English pronouns and their forms. How to learn pronouns in English easily

Any student who starts learning English from scratch on his own or with a teacher will learn how to answer the question “ What's your name?”(Russian. What is your name?).

Answering " My name is…“(Rus. My name is ...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(mine, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to build communication in English.

We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them at all?

We use possessive pronouns for everything, but do we really own our lives, sisters or husbands as much as we own our shoes? Do we own all this?

~ Samantha Harvey

They can cause some misunderstanding on the part of those who are just starting to learn English and have encountered Possessive pronouns for the first time.

In English grammar, two varieties of possessive pronouns peacefully coexist: Possessive adjectives(possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). Today we will talk about them in this article.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on key chains: I am yours (Russian I am yours), And you are mine (Russian And you are mine)

Let's first remember what a possessive pronoun is.

Possessive pronouns(mine, yours, ours, and others) indicate the sign of belonging to a certain person and answer the question whose? In Russian, they agree with the noun in number, gender, and case.

What about English possessive pronouns? There are two forms of possessive pronouns in English ( Possessive adjectives and Possessive pronouns), which differ in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.

Let us consider in more detail both forms of possessive pronouns in English.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns in English, resembling an adjective in their role in a sentence, and which are always used with a noun, are called Possessive adjectives(rus. possessive adjective).

Below is a table of the formation of possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 2)

When we want to indicate ownership, we cannot use !

Sentence He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and wrong in both English and Russian. He is a personal pronoun. Replace it with a suitable possessive adjective his and get a grammatically and logically correct sentence: His name was Car l (Russian. His name was Karl)

Sometimes this form of possessive pronouns or Possessive adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used on its own, without a noun.

Remember!

Possessive pronouns-adjectives (Possessive Adjectives) in English they are used only in conjunction with a noun and always come before it.

Since dependent possessive pronouns resemble adjectives in their functionality, they also play the role of a definition in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive adjectives in English

English beginners often confuse possessive adjectives with contracted forms of the verb. to be:

your and you're (= you are)

its and it's (= it is)

Compare the use of possessive pronouns and the contracted form of the verb:

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in English that can be used in a sentence without a noun are called Possessive Pronouns(Russian possessive pronoun).

Possessive Pronouns also called absolute or independent form of possessive pronouns. In this form, nouns are never placed after possessive pronouns, since these pronouns are used instead of nouns.

Remember!

Absolute possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronounss) in English are used without a noun and perform the function of the subject, object or nominal part of the predicate in the sentence.

Below is a table of the formation of absolute possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 2)

English possessive pronouns in absolute form replace the possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) with a noun to avoid repetition of information, since everything is clear without it. For example:

This book is my book, not your book(Russian This book is my book, not your book)

This book is mine, not yours(Russian This book is mine, not yours)

As you noticed in both Russian and English second the sentence sounds more natural. Let's take a look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronoun its in absolute form is used extremely rarely, only in conjunction with the word own:

The cottage seems asleep yet, but it may have a life of its own(Russian. It seemed that the cottage was still sleeping, but perhaps it lived its own life).

My or Mine? Possessive pronoun or adjective?

The poster has an inscription a prime example use of possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form: “Because my body is mine (belongs to me!)”

As already mentioned, we use possessive adjectives and pronouns when we need to express ownership. Both forms are translated into Russian in the same way.

Possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) is always used with a following noun:

This is my pen(Russian This is my pen), where my is a possessive adjective, pen is a subsequent noun.

Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used on their own, without an accompanying word:

This pen is mine(Russian This pen is mine), where mine- a possessive pronoun, after which we DO NOT NEED a noun.

Comparative table of possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to focus on someone or something, it is better to use the absolute form.

Translation of English possessive pronouns

There is no difference in the meaning of possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and in their translation into Russian.

English possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form are translated into Russian in the same way, but there are a few things you need to know about.

Translation of the possessive pronoun your into English

There is no special possessive pronoun in English that corresponds to the Russian possessive pronoun ""own"".

Russian pronoun ""own" in English corresponding possessive pronouns.

Example sentences in English with the translation of the pronoun svoi

English possessive pronouns usually not translated into Russian when combined with nouns denoting parts of the body or items of clothing, but are always present before the noun.

In Russian, with similar nouns, possessive pronouns are usually not used. Compare English sentences with possessive sentences with translation:

Special cases of using possessive pronouns

Using the Of yours structure

Very often (especially in American English) you can hear the following construction: a friend/some friends of + mine, yours, etc:

I saw a friend of yours last night(eng. I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.

Here are some friends of mine(Russian. And here are my friends) = Here are my friends.

