Possessive pronouns and the possessive case in English. Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Case

Any student who starts learning English from scratch on his own or with a teacher will learn how to answer the question “ What's your name?”(Russian. What is your name?).

Answering " My name is…“(Rus. My name is ...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(mine, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to build communication in English.

We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them at all?

We use possessive pronouns for everything, but do we really own our lives, sisters or husbands as much as we own our shoes? Do we own all this?

~ Samantha Harvey

They can cause some misunderstanding on the part of those who are just starting to learn English and have encountered Possessive pronouns for the first time.

In English grammar, two varieties of possessive pronouns peacefully coexist: Possessive Adjectives(possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). Today we will talk about them in this article.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on key chains: I am yours (Russian I am yours), And you are mine (Russian And you are mine)

Let's first remember what a possessive pronoun is.

Possessive pronouns(mine, yours, ours, and others) indicate the sign of belonging to a certain person and answer the question whose? In Russian, they agree with the noun in number, gender, and case.

What about English possessive pronouns? AT English language There are two forms of possessive pronouns ( Possessive adjectives and Possessive pronouns), which differ in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.

Let us consider in more detail both forms of possessive pronouns in English.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns in English, resembling an adjective in their role in a sentence, and which are always used with a noun, are called Possessive Adjectives(Russian possessive adjective).

Below is a table of the formation of possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 2)

When we want to indicate ownership, we cannot use !

Offer He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and wrong in both English and Russian. He is a personal pronoun. Replace it with a suitable possessive adjective his and get a grammatically and logically correct sentence: His name was Car l (Russian. His name was Karl)

Sometimes this form of possessive pronouns or Possessive Adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used on its own, without a noun.

Remember!

Possessive pronouns-adjectives (Possessive Adjectives) in English they are used only in conjunction with a noun and always come before it.

Since dependent possessive pronouns resemble adjectives in their functionality, they also play the role of a definition in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive adjectives in English

English beginners often confuse possessive adjectives with contracted forms of the verb. to be:

your and you're (= you are)

its and it's (= it is)

Compare the use of possessive pronouns and the contracted form of the verb:

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in English that can be used in a sentence without a noun are called Possessive Pronouns(Russian possessive pronoun).

Possessive Pronouns also called absolute or independent form of possessive pronouns. In this form, nouns are never placed after possessive pronouns, since these pronouns are used instead of nouns.

Remember!

Absolute possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronounss) in English are used without a noun and perform the function of the subject, object or nominal part of the predicate in the sentence.

Below is a table of the formation of absolute possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 2)

English possessive pronouns in absolute form replace the possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) with a noun to avoid repetition of information, since everything is clear without it. For example:

This book is my book, not your book(Russian This book is my book, not your book)

This book is mine, not yours(Russian This book is mine, not yours)

As you noticed in both Russian and English, the second sentence sounds more natural. Let's take a look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronoun its in absolute form is used extremely rarely, only in conjunction with the word own:

The cottage seems asleep yet, but it may have a life of its own(Russian. It seemed that the cottage was still sleeping, but perhaps it lived its own life).

My or Mine? Possessive pronoun or adjective?

On the poster is an inscription with a vivid example of the use of possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form: “Because my body is mine (belongs to me!)”

As already mentioned, we use possessive adjectives and pronouns when we need to express ownership. Both forms are translated into Russian in the same way.

Possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) is always used with a following noun:

This is my pen(Russian This is my pen), where my is a possessive adjective, pen is a subsequent noun.

Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used on their own, without an accompanying word:

This pen is mine(Russian This pen is mine), where mine- a possessive pronoun, after which we DO NOT NEED a noun.

comparison table possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to focus on someone or something, it is better to use the absolute form.

Translation of English possessive pronouns

There is no difference in the meaning of possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and in their translation into Russian.

English possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form are translated into Russian in the same way, but there are a few things you need to know about.

Translation of the possessive pronoun your into English

There is no special possessive pronoun in English that corresponds to the Russian possessive pronoun ""own"".

