Pronouns & Possessives

Pronouns & Possessives

Multiple Select

Which of the following words are both subject and object pronouns?

• I

• he

• she

• it

• you

Open Ended

Name eight reflexive pronouns.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following words is both possessive adjective (determiner) and possessive pronoun?

• my

• her

• his

• our

• its

Open Ended

Name seven possessive pronouns.

PRONOUNS

An overview and Types of pronouns

Overview

• is a part of speech

• is used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context

Types of Pronouns

• Subject pronouns

• Object pronouns

• Reflexive pronouns

• Pronouns “one, ones”

• Demonstrative pronouns

• Possessive pronouns

1. Subject and Object pronouns

• Subject pronouns: used before the verb in a clause or sentence

  e.g. I left early.    My friend and I watched TV.  

• Object pronouns: used after the verb or a preposition

  e.g. Come and see us.   I’d like to talk to you about it.

• Notice: this informal use of the object pronoun me: Me and my family live in Glasgow.

Notes

• You can mean “people in general” (including the speaker).

  One has a similar meaning (more formal).

  e.g. You can’t be too careful these days!        Great art makes one think.

• They can mean “people in general” (excluding the speaker), or “the authorities”

  e.g. They can say it’s going to be a hot summer.

• They and them can refer to a single person after someone, anyone and no one:

  e.g. Someone said they would lock up after the meeting.

        If anyone rings, tell them I’m in a meeting.

2. Reflexive pronouns     

• Reflexive pronouns: used after a verb or preposition when the same person is the subject and object of the verb.

  e.g. I’ve cut myself.                We bought them for ourselves.

• When the subject and object are not the same, we can use each other or one another.

  e.g. Pierre and Thierry were jealous of each other.

         They didn't dare to look at one another.

• Compare: Jess and Sam only care about themselves.

  Jess and Sam care about each other. 

2. Reflexive pronouns

• A few verbs are followed by a reflexive pronoun to form an idiom.

  e.g. Behave yourself! (= to behave well)

       We enjoyed ourselves. (= to be happy and get pleasure from what you are doing)

       They helped themselves to sandwiches. (= to give yourself food, drinks, etc.)

• Use a reflexive pronoun to emphasise the noun or pronoun before it.

   e.g. Amelia herself designed the house.

        Amelia designed the house herself. 

• by myself/himself, etc. means “alone”.

   e.g. I live by myself. (= on my own)

Exercise 3

1. Steve introduced himselves to the other guest at the party.

2. Ben fell down some steps, but fortunately he didn’t hurt himself.

3. It isn’t Sue’s fault. She really shouldn’t blame herself.

4. Please and understand how I feel. Put yourself in my position.

5. The children had a great time at the beach. They really enjoy themselves.

6. Be careful! That pan is very hot. Don’t burn yourself.

7. Sometimes I can’t say exactly what I mean. I wish I could express myself better.

8. I hope they’ll behave themselves at that luxurious restaurant.

3. Pronouns “one, ones”

• use one, ones to avoid repeating a countable noun

  e.g. We missed the bus so we waited for the next one.

            My favourite biscuits are the ones with chocolate chips.

• use another + singular noun / one to mean “one more” or “a different one”

  e.g. Would you like another biscuit?       She wants to get another job.

     These biscuits are nice. Can I get another one?

3. Pronouns “one, ones”

• use other with singular uncountable nouns and with plural nouns:

  e.g. The embassy website has general information about visas. Other travel information can be obtained by calling the free phone. number. (additional or extra information)

       Some music calms people; other music has the opposite effect. (different types of music)

       What other books by Charles Dickens have you read, apart from ‘Oliver Twist’? (additional or extra books)

      This one’s too big. Do you have it in other sizes? (alternative sizes)

3. Pronouns “one, ones”

• use the/my/your other + singular or plural noun / one / ones to talk about different people or things that we’ve already mentioned

  e.g. We crossed to the other side of the road.

        Where are your other friends?

         I’ve found one shoe, but I haven’t found the other one.

• use another and other(s) as a pronoun

  e.g. We don’t like our room. We’re going to ask for another.

        Here’s one sock. Where is the other?

      I’ll attach two photos to this email and I’ll send others tomorrow.

• the others = the other people or things

  e.g. Shall we wait here for the others (= the other people)?

Multiple Choice

1. I’m going to take my new CD player back and ask for another / other one.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

2. If I can’t find the box that it came in, I’ll put it in another / other.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

3. The another / other things I bought from them were fine.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

4. My another / other CD player broke a few weeks ago.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

5. I chose this one because the another / other one was too expensive.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

6. One of the buttons works, but the another / others don’t.

• another

• others

Multiple Choice

7. The another / other problem is that the headphones don’t fit.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

8. I’m not sure I want another / other one that’s the same as this one.

• another

• other

Multiple Choice

9. I might go to another / other shop to compare prices.

• another

• other

Exercise 6

I’m writing to express my objections to the plan for a car park near the river.