Offers I saw one of your friends last night and I saw a friend of yours last night translated will be the same "Last night I saw one of your friends." However, there is a slight semantic difference.

Let's look at phrases "my friend" and “a friend of mine”.

“My friend” is about a close friend. If you call a person "my friend" It means that you have a warm and trusting relationship with him. But, each of us has people with whom we simply a good relationship. These are just our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly what we need here the expression “a friend of mine”.

The indefinite article itself tells us that “one of” friends, someone indefinite:

This is my friend Jessica.("my friend" - before the name)

This is Jessica, a friend of mine.("a friend of mine" - after the name)

With a phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one amusing fact. In English culture, there is a concept urban myth(BrE) or urban legend(Ame). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event.

We call these stories "tales" or "fictions". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.

Most of these stories (or "tales") begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

When to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely

You have probably come across the phrase Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely at the end of a formal letter, for example:

Yours sincerely, Mary Wilkinson(Russian. Sincerely, Mary Wilkinson).

In business correspondence, these are irreplaceable phrases that need to be written at the end of the letter. Read more about the features of business English.

Examples of using the phrases “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely”

Using an English noun in the genitive case

Possessive nouns can be used as possessive pronouns to talk about belonging to someone in particular.

As a rule, the use of nouns in the possessive case does not affect the form of possessive pronouns, for example:

Whose cell phone is that? - It's John's.(Russian Whose phone is this? - John.)

Who do these computers belong to? - They"re our parents".(Russian. Who owns these computers? - Our parents.)

The relation of belonging or involvement of one object to another can also be indicated using the possessive case ( The Possessive case). which we will talk about in our next article.

Possessive pronouns in English: video

To finally consolidate the knowledge gained, we recommend that you watch a video about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

English Grammar Lessons - Possessive adjectives and Pronouns

Finally:

In this article, we tried to explain the use of possessive pronouns in English as simply as possible and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.

We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have questions about this topic and you will be able to use this grammar correctly in your speech and writing.

Stay on our site and you will discover a lot from the world of English grammar!

Exercises for possessive pronouns

And now we invite you to test your knowledge of possessive pronouns in English by completing the following test.

Choose the correct option (insert either a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun according to the meaning):

Jane has already eaten her lunch, but I"m saving hers/her/my/mine until later.

She has broken hers/her/his leg.

My mobile needs to be fixed, but mine/his/our/their is working.

You/Yours/Mine/My computer is a Mac, but you/your/yours/my is a PC.

We gave them ours/mine/our/yours telephone number, and they gave us their/theirs/ours/mine.

Mine/My/Yours/Your pencil is broken. Can I borrow you/yours/him/its?

Ours/Our/Your/My car is cheap, but you/your/yours/my is expensive.

You can "t have any chocolate! It" s all mine / my / our / yours!

In contact with

A pronoun, instead of a name, helps to replace a noun in speech to avoid annoying repetitions. In English, as in Russian, there are several types of pronouns. We will talk today about what these pronouns are, how they are expressed and how to learn them easily and quickly. How easy is it to learn English pronouns?

Getting to know the types of pronouns in English

The first type and the most important Personal Pronouns (personal). This type of pronoun is the most common in speech. Everyone, both beginners and people who have been practicing English for a long time, knows simple and short words:

I - I You - you / you
He - he She - she
It - it, it
We - we They - they

Pay attention to the suggestions:

• I'm busy now. - I'm busy now.
• They are going to take their sister with them. They are going to take their sister with them.
• We must learn English pronouns. We must learn English pronouns.

The same Personal Pronouns, but in the genitive and dative cases:

Me - me, me
You - you, you / you, you
Him - him, him
Her - her, her Its - him, him
Us - us, us
Them - them, them For example:

• Tell us that you are not guilty! Tell us you're not to blame!
• Allow them to pass, please. “Let them pass, please.”
• Take me with you. - Take me with you.

The next type of English pronouns is Possessive Pronouns (possessive):

My - mine (mine, mine)
Your - yours / yours
His - his
Her - her Its - his
Our - our
Their - their

• Give me my copy-book, please. Give me my notebook, please.
• Where is your coat? - Where is your coat?
• She is walking with her dog. — She walks with her (her) dog.

Reflexive Pronouns or reflexive pronouns, look like this:

Myself - I myself / myself (myself, myself, etc.)
Yourself - you yourself / yourself
Himself - he himself
Herself - she herself
Itself - it is itself
Ourselves - ourselves
Yourselves - you yourself
Themselves - they themselves

• It switches itself off. - It turns itself off.
• She does everything herself. She does everything herself.
• You should think about yourselves. “You should think about yourself.

