got any money? Do you have any money?

The pronoun "any", in turn, can be used in affirmative sentences to mean "any", for example:

Take any cup you like. Take any mug you like.

The pronoun "no" has a negative meaning "no" and explains the noun, for example:

There is no milk in the jug. There is no milk in the jug.

He has no friends. He doesn't have (any) friends.

From the pronouns "some, any, no" complex pronouns can be formed: "somebody - anybody - nobody; something - anything - nothing; somewhere - anywhere - nowhere", and the same rules of use in different types of sentences apply to them as for "some, any, no". Pronouns formed with "-body" are used only in relation to people and are combined with a verb only in the singular. Pronouns formed with "-thing" are used to refer to inanimate objects and concepts.

There is somebody in the office. There is someone in the office.

Is there anyone at home? Is anyone at home?

I saw nobody in the garden. I didn't see anyone in the garden.

There is something wrong with him. Something happened to him.

He can do anything for you. He will do anything for you.

If you use negative pronouns "nobody, nothing" in a sentence, then the negative particle "not" is not required, since in English there can only be one negation.

Nobody knows anything about it. Nobody knows anything about this.

There is / There are

If they want to emphasize the presence or absence of an object or person in a certain place, the sentence begins with the construction “there is / there are (plural)”, followed by a noun denoting this person or object and the circumstance of the place. Translation of such a construction begins with the adverbial location:

There are many English books in his library. There are many English books in his library.

There is a chair at the table. There is a chair at the table.

The form of the verb "to be" in such constructions agrees with the first noun that follows it.

There is a dictionary and some books on the shelf. There is a dictionary and several books on the table.

There are flowers and a box of chocolates on the table. There are flowers and a box of chocolates on the table.

Are there any letters for me? Are there any letters for me?

Is there milk or juice in the jug? Is there milk or juice in the jug?

How many books are there in your library? How many books are in your library?

Negation can be formed in two ways: using the negative pronoun “no” or the negative particle “not” and the pronoun “any”.

There is no note for you. There is no note for you.

There isn't any news in her letter. There is no news in her letter.

Many, few, a few, much, little, a little.

Pronouns "many, few, few, several". The pronouns "many" - a lot and "few" - are rarely used only as definitions for countable nouns in the plural.

They have many friends in London. They have many friends in London.

He has few friends. He is very lonely. He has few friends. He is very lonely.

There are many ways to solve this problem. There are many ways to solve this problem.

The pronouns "much" - many and "little" - are rarely used with uncountable nouns (abstract concepts, substances...).

There is little milk in the cup. There is not enough milk in the cup.

We spend a lot of time on this experiment. We spend a lot of time on this experiment.

Do you have much money on you? Do you have a lot of money with you?

I have very little time. I have very little time.

The combination “a few” means “several” and is used only with countable nouns; with uncountable nouns the combination “a little” is used, which means “little”.

Will you give me a little water? Can you give me some water?

I bought a few apples. I bought some (several) apples.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns include the pronouns who who, what that, who (by profession), which, whose whose, which which. Interrogative pronouns are used to form special questions.

Who headed our delegation to the Trade Unions Conference? Who headed our delegation at the Trade Union Conference?

Doesn't always know what is what. He always knows what's what.

What do you know about the World Peace Council? What do you know about the World Peace Council?

If an interrogative pronoun is combined with a preposition, the preposition is usually placed at the end of the sentence:

What are you reading about? What are you reading about?

Whom are you speaking to? Who are you talking to?

The pronoun who refers to persons, the pronoun what refers to objects. But the pronoun what can also refer to persons when asked about profession or occupation:

Who is that? - That is Mister N. Who is this? - This is Mr. N.

What is Mister N.? - He is an officer. Who (by occupation, by profession) is Mr. N.? - He is an officer.

A pronoun is a word used instead of the name of an object (or its characteristics) and indicating it.

For example:

Instead of "girl", we can say "she".

Instead of “the dress that I am holding in my hands,” we can say: “this is the dress.”

There are 5 main groups of pronouns in English:

1. Personal pronouns

2. Possessive pronouns

3. Reflexive pronouns

4. Demonstrative pronouns

5. Interrogative pronouns

Let's take a closer look at the use of these pronouns.

Personal pronouns in English

Personal pronouns are the words with which we replace the character.

The actor may be:

1. Main (answers the question “who?”)

For example:

My friend is at work. She (we replace “my friend”) will come in the evening.

2. Not main/secondary (answers the question “who?”)

For example:

My friend and I are going to the cinema. Friends invited us (me and my friend instead).

He invited me to the cinema.
He invited me to the cinema.

They sent her a letter.
They sent her a letter.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns reflect the ownership of objects and the connection between them.

For example:

There are two types of possessive pronouns:

1. Those that are used together with the subject (answer the question “whose?”)

2. Those that are used independently (without a subject)

Such pronouns are used to avoid repetition in a sentence. There is no need to place an object after them, since they already imply it.

Their price is below ours.
Their price is lower than ours.

My box is smaller than yours.
My box is smaller than yours.

Reflexive pronouns in English

Reflexive pronouns show us that a person performs an action in relation to himself. Why are they returnable? Because the action is directed towards the one who performs it, that is, it returns to him.

Such pronouns are used to show that:

• The action is aimed at the person himself
• The action was performed by the person independently

In Russian, we most often show this with -sya and -sya, which we add to actions.

For example:

She cut herself (cut herself)

In English there are special words for this, which are formed by adding a tail to the pronouns my, your, our, them, her, him, it:

• -self(if we are talking about one person/object);
• -selves(if we are talking about several people/objects).

Let's look at the table of these pronouns.

For example:

She introduced herself when entered in the room.
She introduced herself (introducing herself) when she entered the room.

We ourselves cooked the dinner.
We prepared this dinner ourselves.

Demonstrative pronouns in English

We use demonstrative pronouns to point to an object/person or objects/people. Hence the name - index.

There are 4 most used demonstrative pronouns in English:

• this - this
• these - these
• that
• those - those

Let's look at the table of usage of these pronouns.

This book is interesting.
This book is interesting.

I know those girls.
I know those girls.

Interrogative pronouns in English

Interrogative pronouns are words that indicate a person, object or characteristics unknown to the speaker.

For example: Who baked this cake? (point to the person)

In English, the most common interrogative pronouns are:

• who - who, whom
• whose - whose
• what - what, which
• which - which
• whom - whom

Let's look at the table of usage of these words.

So, we've looked at the 5 main types of pronouns, now let's practice using them.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. This car is red.
2. They invited me to the park.
3. She baked this pie herself.
4. Whose scarf is on the chair?
5. Your gift is better than hers.