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In this unit you are going to learn about pronouns: indefinite pronouns, the generic
use of "you", reflexive pronouns and reciprocal pronouns. Will also look at "too" and "enough",
some special uses of "some" and "any", and difference between "all" and "every".
"One" is the pronoun that can be used when we mean "any person, not a specific person".
It can only be used when the group referred to includes the speaker. One should always
drive carefully. It cannot be used to mean people in general,
but not the speaker: In Victorian times, one felt that a woman's place was in the home.
is a mistake. In Victorian times, people felt that a woman's
place was in the home. is correct. "One" can be used as subject or object and
there is a possessive form: "one's". One should be careful in train stations not to leave
one's bags unattended so that something nasty doesn't happen to one.
The only problem with this sentence is that no-one would ever say it. In fact, although
"one" is used in formal English it sounds rather pedantic when used in speech where
we normally use "you" to mean people in general. When you use "you" as it has been used in
the examples which follow, "you" means "people in general", not "you personally": How do
you spell that? How do you get to the post office from here?
You go to the traffic lights and then turn right.
The reflexive pronouns are: - myself - yourself - himself, herself, itself - ourselves -
yourselves- themselves "Oneself" can be used for "any person". We
use reflexive pronouns when the same person is the subject and the object of the verb.
It is a way to make it clear that the action is done to the subject and not to another
person. She was walking along talking to herself. When the subject and object of the verb are
the same, it is normally a mistake to use an object pronoun rather than a reflexive
pronoun: John hurt him. means John hurt another person.
I hurt me. is a mistake. I hurt myself. is correct.
However, when we take for granted that the person who does the action is the same as
the person it is done to, we do not normally use a reflexive pronoun: After breakfast,
I washed, brushed my teeth and got dressed. We would only use a reflexive pronoun with
verbs for everyday actions if there were a reason to emphasize that the action were in
some way unusual: Tim is only two and a half but he can dress
himself. I was so weak I couldn't feed myself. The reflexive pronouns can also be used for
emphasis. We do this to show that a specific person, not someone else, did something. In
this case, the reflexive pronoun normally comes at the end of the sentence but it can
also follow the subject: Did he have the work done or did he do it
himself? It is the boys themselves who are to blame.
We can also contrast two parts of something, placing the reflexive pronoun after the noun:
The house itself is small, but the garden is nice and large.
In sentences where there is no direct object and the subject of the verb and the object
of the preposition are the same we use a reflexive pronoun:
You should be ashamed of yourself. She's always looking at herself in the mirror. They only
think of themselves. But after prepositions, when there is a direct
object, we use ordinary personal pronouns: Are you sure they've taken the keys with them?
Nowadays "oneself" is used mainly in formal language: Studies have shown that living by
oneself tends to create stress. "Yourself" can normally replace "oneself":
Living by yourself is not much fun.
The reciprocal pronouns "each other" and "one another" are used to indicate that people,
or animals, do the same thing or feel the same way, or that things act in the same way:
There was a terrible fight at the football stadium. People were hitting each other and
throwing things at one another. There is no real difference in meaning between
the two expressions. However "one another" tends to be preferred when we mean people
in general rather than specific individuals: Mary and Joe love each other (or one another).
Auden wrote: "We must love one another or die."
Remember, however, that there is a difference in meaning between reciprocal pronouns and
reflexive pronouns. People who speak to themselves are a bit strange.
People who speak to one another communicate.
In an earlier lesson, you studied the principal meanings of "some" and "any" when used with
plural and uncountable nouns. There are some special instances when "some"
and "any" can be used with a singular uncountable noun and meanings different from those you
studied previously. When we use "some" in this way, it can indicate
that what we are talking about is not known: It's too bad you can't go to the cinema this
evening, some other time perhaps. It can indicate disapproval of what is being
talked about: Some idiot left all the lights on! ...
... or lack of interest: He moved to the States and he's living in some small town in the
midwest. ... ... or it can indicate that something is considered
special: Wow! That's some new car you've got! "Any", used with a singular noun or the pronoun
"one", means it is not important which "one": Take a card, any card.
Have you got any idea where they are? It doesn't matter what kind of pen it is, any one will
do. "Any" can also be used in this way with plural
and uncountable nouns: We can watch any programmes you want. They'll give you any information
you need. "Any" can also be used for emphasis in front
of comparative adjectives and adverbs and with the word different in negative sentences,
questions and conditional clauses: Is your mother feeling any better?
Can't you drive any faster? She doesn't look any different to me. If it gets any colder
in here, there will be icicles hanging from the ceiling.
