MDCAT English

Pronouns

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Instructor: Ammar A. Ayub

Pronouns
3 Groups Of
Pronouns
Who's there? It is I.

Who's there? It's me.

Which one is the movie star?
That is she over there.

Which one is the movie star?

That's her over there.
It is them/they who betray us.
 Comparisons

He is a lot faster than me.

He is a lot faster than I am.

He is a lot faster than I.

He's less sophisticated than her.
He's less sophisticated than she is.
She's just as strong as I am.

She's just as strong as I.

4.
A. Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because I am
taller than him.
B. Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because he is
not taller than me.
C. Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because I am
taller than he.
D. Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because me is
taller than him.

MDCAT Question
Ambreen is coming to visit us/we in September.

Thanks again for everything you did for me/I.

Ambreen is coming to visit us/we in September.

Thanks again for everything you did for me/I.

 Spot the error

I and Umer are good friends.

 Spot the error

I and Umer are good friends.

We can use and or or to join the pronouns, or

nouns and pronouns. We normally put I/me last.
I and Umer are good friends.

Umer and I are good friends.

Zia didn't know whether to ring me or you.
Zia didn't know whether to ring me or you.

Zia didn't know whether to ring you or me.

 If two pronouns are joined at subject position, they both
should be subject pronouns. Similarly, if they are at
object, both should be object pronouns.

The meal was prepared by Uzair and I/me.

There's another project, and him/he and I are working on

it.

Zia and Me/I are going to help students with their

MDCAT.
5.
A. I, you and he are fighting for a more worthy cause.
B. You, he and I are fighting for a more worthy cause.
C. He, I and you are fighting for a more worthy cause.
D. You, I and he are fighting for a more worthy cause.

MDCAT Question
Don't mention your plan to Alan's wife. She might
not approve of it.
He set the briefcase down on the table before he
opened them/it.
The supervisors told the workers that they
would receive a bonus.
The supervisors told the workers that they would receive a
bonus.

The pronoun reference is unclear:

Who will get the bonus – the supervisors or the workers?

The supervisors told the workers that the workers
would receive a bonus.
When Ayesha lost Hina's manuscript,
she was upset.
When Ayesha lost Hina's manuscript, Hina was
upset.
I was carrying the groceries in my left hand and
the keys in my right hand when I tripped and
dropped them.
I was carrying the groceries in my left hand
and the keys in my right hand when I tripped
and dropped the keys.
The candy dish was empty. but we were
tired of eating it anyway.
The candy dish was empty. but we were tired of eating it anyway.

The candy dish was empty, but we were

tired of eating candy anyway.
When Usman went in for his MDCAT
exam, they needed to check his baggage.
When Usman went in for his MDCAT exam, they needed to
check his baggage.

When Usman went in for his MDCAT

exam, invigilators needed to check his
baggage.
We use the reflexive pronouns when
the subject and object are the same.

I am looking myself at the mirror.

I = Subject Myself = object

Compare :

- It's our own fault. You can blame us.

- It's our own fault. We can blame ourselves.

Examples:

(i) You cannot choose to absent from work.

You cannot choose to absent yourself from work.

(ii) He had busied in the laboratory.

He had busied himself in the laboratory.

(iii)He prides on his tidiness.

He prides himself on his tidiness
These are the verbs most often
found with reflexive pronouns:

•cut •introduce
•dry •kill
•enjoy •prepare
•hurt •teach
The verb enjoy always has an object:

We all enjoyed the party.

I really enjoyed my lunch.

If enjoy has no other object, we use a reflexive

pronoun:

They all enjoyed

They all enjoyed themselves.

I really enjoyed
I really enjoyed myself.
NOTE: We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs
which describe things people usually do for themselves:

meet, feel , relax , concentrate, Wash,

Bath, Dress, Shave, Change (clothes)

He washed in cold water.

He always shaved before going out in the evening.

Michael dressed and got ready for the party.

We only use reflexives with these verbs
for emphasis:

He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.

She’s old enough to wash herself.

 (i) Hira told Zahid all about himself.