Russian pronoun ""own" in English corresponding possessive pronouns.

Example sentences in English with the translation of the pronoun svoi

English possessive pronouns are usually not translated into Russian when they are combined with nouns denoting parts of the body or items of clothing, but are always present before the noun.

In Russian, with similar nouns, possessive pronouns are usually not used. Compare English sentences with possessive sentences with translation:

Special cases of using possessive pronouns

Using the Of yours structure

Very often (especially in American English) you can hear the following construction: a friend/some friends of + mine, yours, etc:

I saw a friend of yours last night(eng. I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.

Here are some friends of mine(Russian. And here are my friends) = Here are my friends.

Offers I saw one of your friends last night and I saw a friend of yours last night translated will be the same "Last night I saw one of your friends." However, there is a slight semantic difference.

Let's look at phrases "my friend" and “a friend of mine”.

“My friend” is about a close friend. If you call a person "my friend", then you have warm and trusting relationship. But, each of us has people with whom we simply good relationship. These are just our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly what we need here the expression “a friend of mine”.

Himself not definite article indicates to us that "one of" friends, someone undefined:

This is my friend Jessica.("my friend" - before the name)

This is Jessica, a friend of mine.("a friend of mine" - after the name)

With a phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one amusing fact. In English culture, there is a concept urban myth(BrE) or urban legend(Ame). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event.

We call these stories "tales" or "fictions". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.

Most of these stories (or "tales") begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

When to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely

You have probably come across the phrase Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely at the end of a formal letter, for example:

Yours sincerely, Mary Wilkinson(Russian. Sincerely, Mary Wilkinson).

In business correspondence, these are irreplaceable phrases that need to be written at the end of the letter. Read more about the features of business English.

Examples of using the phrases “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely”

Using an English noun in the genitive case

Possessive nouns can be used as possessive pronouns when referring to belonging to someone in particular.

As a rule, the use of nouns in the possessive case does not affect the form of possessive pronouns, for example:

Whose cell phone is that? - It's John's.(Russian Whose phone is this? - John.)

Who do these computers belong to? - They"re our parents".(Russian. Who owns these computers? - Our parents.)

The relation of belonging or involvement of one object to another can also be indicated using the possessive case ( The Possessive case). which we will talk about in our next article.

Possessive pronouns in English: video

To finally consolidate the knowledge gained, we recommend that you watch a video about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

English Grammar Lessons - Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Finally:

In this article, we tried to explain the use of possessive pronouns in English as simply as possible and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.

We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have questions about this topic and you will be able to use this grammar correctly in your speech and writing.

Stay on our site and you will discover a lot from the world of English grammar!

Exercises for possessive pronouns

And now we invite you to test your knowledge of possessive pronouns in English by completing the following test.

Choose the correct option (insert either a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun according to the meaning):

Jane has already eaten her lunch, but I"m saving hers/her/my/mine until later.

She has broken hers/her/his leg.

My mobile needs to be fixed, but mine/his/our/their is working.

You/Yours/Mine/My computer is a Mac, but you/your/yours/my is a PC.

We gave them ours/mine/our/yours telephone number, and they gave us their/theirs/ours/mine.

Mine/My/Yours/Your pencil is broken. Can I borrow you/yours/him/its?

Ours/Our/Your/My car is cheap, but you/your/yours/my is expensive.

You can "t have any chocolate! It" s all mine / my / our / yours!

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Everyone knows and successfully uses the word my. When the word mine appears, things get more complicated. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the difference between my and mine. So that you understand and always clearly know which word to use, we have prepared an accessible and detailed explanation for you.

Let's start with examples. About your car, you can say: "This is my car" or "This car is mine." At first glance, there is no difference, the meaning is the same. But not in English! Because in each of these sentences the word "my" translated differently. In the first sentence you use a possessive adjective and in the second sentence you use a possessive pronoun!