My first objection is that we have three car parks, so we do not need another (1) one. The (2) ones near the supermarket are often empty and the (3) other one is never full.

My second objection is that this area is an important green space within the town. We don’t have (4) another place where we can walk by the river.

Exercise 6

I would like to make two suggestions for this area. The first is to make it into a nature reserve. There are a lot of trees on this side of the river, and on the (5) other side there is a field with rare orchids. The whole area is home to a lot of birds and (6) other wildlife.

My second suggestion is to build a footbridge over the river near Ferry Path, about 500 metres away from the (7) one at Mill Lane. If we had (8) another footbridge, more people would walk into the town and wouldn’t use their cars. This would benefit the town and would mean that a fourth car park would not be necessary. The (9) others would provide plenty of parking

4. Demonstrative pronouns “that, those”

• used for referring to people or things of a particular type

  e.g. Those present were in favour of change.

       There are those who say (= some people say) she should not have got the job.

       Salaries are higher here than those in my country.

       The price of gas is twice as much as that of oil.

Multiple Choice

Marine reptiles are among the few creatures that are known to have a possible life span greater than ______.

• A. man

• B. the man’s

• C. that of man

• D. the one of man’s

Multiple Choice

Total weight of all the ants in the world is much greater than ______.

• A. those of all human beings

• B. all human beings that

• C. that of all human beings

• D. is of all human beings

Multiple Choice

“The inflation rate in Greece is five times ______ my country,” he said.

• A. as high as

• B. higher than

• C. higher than that in

• D. as high as that in

Multiple Choice

The dangers of noise are, unfortunately, not as clear-cut than ______ from most other health hazards.

• those

• that

• one

• ones

Possessives

possessive adjectives and pronouns

possessive ‘s

noun + of + noun

noun + noun

 1. Possessive adjectives and pronouns

• Possessive adjective (/determiner): comes before a noun to tell who owns that thing

  e.g. My car is bigger than her car.

• Possessive pronoun: used in place of a noun to avoid repetition

  e.g. Is that [determiner]your scarf? It’s very similar to [pronoun]mine. (It’s very similar to my scarf.)

          That’s not [determiner]their house. [pronoun]Theirs has got a red front door.

          It was [determiner]his fault not [pronoun]hers.

• Possessive pronoun can be used after “of” to show possession

  e.g. She’s a colleague of mine. (= one of my colleagues)

        Are they customer of yours?

2. Possessive ‘s

• used for people, groups of people and animals

  (add ‘s to: singular nouns / plural nouns that don’t end in –s; add an apostrophe (‘) to plural nouns that end in –s)

  e.g. Sarah’s shoes   the government’s policy      the cat’s whiskers      my friend’s mother      my friends’ mothers        men’s clothing           Liam and Chloe’s home

• We can leave out the noun after ‘s when we are talking about where someone lives or works, or for the names of some shops.

  e.g. We went back to Sam’s. (= Sam’s house)      I’m going to the hairdresser’s.

        She’s at the dentist’s.

2. Possessive ‘s

• use ‘s or an apostrophe in some expressions with periods of time

  e.g. today’s weather    yesterday’s newspaper   this term’s results                 

        a week’s holiday       three minutes’ silence           an hour’s wait

3. noun + of + noun

• used to talk about things

  e.g. the back of the house                   the top of the mountain

• prefer ‘s when the first noun/noun phrase is much shorter than the second noun/ noun phrase

  e.g. the school’s rules regarding truancy and lateness

  (NOT the rules regarding truancy and lateness of the school)

• sometimes use of + ‘s together

  e.g. a cousin of my mother’s (= my mother’s cousin)

4. noun + noun

• used to talk about parts of things

  e.g. the bathroom door          a computer screen                  the door keys

Multiple Choice

A: Have you heard the news of yesterday / yesterday’s news about the plane crash?

B: No. Where did it happen?

• the news of yesterday

• yesterday’s news

Multiple Choice

A: I’ve only read the book’s first chapter / the first chapter of the book so far.

B: Keep going. It’s a really interesting story.

• the book’s first chapter

• the first chapter of the book

Multiple Choice

A: Are we going to Jane’s and Mark’s / Jane and Mark’s wedding on Saturday?

• Jane’s and Mark’s

• Jane and Mark’s

Multiple Choice

B: No, we’re going to Nathan and Alison’s / Nathan’s and Alison’s.

• Nathan and Alison’s

• Nathan’s and Alison’s

Multiple Choice

They’re friends of my parent’s / friends of my parents’.

• friends of my parent’s

• friends of my parents’

Multiple Choice

A: Have you got the front door’s key / the key of the front door in your bag?

B: No. Haven’t you got it?

• the front door’s key

• the key of the front door

Multiple Choice

A: I’ve got a toothache. I have to go to the dentist’s / the dentists’.

