Grammar - possessives: pronouns

8:01 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

possessives: pronouns

Can you match these possessive pronouns to the right personal pronouns and possessive adjectives?
yours, mine, theirs, ours, hers, his, its

SubjectObjectPossessive adjectives
Possessive pronouns
Ime my
Youyou your
Hehim his
Sheher her
Itit its
Weus our
Theythem their

We can use a possessive pronoun instead of a noun phrase:

Is that John’s car?No, it’s [my car]>No, it’s mine.
Whose coat is this?Is it [your coat]?>Is it yours?
Her coat is grey, [my coat]is brownHer coat is grey,mine is brown.


We can use possessive pronouns after of.
We can say:
Susan is one of my friends.
or
Susan is a friend of mine.
but not
Susan is a friend of me
or
I am one of Susan's friends.
or
I am a friend of Susan's.
but not
I am a friend of Susan
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Grammar - possessives: adjectives

8:00 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

possessives: adjectives

 
Can you match these possessive adjectives to the right personal pronouns?

its, your, my, their, our, her, his

SubjectObjectPossessive
Ime 
Youyou 
Hehim 
Sheher 
Itit 
Weus 
Theythem 

We use possessive adjectives:
• to show something belongs to somebody:
That’s our house.
My car is very old.
• for relations and friends:
My mother is a doctor.
How old is your sister?
• for parts of the body:
He’s broken his arm.
She’s washing her hair.
I need to clean my teeth.
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Grammar - Possessives - possessives: nouns

8:00 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

possessives: nouns

We use a noun with ’s with a singular noun to show possession:
We are having a party at John’s house.
Michael drove his friend’s car.
We use s’ with a plural noun ending in -s:
This is my parents’ house.
Those are ladies’ shoes.
But we use ’s with other plural nouns:
These are men’s shoes.
Children’s clothes are very expensive.
We can use a possessive instead of a noun phrase to avoid repeating words:
Is that John’s car?No, it’s Mary’s [car].>No, it’s Mary’s.
Whose coat is this?It’s my wife’s [coat].>It’s my wife’s.
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Grammar - quantifiers

9:39 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

quantifiers

 
We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something: how much or how many.
Sometimes we use a quantifier in the place of a determiner:
Most children start school at the age of five.
We ate some bread and butter.
We saw lots of birds.
We use these quantifiers with both count and uncount nouns:

allanyenoughlessa lot oflots of
moremostnonone ofsome 

and some more colloquial forms:

plenty ofheaps ofa load ofloads oftons of etc.

Some quantifiers can be used only with count nouns:

botheacheither(a) fewfewerneitherseveral

and some more colloquial forms:

a couple ofhundreds ofthousands ofetc.


Some quantifiers can be used only with uncount nouns:

a little(not) mucha bit of

And, particularly with abstract nouns such as time, money, trouble, etc:, we often use:

a great deal ofa good deal of

Members of groups

You can put a noun after a quantifier when you are talking about members of a group in general…
Few snakes are dangerous.
Both brothers work with their father.
I never have enough money.
…but if you are talking about a specific group of people or things, use of the … as well
Few of the snakes are dangerous.
All of the children live at home.
He has spent all of his money.
Note that, if we are talking about two people or things we use the quantifiers both, either and neither:

One supermarketTwo supermarkets*More than two supermarkets
The supermarket was closed
The supermarket wasn't open
I don’t think the supermarket was open.
Both the supermarkets were closed.
Neither of the supermarkets was open.
I don’t think either of the supermarkets was open.
All the supermarkets were closed
None of the supermarkets were open
I don't think any of the supermarkets were open

*Nouns with either and neither have a singular verb.


Singular quantifiers:

We use every or each with a singular noun to mean all:

There was a party in every street. =There were parties in all the streets.
Every shop was decorated with flowers. =All the shops were decorated with flowers.
Each child was given a prize. =All the children were given a prize.
There was a prize in each competition. =There were prizes in all the competitions.

