Possessive Pronouns
Possessive
pronouns can also show ownership just like nouns.
* This is my car.
* Is that your car?
1. Use the correct form of the personal possessive pronouns and do not use an apostrophe to indicate possessions:
|
My |
mine |
|
Your |
yours |
|
His |
hers |
|
It’s |
ours |
|
Theirs |
whose |
* The Commission on Election failed to publish its findings.
The word "its" is not a contraction
between the words it and is.
The word is used to convey the idea that the Commission on Election
owns the findings. We can says then that its
is a personal possessive pronoun.
It's a lovely guitar.
The word it’s in the
sentence is a constriction of the words it and is. Moreover, there is no idea
of ownership being expressed.
Thus, it's is not a possessive pronoun.
2. It is necessary to use the apostrophe and s to show the possessive forms of indefinite pronoun others, the apostrophe is added at the end of s without adding an additional s.
|
Anyone’s job |
someone's key |
|
Everybody’s
car |
each
one's privilege |
|
One’s
relatives |
other's
affairs (singular other) |
|
Another’s
books |
others'
affairs (plural others) |
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent as to person, number, and gender.
Classification
of Gender (according to distinctions in sex)
Masculine
gender- he, him, father, son
B. Feminine gender-
she, her, daughter, sister
C. Common gender-
child, adult, cousin, neighbor
D. Neuter gender-
computer, desk, mirror, bus
4.
When the pronouns all, any,
some, and none refer to a
number, they are generally regarded as plural. When they refer to quantity or
to a mass, they are regarded as singular.
* All were waiting their turn. (All is plural)
* There is no bread
in the box. All of it has been eaten.
(All is singular)
A compound
antecedent can be two antecedents connected by and.
The coach and the players agreed on their game plan.
(The pronoun "their" to a
compound antecedent made up of the words coach and the layers.)
5.
In a compound antecedent, if both
antecedents are singular and refer to different persons or things, the compound
antecedent is considered to the plural.
This also true if at least one of the antecedents is
plural. The pronoun that refers to the compound antecedent must also be plural.
* Francis and his
father postponed their trip.
6.
In the compound antecedent, if both
antecedents making up the compound antecedent are singular and refer to the
same person or thing, the compound antecedent is considered to be singular. The
pronoun that refers to the compound antecedent must also be singular.
* The
judge and executioner abhor his duties. (If the judge is also the executioner
then the compound antecedent is considered to be singular. In this case,
the pronoun his agrees with its
antecedent in number.)
7.
Collective noun is singular when
they designate a group acting as a unit. They are plural when the members that
make up the group are acting independently. The pronoun must then agree with
its antecedent as to number.
Collective noun names a group of individual persons or
things. It can take a singular form, although it is made up of two or more persons
or things, if the collective noun acts as a unit.
|
Audience |
class |
|
Crowd |
family |
|
Jury |
team |
Exercise:
Pronouns and Antecedents
1. The class was
divided in (its, their) opinion of the new president of the university.
2. (Who, Whom) is speaking please?
3. She and (I, me)
volunteered to go to Bora cay Beach to see the white sand.
4. It was (they, them) who persuaded us to see a
fortune teller.
5. They wanted (us,
we) girls to prepare the food for the party.
6. He is willing to
hire (whoever, whomever) comes first.
7. That was (she,
her) calling in the telephone.
8. Don't mind (my, me) complaining.
9. (It's, its) a
fact; Paula is shorter than Tinting and (I, me).
10. Everyone must
keep (himself, themselves) busy.
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