Pronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (Lat: pronomen) is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun (or noun phrase), such as, in English, the words it(substituting for the name of a certain object) and she (substituting for the female name of a person). The replaced
noun is called the antecedent of the pronoun.
For
example, consider the sentence "Lisa gave the coat to Phil." All
three nouns in the sentence can be replaced by pronouns: "She gave it to
him." If the coat, Lisa, and Phil have been previously mentioned, the
listener can deduce what the pronouns she, it and him refer to and therefore understand the meaning of the sentence;
however, if the sentence "She gave it to him." is the first
presentation of the idea, none of the pronouns have antecedents, and each
pronoun is therefore ambiguous. Pronouns without antecedents are also called
unprecursed pronouns. English grammar allows pronouns to potentially have
multiple candidate antecedents. The process of determining which antecedent was
intended is known as anaphore resolution.
Types
Pronoun
Common
types of pronouns found in the world's languages are as follows:
- Personal pronouns stand in place
of the names of people or things:
- Subject pronouns are used when
the person or thing is thesubject of the sentence
or clause. English example: I like to eat
chips, but she does not.
- Second person
formal and informal pronouns (T-V
distinction). For example, vous and tu in French.
There is no distinction in modern English though Elizabethan English
marked the distinction with "thou" (singular informal) and
"you" (plural or singular formal).
- Inclusive
and exclusive "we" pronouns indicate
whether the audience is included. There is no distinction in English.
- Intensive pronouns, also known
as emphatic pronouns, re-emphasize a noun or pronoun that has already
been mentioned. English uses the same forms as the reflexive pronouns;
for example: I did it myself(contrast
reflexive use, I did it to
myself).
- Object pronouns are used when
the person or thing is the object of the sentence or clause. English
example: John likes mebut not her.
- Direct and
indirect object pronouns. English uses the same oblique form for both;
for example: Mary loveshim (direct
object); Mary sent him a letter (indirect
object).
- Reflexive pronouns are used when
a person or thing acts on itself. English example: John cut himself.
- Reciprocal
pronouns refer to a
reciprocal relationship. English example: They do not
like each other.
- Prepositional
pronouns come after a preposition. No distinct forms exist in
English; for example: Anna and Maria
looked athim.
- Disjunctive
pronouns are used in
isolation or in certain other special grammatical contexts. No distinct
forms exist in English; for example: Who does this
belong to? Me.
- Dummy pronouns are used when
grammatical rules require a noun (or pronoun), but none is semantically
required. English example: It is raining.
- Weak pronouns.
- Possessive pronouns are used to
indicate possession or ownership.
- In a strict sense, the possessive pronouns are only those
that act syntactically as nouns. English
example: Those clothes
aremine.
- Often, though, the term
"possessive pronoun" is also applied to the so-called possessive
adjectives (or possessive
determiners).
For example, in English: I lost my wallet. They are not
strictly speaking pronouns[citation
needed] because they do
not substitute for a noun or noun phrase, and as such, some grammarians
classify these terms in a separate lexical category called determiners (they have a
syntactic role close to that ofadjectives, always qualifying a noun).
- Demonstrative pronouns distinguish the
particular objects or people that are referred to from other possible
candidates. English example: I'll take these.
- Indefinite pronouns refer to general
categories of people or things. English example: Anyone can do that.
- Distributive
pronouns are used to
refer to members of a group separately rather than collectively. English
example: Toeach his own.
- Negative pronouns indicate the
non-existence of people or things. English example: Nobody thinks that.
- Relative pronouns refer back to
people or things previously mentioned. English example: People who smoke should
quit now.
- Indefinite relative pronouns have some of
the properties of both relative pronouns and indefinite pronouns. They
have a sense of "referring back", but the person or thing to
which they refer has not previously been explicitly named. English
example:I know what I like.
- Interrogative
pronouns ask which person
or thing is meant. English example: Who did that?
- In many languages (e.g., Czech, English, French, Interlingua, andRussian), the sets of
relative and interrogative pronouns are nearly identical. Compare
English: Who is that? (interrogative)
to I know who that is. (relative).
Pronouns and determiners
Pronouns and determiners are closely related, and some linguists think pronouns are
actually determiners without a noun or a noun phrase. The following chart shows their relationships in English.
Pronoun
|
Determiner
|
|
Personal
(1st/2nd)
|
we
|
we Scotsmen
|
Possessive
|
ours
|
our freedom
|
Demonstrative
|
this
|
this gentleman
|
Indefinite
|
some
|
some frogs
|
Interrogative
|
who
|
which option
|
Examples:
- "She got her looks
from her father. He's a plastic surgeon."
(Groucho Marx)
- Chalmers: Well,
Seymour, it seems we've put together a
baseball team and I was wondering, who's on
first, eh?