Possessive adjectives(Possessive Adjectives) and possessive pronouns(Possessive Pronouns) are used to indicate ownership and answer a question Whose?(Whose?)

Possessive Adjectives

The main function of any adjective (including the possessive one) is to describe the noun. The place of the adjective is before the noun. Therefore, possessive adjectives come before nouns and describe them:

This is my car. - This is my the car.

This is your file.- This yours folder.

This is his desk. - This is his table.

This is her chair. - This is her chair.

This is our flat. - This is our flat.

This is their camera. - This is them camera.

If another descriptive adjective belongs to the noun, then the possessive comes before it in the sentence:

Kate is my best friend. - Katia - my best friend.

He is reading his new book. - He reads my new book.

If there is a possessive adjective before the noun, then the article is never put:

She took a bag and left. She took her bag and left.

The children are playing with a new ball. - The children are playing with their new ball.

How do you say "your" in English?

If you carefully consider the examples above, you will notice that the word "mine" has different translations. As such, the word "own" in the English language is not. It translates as one of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) depending on the subject of the sentence:

I will finish my report on Friday. - I will finish mine report on Friday.

You should tidy your room every day. - You should clean up. my room every day.

He visits his relatives in summer. - He visits their relatives in the summer.

She is proud of her son. - she's proud their son.

The dog is eating from its bowl. - The dog eats out his bowls.

We spent our holiday in the mountains. - We spent mine vacation in the mountains.

They let their children stay up late. - They allow their children stay up late.

Possessive adjectives are always used with nouns that denote belonging to someone. garments and members of the same family, as well as body parts, personal items:

She was wearing her best dress yesterday. (NOT the best dress) - Yesterday she was in her best dress.

The boy washed his face and brushed his teeth. (NOT the face, the teeth) - The boy washed and brushed (his) teeth.

He loves his parents very much. (NOT the parents) - He loves his parents very much.

She keeps her books in the bookcase. (NOT the books) - She keeps her books in a bookcase.

Word "mine" not always translated into Russian, but in English usage possessive adjectives necessarily.

Next two rules Suitable for intermediate level learners and above. In some cases, with nouns denoting body parts, it is possible to use the definite article the rather than the possessive adjective:

1. When the noun refers not to the subject, that is, the performer of the action (subject), and the addition - to the one on whom the action is directed (object).

The woman patted the child on the head. The woman stroked the child's head.

Noun head refers to the object (the child), not the subject (the woman) so you should use the definite article the, not a possessive adjective.

2. When it comes to pain, injury or shock. In such sentences, the prepositions (in, on) combined with the following verbs:
hit- hit, strike
punch- hit with a fist
slap- clap, spank
bite- bite
pat- clap
sting- sting

An old man has a pain in the back. The old man's back hurts.

A bee stung me in the arm. - The bee stung me on the arm.

Possessive adjective its.

The adjective its, which is used with inanimate objects (inanimate objects), can be replaced by of it:

This house is very expensive. I can't tell you its price.
or
I can't tell you the price of it.- This house is expensive. I can't tell you its price.

Note that its and it's are not the same.

Its is a possessive adjective referring to an inanimate object or animal.

I have got a cat. Its tail is long. - I have a cat. Its tail is long.

It's is an abbreviated form of either it is, or from it has:

I have got a cat. It's a white cat. (It's = it is) - I have a cat. This is a white cat.

I've got a cat. It's got a long tail. (It's got = it has got) - I have a cat. The cat has a long tail.

Possessive Pronouns

Pronouns are used without a noun because the function of pronouns is to replace a noun. We use them to avoid repeated repetition of a noun. Possessive pronouns, as a rule, are at the end of the sentence and are stressed:

This car is mine. - This car - my.

This file is yours. - This folder - yours.

This desk is his. - This table - his.

This chair is hers. - This chair - her.

This flat is ours. - This apartment - our.

This camera is theirs. - This camera - them.

Possessive pronouns can be at the beginning of a sentence and act as a noun, if the noun was indicated earlier and the interlocutors understand what is being said:

My book is on the desk. Yours is on the shelf. (yours = your book) - My book is on the table. Your (book) is on the shelf.

