E. Pronouns
Personal, Interrogative, Relative
:
s
n
u
o
Pron
Personal Pronouns
The set of personal pronouns is a closed and small set.
Singular
subject
object
Prenominal
Possessive
Substitutional
Possessive
1st
I
me
my
mine
2nd
you
you
your
yours
he
him
his
his
F
she
her
her
hers
N
it
it
its
its
3rd M
Plural
subject
object
Prenominal
Possessive
Substitutional
Possessive
1st
we
us
our
ours
2nd
you
you
your
yours
3rd
they
them
their
theirs
Inter. Relative
who
whom
whose
whose
Let us look at them through the framework terms:
1. Number. Singular = one
Plural = more than one
We = I and someone lese
The singular and plural have the same you form 2. Function terms.
Functions: the grammatical role of particular words in a sentence.
In case of pronouns in English, these functions are signaled by the
form of the pronouns.
They are coming.
*Them are coming. a. The pronouns in the subject column are those used in the
functions of subject of the verb. It is also used for a subjective
complement (that which follows be or a verb like become and
identifies the subject).
They are going to the ballet.
It was she who missed the test. b. The pronouns in the object column are those that function
mainly as objects of the verb and of the preposition. We saw her in the car.
Object direct object
It undergoes the action of the verb
I gave her the letter.
indirect object
The person or thing to or from
whom an action is performed.
A package came from him. c. The prenominal possessives occur before nouns. With my brains and your industry we could make a fortune. d. The substitutional possessives occur as substitutes for nouns
(noun phrases). The form its is rarely used.
That lawn mower is ours. (= our lawn mower)
Yours (your term paper) was the best. 3. Person.
1st singular = speaker
1st plural = speaker and
anybody else
2nd = person(s) spoken to
3rd = others than 1st and 2nd 4. Gender. Only the pronouns he, she, and it rows refer to gender. Interrogative Pronouns
The subject form who in questions is used in cultivated speech,
regardless of its function.
Who borrowed my tie? (subject of verb)
Who did you take to the theater? (object of verb)
Who are you referring to?
(object of preposition) Whom is used directly after prepositions.
To whom?
With whom did you go?
Whose book is this?
Whose is this book?
(prenominal possessive)
(substitutional possessive)
Relative Pronouns
Who = subject form Whom = object of the verb and object of the preposition
The relative clauses they introduced are embedded sentences in which who
and whom have their own function:
Tom is the boy who came = Tom is the boy. The boy came. (subject of verb)
Tom is the boy whom I saw = Tome is the boy. I saw the boy. (object of verb)
The woman who bought it is wealthy = The woman is wealthy. The woman
bought it. (subject of verb)
The woman whom I admired bought the business = The woman bought the
business. I admired the woman. (object of verb)
The woman whom I voted for won = The woman won. I voted for the woman.
(object of preposition) Whose is a possessive and interrogative relative. It has both human
and nonhuman reference.
The teacher whose book I borrowed had an extra copy.
We had a beautiful maple whose leaves turned scarlet in September. Which has nonhuman reference and in its uses it parallels those of
who and whom.
The tree which fell was a large one. (subject of verb)
The tree which I prefer is an oak. (object of verb)
The tree which we we sat under was an oak. (object of preposition)
The tree under which we sat was an oak tree. (object of preposition)
That has both human and nonhuman reference. Its uses parallel
those of which, but it doesn't’directly follow a preposition. The flavor that pleases me most is chocolate. (subject of verb)
The teacher that I like best is Mrs. Lopez. (object of verb)
The author that I am writing about is Camus. (object of preposition)
*The author about that I am writing is Camus. When a relative pronoun functions as an object of the verb or object
of the preposition, it may be omitted.
The pet [which, that] he wanted to buy was a French poodle.
The carpenter [whom] he hired was Mr. Cutter.
The doctor [whom] I am waiting for is Dr. Harris.