We often use every to talk about times like days, weeks and years:
When we were children we had holidays at our grandmother’s every year.
When we stayed at my grandmother’s house we went to the beach every day.
We visit our daughter every Christmas.
BUT: We do not use a determiner with every and each. We do not say:
The every shop was decorated with flowers.
The each child was given a prize.
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Grammar - definite article: the

9:38 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

definite article: the

The definite article the is the most frequent word in English.
We use the definite article in front of a noun when we believe the hearer/reader knows exactly what we are referring to.
• because there is only one:
The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
The Shah of Iran was deposed in 1979.
This is why we use the definite article with a superlative adjective:
He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.
• because there is only one in that place or in those surroundings:
We live in a small village next to the church. = (the church in our village)
Dad, can I borrow the car?=(the car that belongs to our family)
When we stayed at my grandmother’s house we went to the beach every day. = (the beach near my grandmother’s house)
Look at the boy in the blue shirt over there. =(the boy I am pointing at)

• because we have already mentioned it:
A woman who fell 10 metres from High Peak was lifted to safety by a helicopter. The woman fell while climbing.
The rescue is the latest in a series of incidents on High Peak. In January last year two men walking on the peakwere killed in a fall. 
We also use the definite article:
• to say something about all the things referred to by a noun:
The wolf is not really a dangerous animal (= Wolves are not really dangerous animals)
The kangaroo is found only in Australia (= Kangaroos are found only in Australia)
The heart pumps blood around the body. (= Hearts pump blood around bodies)
We use the definite article in this way to talk about musical instruments:
Joe plays the piano really well.(= George can play any piano)
She is learning the guitar.(= She is learning to play any guitar)
• to refer to a system or service:
How long does it take on the train.
I heard it on the radio.
You should tell the police.
• With adjectives like rich, poor, elderly, unemployed to talk about groups of people:
Life can be very hard for the poor.
I think the rich should pay more taxes.
She works for a group to help the disabled.

The definite article with names:

We do not normally use the definite article with names:
William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Paris is the capital of France.
Iran is in Asia.
But we do use the definite article with:
• countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic:
the United Kingdom; the kingdom of Nepal; the United States; the People’s Republic of China.
• countries which have plural nouns as their names:
the Netherlands; the Philippines
• geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals:
the Himalayas; the Canaries; the Atlantic; the Atlantic Ocean; the Amazon; the Panama Canal.
• newspapers:
The Times; The Washington Post
• well known buildings or works of art:
the Empire State Building; the Taj Mahal; the Mona Lisa; the Sunflowers
• organisations:
the United Nations; the Seamen’s Union
• hotels, pubs and restaurants*:
the Ritz; the Ritz Hotel; the King’s Head; the Déjà Vu
*Note: We do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the owner, e.g.,Brown’s; Brown’s Hotel; Morel’s; Morel’s Restaurant, etc.
• families:
the Obamas; the Jacksons
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Gramar - indefinite article: a and an

9:37 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

indefinite article: a and an

 
1. We use the indefinite article, a/an, with count nouns when the hearer/reader does not know exactly which one we are referring to:
Police are searching for a 14 year-old girl.
2. We also use it to show the person or thing is one of a group:
She is a pupil at London Road School.
Police have been searching for a 14 year-old girl who has been missing since Friday.

Jenny Brown, a pupil at London Road School, is described as 1.6 metres tall with short blonde hair.

She was last seen wearing a blue jacket, a blue and white blouse and dark blue jeans and blue shoes.

Anyone who has information should contact the local police on 0800349781.

3. We do not use an indefinite article with plural nouns and uncount nouns:
She was wearing blue shoes. (= plural noun)
She has short blonde hair. (= uncount noun)
Police have been searching for a 14 year-old girl who has been missing since Friday.

Jenny Brown, a pupil at London Road School, is described as 1.6 metres tall with short blonde hair.

She was last seen wearing a blue jacket, a blue and white blouse and dark blue jeans and blue shoes.

Anyone who has information should contact the local police on 0800349781.


4. We use a/an to say what someone is or what job they do:
My brother is a doctor.
George is a student.
5. We use a/an with a singular noun to say something about all things of that kind:
A man needs friends. (= All men need friends)
A dog likes to eat meat. (= All dogs like to eat meat)
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Grammar - interrogative determiners: which and what

2:28 AM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

interrogative determiners: which and what

 
We use "which" as a determiner to ask a question about a specific group of people or things:
Which restaurant did you go to?
Which countries in South America have you visited?
When we are asking a general question we use "what" as a determiner:
What films do you like?
What university did you go to?
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Grammar - Determiners and quantifiers

2:26 AM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

Determiners and quantifiers

 

General and specific determiners

Determiners are words which come at the beginning of the noun phrase.
They tell us whether the noun phrase is specific or general.
Determiners are either specific or general

Specific determiners:

The specific determiners are:
  • the definite article: the
  • possessives: my, your, his, her, its; our, their, whose
  • demonstratives: this, that, these, those
  • interrogatives: which
We use a specific determiner when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to:
Can you pass me the salt please?
Look at those lovely flowers.
Thank you very much for your letter.
Whose coat is this?