And finally, the absolute form or Absolute Pronouns, which is used without nouns:

Mine - mine, mine, mine
yours - yours
His - his
Hers - her Its - his
Ours - our
Theirs - their For example:

• Do not touch this bag; it's mine! Don't touch this bag, it's mine!
• This is our classroom; where is yours? This is our class, where is yours?
• My flat is on the first floor, theirs is on the last floor. My apartment is on the first floor, and theirs is on the top.

We will not dwell on each type of English pronouns, because we examined them in detail in our past articles. We will just focus on how to learn them quickly and effectively.
Demonstrative pronouns in English

Learn English pronouns quickly and effectively!

So, you have decided to master the pronouns in English, remember them once and for all! A very correct decision, because not a single dialogue, not a single conversation can do without these words. We want to offer you several ways to quickly and firmly learn all these types of English pronouns. Moreover, this can be done without interrupting work, household chores or leisure.

To begin with, make yourself such a tablet, in which there will be all of the above types of "substitutes" for English nouns. For example, this one:

Make several copies of this tablet, each type of pronoun separately and all together. Fortunately, English pronouns are short words, and each type is consonant with the previous one, that is, they are similar in sound and even in spelling.

So you've made a table; now place the leaflets or funny colored stickers with the sign wherever possible: on the desktop, on the bookshelf, in the work bag, in the case along with mobile phone, in the kitchen near your favorite cup, near the cabinet with dishes. Let these pronouns be in front of your eyes until you “click” them like seeds.

Seeing English pronouns at every step before your eyes, just repeat them out loud several times. Also, substitute auxiliary words with which pronouns will be more firmly deposited in memory: my book, his cup etc. Make the task more difficult, add more auxiliary words: this is our house, that is their car etc.

Name objects around you with pronouns

“Run through” English pronouns with your eyes at every opportunity and free minute: on the way to work, from work or from school, at night before going to bed, etc. You yourself will not notice how your visual memory will serve you well, and you learn pronouns in just a few days.

Greetings, dear reader.

At the beginning of learning English, you can encounter so many things that are frightening and incomprehensible that it is not difficult to beat off all the desire to learn. But if you approach the issue correctly, you can achieve significant success. Today, so that the desire to learn does not run away, the lesson will be devoted to the topic from the very “basics”: “Pronouns of the English language”.

With experience, I came to the conclusion that any information needs to be sorted out. Therefore, I will give you everything in a table, with translation and even pronunciation.

Let's start, perhaps.

Personal pronouns

The first thing you should get acquainted with when learning a language is personal pronouns. This is what we use in speech every day. I, we, you, he, she, them, us, you... - all this forms the basis of any proposal. At the initial stage, 50% of your offers will begin with them. The rest will, of course, be nouns. You can see them clearly in the table below.

Possessive pronouns

« What's mine is mine! ”- or a story about how to understand what kind of word such “possessive” pronouns are. Mine, hers, his, theirs, ours - that's what is hidden behind this word. By the way, another 20% of your words will begin with these words: my mother- my mom,her dog- her dog.

By the way, if you thought that everything would end so easily, then you were cruelly mistaken, because we have not yet discussed absolute possessive pronouns.

You probably have a question, what is the difference. And the difference is that after these pronouns we do not use nouns. Let's look at an example:

It is my pen . - This is my pen.

The pen is mine. - This a pen my.

The ball is his. - This ball his.

And notice that in sentences with possessive pronouns, the logical stress shifts to them side! The importance of who owns the thing comes first here!

Demonstrative pronouns

Often in speech it is necessary to use demonstrative pronouns. That, those, these, this - all these forms of pronouns are very often used both in written and in oral speech. Let's take a closer look at how we can use them.

reflexive pronouns

What are reflexive pronouns, probably, not everyone has heard. Somewhere in 3rd grade shocked schoolchildren begin to clutch their heads in search of an explanation. It is understandable, because in Russian we rarely use them, in principle, and after all, we are just starting to learn English.

If you still have questions that I could not answer in this tutorial, ask them in the comments. I if your thirst for knowledge requires more - subscribe to my newsletter. Regular and professional help in language learning. For both children and adults, I have the most valuable and useful information from my experience.

See you!

P.S. Do not forget to complete the information received, and then you can take it by storm)).

Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Pronouns in English. English pronouns.

A pronoun is a part of speech that replaces a noun, adjective, adverb, and some other words in sentences. In English, as well as in Russian, there are several types of pronouns. It is this part of speech and its varieties that we will consider in this lesson.

There are 8 main types of pronouns in English and they all have different properties. So, for example, in the sentence "He is a student", the personal pronoun he replaces someone's name, and is the subject, and in the sentence "Can you give me that book, please?", the demonstrative pronoun that acts as an object in the sentence.

