Personal Pronouns, Possessive Pronouns, Reflexive Pronouns

PRONOUNS

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of or refers to a noun. You may recall that a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A personal pronoun is a pronoun that is associated primarily with a particular person, in the grammatical sense.

When discussing “person” in terms of the grammatical, the following rules apply:

·         First person, as in “I”

·         Second person, as in “you”

·         Third person, as in “It, he, she”

Personal pronouns may take on various forms depending on number (singular or plural for the most part). They may also take different forms depending on case, gender, or formality. It is important to note that personal pronouns may refer to objects, animals, or people.

Personal pronouns provide us with the following information:

·         The person – Who is speaking?

·         The number – Is the pronoun plural or singular?

·         The gender – Is the pronoun feminine, masculine, or neuter?

number	person	gender	personal pronouns
			subject	object
singular	1st	male/ female	I	me
	2nd	male/ female	you	you
	3rd	male	he	him
		female	she	her
		neuter	it	it
plural	1st	male/ female	we	us
	2nd	male/ female	you	you
	3rd	male/ female/ neuter	they	them

1.     Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns replace nouns that are the subject of their clause. In the 3rd person, subject pronouns are often used to avoid repetition of the subject's name.

Examples :

• I like coffee.
• Do you like coffee?
• He runs fast.
• She is clever.
• It doesn't work.
• We went home.
• Do you need a table for three?
• They played doubles.

2.     Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are used to replace nouns that are the direct or indirect object of a clause.

Examples  :

• John helped me.
• John loves you.
• Did Ram beat him?
• Does Mary know her?
• Can the man fix it?
• Anthony drove us.
• Did John and Mary beat you at doubles?
• John and Mary beat them.

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Possessive pronouns replace possessive nouns as either the subject or the object of a clause. Because the noun being replaced doesn't appear in the sentence, it must be clear from the context.

Below are the possessive pronouns, followed by some example sentences. Notice that each possessive pronoun can:

• be subject or object
• refer to a singular or plural antecedent

number	person	gender (of "owner")	possessive pronouns
singular	1st	male/ female	mine
	2nd	male/ female	yours
	3rd	male	his
		female	hers
plural	1st	male/ female	ours
	2nd	male/ female	yours
	3rd	male/ female/ neuter	theirs

Examples :

• Look at these pictures. Mine is the big one. (subject = My picture)
• I like your flowers. Do you like mine? (object = my flowers) 
• I looked everywhere for your key. I found John's key but I couldn't find yours. (object = your key)
• My flowers are dying. Yours are lovely. (subject = Your flowers) 
• All the essays were good but his was the best. (subject = his essay)
• John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her passport)
• John found his clothes but Mary couldn't find hers. (object = her clothes) 
• Here is your car. Ours is over there, where we left it. (subject = Our car)
• Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. (subject = Our photos) 
• Each couple's books are colour-coded. Yours are red. (subject = Your books)
• I don't like this family's garden but I like yours. (object = your garden) 
• These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. (subject = Their children)
• John and Mary don't like your car. Do you like theirs? (object = their car)

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the clause because the subject of the action is also the direct or indirect object. Only certain types of verbs can be reflexive. You cannot remove a reflexive pronoun from a sentence because the remaining sentence would be grammatically incorrect.

	reflexive pronoun
singular	myself yourself himself, herself, itself
plural	ourselves yourselves themselves

Examples :

• He accidentally cut himself while he was chopping the vegetables.
• She bought a present for herself.
• We helped ourselves to the free drinks at the launch party.
• They injured themselves during the rugby match.
• I enjoyed myself at the concert.
• The dog is scratching itself – it must have fleas!
• You’re going to have to drive yourself to school today

References :

http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-pronouns-types-examples-definition.html

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/pronouns-personal.htm

http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/personal-pronouns/

http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Reflexive_Pronouns.htm

Use of Preposition and Common Combination and Preposition

Use of Preposition

A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to some other part of the sentence.

Prepositions can be tricky for English learners. There is no definite rule or formula for choosing a preposition. In the beginning stage of learning the language, you should try to identify a preposition when reading or listening in English and recognize its usage. 

A preposition is used to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object.

Here are a few common prepositions and examples.

On

Used to express a surface of something:

• I put an egg on the kitchen table.
• The paper is on my desk.

Used to specify days and dates:

• The garbage truck comes on Wednesdays.
• I was born on the 14th day of June in 1988.