His sister studies at school. Hers works in an office. (hers = her sister) - His sister is in school. Her (sister) - works in the office.

Our house is new. Theirs is older. (theirs = their house) - Our house is new. Their (house) is older.

Possessive pronoun forms for it does not exist.

The difference between "my friend" and "a friend of mine".

Possessive pronouns are sometimes used with nouns and the preposition of. In particular, in the expression a friend of mine/ his/ hers etc.

Yesterday I met a friend of mine.
Max told us an anecdote about a friend of his.

There is little semantic difference between "my friend" and "a friend of mine".

"My friend" talking about a close friend. If you call a person "my friend", then you have a warm trusting relationship with him.

But, like everyone, there are people in your life with whom you maintain normal relations, but you cannot call them friends. These are your friends, acquaintances or "friends of friends". "A friend of mine" implies that the person is not very close to you, familiar. Himself indicates that this is "one of" friends, someone "indefinite".

This is my friend Bill. ("my friend" - before the name)
This is Bill, a friend of mine. ("a friend of mine" - after the name)

With a phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one amusing fact. In English culture, there is a concept urban myth(BrE) or urban legend(Ame). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event. We call such stories "tales" or "fictions". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified. Most of these stories (or "tales") begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

That's all you need to know about possessive adjectives and pronouns. Visit our site more often and make progress in learning English!

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The study of any topic begins with its basics. The same goes for English pronouns. Yes, you can immediately rush into the pool with your head, studying all the subtleties of this topic. However, if you do not know how this or that pronoun is translated or pronounced, immediately combining the word with other members and making sentences with them will be at least difficult, and at most impossible. Therefore, if you are just starting your acquaintance with this topic, let's look at English pronouns with translation and pronunciation in order to avoid problems in their further development.

English pronouns types

To begin with, it is worth noting that pronouns in English are divided into 9 types:

1. Personal Pronouns or Personal Pronouns
2. Possessive Pronouns or Possessive Pronouns
3. Reflexive Pronouns or Reflexive Pronouns
4. Reciprocal Pronouns or Reciprocal Pronouns
5. Interrogative Pronouns or Interrogative Pronouns
6. Relative and Conjunctive Pronouns or Relative and Connective Pronouns
7. Demonstrative Pronouns or Demonstrative Pronouns
8. Quantitative pronouns or Quantitative pronouns
9. Indefinite Pronouns and Negative Pronouns or Indefinite Pronouns and Negative Pronouns

Each species has a limited number of words that you need to remember to express your thoughts. These words, as a rule, consist of a small number of letters and do not contain sounds, the pronunciation of which can cause difficulties in initial stage. Let us dwell on each type in more detail and study the pronouns of the English language with transcription and translation.

English pronouns with translation and pronunciation: meaning and transcription

1. The main place among English pronouns is occupied by Personal Pronouns (Personal pronouns). This is the only group in which English allows for case inflection. Table for clarity:

1. The second most important group is Possessive Pronouns or the group of possessive pronouns. It also has two forms: attached and absolute. They both answer the same question (“whose?”), but differ in that the first requires a noun after itself, while the second does not. Compare:

As you can see, these forms have something in common, but they are written and pronounced differently. Consider full list possessive pronouns:

1. Reflexive Pronouns or reflexive pronouns - a group of pronouns, which is translated into Russian in the meaning of "himself (a)" and "yourself" depending on the situation:

The second part of these pronouns may remind you of the famous word "selfie" (selfie), which just came from the word "self" (himself). The first parts repeat the pronouns of the two above-mentioned groups.

1. Reciprocal Pronouns or reciprocal pronouns in English is the group that will probably take the least time to memorize. It consists of two words with the same meaning:

1. The group of Interrogative Pronouns or the group of interrogative pronouns is more extensive. These pronouns, as the name implies, are used to form questions:

1. Relative and Conjunctive Pronouns or relative and connective pronouns are used in complex sentences. There are not so many of them, but you need to know these words:

Some words of this group and the group of interrogative pronouns are similar, but their functions and meanings are different.