General determiners:

The general determiners are:
  • a; an; any; another; other; what
When we are talking about things in general and the listener/reader does not know exactly what we are referring to, we can use a uncount noun or a plural noun with no determiner:
Milk is very good for you. (= uncount noun)
Health and education are very important. (= 2 uncount nouns)
Girls normally do better in school than boys. (= plural nouns with no determiner)
… or you can use a singular noun with the indefinite article a or an:
A woman was lifted to safety by a helicopter.
A man climbing nearby saw the accident.
We use the general determiner any with a singular noun or an uncount noun when we are talking about all of those people or things:
It’s very easy. Any child can do it. (= All children can do it)
With a full licence you are allowed to drive any car.
I like beef, lamb, pork - any meat.
We use the general determiner another to talk about an additional person or thing:
Would you like another glass of wine?
The plural form of another is other:
I spoke to John, Helen and a few other friends.

Quantifiers

We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something: how much or how many.
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Grammar - Pronouns - relative pronouns

7:13 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

relative pronouns

 
The relative pronouns are:
SubjectObjectPossessive
whowho(m)whose
whichwhichwhose
thatthat 

We use who and whom for people, and which for things.
Or we can use that for people or things.
We use relative pronouns:
• after a noun, to make it clear which person or thing we are talking about:
the house that Jack built
the woman who discovered radium
an eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop
• in relative clauses to tell us more about a person or thing:
My mother, who was born overseas, has always been a great traveller.
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which is my favourite meal.
But we do not use that as a subject in relative clauses.
We use whose as the possessive form of who:
This is George, whose brother went to school with me.
We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition:
This is George, whom you met at our house last year.
This is George’s brother, with whom I went to school.
But nowadays we normally use who:
This is George, who you met at our house last year.
This is George’s brother, who I went to school with.
When whom or which have a preposition the preposition can come at the beginning of the clause...
I had an uncle in Germany, from who[m] I inherited a bit of money.
We bought a chainsaw, with which we cut up all the wood.
… or at the end of the clause:
I had an uncle in Germany who[m] I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw, which we cut all the wood up with.
We can use that at the beginning of the clause:
I had an uncle in Germany, that I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw, that we cut all the wood up with.
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Grammar - Pronouns - indefinite pronouns

7:09 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

indefinite pronouns

 
The indefinite pronouns are:
somebodysomeonesomething
anybodyanyoneanything
nobodyno onenothing
everybodyeveryoneeverything
We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are. We use pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and pronouns ending in -thing for things:
Everybody enjoyed the concert.
I opened the door but there was no one at home.
It was a very clear day. We could see everything.
We use a singular verb after an indefinite pronoun:
Everybody loves Sally.
Everything was ready for the party.
When we refer back to an indefinite pronoun we normally use a plural pronoun:
Everybody enjoyed the concert. They stood up and clapped.
I will tell somebody that dinner is ready. They have been waiting a long time.
We can add -'s to an indefinite pronoun to make a possessive.
They were staying in somebody’s house.
Is this anybody’s coat?
We use indefinite pronouns with no- as the subject in negative clauses (not pronouns with any.)
Anybody didn’t come >> Nobody came.
We do not use another negative in a clause with nobody, no one or nothing:
Nobody came.
Nothing happened.
We use else after indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things in addition to the ones we already mentioned.
All the family came, but no one else.
If Michael can’t come we’ll ask somebody else.
So that's eggs, peas and chips. Do you want anything else?
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Grammar - Pronouns - reciprocal pronouns: each other and one another

7:04 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

reciprocal pronouns: each other and one another

 
We use the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another when two or more people do the same thing. Traditionally, each other refers to two people and one another refers to more than two people, but this distinction is disappearing in modern English.
  • Peter and Mary helped one another.
    = Peter helped Mary and Mary helped Peter.
  • We sent each other Christmas cards.
    = We sent them a Christmas card and they sent us a Christmas card.
  • They didn’t look at one another.
    = He didn't look at her and she didn't look at him.
We also use the possessive forms each other’s and one another’s:
They helped to look after each other’s children.
We often stayed in one another’s houses.
NOTE: We do not use reciprocal pronouns as the subject of a clause.
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Grammar - Pronouns - reflexive pronouns

7:03 PM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

reflexive pronouns

 
The reflexive pronouns are:
Singular:myself - yourself - himself - herself - itself
Plural:ourselves - yourselves - themselves


