Pronouns

Object Pronouns

We use an object pronoun instead of repeating a noun that comes after a verb or a preposition. The object is the person or thing that receives the action — the person or thing that the action happens to.

• I like Anna. I like her.
  = Her replaces the name Anna and receives the action of the verb like.
• We know Tom and Ben. We know them.
  = Them replaces the names Tom and Ben and receives the action of the verb know.
• This present is for Lisa. This present is for her.
  = Her replaces the name Lisa after the preposition for.

Where do we use object pronouns?

• After a verb:
  I like her.
• After a preposition:
  This is for him.
  Stay with us.

Quick reference

• Object pronoun → replaces a person or thing that receives the action.
  I know her.
• It comes after a verb or a preposition.
  Talk to me.

Possessive Adjectives

A possessive adjective shows who something belongs to. It comes before a noun. The form depends on the owner, not on the thing that is owned.

The forms

• I → my dog
• you → your house
• he → his car
• she → her cat
• it → its tail (the dog has got its tail)
  ! Don't confuse its with it's (meaning it is)
• we → our factory
• you → your flat
• they → their bike

Match the owner, not the thing

Possessive adjectives show who something belongs to. They match the owner, not the object itself.

• Jane has got a cat. It's her cat. (Jane = she → her)
• Ben has got a car. It's his car. (Ben = he → his)
• My parents have got a van. It's their van. (parents = they → their)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show who something belongs to. They are connected to possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc.), but they are different.

A possessive adjective comes before a noun:
This is my car.
A possessive pronoun replaces the whole noun phrase, so it can stand alone:
The car is mine.

The forms

• I → my car → The car is mine.
• you → your book → The book is yours.
• he → his dog → The dog is his.
• she → her bag → The bag is hers.
• it → its toy → The toy is its.
• we → our house → The house is ours.
• they → their car → The car is theirs.

Possessive adjective or possessive pronoun?

Remember: Possessive pronouns stand alone. They do not come before a noun.

• ✓ The cat is mine.
• ✗ The cat is mine cat.

Quick reference

• Possessive adjective + noun → This is my book.
• Possessive pronoun stands alone → This book is mine.

There or It?

In English, every sentence usually needs a subject. Sometimes there is no real person or thing acting, so we use it or there as a subject.

There is/are – something exists

We use there is/are when we say that something exists or is present. The real thing comes after is/are.

• There is a dictionary on the table.
• There are twelve months in a year.
• Is there a cinema in this town?
• There is a lot of snow in winter.
• How much milk is there in the jug?

It – a general situation

We use it when talking about time, weather, distance, dates, or when we refer to something already known.

• It is five o'clock. (time)
• It snows a lot in winter. (weather)
• How far is it from Houston to Dallas? (distance)
• It is Mike's birthday today. (date)
• I don't like this cake. It is too sweet. (known thing)

Quick reference

• There is/are + thing → something exists
  There is a problem.
• It + situation → time, weather, distance, dates, opinions
  It is cold.

No, None or Any?

No, none and any can be used when we say that something doesn't exist, or that the meaning of an expression is negative. They are used in different sentence structures:

No + noun

No comes directly before a noun, with an otherwise positive verb. Because of the no, the sentence gains a negative meaning even though the verb is not negative.

• There's no time. (= There isn't any time.)
• We have no friends here.
• Jo had no brothers.

Not... any + noun

Any is used with a negative verb (isn't, don't, didn't...).

! Watch out: Using no and a negative verb together in the same clause is a double negative, which is incorrect to use.

• I don't have any money. (not: I don't have no money.)
• There aren't any trees in the garden.
• They didn't buy any clothes.

None – without a noun

None is a pronoun that replaces a noun completely (it is used alone, especially in short answers) and often goes with of.

• How many architects do you know? – None.
• He went to buy some oranges but he got none.
• Tim had three sisters but none of them worked here.

Quick reference
no + noun (positive verb) = not... any + noun (negative verb)
none = used alone, without repeating the noun

Somebody, Nothing, Anywhere

English has a full set of indefinite pronouns that are built from two parts: the first is either some-, any-, or no-, and the second is either -body/-one, -thing, or -where. They follow the same pattern as some/any/no.

Some- for positive sentences

• Her son lives somewhere in Montana.
• We bought you something to eat.
• Somebody told me that he's at home.

Any- for negative and questions

• They can't find the keys anywhere.
• I wasn't thirsty, so I didn't drink anything.
• Did you see anybody in the garden?

No- for negative sentences with a positive verb

• The office was empty. There was nobody there.
• He has nowhere to live.
• What did you say? – Nothing.

Who or Whom?

Who and whom are used when we talk about people. The difference is about the role of the person in the sentence.

Who = the person who does the action

Use who when the person is the doer of the action (the person who does something).

• Who called you?
  = Who did the action? → Someone called you. 
  = Someone is the subject so we use who, not whom.
• Who sent this message?
  = Who did the action? → Someone sent the message.
• The woman who lives next door is noisy.
  = The woman does the action → she lives next door.

Whom = the person who receives the action (formal)

Use whom when the person is affected by the action (is the object of the verb, not the subject) or comes after a preposition. It is more formal and much less common in everyday speech.

• Whom did you invite?
  = You invited someone (the person receives the action of invite).
• To whom did you send the letter?
  = You sent the letter to someone.
• The person with whom I work is very friendly.
  = I work with someone.

In everyday English

In normal conversation, many speakers use who instead of whom, especially when the preposition comes at the end.

• Who did you talk to? ✓ (common and okay)
• To whom did you talk? ✓ (formal, super correct)

Quick reference

• Who → the person who does the action
  Who opened the door? (Somebody opened the door. = subject)
  
  
• Whom → the person who receives the action (formal)
  Whom did you see? (I saw him. = object)

Both, Either and Neither

These three words are used to talk about two people or things but in different ways.

Both (+ plural noun) = this and that

Both means the two things together.

• Both of my sons are happy.
• Both Tim and Ann came to the party.

Either (+ singular noun) = this or that

Either means one or the other (it doesn't matter which).

• Either of my sons can help you.
  = it doesn't matter which one, any one of them can do it
• You can take either the red one or the blue one.
  = pick any one of them that you like

Neither (+ singular nouns) = not this and not that

Neither means none of the two. It's often used in a structure: Neither... nor....

• Neither of my sons is happy about it.
  = none of my sons
• Neither Tim nor Ann came to the party.
  = not Tim, not Ann

Quick reference

• both + plural noun → the two together
• either + singular noun→ one or the other
• neither + singular noun, Neither... nor... → not one and not the other