Main points
+You use personal pronouns to refer back to something or someone that has already been mentioned.
+You also use personal pronouns to refer to people and things directly.
+There are two sets of personal pronouns: subject pronouns and object pronouns.
+You can use ‘you’ and ‘they’ to refer to people in general.
a) When something or someone has already been mentioned, you refer to them again by using a pronoun.
- John took the book and opened it.
- He rang Mary and invited her to dinner.
- ‘Have you been to London?’ – ‘Yes, it was very crowded’.
- My father is fat – he weighs over fifteen stone.
In English, ‘he’, and ‘she’ normally refer to people, occasionally to animals, but very rarely to things.
b) You use a pronoun to refer directly to people or things that are present or are involved in the situation you are in.
- Where shall we meet, Sally?
- I do the washing; he does the cooking; we share the washing-up.
- Send us a card so we’ll know where you are.
c) There are two sets of personal pronouns, subject pronouns and object pronouns. You use subject pronouns as the subject of a verb.
I He It They You She We
Note that ‘you’ is used for the singular and plural form
- We are going there later.
- I don’t know what to do.
d) You use object pronouns as the direct or indirect object of a verb.
Me Him It Them You Her Us
Note that ‘you’ is used for the singular and plural form.
- The nurse washed me with cold water.
- The ball hit her in the face.
- John showed him the book.
- Can you give me some more cake?
Note that, in modern English, you use object pronouns rather than subject pronouns after the verb ‘be’.
- ‘Who is it?’ – ‘It’s me’.
- There was only John, Alex, and me in the room.
You also use object pronouns as the object of a preposition.
- We were all sitting in a cafe with him.
- Did you give it to them?
e) You can use ‘you’ and ‘they’ to talk about people in general.
- You have to drive on the other side of the road on the continent.
- They say she’s very clever.
f) You can use ‘it’ as an impersonal subject in general statements which refers to the time, the date, or the weather.
- ‘What time is it?’ ‘It’s half past three’.
- It is January 18th.
- It is rainy and cold.
You can also use ’it’ as the subject or object in general statements about the situation.
- It is too far to walk.
- I like it here. Can we stay a bit longer?
g) A singular pronoun usually refers back to a singular noun group, and a plural pronoun to a plural noun group. However, you can use plural pronouns to refer back to:
*indefinite pronouns, even though they are always followed by a singular verb.
- If anybody comes, tell them I’m not in.
*collective nouns, even when you have used a singular verb.
- His family was waiting in the next room, but they had not yet been informed.
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Top Tips Abz Ingles: Part A - Part B
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See also:
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