1. Demonstrative Pronouns or demonstrative pronouns in English are also common in speech. Some of them have singular and plural forms:

1. There are pronouns in English that denote quantity. They are called Quantitative pronouns or quantitative pronouns. These include:

1. The most extensive group can rightfully be considered Indefinite Pronouns and Negative Pronouns or indefinite and negative pronouns. Most of them are formed by a combination of pronouns, which also independently perform the functions of this group, and other parts of speech:

And also pronouns:

These were all English pronouns with translation and pronunciation. I would like to pay special attention to pronunciation. The fact is that the sounds of the English language are different from the sounds of Russian, so it is actually quite difficult to convey how pronouns are pronounced in English.

The options presented are close to English pronunciation and added to their understanding on entry level came easier. With such a pronunciation, you will definitely be understood, however, for a more correct sound, study transcriptions in English. Listening to audio of native speakers and imitating their manner of speaking is also great for remembering the correct pronunciation.

Possessive pronouns go hand in hand with personal pronouns: every personal pronoun has a possessive pronoun. Possessive pronouns in English answer the question whose? (whose?), their function is to determine belonging. It is important to note that the absolute form of possessive pronouns in English is used to replace the noun itself, that is, the directly defined word. Consider the types of possessive pronouns and the features of their use.

The absolute form of possessive pronouns in English: a parallel with the main form

Possessive pronouns are characterized by the presence of two forms => basic and absolute. The main form performs the function of definition and its task is to always stand before the noun. The absolute form, which is the second, is used directly to replace the noun itself, that is, the word being defined.

So, the table shows that possessive pronouns include such as my, your, his, her, its, our, their, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.

Examples

• Sarah decided to leave her job to find the better one => Sarah decided to leave her job to find a better one.
• Mr. Thompson took his shirt to see whether it will suit to his trousers => Mr. Thompson took his shirt to see if it would match his trousers.
• We really want to taste our cakes to see whether they are really so delicious as people say => We really want to try our cakes to see if they are really as delicious as people say.

The main task of possessive pronouns is to reflect belonging to something or the connection of objects.

• My window is of white color and her is brown => My window is white, hers is brown.
• My pencils are sharp but his– not => My pencils are sharp, his is not.

Today we are studying the topic of absolute pronouns, but in order to understand the peculiarities of their use, we will draw a parallel with pronouns in the attached form.

So, as we have already said, attached pronouns are necessarily used with a noun =>

• My rabbit is black and white => My rabbit is black and white.
• your husband is so handsome I can't stand but look at him! => Your husband is so handsome that I can't help but look at him!
• Our plates are of yellow color while our neighbors decided to buy some of red color => Our plates are yellow, but our neighbors decided to buy some red.

Features of using the absolute form

It can be seen from the examples that the main form of the possessive cannot be used without a noun, the meaning is lost and the sentence will not be correct. As for absolute pronouns, they are created in order to . The use of the absolute form of possessive pronouns is convenient when you need to avoid repeating the object being defined =>

• It is his pen => This is his pen.
• This pen is his => This pen is his.

Let's give examples with her - hers, because pronoun his is the same in different forms.

• It is her car => This is her car.
• This car is hers=> This car is hers.

Another great example =>

• Whose phone is it? — It's his/hers .
• Whose car is this? - It's his/her.

(his/hers are used instead of his car/her car).

Important! Absolute pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs) are meant to replace nouns

• What do cats like to eat? => Mine likes Kitekat.
• What do cats like to eat? – Mine loves Kitekat.
• Mine use instead my cat.
• Are this mine? => Yes, it is yours.
• It is mine? - Yes, it's yours.

On a note! If we are talking about the possessive pronoun its, then it is important to remember that it must be used without an apostrophe. If you see a form it's, then this is a shortened version of the phrase it is .