In English, there are the following types of pronouns:

Personal pronouns (Personal pronouns) - I, you, he, she, him, them, me, it, etc.
Possessive pronouns (Possessive pronouns) - my, his, her, mine, its, ours, etc.
Demonstrative pronouns (Demonstrative pronouns) - this, that, these, those.
Reflexive pronouns (reflexive pronouns) - myself, yourself, himself, themselves, etc.
Relative pronouns - who, which, where, that, etc.
Reciprocal pronouns (Reciprocal pronouns) - one another, each other.
Indefinite pronouns (Indefinite pronouns) - somebody, anything, nothing, etc.
Interrogative pronouns (Interrogative pronouns) - who, whom, why, when, etc.

I. The most important and frequently used pronouns are rightfully personal. These pronouns in sentences can take various forms and perform multiple functions. Personal pronouns, in turn, are divided into subjective and objective. Subject pronouns answer the question who? or what?, and object pronouns - to the questions of whom? what? to whom? what?

1. Subject pronouns:

I - I
you - you / you
he - he
she - she
it - he/she (inanimate)
we - we
they - they

2. Object pronouns:

me - me, me
you - you, you, you, you
him - to him, him
her - her, her
it - to him / her, his / her (inanimate)
us - us, us
them - them, them

Subject and object personal pronouns in sentences can replace nouns and additions. For example:
She is a high school student. - She is a high school student. (noun)
He loves her. - He loves her. (addition)

Personal pronouns are often found in English folk sayings. For example:

After us the deluge. - After us at least a flood.
As you sow, so shall you reap. - What goes around comes around.
Man can do no more than he can. - A man cannot do more than he can. / You can't jump above your head.
Before you make a friend eat a bushel of salt with him. - Before you make a friend, eat a pood of salt with him. / Do not recognize a friend in three days, recognize in three years.
We know not what is good until we have lost it. - We learn what is good when we lose it. / What we have, we do not keep, having lost, we cry.

II. The following pronouns, which are also often used in English sentences, are possessive, i.e. indicating belonging, and answering the question "whose?" :

my (mine) - mine
your (yours) - yours, yours
his (his) - his
her (hers) - her
its (its) - his/her (inanimate)
our (ours) - our
their (theirs) - their

The parentheses indicate a special kind of possessive pronouns. If the words my, your, their are commonly used with nouns, then mine, yours, theirs are used independently. For example:
It "s my pillow. (This is my pillow.) It" s mine. (She is mine.)
Is this your car? (This is your car?). -No, it "s his. (-No, this is his.)

Unlike Russians, English possessive pronouns do not change in numbers. For example:
These are my books. - These are my books.
His poetry is very interesting. - His poems are very interesting.

Possessive pronouns are also sometimes found in English sayings . For example:

Pleasure has a sting in its tail. - Pleasure has a sting in its tail.
All is fish that comes to his net. - All the fish that comes across to him in the net. / He benefits from everything.
Don "t count your chickens before they are hatched. - Don't count your chickens until they hatch. / They count chickens in the fall.

III. Another category of frequently used pronouns in English is called demonstrative or index. There are only 4 of them and they differ depending on the proximity or range of objects:

this is (close)
these - these (close)
that - that (far away)
those - those (far)

Demonstrative pronouns do not change by gender, but change in numbers and agree with the verb. For example:
This is a table. - It is a table.
These are tables. - These are tables.

In sentences, demonstrative pronouns can be used noun, adjective, or object. For example:
This is my mother. - This is my mom. (noun)
That girl is too rude. - That girl is too rude. (adjective)
I "d like to buy these oranges. - I would like to buy these oranges. (Supplement)

Demonstrative pronouns also occur in some proverbs:

That "s a horse of another color - Here is that horse of a different color. / This is a completely different matter.
That cock won "t fight. - This rooster will not fight. / This number will not work.

IV. reflexive pronouns , or as they are popularly called "mirror" - another category of English pronouns. They are formed by adding the singular suffix "-self" denoting "on my own, on my own", to possessive pronouns; or the suffix "selves" to plural pronouns:

myself - myself
yourself - you yourself
himself - he himself
herself - she herself
itself - he / she himself / herself (inanimate)
ourselves - we ourselves
yourselves - you yourself
themselves - they themselves

Only in reflexive pronouns can one see the difference between the singular and plural of the second person, i.e. between "you" and "you": yourself - yourselves.

In sentences, reflexive pronouns perform the function of additions, and are used after transitive verbs(semantic verbs related not only to the activity, but also to the recipient). For example:

Be careful! Don "t injure yourself! - Be careful! Do not get hurt!
She bought herself a new skirt. She bought herself a new skirt.
They can "t do it themselves. - They cannot do it themselves.