Skinner : Not the pronoun, but rather a player with the unlikely name of "Who" is on first.
Chalmers : Well that's just great, Seymour. We've been out here six seconds and you've already managed to blow the routine.
("Screaming Yellow Honkers," The Simpsons, 1999)
- "We rolled all
over the floor, in each other's arms, like two huge
helpless children. He was naked and goatish under his robe,
and I felt suffocated as he rolled
over him. We rolled over me. They rolled
overhim. We rolled over us."
(Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita)
- "I used to be
with it, but then they changed what 'it' was.
Now, what I'm with isn't it, and what's 'it' seems
weird and scary to me."
(Abe in "Homerpalooza," The Simpsons)
- "Why shouldn't things be
largely absurd, futile, and transitory? Theyare so, and we are
so, and they and we go very well
together."
(George Santayana)
- "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are
all together."
(John Lennon and Paul McCartney, "I Am the Walrus")
Adjective Clause
In linguistics, a dependent clause (sometimes
called a subordinate
clause) is a clause that augments an independent clause with additional information, but which cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Dependent clauses modify the independent clause of a sentence or serve as a
component of it. Some grammarians use the term subordinate
clause as a
synonym fordependent clause, but in
some grammars subordinate
clause refers
only to adverbial dependent clauses.There are also different types of dependent
clauses like noun clauses, relative (adjectival) clauses, and adverbial
clauses.
Dependent words
In Indo-European languages, a
dependent clause usually begins with a dependent word. One kind of dependent
word is a subordinating conjunction.
Subordinating conjunctions are used to begin dependent clauses known asadverbial clauses, which act like adverbs. In
the following examples, the adverbial clauses are bold and the subordinating
conjunctions are italicized:
- Wherever she goes, she leaves a
piece of luggage behind.
- Bob enjoyed the movie more than I did.
(The
adverbial clause than I
did modifies
the adverb more.)
- I know that he likes me.
(The
noun clause that he likes me serves
as the object of the main-clause verb know.)
Another
type of dependent word is the relative pronoun. Relative pronouns begin
dependent clauses known as relative clauses; these are adjective
clauses, because they modify nouns. In
the following example, the relative clause is bold and the relative pronoun is
italicized:
- The only one of the seven dwarfs who does not have a beard is Dopey.
(The
adjective clause who does not have a beard describes the pronoun one.)
A
relative adverb plays the role of an adverb in a relative clause, as in
- That is the reason why I came.
(The
relative clause why I came describes
the noun reason, and
within the relative clause the adverb why modifies the verb came.)
- That is the place where he lives.
(The
relative clause where he lives describes
the noun place, and
within the relative clause the adverb where modifies the verb lives.)
- No one understands why you need
experience.
(The
noun clause why you need experience functions as the direct object of the
main-clause verb "understands", and within the noun clause why serves
as an adverb modifying need.)
Noun clause
A noun
clause can be used like a noun. It can be a subject, predicate nominative, direct object, appositive, indirect object, or object of thepreposition. Some of the English words that introduce
noun clauses arethat, whether, who, why, whom, what, how, when, whoever,
where,and whomever.
Notice that some of these words also introduce adjective and adverbial clauses.
A clause is a noun clause if a pronoun (he, she, it, or they) could be
substituted for it.
Examples:
·
I know who
said that. (I know it.) (The dependent clause serves as the object of the
main-clause verb "know".)
·
Whoever made that assertion is wrong. (He/she is wrong.) (The dependent clause serves as the
subject of the main clause.)
Sometimes
in English a noun clause is used without the introductory word.
Example:
·
I know that he
is here.
·
I know he is
here. (without "that")
In some
cases, use of the introductory word, though grammatically correct, may sound
cumbersome in English, and the introductory word may be omitted.
Example:
·
I think that it
is pretty. (less common)
·
I think it is
pretty. (more common)
Relative (adjectival) clause
n Indo-European languages, a relative clause—also called an
adjective clause or an adjectival clause—will meet three requirements.
First, like all dependent clauses, it will contain a verb (and
it will also contain a subject unless it is a non-finite dependent clause). However, in a pro-drop language the
subject may be a zero pronoun—that
is, the pronoun may not be explicitly included because its identity is conveyed
by a verbal inflection.
Next, it will begin with a relative adverb [when, where, or why in English] or a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which in English]. However, the English relative pronoun may be omitted and only implied if it plays the role of the object of the verb or object of a preposition in a restrictive clause; for example, He is the boy I saw is equivalent to He is the boy whom I saw, and I saw the boy you are talking about is equivalent to the more formal I saw the boy about whom you are talking.
Finally, the relative clause will function as an adjective, answering questions such as "what kind?", "how many?" or "which one?".
