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UNIT 5
PRONOUNS

SUBJECT PRONOUNS

I you they we Subject pronouns are used in the subject

he she it you position of a sentence, as in (a) and (b).

(a) I am going to the book store next week.
(b) We have studied for two hours.
(c) It was he who took my book yesterday.
(d) We students are going to have the final
exam tomorrow.
(e) She achieved higher score in the midterm
test than I a couple of days ago.
Subject pronouns are also used after the verb
be, as in (c).
Subject pronouns we and you can be followed
directly by a noun. In (d), we students makes it
clearer who we refer to.
Subject pronouns are also used after than, as,
and that, as in (e).

COMPLEMENT PRONOUNS

me you them us Complement pronouns in complement or

him her it you object position, whether they complement a
verb or a preposition.
NOTE: You and it are the same for subject or
(a) They lent her some novels last night.
complement position. The others are different.
(b) The teacher gave him a failing grade last In (a) and (b), the pronouns are the
semester. complement of verbs, while in examples (c) and
(c) To me, what she does is ridiculous. (d), the pronouns are the complement or object
(d) Alex is jogging with me now. of prepositions.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

my your their our Possessive adjectives are NOT the same as

his her its your possessive pronouns. These simply modify,
(a) James is reading his book at present. rather than substitute, nouns. Possessive
(b) I broke my arm. pronouns replace nouns. Possessive forms
show ownership.
(c) She has finished her homework.
The pronouns can also be used before present
(d) My parents did not approve of my going participle, as in (d).
to Bali last week.

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POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

mine yours his hers Possessive pronouns cannot precede a noun.

ours its theirs yours They replace the noun. The noun is
understood from the context and is not
(a) Your tutor is the same as his tutor. Yours is repeated.
the same as his.
(b) I forgot my dictionary. I forgot mine.
(c) The red book is yours and the blue one is
mine.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

myself yourself himself ourselves Reflexive pronouns usually come after the verb
herself itself themselves and show that the subject is both giving and
yourselves receiving the action, as in (a), (b) and (c).

(a) He sent the letter to himself. These pronouns can also be used for emphasis,
(b) They were criticizing themselves. as in (d), (e), and (f). It means that the subject
(c) I served myself in the restaurant. did the action alone. In this case, it normally
(d) We ourselves think that the paper is follows the subject.
good.
(e) You yourself must do your work.
(f) They prepared the meal themselves.

Exercise
A. State whether the sentences below are correct or incorrect.
1. a. When he comes back from vacation, Bob and me plan to look for another apartment.
b. When he comes back from vacation, Bob and I plan to look for another apartment.

2. a. The bus leaves Ted and she at the corner.

b. The bus leaves Ted and her at the corner.

B. Choose the Correct Answer.

1. The jaw structure of a snake permits it to eat and digest animals much larger than .
(A) it (C) itself
(B) its (D) it has

2. Sports medicine experts agree that ice should be applied immediately when an athlete
suffers an injury to leg.
(A) its (C) the
(B) an (D) his

3. One property of radioisotopes is that decaying occurs in half-lives over a long period
of time.
(A) they (C) they’re
(B) them (D) their

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4. Since the earth’s crust is much thicker under the continents, equipment would have to be
capable of drilling through 100,000 feet of rock to investigate the mantle .
(A) beneath them (C) beneath its
(B) beneath their (D) beneath they

5. There are ten children playing in the yard near my house, but your child is not .
(A) among them (C) among their
(B) among us (D) among theirs

6. The policemen ordered the suspect not to remove from the hood of the car.
(A) their hands (C) them hands
(B) his hands (D) him hands

7. Caves have preserved the bones of many animals that died in and were
subsequently buried under a blanket of clay or a cover of dripstone.
(A) they (C) their
(B) them (D) themselves

8. The company has so little money that hardly operates anymore.

(A) it (C) its
(B) their (D) they

9. The students were interested in taking a field trip to The National History Museum, but -
were not able to raise enough money.
(A) them (C) they
(B) their (D) theirs

10. His father does not approve of to the banquet without dressing formally.
(A) his going (C) he goes
(B) him to go (D) him going

C. Choose the letter of the underlined word that is not correct

1. According to the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no person should be

A B
compelled to be a witness against him own.
C D

2. According to the theory of natural selection, the man who was able to use the hands
A
and feet most freely to walk and grasp was the one who survived and evolved.
B C D

3. Although Barney Clark lived only a few months with that artificial heart, doctors were
A
able to learn a great deal from him having used it.
B C D

4. According to Amazon legends, men were forced to do all of the household tasks for
A B
the women warriors who governed and protected the cities for they.
C D

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5. After she had bought himself a new automobile, she sold her bicycle.
A B C D

6. Before my parents went home, them had bought me some food.

A B C D

7. Peter and Tom play tennis every morning with Mary and we.
A B C D

8. A mosquito’s wings move about one hundred times per second. Their wing movement
A B C
is the sound we hear when a mosquito is humming in our ears.
D

9. A baby learns the meanings of new words as they are spoken by others and later uses him in
A B C D
sentences.

10. Because Sam and Michelle had done all of the work theirselves, they were unwilling to give
A B C
the results to Joan.
D

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