There are a number of stable phrases with reflexive pronouns. Here is some of them:
Help yourself! - Help yourself!
enjoy yourself! - Enjoy the atmosphere!
Behave yourself! - Behave yourself!

There are some verbs after which do not use reflexive pronouns. It: wash (wash), dress (dress), shave (shave), relax (relax) and some others. For example:
She dressed up and went to work. She got dressed and went to work.
Tom washed and then shaved. Tom washed and then shaved.

In these sentences, you do not need to add the pronouns "herself" or "himself", because it is already clear that the action is performed independently.

Some reflexive pronouns occur in English folklore:

Give a fool grief enough, and he will hang himself. - Give a fool a rope, and he will hang himself. / Ask a fool to pray to God, he will hurt his forehead.
Don "t keep a dog and bark yourself. - Do not hold the dog, and then bark yourself. / Do not work for your subordinate. / For that, the dog is fed that she barks.
Respect yourself, or no one else will respect you. - Respect yourself, otherwise no one else will respect you. / Whoever does not respect himself, others will not respect him either.

V. Pronouns under the name relative outwardly very similar to question words, but have a different meaning. They are used to define the preceding noun. Although relative pronouns do not change for gender or number, they depend on the object being defined. So, for example, if we want define a person, then use the pronoun "who" . Here's more full list relative pronouns and examples of use:

who - who, who (person)
which / that - what, which (inanimate object, thing)
where - where, in which (place)
when - when, in which (time)
whose - whose, which (belonging)

He is the man who saved me. - He is the man who saved me.
This is the pen which (that) I found. - This is the pen I found.
This is the place where I was born. - This is the place where (in which) I was born.
This is the month when they go on holiday. - This is the month when (in which) they go on vacation.
She is the woman whose son is a burglar. She is the woman whose son is a thief.

And now let's see how varied relative pronouns are used in proverbs:

He who likes borrowing dislikes paying. - He who loves to borrow does not like to pay back. / When borrowing - a friend, when giving back - an enemy.
He knows who knows how to hold his tongue. - He knows a lot who knows how to keep his tongue. / A smart man does not throw words into the wind.
He who hesitates is lost. - Who hesitates. he dies. Procrastination is like death.
That "s where the shoe pinches! - That's where the shoe pinches! / That's where the dog is buried.
He who would search for pearls must dive below. - He who is looking for pearls must dive deep. / Who wants to eat fish, he must climb into the water.
That which one least anticipates soonest comes to pass. Whatever you least expect happens to happen.

VI. The smallest group of pronouns in English is mutual pronouns. There are only 2 of them and they can be interchanged:

each other - each other (refers to two persons)
one another - one to another (may imply more people)

In sentences, these pronouns are placed in the middle or at the end, and, as a rule, act as an object. For example:

They have known each other for many years. - They have known each other for many years.
They love each other. - They love each other.
The staff always help one another. - Staff always help each other (one another).
The students spoke to one another in a quiet voice. - The students spoke to each other (one to another) in a low voice.

Reciprocal pronouns often occur in various stories, quotes, proverbs and other phrases. Thus, Joseph Addison once said:

Health and cheerfulness mutually beget each other. - Health and cheerfulness go hand in hand.

And another English saying goes:

Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other. - Families with children and families without children sympathize with each other.

VII. One of the largest groups of English pronouns is indefinite pronouns. In sentences, they can serve substitution of adjectives, and substitution of nouns. For example:

They have some problems. - They have some problems. (adjective replacement)
Are there any books there? -There are some on that shelf. - Are there any books there? - There are a few on that shelf. (noun replacement)

Indefinite pronouns are conditionally divided into pronouns that begin with the words "some" (a little, a few), "any" (a little, a few, any) and "no" (not at all, no).

1. Indefinite pronouns with the word "some":

some - a little, a few
someone / someone - someone / someone
something - something
somewhere - somewhere
somehow - somehow / somehow
some time / some day - sometime / someday

Note that the words "somebody" and "someone" are the same. All indefinite pronouns beginning with the word "some" are used in ordinary affirmative proposals, as well as in questions-requests and questions-suggestions. For example:

(+) * There is someone in the house. - There is someone in the house.
(+) There are some guests in the hotel.
(?) Can you give me some water, please? - Could you give me some water? (question-request)
(?) Would you like some cookies? - Would you like some cookies? (question-suggestion)

2. Indefinite pronouns with the word "any":

any - no, a little, a few, any
anyone/anybody - someone/someone, anyone
anything - something / anything, anything
anywhere - somewhere / anywhere, anywhere / anywhere
anyhow - somehow / somehow, somehow
any day/any time - anytime

These pronouns are used either in negative and interrogative sentences, or in affirmative with the meaning "any, any". For example:

(-) There isn't any sugar in my coffee. - There is no sugar in my coffee.
(?) Is there anything interesting on TV? - Is there anything interesting on TV?
(+) I like any kind of fish. - I like any kind of fish.