(ii) Aneesa told Rabia that Zahid was

fond of herself.
 (i) Alice told John all about himself.
Alice told John all about herself

(ii) Mary told Cathy that Tom was fond

of herself.
Mary told Cathy that Tom was fond
of himself.
Pronoun for Emphasis

A reflexive pronoun is often used to emphasize and

distinguish a noun or pronoun with which it occurs. In
such cases the reflexive pronoun often has heavy stress.
and first person and third person forms are especially
common. The reflexive pronoun can appear in any of
several positions.
 Examples:

(i) The director wrote to us himself to apologize

for the dreadful service.

(ii) The director himself wrote to us to apologize

for the dreadful service.

(iii)Of course, I myself would never do anything

like that.

(iv)Of course, I would never do anything like that

myself.
RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS:

Each other and One another.

We use each other and one another to show that each

person in a group of two or more people does something
to the others.
Example:

Ali and Aleena like each other.

(Ali likes Aleena and Aleena likes Ali.)

 Each other and One another.
Same meaning, BUT

One another is used especially in expressing a

reciprocal relationship among more than two individuals
or among many people.
Examples:

(i) Five people were blaming each

other/one another.

(ii) Both teams played hard against

each other/one another.

(iii) We've known each other/one

another for twelve years.
This is my Book.
This is my Book.

The Book is Mine.

This is Amir’s Pen.
This is his Pen.
This pen is His.
 Possessive Pronouns

English possessive pronouns replace noun or noun

phrases that indicate possession.
 Possessive Pronouns
Example:

The possessive pronoun hers can replace

Tehreem's car.

I'll drive Tehreem's car.

I'll drive hers.

 Possessive Pronouns
Personal Pronoun Possessive Determiner Possessive Pronoun

i my mine

you your yours

he his his

she her hers

it its its

we our ours
they their theirs

one one's one's

Possessive Determiner

my This is my jacket.
your That is your pringles box.
his This is his book.
her This is her phone.
its I found its solution.
our We’ll live in our new home.
their
Don’t go to their territory.
one's
One should mind one’s own business
The two younger ones had both married.

They're not the ones Martha found.

Oh, you little ones; be careful and don't talk

to strangers!

They're the ones who told me to kill the girl.

Possessive Pronoun

mine The Jacket is mine.

yours That pringles box is yours.
his This book is his.
hers This phone is hers.
its I found solution to its.
ours We’ll live in new home of ours.
theirs
Don’t go to territory of theirs.
one's
One should mind business of one’s own.
•I was still shaking, so I couldn't tell if the
vibrations the body made were its or mine.

•Group work is neither mine nor yours nor

ours nor its.
 The valley was dark and scary yet it
had a charm of its.

The valley was dark and scary yet it

had a charm of its own.
 One doesn't like to spend too much
time on one's.

One doesn't like to spend too much

time on one's own.
My lessons are at 8 am. Mine
Your friend is rich. Yours
His cooking is terrible. His
Her two sisters are younger Hers
Its favourite game is fetch. Its
Our parents live in Islamabad. Ours
Your marks are too low. Yours
Their trip was a disaster. Theirs
We use possessive determiners before a noun.

We use possessive pronouns in place of a noun

Determiner behaves like an adjective..

Pronoun behave like a noun..

This is Amir’s Pen.
This is his Pen.
This pen is His.
The determiner in this construction may be an indefinite article,
a zero article, a demonstrative determiner, or a quantifier. It
generally may not, however, be a definite article.

(i) He introduced me to the friend of his.

He introduced me to a friend of his.

(ii) The friends of mine are throwing a party.

Some friends of mine are throwing a party.
 Indefinite Pronouns

Examples:

(i) I was there for over an hour before anybody

came.

(ii) Ahmed was waiting for something.

 Indefinite Pronouns

Refer to people or things…

Don’t know exactly who they are…

Or their identity is not important…

 Indefinite Pronouns List

Each, every, either, neither, one

-body: .anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody

-one: anyone, no one, someone, everyone
-thing: anything, everything, nothing, something

Several, few, both, many, others

Each, every, either, neither, one

-body: .anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody

-one: anyone, no one, someone, everyone
-thing: anything, everything, nothing, something
Several, few, both, many, others
Examples:

Neither were selected for the medical exam.

Examples:

Neither was/were selected for the job.

Examples:

Neither of my parents speaks/speak a foreign language.