Functions of possessive pronouns in absolute form

Possessive pronouns in the absolute form perform several functions in a sentence. Functions are different and depend on the specifics of the context. Consider vivid examples =>

1. In the function of the subject

These are not her pencils. Hers are in her bag => These are not her pencils. Her (are) in her bag.

Where is the lollipop? Yours is in fridge. It is too hot here => Where is the lollipop? Yours is in the fridge. It's very hot in here.

1. In addition function

Our texts are better than yours(instead of your texts) => Our lyrics are better than yours.

Her shoes are much more glamorous than yours(instead of your shoes) => Her shoes are much more glamorous than yours.

1. In the function of the nominal part of the predicate

Whose chinchilla is this? – It is hers .

Whose chinchilla is this? - Her.

Whose red Maybach is it? – It is mine.

Whose red Maybach is this? - My.

Note! After the absolute form of the noun we do not set!

Summing up

The absolute pronoun helps to make speech simpler and easier without violating the meaning of the sentence. Possessive pronouns in the absolute form are best studied in parallel with the topic, which reveals the features of the use of the main form of such pronouns. The topic is easy, and if you reinforce the acquired knowledge with examples, you will understand it very quickly.

To make your speech in a foreign language expressive, correct and varied, as well as to learn to understand what other people say (write), you need to know English pronouns. A table (and more than one) will be presented in this article with the necessary explanations to facilitate the assimilation of grammatical material.

What is a pronoun and what is it for?

This part of speech is used in any language to avoid tautology, to enliven dry statements, and also to make them more logical. Pronouns in English are called Pronouns, which translates as "instead of nouns."

This service component acts as a substitute for those parts of speech that have already been mentioned in oral or written text. Nouns and adjectives can be replaced, a little less often - adverbs and numerals. Pronouns help us to maintain the logic and clarity of the presentation of thoughts, but at the same time not to repeat ourselves, naming the same people, objects, phenomena, signs, etc. again.

What are the pronouns in English

English pronouns, like Russian ones, change in person, gender, and number. In addition, they must be consistent with the part of speech that they replace. For example, agreement on the basis of gender: girl (girl) - she (she). In the same way, coordination is carried out in the number: boys (boys) - they (they).

Now let's take a closer look at what each variety is and how this service part of speech manages to simplify English.

Personal Pronouns

They have their name because they replace nouns - animate and inanimate. There are seven in total.

• I - I;
• you - you (you);
• he - he;
• she - she;
• it - it;
• we - we;
• they - they.

Pay attention to the following features:

1. You is used in both the singular and the plural. It is translated accordingly: “you”, “you” (appeal to one person) or “you” (appeal to a group of people).

2. It denotes not only inanimate objects, but also animals.

The above personal pronouns are given in the nominative case. But what if you need to say: “you”, “me”, “about us”, etc.? What is transmitted in Russian by other cases (dative, genitive, prepositional, etc.), in English is called in one word - the subjective case. Such pronouns replace words that are not subject in the sentence. The correspondence table is shown below.

Start practicing using the subjective case when you thoroughly understand and learn the forms of the nominative. Otherwise, you just run the risk of getting confused. In general, remembering pronouns is quite simple, and the more often you practice foreign language the more confident you will speak.

Possessive Pronouns

This group is the second most frequently used. But do not rush to get scared when you see new English pronouns. The table below shows the correspondence between personal and possessive types.

As you can see, the basis of almost all pronouns is the same, and the differences are most often only in one letter.

It is recommended to learn and work out in the exercises first personal pronouns, then possessive ones, and then practice in mixed tests, where you need to choose the option that is suitable in meaning and grammar: you or your, etc. So you will firmly learn everything and will never confuse these two superficially similar groups.

Demonstrative Pronouns

We continue to study pronouns in English and now we are moving on to the variety that helps to navigate in space, show a certain object, direction and place. They do not change according to persons and genders, but they have forms of the singular and Further in the table you will see demonstrative English pronouns with translation.