3. Indefinite pronouns with the word "no":

no - no, not at all
noone/nobody - no one
nothing - nothing
nowhere - nowhere

Unlike the Russian language, in English sentences there can only be one negative word. For example:

There is noone in the room.=There isn't anyone in the room. (There is no one in the room.)
There are no pictures on the wall.=There aren't any pictures on the wall.

In many English sayings indefinite pronouns are used:

By doing nothing we learn to do ill. - By doing nothing, we learn to do evil. / Idleness is the mother of all vices.
There is no rose without a thorn. - There is no rose without thorns.
To know everything is to know nothing. To know everything is to know nothing.
To put a spoke in somebody "s wheel. - Insert a spoke into someone's wheel. / Insert sticks into the wheels.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. - Nothing is impossible for a loving heart.

VIII. The final group of pronouns is interrogative pronouns. They are superficially very similar to relative ones, but they perform different functions in English sentences. These pronouns are also known as "question words":

who? - who?
whom? - whom? to whom?
which? - which the?
what? - what?
where? - where?
when? - when?
whose? - whose?
why? - why?

Interrogative pronouns most often appear in a sentence as subject, adjective, or as an addition with a preposition at the end. For example:

Who is your brother? - Who is your brother? (subject)
Which seat is yours? - What is your place? (adjective)
What is the book about? - What is this book about? (addition)

Sometimes interrogative pronouns serve nominal part of the predicate, as, for example, in famous proverb:
Tell me who your friends are and I "ll tell you who you are. - Tell me who your friend is, and I'll tell you who you are. (literal translation). / Tell me who your friend is, and I'll tell you who you are. ( literary translation).

Thus, in this lesson we got acquainted with pronouns in English, its varieties and functions in sentences. We also learned useful proverbs and sayings. In the following lessons, personal, possessive, and demonstrative pronouns will be described in a little more detail.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a part of speech that replaces or describes other parts of speech. There are a huge number of pronouns in the English language. They can be divided into the following groups:

Now consider each group of pronouns:

1. Personal pronouns. These are the most common group of pronouns and appear in almost every sentence in English, so try to learn them so they come to mind. Personal pronouns are divided into two cases: nominative and objective.

pronoun in nominative case replaces the subject in the sentence, and in the objective case - the object. Let's look at the personal pronouns in the table:

Where l. - face; units h - singular; pl. h - plural.

Personal pronouns in English have a number of features:

• Personal pronoun I always starts with a capital letter, regardless of the place in the sentence:
May I come in?- May I come in?


Personal pronoun you used in singular and plural. While the verb to be is always used with it in the plural, even if you stands in the sentence in the singular:


You are beautiful.- You're beautiful.


If there are several personal pronouns in the sentence, then their order is as follows - 2 liters. and 3 l. are placed before 1 l., 2 l. placed in front of 3 l. in any cases (remember that pronouns always replace other parts of speech, so if there is a noun instead of a pronoun, then the word order is determined by the same rule):


You and your brother should do the homework. You and your brother have to do your homework.
He asked father and me.- He asked his father and me.


The objective case of personal pronouns can be in the genitive (whom?, what?), dative (whom?, what?), instrumental (whom?, what?) and prepositional (about whom, about what) cases, examples:


I did it for her.- I made it for her. (for whom?)
She gave me an apple. She gave me an apple. (to whom?)
It was bought by us.- It was bought by us. (by whom?)
The bird cared about them.- The bird took care of them. (about whom?)


A feature of the English language is that the division by gender in speech is expressed only with people. In other cases, the personal pronoun is used It. It is put in place of inanimate objects, animals or children. This greatly simplifies the process of learning the language, since we do not need to learn what kind of this or that noun to replace it with the corresponding pronoun, as we do in Russian. However, if we want to emphasize the gender of some phenomenon, animal, it is allowed to use pronouns he and she. Also pronoun It may be as a formal subject (when there is no subject in the Russian version of the translation - see general information about the offer), examples:


I took a pen. It is black- I took the pen. She is black.
It is hot now.- It's hot now.

Possessive pronouns. They denote the belonging of a noun to an object or subject. As a rule, they correspond to a personal pronoun in a sentence. There are basic and absolute forms.

Main form The possessive pronoun stands in the sentence together with the noun and characterizes its ownership.

Absolute form replaces a noun in a sentence, but it is implied that the noun was previously spoken of. This allows you to get rid of unnecessary repetition of the same word in the text.