When we refer to a specific individual or thing we use a personal pronoun:Uncle Sam
wants you. I didn't see him. If you give me the titles of the books you
need, I'll get them at the library. What a lovely park! Let's walk across it.
When we refer to people or things but do not know exactly who or which or this is not important,
we use an indefinite pronoun: I want to speak to someone about my checking account.
There was nobody there. I didn't see anyone. We can get everything we need at the supermarket.
Let's go for a walk somewhere. The indefinite pronouns are formed with:
- no - some - any - every ... ... and the endings "-one" or "-body" for
people "-thing" for objects "-where" for places They are all written as one word, except "no
one", written either as two words or with a hyphen: (no-one).
When referring to people, it makes no difference whether you use pronouns with "-one" or those
with "-body". Indefinite pronouns can be used as subjects
and objects of verbs: Everybody needs somebody. Nobody knows anything. ...
... and as objects of prepositions: Give it to someone.
Those which refer to people can be used as possessives, adding "apostrophe - s": Someone's
car is parked in front of the driveway. Those which refer to things are not used in
this way. Use "of" instead: What's the value of everything that was stolen?
Note that we normally use the third person singular verb form: Everyone is upset about
what happened. ... ... but third person plural pronouns: Would
everybody open their books? Someone has forgotten their coat. Anyone who needs information can
ask their teacher. When used with adjectives, the adjective follows
the pronoun: - nothing new - somewhere quiet - someone clever
Compounds of "no", "any" and "some" follow the same rules for "some", "any", "no" that
were presented in an earlier lesson. Here is a brief review:
- "some" is used in affirmative sentences; in questions it can be used in offers, requests,
when we expect the answer "yes" and when we have a definite idea of what we want.
- "Any" is used in sentences with negative verbs, sentences whose meaning is negative
and questions. - "No", used to emphasize the negative aspect
of what we are saying, can be placed at the beginning of a sentence and in one-word answers
but cannot be used when the verb in the sentence is negative.
"All" and "every" can both be used to talk about things and people in general. "All"
is used with a plural noun and "every" is used with a singular noun: All mammals are
warm-blooded. Every mammal is warm-blooded. They can also be used to mean every element
in a group of three or more."All" is followed by - the - this, that - these, those or by
a possessive adjective (my, your, etc.). "Every" is followed by a noun or the pronoun
"one": All my friends speak English. Every friend I have speaks English.
Note that when "everyone" is written as one word it means "every person". "Every one",
written as two words generally refers to things: We tried to book a room at a hotel but every
one that we phoned was full. When "all" is used with a pronoun, we must
use "of": - all of us - all of you - all of them We generally prefer not to use "all"
without a noun. "All" instead of "everything" should only
be used when it is followed by a relative clause: We can get all we need at the supermarket.
"All" is not normally used instead of "everyone" or "everybody". We can use "all those" or
"all the people", instead. All in my family love to cook. is a mistake.
Everyone in my family loves to cook. All the people in my family love to cook. are correct.
When "all" is used with a singular noun or uncountable noun, it means the entire thing:
I could have danced all night. This is very different from the meaning of
"every" in frequency expressions which indicates that something is repeated at regular intervals:
I go to bed at eleven o'clock every night. I phone my mother every three days.
"Enough" means "as much as necessary". "Enough" follows the adjective or adverb it
is used with:Do you think it's warm enough to go swimming? I don't think she's studying
hard enough. "Enough" comes before nouns: Do we have enough
sugar for the cake? I have enough money to buy one book but not two.
When there is an article, possessive or determiner, we use "enough of": I've studied enough of
this book for now. We've taken up enough of your time.
"Enough" can also be used as a pronoun: Would you like some more potatoes or is that enough?
Either too much or not enough.
"Too" means "more than is necessary". It can be used with adjectives and adverbs: This
dress is too big. Slow down! You're working too hard.
If we wish to modify "too" we can use the expressions - a bit - a little - a little
bit - rather - much - far ... ... but we cannot use "very", "fairly", "pretty"
or "quite": Is it a little too big or much too big? You're driving far too fast.
With plural nouns we use "too many": Too many children spend all their free time watching
television. With uncountable nouns we use "too much":
According to him, you can never have too much money.
"Too much" and "too many" can also be used without nouns: She says there aren't enough
chairs but I think there are too many. I don't think there's enough salt in this
soup. Really? I think there's too much. "Too much" can also be used as an adverb:
He smokes too much. Remember, though, that "too much" cannot be
used before an adjective or adverb. Use "too", instead: This coffee is too much hot. He drives
too much fast. are mistakes. This coffee is too hot. He drives too fast.
are correct. That is the end of the lesson. Now you can
do the exercises on the grammar points presented in this unit.