The adjective clause in English will follow one of these patterns:
Next, it will begin with a relative adverb [when, where, or why in English] or a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which in English]. However, the English relative pronoun may be omitted and only implied if it plays the role of the object of the verb or object of a preposition in a restrictive clause; for example, He is the boy I saw is equivalent to He is the boy whom I saw, and I saw the boy you are talking about is equivalent to the more formal I saw the boy about whom you are talking.
Finally, the relative clause will function as an adjective, answering questions such as "what kind?", "how many?" or "which one?".
The adjective clause in English will follow one of these patterns:
·
Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Object of Verb] + Subject +
Verb
This is
the ball that I was bouncing.
- Relative Adverb + Subject + Verb
(possibly + Object of Verb)
That is
the house where I grew up.
That is
the house where I
met her.
- Relative Pronoun [Functioning as
Subject] + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb)
That is
the person who hiccuped.
That is
the person who saw me.
- Relative Pronoun [Functioning as
Object of Preposition] + Subject + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) +
Preposition
That is
the person who(m) I was talking about.
That is
the person who(m) I was telling you about.
- Preposition + Relative Pronoun
[Functioning as Object of Preposition] + Subject + Verb (possibly + Object
of Verb)
That is
the person about whom I was
talking.
That is
the person about whom I was
telling you.
- Possessive Relative Pronoun + Noun
[Functioning as Subject] + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb)
That is
the dog whose big brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.
That is
the dog whose big brown eyes begged me for another cookie.
- Possessive Relative Pronoun + Noun
[Functioning as Object of Verb] + Subject + Verb
That is
the person whose car I saw.
English
punctuation
The
punctuation of an adjective clause depends on whether it is essential or
nonessential and use commas accordingly. Essential clauses are not set off with
commas, while non-essential clauses are. An adjective clause is essential if
the information it contains is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. For
example:
- The vegetables that people
often leave uneaten are usually the
most nutritious.
Here
"vegetables" is nonspecific, so in order to know which ones is being
referred to, one must have the information provided in the adjective clause (in
italics). Because it restricts the meaning of "vegetable", this
adjective clause is called a restrictive clause; it is essential to the meaning
of the main clause and uses no commas (and correspondingly, does not experience
a pause when spoken).
However, if the additional information does not help to identify more narrowly the identity of the noun antecedent but rather simply provides further information about it, then the adjective clause is non-restrictive and does require commas (or a spoken pause) to separate it from the rest of the sentence. For example:
However, if the additional information does not help to identify more narrowly the identity of the noun antecedent but rather simply provides further information about it, then the adjective clause is non-restrictive and does require commas (or a spoken pause) to separate it from the rest of the sentence. For example:
- Broccoli, which people
often leave uneaten, is very nutritious.
Depending
on context, a particular noun could be modified by either a restrictive or
non-restrictive adjective clause. For example, while "broccoli" is
modified non-restrictively in the preceding sentence, it is modified
restrictively in the following.
- The broccoli which people
leave uneaten is often nutritious.
Adverbial clause
"He
saw Mary when he
was in New York" and "They studied hard because
they had a test" both contain adverbial clauses (in italics). Adverbial
clauses express when, why, where, opposition, and conditions, As with all
dependent clauses, they cannot stand alone. For example, When he was in New York is not
a complete sentence; it needs to be completed by an independent clause. For
example:
- He went to the Guggenheim Museum when he was in
New York.
or
equivalently
- When he was in New York, he went to the
Guggenheim Museum.
Dependent clauses and sentence structure
A
sentence with an independent clause and one or more dependent clauses is referred to as a complex sentence. One with two or more
independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses is referred to as a compound-complex sentence. Here
are some English examples:
My sister cried because she scraped her knee. (complex sentence)
My sister cried because she scraped her knee. (complex sentence)
- Subjects: My sister, she
- Predicates: cried, scraped her
knee
- Subordinating conjunction: because
When
they told me (that)
I won the contest, I cried, but I didn't faint. **(compound-complex sentence)
- Subjects: they, I, I, I
- Predicates: told me, won the
contest, cried, didn't faint
- Subordinating conjunctions: when,
that (explicit or understood)
- Coordinating conjunction: but
The
above sentence contains two dependent clauses. "When they told me" is
one; the other is "(that) I won the contest", which serves as the
object of the verb "told." The connecting word "that," if
not explicitly included, is understood to implicitly precede "I won"
and in either case functions as a subordinating conjunction. This sentence also
includes two independent clauses, "I cried" and "I didn't
faint," connected by the coordinating conjunction "but." The
first dependent clause, together with its object (the second dependent clause),
adverbially modifies the verbs of both main clauses.
Non-finite dependent clauses
Dependent
clauses may be headed by an infinitive or
other non-finite verbform, which in
linguistics is called deranked. In
these cases, the subject of the dependent clause may take a non-nominative form.
An example is:
- I want him to vanish.
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