Please note that the possessive pronoun in English is used much more often than in Russian. In English, when talking about body parts, clothing, personal belongings, then the possessive pronoun is necessarily put, although in Russian it is usually omitted:

Let's look at possessive pronouns:

Examples of the main form:

Absolute form examples:

Similarly, sentences are constructed with other possessive pronouns. And yet, if there is an adjective before the noun, then the possessive pronoun is placed before the adjective:

Possessive pronoun its often confused with the combination it "s - short form it is (I am). Its surface was damaged.- Its surface has been damaged.
It is its hair.- It's her hair.

You need to look at the place in the sentence and the adjacent words.

Also, reflexive pronouns act as determiners of nouns, so the use of articles with them is not allowed.

reflexive pronouns. They show that the subject directs the action to itself and is translated into Russian as an addition to the ending of the verb -sya (-s) or the pronoun itself, itself, itself .... Each reflexive pronoun corresponds to a personal pronoun. All of them are shown in the table:

However, when using reflexive pronouns, you need to remember a number of rules:

Instead of a personal pronoun, the corresponding noun can stand:


My dog ​​opened a door itself. My dog ​​opened the door on her own.


Reflexive pronouns are not used with verbs that themselves imply that the action is directed at themselves, or at each other. These include wash (wash), bath (take a shower), feel (feel), shave (shave), dress (dress), undress (undress), change (change clothes), relax (rest), hide (hide):


She felt bad (you can't say felt herself).- She felt bad.
They kissed on the street.- They kissed on the street.


Reflexive pronouns cannot be used with prepositions of place. Since the personal pronoun in the objective case can also be translated to itself, to itself, confusion can arise. In order not to get confused which pronoun to put (reflexive or personal pronoun in the objective case), use the rule: if in the Russian translation of the sentence you can put "himself", then the reflexive pronoun is used, otherwise the personal pronoun in the objective case is used:


She spent all the money herself. She spent all the money herself.
She put an ambrella in front of her.- She put the umbrella in front of her (you can’t tell in front of her).

Interrogative pronouns (words). Also a very common type of pronoun, which is used in interrogative sentences. Let's look at the main ones:

In general, English interrogative words correspond to Russian ones, but there are a number of features:

Interrogative pronoun who acts as a subject, and is used when questioning people.


Who runs with him? - Who is running with him?

Although the interrogative pronoun who has an objective case whom - whom, but more and more often it plays this role in the sentence itself:


Who (whom) did they invite to us? - Whom did they invite to us?

Pronoun which used in interrogative sentences when a choice is offered from a limited number of items:


Which lock of these three do you prefer? - Which of these three castles do you prefer?


But if we were talking about an unlimited number of locks of all types, the pronoun would be used what:

What lock do you prefer? - Which of these three castles do you prefer?

Relative pronouns. These pronouns are used in complex sentences and belong to subordinate clauses. Most of them also apply to interrogative pronouns. Unlike unions, they act in subordinate clause member of the sentence (usually the subject). Consider the main relative pronouns:

Who- who, who. It is used in sentences with animated objects - people: I saw the gardener who planted this tree. - I saw the gardener who planted this tree.


Whose- which (whose)

It means that an object belongs to some object:

We know a man whose spoon you took. We know the person whose spoon you took.


Which- which the. Applies to inanimate objects or animals:


Parents knocked the door which was closed. The parents knocked on the door, which was closed.


That[ðæt] - which

Replaces previous pronouns who and which, and can refer to both animate and inanimate objects:

This was the writer that can "t finish his last book.- It was a writer who couldn't finish his last book.
Mother bought the new knives that were very sharp. Mom bought new knives that were very sharp.

Demonstrative pronouns. Point to an object or person. Basic demonstrative pronouns:

Demonstrative pronouns denote remoteness not only in distance, but also in time. In a proposal, they can be as the following members of the proposal:

Subject:


This is my ball.- This is my ball.
Those were their friends.- These were their friends (Although this is translated, it means that the friends are in a different place).


Noun determiner:

These cars are very beautiful.- These cars are very beautiful.
I like that place.- I like that place.


Addition:

Remember this!- Remember it!
A doctor chose these. - The Doctor chose these.

Please note that if the noun is preceded by a demonstrative pronoun in the form of a determiner, then you do not need to use the article, since the pronoun itself acts as an article.

Two more pronouns can be classified as demonstrative pronouns:

For example:

quantitative pronouns.

The most famous of this group are the two quantitative pronouns, which can come before any noun in almost any situation: some

And any["eni]. Therefore, in case of difficulty in choosing a determiner for a noun, you can always use one of these pronouns. They indicate the quality or quantity of an object. Moreover, the pronoun some usually used in affirmative sentences, and the pronoun any in negative or interrogative sentences:
I have some questions.- I have a question (some question).
I don't have any questions.- I don't have any questions.
Do you have any questions?- Do you have any questions?
Some boy calls you.- Some guy is calling you (quality).

