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    Reciprocal Pronouns

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    Rithik Visu
    zxds

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    Reciprocal Pronouns

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    Rithik Visu
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    zxds

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    zxds

    Copyright:

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    151 views3 pages

    Reciprocal Pronouns

    Uploaded by

    Rithik Visu
    zxds

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    8/17/2016 Reciprocal Pronouns

    ReciprocalPronouns
    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ReciprocalPronouns.htm

    TheFarlexGrammarBook>EnglishGrammar>PartsofSpeech>Pronouns>ReciprocalPronouns

    ReciprocalPronouns
    Definition
    Reciprocalpronounsareusedtorefertotwoormorepeoplewhoareorwerethesubjectofthesameverb,with
    bothorallpartiesmutuallyreceivingorbenefitingfromthatactioninthesameway.Reciprocalpronounsalways
    functionastheobjectsofverbs,referringbacktothetwoormorepeoplewhoareorwerethesubject(s).

    ThetworeciprocalpronounsinEnglishareeachotherandoneanother.Inmoretraditionalgrammar,eachotheris
    usedtoidentifyonlytwopeoplewhoareengagedinthemutualaction,whileoneanotherdescribesmorethantwo
    people.However,thissupposedruleislesscommonlyappliedinmodernEnglish,witheachotherandoneanother
    oftenbeingusedinterchangeably.

    ReciprocalPronounsvs.ReflexivePronouns
    Becausethesubjectsofthesentencearealsotheobjectsofthesameverb,itmightseemlogicaltouseoneofthe
    reflexivepronounstorepresenttheminstead,asin:
    Wecallourselveseveryday.
    However,thisisincorrect.Reflexivepronounsareusedwithonewayactions,sosayingwecallourselvesmeans
    eachpersoniscallinghimorherselfindividuallyi.e.,personAcallspersonAeveryday,personBcallspersonB
    everyday,andsoon.

    Becausewearedescribingareciprocalactionoftheverb(meaningtheactionismutuallygivenandreceived
    betweenthepartiesinvolved),wemustthereforeuseareciprocalpronoun.Thecorrectexpressionwouldbe:
    Wecalleachothereveryday.
    or
    Wecalloneanothereveryday.
    NowthesentencemeansthatpersonAcallspersonBeveryday,andpersonBcallspersonAeveryday.

    Usingeachothervs.oneanother
    Aswesaidalready,wecanusebotheachotherandoneanothertorefertoreciprocalactionbetweentwo
    individualsorbetweenmultiplepeopleinlargergroupsitdependsentirelyonthecontext.Ifwehavealreadybeen
    talkingaboutMaryandSusanbeforewesaytheyloveoneanother,thenitisobviousthattheactionislimitedto
    thosetwo.Likewise,ifwehadbeentalkingaboutthevariousmembersofalargefamilyandthensaytheylove
    eachother,thenitisclearthattheactionisreciprocalamongalloftheindividualsinthegroup.

    Again,whiletraditionalandproscriptivegrammarianssometimesinsistthateachothercanonlybeusedbetween
    twopeopleandoneanothercanonlybeusedbetweenmorethantwopeople,thisguidelineisnotbasedon
    historicalorlinguisticevidencethetwoareinterchangeable.

    EachothersandOneanothers
    Whenwewishtomakereciprocalpronounspossessive,wealwaystreatthemassingularandaddstotheend.
    Becausebotheachotherandoneanotherrefertotheindividualswithinapairorgroup,theycannottaketheplural
    possessiveform(i.e.,eachothersoroneanothers).

    However,becausewearetalkingaboutthingsbelongingtotwoormorepeople,thenounsthatfollowtheir
    possessiveformareusuallypluralized.Forexample:

    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Reciprocal-Pronouns.htm 1/3
    8/17/2016 Reciprocal Pronouns

    MyneighborandIspentalotoftimeateachothershouseswhenwewerekids.
    Thestudentsweresentoffinpairstocorrectoneanothersassignments.
    Justrememberthatuncountablenounsarealwayssingular,asin:
    Everyoneattherallywasbolsteredbyeachothersenergy.

    Quiz

    1.Whichreciprocalpronounisusedwhentalkingabouttwopeople?

    a)eachother
    b)oneanother
    c)themselves
    d)A&B
    e)B&C

    2.Whatgrammaticalroledoreciprocalpronounstakeinasentence?

    a)thesubject
    b)theobject
    c)theobjectcomplement
    d)thesubjectcomplement

    3.Whichofthefollowingdoweaddtoreciprocalpronounstoindicatepossession?

    a)s
    b)s
    c)s
    d)

    4.Whendoweuseareciprocalpronouninsteadofareflexivepronoun?

    a)Whenthesubjectofthesentencereceivestheactionofthesameverb
    b)Whentheobjectofthesentencereceivestheactionofthesameverb
    c)Whenthesubjectsofthesentencereceivetheactionofthesameverbindividuallyandseparately
    d)Whenthesubjectsofthesentencereceivetheactionofthesameverbmutuallyandequally

    Submit

    TheFarlexGrammarBook2016FarlexInternational.Allrightsreserved.

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