Someone has/have left their bag behind.

Everybody know/knows Nawal.

Noone/No one was at home.

The law requires that everyone has his car checked at least
once a year.
Modal verbs are a special category of helping verbs that
we use to express possibility, capability, intention,
obligation, permission, and futurity.
Here is the full list of modals:

•Can
•Could
•Shall
•Should
•Will
•Would
•May
•Might
•Must
Each, every, either, neither, one

-body: .anybody, everybody, nobody, somebody

-one: anyone, no one, someone, everyone
-thing: anything, everything, nothing, something
Each and Every

Each student has/have been given his or her own

Nearpeer account.

Every student/students in the class is capable of

qualifying MDCAT.
 Each of, each one of, and everyone of….

Each of the houses was/were slightly different.

I bought a dozen eggs and everyone of them

were/was bad.
Each of, each one of, and everyone of….

are followed by a plural noun or pronoun, but the verb is

usually singular:
They each have/has their own Nearpeer Account.
They each have/has their own Nearpeer Account.

When each is used after a plural

subject, it has a plural verb:
Several, few, both, many, others
 Examples:

(i) I think both is/are good.

(ii) Few has/have ever disobeyed him and lived.

(iii) Many has/have come already.

(iv) I'm sure that others has/have tried before us.

(v) Some people are coming, but many is/are not.

 "SANAM"
(Some, any, none, all, most)

They can be singular as well as plural.

Examples:

(i) We need some more paint, there isn’t/aren’t any left.

(ii) I need some stamps. Is/Are there any in your bag?

(iii) Some of the music was/were weird.

(iv) Here are/is some of our suggestions.

In negative sentences and questions any is usually used
instead of 'some',

(i) I don't-want any/some.

(ii) Do you have some/any of the larger ones?

However, some is used in questions that expect
a positive reply:

(i) Would you Like some?

(ii) Weren't you looking for some of those?

Possession of indefinite pronouns

We can add 's (apostrophe’s) to an indefinite pronoun to

refer to things that belong to or are associated with people.
But we do not usually add 's to indefinite pronouns referring
to things.
Examples:

(i) She was given a room in someone's studio.

(ii) That was nobody's business.

(iii) I would defend anyone's rights.

(iv) I know the value of something/something's value.

 Indefinite pronouns with 'no –'

Examples:

Nobody left, nobody-did not go away.

Nobody left, nobody went away.

There was nothing you could not do nothing at all.

There was nothing you could do, nothing at all.

She was not to see no one, to speak to nobody, not even her
own children.
She was to see no one, to speak to nobody, not even her own
children.
We normally only use 'that' as a substitute for a thing, not for a
person or animal. We can use those as a substitute for
persons, animals or things:

(i) Have you met Nawal?

That who studies in King Edward.

(ii) Have you met Nawal?

The one who studies in King Edward.

(iii) There are sports facilities for guests.

Those interested in golf can enjoy our eighteen-hole course.
Who Which
Whom Whose
 Relative Pronouns

Who Which
Whom Whose
Examples:

(i) We don't know the person who donated this

money.

(ii) You need to tick the box which says yes.

Who and whom

‘Who' and 'whom' always refer to

people.
The driver who/which ran the stop sign was
careless.

People who/which are clever can always find a

way.

He is a man which/whom I met recently.

'Who' can be the subject of a relative clause, and
'whom' is normally used as the object of a
relative clause.
Examples:

(i) There's a woman over there who/whom I can't help

noticing.

(ii) He's the man who/whom I saw last night.

(iii) These are two girls who/whom I met in Lahore.

(iv) That's the man who/whom I gave it to.

(v) Here are the few girls who/whom we cannot talk to.
Who and Which

'Which' always refers to things and animals.

Pakistan is a region which/who is threatened
by growing poverty.

Here are two horses who/which he owned.

This is the house in whom/which I was born.

A word of caution:

We don't use what as a relative pronoun:

So, he can make himself easily understood in

the two languages, what/which helps a lot.
Who, Which, and That
Relative clauses referring to a whole sentence are always
introduced by Which:

Examples:

(i) There's going to be a new head teacher in

September, that/who/which is good.

(ii) He's so happy, which/that is much more

important.
 'That' can refer to either people or things.