Often, when translated into Russian, they are omitted as articles:

There are a number of features with these pronouns:

In questions of requests, the pronoun is used some:


Will you give us some water?- Will you give us some water?


If the pronoun some stands before a numeral, then it translates about, approximately:


Some twenty time he went past her.- About twenty times he passed her.


Pronouns some and any before the preposition of is translated as some, any:


Some of them can go away. Some of them might leave.
Did you see any of us there?- Did you see any of us there?


Pronoun any translated in affirmative sentences - any:


You can arrive there by any car.- You can come there by any car.

The remaining quantitative pronouns have similar qualities, so let's summarize them in one table:

Often these pronouns are classified as adverbs, since they are translated into Russian by adverbs, and one cannot say that this will be a mistake (look at the formation of degrees of comparison of adverbs).

And there is another quantitative pronoun-determinant of nouns: several["sevrəl] - several

Indefinite and negative pronouns. This is the largest group of pronouns in the English language.

First look at the negative pronoun no

Which is involved in the formation of other negative pronouns. Stands before a noun and denotes the absence of something in a categorical form (that is, this issue is not discussed further):

For the formation of indefinite and negative pronouns are used some, any and no. It must be remembered that in English there cannot be a double negation, that is, if in Russian we can say: Nobody can help me in English, this sentence would contain only one negation: Nobody can help me or Anybody can't help me. Also derivatives formed from particles -one and -body, mean the same thing. For clarity, consider these pronouns in one table:



I cooked something for you. -
I have prepared something for you.
Did the professor ask you anything? -
Did the professor ask you anything?
Somebody will come here. -
Someone will come here.
I don't see anyone. -
I don't see anyone.
He is somewhere over there. -
He's out there somewhere.
Did we meet anywhere else? -
Have we met somewhere else?


Pronouns each- each

And every["evri] - although each has a similar meaning, they still differ in meaning:

Pronoun each selects an object from a group (therefore only applies to countable nouns):


Each forester could do it differently.- Each forester could do it differently (each of the foresters separately).

Pronoun every in the general integer value (all):


Every forester likes a forest.- Every forester loves the forest (all foresters).

Derivatives from every- (each):

everything["evriθiŋ] - everything

For better memorization, let's break the pronoun into two words: every - each and thing - a thing. And if you add both parts of the Russian translation: each + thing = everything, example:

I know everything about him.- I know everything about him. Everything will start here.- Everything starts here.

everybody["evribɒdi] - all

To remember, let's resort to the same method: every - each and body - the body. And if you add both parts of the Russian translation: each + body = all, an example:

Our teacher said to do this exercise to everybody.- Our teacher told everyone to do this exercise. Everybody likes ice cream.- Everyone loves ice cream.

everywhere["evriweə (r)] - everywhere

: There were pencils everywhere.- There were pencils everywhere. It was dangerous everywhere.- Everywhere was dangerous.

Please note that all these pronouns correspond to 3l. units hours (from the word each), so the verb after them takes the appropriate form.

Pronoun one applies:

As an indefinite personal pronoun and usually not translated into Russian:


One must not smoke here.- You can't smoke here.
One never can go faster this area.- No one can go faster in this area.


In the form of a substitute word, to avoid unnecessary repetition of a word in a sentence:


I buy new book. This one more interesting.- I'm buying a new book. This book is more interesting.


Pronouns other["ʌðə (r)] - another, one more

, another[ə "nʌðə (r)] - another.

Other stands before a noun and indicates that the noun is definite, but not the one that was mentioned earlier in the sentence:


I took this glass and you take the other glass on the table.- I took this glass, and you take another glass on the table. (There were 2 glasses on the table, I took one and you take the second glass)


That is the pronoun other used when selected from a certain number of certain items. If the other subject is unknown, then before other the indefinite article an is put and the pronoun takes the form another:


I took this glass and you take another glass.- I took this glass, and you take another glass.


It means any other glass. But if the noun is in the plural, then the pronoun is always used. other:


Give me other glasses.- Give me other glasses.


In the case when the pronoun stands without a noun, then it itself is put in the plural:


These are my glasses. You can take others.- These are my glasses. You can take others.

• Pronoun both- both, both

  : I like both colors.- I like both colors.
  They are both twenty years old.- They are both 20 years old.
  

• Reciprocal pronouns. This group includes two pronouns:

  each other	each other, one to another
  one another	each other, one to another

  These pronouns mean the same thing, and in principle they can be interchanged in a sentence:
  

  We love each other.- We love each other. Parents didn't see one another for a long time.- Parents did not see each other for a long time.