For example, if a picture hangs on the wall in the distance, then they say about it: That is a picture. And if there are pencils nearby on the table, this can be indicated as follows: These are pencils.

There is another function for this group of service parts of speech. They can replace individual words or even entire expressions. This is done to avoid repetition. For example: Air quality in the village is better than that in the city - The air quality in the village is better than (air quality) in the city.

Relative Pronouns

This variety is often found in complex sentences to connect the main and subordinate parts. Such an English pronoun with translation and understanding of foreign speech can create difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this issue well. The following relative pronouns exist:

• that - what, which (used to refer to both animate and inanimate objects);
• which - which (only to designate objects or phenomena);
• who - who, who (indicates people only);
• whom - to whom, who, whom (not found in colloquial language, used only in official speech as a speech cliché).

Interrogative Pronouns

As you might guess, this type is used in interrogative sentences. If you are already familiar with the topic “Special Questions”, then you know these English pronouns well. All of them are notable for the fact that they begin with the letter combination wh:

• what? - what? which? which?
• which? - which? which one (of the two)?
• who? - who?
• whom? - to whom? whom?
• whose? - whose?

Sometimes the suffix -ever can be added to them, and then combinations of whatever (any, anything), whoever (any, anyone), etc. are obtained.

Pay special attention to the following features.

Who is used in the singular and assumes the verb form is, as well as the ending -s in the present simple tense.

Who is there? Who likes this film?

The exception is when a personal pronoun is used in plural(you, we, they), if the answer involves naming several people, objects, phenomena, etc.

Who of you live in this house? - We do. (Which of you lives in this house? - We.)

(Indefinite Pronouns)

Often there are situations when the information is not entirely clear, or the speaker is not sure of its veracity. For such cases, there is a special group of service words. Below you can see all indefinite English pronouns with translation.

Please note that all the pronouns listed in the table are singular (even if translated into Russian they refer to many objects or people).

The plural of indefinite pronouns is represented by the following words:

• any - any;
• both - both;
• several - several;
• others - others, others;
• many - few;
• few - few.

Reflexive Pronouns

Used to refer to actions that are performed on oneself. These English pronouns are related to the varieties you already know - personal and possessive. Only in this case, the particle -self (in the singular) or -selves (in the plural) is added.

• (I) I - myself;
• (you) you - yourself;
• (he) he - himself;
• (she) she - herself;
• (it) it - itself (about animals and inanimate objects);
• (we) we - ourselves;
• (you) you - yourselves;
• (they) they - themselves.

How to translate This is best understood with examples.

Sometimes it can be translated as "yourself", "yourself", etc.

“Why?”, she asked herself - “Why?” she asked herself.

We arranged a great holiday for ourselves - We arranged a great holiday for ourselves.

In some cases, you can translate such pronouns with reflexive particles -s and -sya.

A cat washed itself - The cat washed itself.

Where are you hiding yourself? - Where are you hiding?

In cases where the fact that the action was performed by someone on their own is emphasized, reflexive pronouns can be translated with the words “himself”, “herself”, etc.

He has built this house himself - He built this house himself.

Reciprocal pronouns (Reciprocal Pronouns)

This variety includes only two representatives: each other and one another. They are synonyms.

Such pronouns are used in cases where two objects perform the same action directed at each other.

We love each other - We love each other.

They hugged and kissed one another - They hugged and kissed.

On Christmas day the friends gave each other presents - On Christmas day, friends gave each other gifts.

In cases where it is necessary to designate a group of people performing the same action in relation to each other, it is necessary to use the form one another. For example:

We are a united family and always help one another. We are a friendly family and always help each other.

People of different generations have difficulties in understanding one another - People of different generations have difficulty understanding each other.

This is what the pronoun system looks like in English. There is nothing complicated in it, since some groups of functional words are formed from others: reflexive and possessive - from personal, mutual - from indefinite, etc.

Having studied and understood the theory, begin to practice in various types exercises. The more often you do this, the sooner you will achieve a noticeable result: you will start using English pronouns in your speech without hesitation.