Lesson Three

LESSON THREE

In this Lesson, you will see more examples of the three cases of pronouns; and you will also learn about Reflexive Pronouns, Intensive  Pronouns, Indefinite Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns, and Interrogative Pronouns. Do not let the long terms worry you. Each will be explained very carefully, and you will have ample opportunities to learn about each type.  

Review: Let's review what you learned in Module 1 about Reflexive Pronouns, Intensive Pronouns, and Indefinite Pronouns.  

TELL ME MORE! Click the PLAY button to hear additional  information. 

Besides Personal Pronouns (nominative, objective, and possessive cases),  there are Reflexive Pronouns. (These are sometimes called Compound  Personal Pronouns.) These pronouns are formed by adding -self or -selves to  certain personal and possessive pronouns. Ex. Ching taught herself how to drive.  

A Reflexive Pronoun reflects back to the subject of the sentence, showing that the same person or thing is involved. Therefore, you must clearly state  the subject first before you try to relate back to it with a Reflexive Pronoun. Correct: Ching taught herself how to drive. Wrong: Herself learned how  to drive. (Remember that the purpose of Reflexive Pronouns is simply to add more information to the sentence.)  

Using the same Reflexive Pronoun Chart, you can form Intensive Pronouns.  These pronouns emphasize some other noun or pronoun in the same sentence. Ex. I myself will do the work. Ex. He himself will pay the bill.  

Please be sure to notice that there are no such words as hisself, theirself, or theirselves. 

Besides (1) Personal Pronouns (nominative, objective, and possessive case), (2) Reflexive Pronouns, and (3) Intensive Pronouns, there is another type called (4) Indefinite Pronouns. 

TELL ME MORE! Click the PLAY button to hear additional  information. 

HELPFUL HINT: words with body, one, thing are SINGULAR – Ex. somebody,  someone, something, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone,  everything, somebody, someone, something, nobody, no one, nothing. 

1. Indefinite pronouns are used to refer to persons, places, things, or ideas in  a very general manner -- more general than a noun would refer. Ex. John  needs food. (Specific person -- John) Ex. Someone needs food. (Someone  is an Indefinite Pronoun and is non-specific or general.)  

2. The tricky thing about Indefinite Pronouns is learning which ones are  singular, which are plural, and (unfortunately) which ones can be either  singular or plural depending upon usage in a sentence. You will need to  memorize the chart, but the Notice and the Helpful Hint statements underneath  the Indefinite Pronoun Chart should help you.  

3. Normally a prepositional phrase or other words standing between the  subject and the verb do not affect agreement. Some of the more common  prepositional phrases start with accompanied by, together with, including, as  well as, belonging to, continuing with, and along with.  

4. When matching the subject with the verb, the intervening prepositional  phrase should be ignored EXCEPT WITH THE FOLLOWING TROUBLESOME  INDEFINITE PRONOUNS: most, all, some, any, none, enough. These are  troublesome because they can either be singular or plural depending upon  the sentence. (Learning the memory device that takes the first letter of each  of the troublesome Indefinite Pronouns can help you to remember them:  Mary and Sam are nice elves.)  

5. With the six Indefinite Pronouns (most, all, some, any, none, enough), you need to look at the prepositional phrase object which lies between the subject  and the verb. If the object is singular, then choose a singular verb. If the  object is plural, then choose a plural verb.  

Ex. None of the boys are going to the store. (None is one of the troublesome Indefinite Pronouns which can be either singular or plural; look at the object  of the prepositional phrase -- boys. Since boys is plural, then choose the  plural verb are going.) 

Ex. None of the work is done. (None is one of the troublesome Indefinite Pronouns. Look at the object of the intervening prepositional phrase -- work. Since work is singular, then choose the singular verb is done.)

Ex. Everyone in the houses (is, are) sick. (Everyone is not a troublesome Indefinite Pronoun and is on the singular side of the Indefinite Pronoun  Chart. Choose the singular verb is.)  

Ex. Somebody (are, is) coming down the hall. (Somebody is singular; choose singular verb is.) 

Ex. Both of the girls (are, is) here. (Both is on the plural side of the Indefinite Pronoun Chart. Choose the plural verb are.)  

Usual. Ignore prepositional phrase between Subject and Verb -- Subject  (king of sentence ) determines Verb. 

Ex. Everyone in the house is sick. Look at the verb is. The subject of is is everyone. "In the house" is a prepositional phrase. In your mind, cross it  out. The sentence now reads, "Everyone is sick." Since the subject decides  whether the verb is to be singular or plural, the queen subject tells the king verb what to do. "Everyone is on the singular side of the Indefinite Pronoun  Chart; therefore, the verb must also be singular. Is is singular. The correct  way to say this sentence is "Everyone in the house is sick." 

Exceptions. Subject (most, all, some, any, none, enough) -- Look at O. P. 

Ex. None of the work is done. In your mind, label none as an exception.  Since none is on the exception list, none can be either singular or plural.  The words on the exception list require you to consider the object of the  preposition (O. P.) In this sentence, the O. P. is work. Since work is  singular, none in this sentence is considered singular and calls for a singular  verb -- is done. The correct way to write this sentence is "None of the work is done.” Picture an arrow going from the word work over to is done. 

Ex. None of the boys are going to the store. (None is on the exception list for Indefinite Pronouns. None can be either singular or plural which requires you  to look at the O. P. which lies between the subject and the verb. The O. P. in  this sentence is boys. Since boys is plural, then none in this sentence is considered plural and takes a plural verb -- are going.) 

6. When referring to a singular indefinite pronoun (antecedent), you must use  a singular pronoun. 

Ex. Each of the girls brought her sleeping bag. (In this sentence each is  singular, and the content of the sentence indicates that the antecedent is  feminine; therefore, the singular her is correct) 

Ex. All of the girls brought their sleeping bags. (All is a troublesome Indefinite Pronoun and can be either singular or plural. The antecedent of  their is all. By looking at the object of the preposition -- girls -- you can  see that all is plural. Their matches all; both are plural. )  

7. Use a plural verb with both and many and use a plural pronoun to refer  back to both and many which are plural antecedents. Ex. Both the girls  brought their sleeping bags. (Both is the antecedent of their -- plural.)