When we use a reflexive pronoun

We use a reflexive pronoun:
• as a direct object when the object is the same as the subject of the verb:
I am teaching myself to play the piano.
Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.
We can use a reflexive pronoun as direct object with most transitive verbs, but these are the most common:
amuseblamecutdryenjoyhelp
hurtintroducekillpreparesatisfyteach

Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as direct object:
  • Would you like to help yourself to another drink?
    = Would you like to take another drink.
  • I wish the children would behave themselves.
     = I wish the children would behave well.
  • He found himself lying by the side of the road.
    = He was surprised when he realised that he was at the side of the road.
  • I saw myself as a famous actor.
    = I imagined that I was a famous actor.
  • She applied herself to the job of mending the lights.
    = She worked very hard to mend the lights.
  • He busied himself in the kitchen.
     = He worked busily in the kitchen.
  • I had to content myself with a few Euros.
    = I had to be satisfied with a few Euros.
We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things people usually do for themselves, such as wash,shave, dress:
He washed [himself] in cold water.
He always shaved [himself] before going out in the evening.
Michael dressed [himself] and got ready for the party.
We only use reflexives with these verbs for emphasis:
He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.
She’s old enough to wash herself.
• as indirect object when the indirect object is the same as the subject of the verb:
Would you like to pour yourself a drink.
We’ve brought ourselves something to eat.
• as the object of a preposition when the object refers to the subject of the clause:
They had to cook for themselves.
He was feeling very sorry for himself.
Warning
But we use personal pronouns, not reflexives, after prepositions of place...
He had a suitcase beside him.
and after with when it means "accompanied by":
She had a few friends with her.
We use a reflexive with the preposition by...
• when we want to show that someone did something alone and/or without any help:
He lived by himself in an enormous house.
She walked home by herself.
The children got dressed by themselves.
I prepared the whole meal by myself.
• to emphasise the person or thing we are referring to:
Kendal itself is quite a small town.
especially if we are talking about someone very famous:
Sir Paul McCartney himself sang the final song.
We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the clause when we are using it for emphasis:
I baked the bread myself.
She mended the car herself
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Grammar - Pronouns - questions

7:32 AM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

questions

 

Which question word to use?

We use who to ask questions about people:
Who is that?
Who lives here?
Who did you see?
We use whose to ask about possession:
Whose coat is this? [or] Whose is this coat?
Whose book is that? [or] Whose is that book?
Whose bags are those? [or] Whose are those bags?
We use what to ask questions about things:
What is that?
What do you want?
We use which to ask someone to choose something:
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I’ve got two books. Which do you want?
We can also use what and which with nouns:
What subjects did you study at school?
What newspaper do you read?
Which newspaper do you read – the Times or the Guardian?
Which book do you want?
Which one is yours?

Questions with prepositions:

Questions ending in prepositions are very common in English. After Who, Which or What we often have a preposition at the end of the sentence:
Who does this book belong to?
What are you looking for?
Which university did you go to?
What country do you come from?
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Grammar - Pronouns - one and ones

7:28 AM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

one and ones

 
We use one (singular) and ones (plural) to avoid unnecessary repetition.
See those two girls? Helen is the tall one and Jane is the short one.
Which is your car, the red one or the blue one?
My trousers are torn. I need some new ones.
See those two girls. Helen is the one on the left.
Let’s look at the photographs. The ones you took in Paris.
We often use them after Which ... in questions:
You can borrow a book. Which one do you want?
There are lots of books here. Which ones are yours?
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Grammar - Pronouns - this, that, these and those

7:23 AM | Posted by Unknown | | Edit Post

this, that, these and those

 

Why do we use this and these?

We use this (singular) and these (plural) as pronouns:
- to talk about people or things near us:
This is a nice cup of tea.
Whose shoes are these?
- to introduce people:
This is Janet.
These are my friends, John and Michael.
WARNING:
We don’t say These are John and Michael.
We say This is John and this is Michael.
- to introduce ourselves to begin a conversation on the phone:
Hello, this is David, Can I speak to Sally?

Why do we use that and those?

We use that (singular) and those (plural):
- to talk about things that are not near us:
What’s that?
This is our house, and that’s Rebecca’s house over there.
Those are very expensive shoes.
- We also use that to refer back to something someone said or did:
  • - Shall we go to the cinema?
    - Yes, that’s a good idea.
  • - I’ve got a new job.
    - That’s great.
  • - I’m very tired.
    - Why is that?

this, these, that, those with nouns

We also use this, these, that and those with nouns to show proximity
We use this and these for people or things near us:
We have lived in this house for twenty years.
Have you read all of these books?
… and that and those for things that are not near us:
Who lives in that house?
Who are those people?
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