English Grammar Common errors in Pronouns| Exercises | Notes

English Grammar Common errors in Pronouns| Exercises | Notes

ERRORS IN USE OF PRONOUNS

Pronouns are words used to replace nouns or noun groups already mentioned.

1. The pronoun ‘One’ must be followed by ‘One’s’,
e.g. One must do one’s duty to one’s country.

2. When ‘one’ means ‘one in number’, the pronoun for it is third person singular pronoun (he, she, it),
e.g. One of them has giver up one’s studies. (X)
One of them has given up his studies. (√)

3. ‘Everyone’ or ‘Everybody’ must be followed by ‘his’.
e.g. Everyone should love his country.

4. Each, every, anyone, anybody must be followed by the singular pronoun of their person.
e.g. Anyone can do this if he tries.

5. ‘Let’ is followed by pronoun in the objective case.
e.g. Let him go.
Let you and me solve this puzzle.

6. ‘But’ and ‘except’ are followed by pronoun in the objective case.
e.g. Everyone attended the party except him. ‘such as’ is followed by pronoun in the subjective case.
e.g. I have no liking for such a man as he.

7. Verbs like enjoy, avail, pride, resign, apply, acquit, assert, absent are followed by reflexive pronouns.
e.g. He absented himself from the class.
We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
I availed myself of the opportunity. ,

8. Reflexive pronouns are never used with verbs keep, conceal, quality, spread, rest, stay. e.g. I stayed away from my class.
He qualified in the test.
She kept away from the show.

9. When first, second and third person singular pronouns (I, you and He) are used together, they are placed in the order : You, he and I.
e.g. You he and I are neighbours.
In case of plural pronouns, ‘we’ comes first, then ‘you’ and then ‘they’.
e.g. We, you and they must work together.
But if we have only two persons including first, then first person pronoun is written first.
e.g. land Sanjeev have done this job.

10. ‘Who’ denotes subject and ‘whom’ denotes object.
e.g: Who do you think did the job ?
Whom did you abuse ?

11. ‘Whose’ is used for persons and ‘which’ for lifeless objects.
eg. This is the table which I was talking about. He married Sunita who is the daughter of Mr. Roy.

12. ‘Which’ conveys additional information and ‘that’ explains a certain thing.
e.g. I will tell you the first thing which I remember.
I am talking about traffic management that forms a part of his duties.

13. The following expressions usually take ‘that’ in place of ‘who’ or ‘which’.
Only; Any, It is, All, Superlatives.
eg: He is the only man that can do it.
Any man that listens to you is a fool.
It is the same watch that was stolen by him.

14.‘Each other’ is used for two; ‘one another’ for more than two.
eg. Rahul and Renu love each other.
They help one another.

15. The complement of the verb to be, when it is expressed by a pronoun, should be in Nominative case.
e.g. It was he who did it.
If I were he, I would not go there.

16.When the same person is the subject and object, it is necessary to use reflexive pronouns.
e.g. I cut me shaving this morning. (X)
I cut myself shaving this morning, (f)

17. When a pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition it should be in objective case.
e.g. These books are for you and I. (X)
These books are for you and me. (S)
Between him and me there is an understanding.

18. The Relative Pronoun should be placed as near as possible to the antecedent.
e.g. I have read Shakespeare’s works who was a great dramatist. (X)
I have read the ivorks of Shakespeare who was a great dramatist.(S)

19. The case of the pronoun following ‘than’ and ‘as’ is decided by mentally supplying the verb and completing the sentence.
e.g. She is taller than I. (am)
I love more than (I love) him.