Used to indicate a device or machine, such as a phone or computer:

• He is on the phone right now.
• She has been on the computer since this morning.

Used to indicate a part of the body:

• The stick hit me on my shoulder.

Used to indicate the state of something:

• Everything in this store is on sale.
• The building is on fire.

Of

Used for belonging to, relating to, or connected with:

• The secret of this game is that you can’t ever win.
• The highlight of the show is at the end.
• The first page of the book describes the author’s profile.

Used to indicate reference:

• I got married in the summer of 2000.
• This is a picture of my family.
• I got a discount of 10 percent on the purchase.

Used to indicate an amount or number:

• I drank three cups of milk.
• A large number of people gathered to protest.
• I had only four hours of sleep during the last two days.
• He got a perfect score of 5 on his writing assignment.

To

Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction of something:

• I am heading to the entrance of the building.
• The package was mailed to Mr. Kim yesterday.
• All of us went to the movie theater.
• Please send it back to me.

Used to indicate a limit or an ending point:

• The snow was piled up to the roof.
• The stock prices rose up to 100 dollars.

Used to indicate relationship:

• This letter is very important to your admission.
• My answer to your question is in this envelop.
• Do not respond to every little thing in your life.

Used to indicate a time or a period:

• I work nine to six, Monday to Friday.
• It is now 10 to five. (In other words, it is 4:50.)

For

Used to indicate the use of something:

• This place is for exhibitions and shows.
• I baked a cake for your birthday.
• I put a note on the door for privacy.
• She has been studying hard for the final exam.

Used to mean because of:

• I am so happy for you.
• We feel deeply sorry for your loss.
• For this reason, I’ve decided to quit this job.

Used to indicate time or duration:

• He’s been famous for many decades.
• I attended the university for one year only.
• This is all I have for today.

At

Used to point out specific time:

• I will meet you at 12 p.m.
• The bus will stop here at 5:45 p.m.

Used to indicate a place:

• There is a party at the club house.
• There were hundreds of people at the park.
• We saw a baseball game at the stadium.

Used to indicate an email address:

• Please email me at abc@defg.com.

Used to indicate an activity:

• He laughed at my acting.
• I am good at drawing a portrait.

In

Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season, year:

• She always reads newspapers in the morning.
• In the summer, we have a rainy season for three weeks.
• The new semester will start in March.

Used to indicate a location or place:

• She looked me directly in the eyes.
• I am currently staying in a hotel.
• My hometown is Los Angeles, which is in California.

Used to indicate a shape, color, or size:

• This painting is mostly in blue.
• The students stood in a circle.
• This jacket comes in four different sizes.

Used to express while doing something:

• In preparing for the final report, we revised the tone three times.
• A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.

Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:

• I believe in the next life.
• We are not interested in gambling.

Commond Combination and Preposition

1.    Common Verb and Preposition Combination

Verbs and prepositions are also used in common phrases. The verb generally goes in front of the preposition.

Account for : to be the explanation of cause of something

• ·        How do you account for the unusually cold weather we’ve been having lately.

Apologize for : to say that you are sorry for doing something wrong of causing a problem.

• ·        I have to apologize for  the way this room looks. I haven’t gotten around to cleaning it.

Ask about : to say or write something in the form of a question, in order to get information

• ·        We asked about the condition of the roads between there and the Capital.

Ask for : to say that you want to speak to somebody or be directed to a place

• ·        I asked for  a quite room on the second floor of the hotel.

Pay for : to give somebody money for work, foods, services, etc.

• ·        How much did you pay for that overcoat?

2.    Common Adjective and Preposition Combination

Adjectives and prepositions are commonly used in phrases. The adjective usually goes before the preposition.

Proud of : feeling pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with.

• ·        He was proud of having completed the marathon.

Afraid of : worried about what might happen.

• ·        She is afraid of speaking in public.

Anxious about : feeling worried or nervous.

• ·        Norma is anxious about making the presentation.

Remember for : reviving memories

• ·        She is remembered for protecting mountain gorillas.

Referensi :

http://www.grammarly.com/handbook/grammar/prepositions/9/common-verb-and-preposition-combinations/

http://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/prepositions-of-to-for.aspx

http://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/prepositions-on-at-in.aspx

http://www.grammarly.com/handbook/grammar/prepositions/8/common-adjective-and-preposition-combinations/

http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/adjective_prep_gerund_list.htm