B: Good luck. When I tried to make an appointment, I had to wait for three weeks.

• the dentist’s

• the dentists’

Multiple Choice

A: Do you know what the university’s policy on handing in late assignments / the policy on handing in late assignments of the university is?

B: No, but why don’t you ask the secretary?

• the university’s policy on handing in late assignments

• the policy on handing in late assignments of the university

Exercise 8

1. I’m going to my aunt’s house tonight. It’s her eightieth birthday.

2. The audience’s reaction to the film was positive.

3. Yesterday we celebrated my parents’ wedding anniversary.

4. They’ve closed the women’s changing room for refurbishment.

5. We spent the weekend at my friend’s cottage. It’s a lovely place.

6. Next year’s sales figures are predicted to be even higher than this year’s.

7. James’ / James’s daughter is going to Leeds University next year.

8. The boys’ teacher gave each child a small gift.

9. The city’s problems of crime and unemployment are well known. 

Exercise 8

10. I’m taking two weeks’ holiday in a week’s time.

11. Don’t pull the dog’s tail. It’s cruel and besides, the dog might bite you.    

12. Last year I did a computer course at my local college.

13. There was a big computer centre at the side of the main building.

14. At lunchtime, we used to eat together in the college cafeteria.

15. At the end of the course, we exchanged addresses.

16. I wrote them on the back of an envelope, but then I lost it.

17. Luckily, I had some people’s phone numbers.

Exercise 9

1. They waited for ages to get to the front of the queue but the performance was worth the wait.

2. We invited our youngest daughter’s friends to the house for a children’s party when she turned ten years old.

3. He opened the kitchen window to let out the smoke from the burnt roast.

4. Public transport will take you into the centre of the city where you will find many shops and restaurants.

5. Before you start the test, write your name at the top of the page.

6. That table leg is broken so don’t put anything on the table or it will collapse.

7. She gets headaches if she stares at a computer screen for many hours.

Exercise 1

1. I’m hungry. I think I’ll make myself something to eat.

2. A: Did you decorate the house yourselves?

   B: Yes, we did most of it ourselves.

3. The train was crowded so we decided to catch a later one.

4. I’m surprised that they didn’t do the job themselves. I suppose it was too much work for them.

5. Isabel and Tyler are neighbours. They see one another nearly every day.

6. A: My wife and I are going on holiday.

   B: Be sure you send my husband and me a postcard.

Exercise 1

7. They say it’s only through solitude that one gets to know oneself.

8. The washing machine switches itself off when it’s done.

9. My sister and I always call one another during the holidays.

10. It was the King himself who gave the opening address.

11. Please help yourself/ yourselves to another slice of cake. There’s plenty left.

12. I hope Maria behaved herself at school today.

13. I don’t know whether to buy the small blue glasses or the large green ones. Please help me to choose.

14. We spent two days there by ourselves.

Exercise 2

Any city can be dangerous but a little common sense will keep (1) ­­­you safe. Let’s talk about how to take care of (2) ­­­yourself when (3) ­­­you’re travelling. If (4) you’re walking, choose busy streets during the day and never walk through dark areas by (5) ­­­yourself at night. Always go out with a friend at night – there’s safety in numbers. If (6) ­­­you’re using public transport, put handbags and packages on your lap – not on an empty seat where (7) ­­­they can be grabbed by a passing thief. Finally, if your car breaks down and someone offers to help, don’t unlock your car door – ask (8) them to ring the police instead. (9) ­­­They say you can never be too careful – and I’m afraid that’s absolutely correct.

Exercise 2

It is important that one knows how to take care of (10) oneself when travelling in a city.

·        When on foot, (11) one should choose busy streets whenever possible during the day and avoid walking by (12) oneself at night.

·        On public transport, handbags and packages should be kept at one’s lap and not let by (13) themselves on an empty seat.

·        Car doors should be kept locked. If one’s car breaks down and a stranger offers to help, (14) they should not be allowed to enter the car.

Remember: (15) one can never be too careful.

Exercise 4

Inventions

If you invented something important, (1) you would want to make money out of (2) it, right? Most of us would want to make some money from (3) our/the invention. It seems only fair – we did the work, so the money should be (4) ours too. Many inventors who have had (5) their inventions produced, have become rich and famous and we shouldn’t blame (6) them for that.

But have (7) you heard of Tim Berners-Lee (8) He invented the World Wide Web on the Internet, one of the most important inventions of the last fifty years. Millions of lives have been changed by (9) its introduction.

Exercise 4

When Tim Berners-Lee invented the Web, he made a promise to (10) himself - that he wouldn’t make any money out of it, and that we would give (11) his/the/this invention to the world. He did, and now the Web belongs to all of (12) us.

Ask (13) yourself/yourselves what life would be like the World Wide Web wasn’t free. We should be grateful to Tim Berners-Lee, and thank (14) him for (15) his/this amazing gift to the world.