Examples:

(i) False promises are the games that politicians play.

(ii) He's the boy that sang the solo last night.

(iii) It was the first bed that she had ever slept in.
With people, we prefer who, and with
things, we use which. We can use that
with both, but it is less formal.
Who was the girl who/that you came with?

It was a dream which/that came true.

Defining clause: We use defining relative clauses to give
essential information about someone or something -
information that-we need in order to understand what or who
is being referred to:

Examples:

They're the people who want to buy our house.

Here are some cells which have been affected.

Non-defining clause: We use non-defining relative clauses to
give extra information about the person or thing. It is not
necessary information. We don't need it to understand who or
what is being referred to.

Examples:

(i) Ambreen, who I work with, is doing her MBBS this year.

(ii) Ronaldo, who has recently joined the club, was the only
player to perform well.
Who vs That
We use 'who' to introduce defining and non-defining relative
clauses while that only in defining clause.

Examples:

The young man who/that lives on the corner rides a motor-

bike. (defining clause)

Einstein, who/that failed his university entrance exam,

discovered relativity.
(non-defining clause)

There's this guy at work, that/who's one of my friends.

Which vs That
In a defining clause, use that.
In non-defining clauses, use which.

Examples:

Our house that has a red door and green shutters needs
painting.

Our house, which has a red door and green shutters, needs
painting.
The classrooms that were painted over the summer are
bright and cheerful.

The classrooms, which were painted over the summer, are

bright and cheerful.
Preposition before THAT!

We’ve got some tennis balls with that you can play.

We've got some tennis balls that you can play with.

I knew about that he was ill.

I knew that he was ill.

I was not aware of that he was not present in the room

I was not aware that he was present in the room.

 Whose

A relative Pronoun

Indicates possession by people and animals

Defining and non-defining clauses

Must come in front of a noun… (Because its not a

possessive pronoun?)
He's marrying whose family don't seem to like him.

He's marrying a girl whose family don't seem to like him

(The family of the girl he’s marrying don’t seem

to like him.)
There was me and there was Kate, whose party it was, and then
there were two other people. (It was Kate’s party.)
 Whose

A relative Pronoun

Indicates possession by people and animals

Defining and non-defining clauses

Must come in front of a noun… (Because its not a

possessive pronoun?)

Preposition immediately before the relative pronoun

(more formal written styles)
Aleena, whose sister I used to share a house with, has gone to
work in Dubai.

Aleena, with whose sister I used to share a house, has gone to

work in Dubai.

Ali Qasmi, whose house several students have lived in, was
described a very generous gentleman.

Ali Qasmi, in whose house several students have lived, was

described a very generous gentleman.
a) After a thorough examination of the two crab specimens, biologists Norman
and Clive concluded that they belong to the same species.

b) After a thorough examination of the two crab specimens, biologists Norman

and Clive concluded that the two crabs belong to the same species.

c) After a thorough examination of the two crab specimens, biologists Norman

and Clive concluded that the crab specimen belong to the same species as
them.

d) After a thorough examination of the two crab specimens, biologists Norman

and Clive concluded that the crabs are specimen of the same species.
a)Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because I am
taller than him.
b) Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because he is
not taller than me.
c) Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because I am
taller than he.
d) Jack was not selected to be the flag bearer because me is
taller than him.
a) The new financial regulations are good for high salary workers only, it
can be potentially disastrous for low income workers, who will have to
spend lot of money to maintain their lifestyle.

b) The new financial regulations are only good for high salary workers; the
regulations may be disastrous for low income workers, who will have to
spend lot of money to maintain their lifestyle.

c) The new financial regulations are only good for high salary workers,
who can be potentially disastrous for low income workers, who will have to
spend lot of money to maintain their lifestyle.

d) The new financial regulations are good for only high salary workers, it
can be potentially disastrous for low income workers, who will have to
spend lot of money to maintain their lifestyle.
The others tried to pacify him by kindness and

affection but he did not hear nobody.

I asked two people the way to the station but

none of them could help me.

I am glad I live with other people. I wouldn’t

like to live on my own myself.

We insist on you leaving the meeting before

any further outbursts take place.

Every Fuel has their own particular

temperature at which it begins to burn.