Pronouns

A pronoun is used in place of a noun or nouns. Common pronouns include he, her, him, I, it, me, she, them, they, us, and we. Here are some examples:

INSTEAD OF: Luma is a good athlete.

She is a good athlete. (The pronoun she replaces Luma.)

INSTEAD OF: The beans and tomatoes are fresh-picked.

They are fresh-picked. (The pronoun they replaces the beans and tomatoes.)

Often a pronoun takes the place of a particular noun. This noun is known as the antecedent. A pronoun "refers to," or directs your thoughts toward, its antecedent.

Let's call Luma and ask her to join the team. (Her is a pronoun; Luma is its antecedent.)

To find a pronoun's antecedent, ask yourself what that pronoun refers to. What doesher refer to in the sentence above—that is, who is the her? The her in the sentence is Luma; therefore, Luma is the antecedent.

Subjective Pronouns

A subjective pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence—it performs the action of the verb. The subjective pronouns are he, I, it, she, they, we, and you.

He spends ages looking out the window.

After lunch, she and I went to the planetarium.

Objective Pronouns

An objective pronoun acts as the object of a sentence—it receives the action of the verb. The objective pronouns are her, him, it, me, them, us, and you.

Cousin Eldred gave me a trombone.

Take a picture of him, not us!

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun tells you who owns something. The possessive pronouns arehers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, and yours.

The red basket is mine.

Yours is on the coffee table.

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun points out a noun. The demonstrative pronouns are that, these, this, and those.

That is a good idea.

These are hilarious cartoons.

A demonstrative pronoun may look like a demonstrative adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.

Interrogative Pronouns

An interrogative pronoun is used in a question. It helps to ask about something. The interrogative pronouns are what, which, who, whom, and compound words ending in "ever," such as whatever, whichever, whoever, and whomever.

What on earth is that?

Who ate the last Fig Newton?

An interrogative pronoun may look like an interrogative adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun refers to an indefinite, or general, person or thing. Indefinite pronouns include all, any, both, each, everyone, few, many, neither, none, nothing, several, some, and somebody.

Something smells good.

Many like salsa with their chips.

An indefinite pronoun may look like an indefinite adjective, but it is used differently in a sentence: it acts as a pronoun, taking the place of a noun.

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun introduces a clause, or part of a sentence, that describes a noun. The relative pronouns are that, which, who, and whom.

You should bring the book that you love most.

That introduces "you love most," which describes the book.

Hector is a photographer who does great work.

Who introduces "does great work," which describes Hector.

Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of a sentence. The reflexive pronouns areherself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. Each of these words can also act as an intensive pronoun (see below).

I learned a lot about myself at summer camp. (Myself refers back to I.)

They should divide the berries among themselves. (Themselves refers back to they.)

Intensive Pronouns

An intensive pronoun emphasizes its antecedent (the noun that comes before it). The intensive pronouns are herself, himself, itself, myself, ourselves, themselves, andyourselves. Each of these words can also act as a reflective pronoun (see above).

I myself don't like eggs.

The queen herself visited our class.

Ref:
http://www.towson.edu/ows/pronouns.htm

Assignment (English Business II)

SUBJECT

Definition: The subject of a sentence is the noun, pronoun or noun phrase that precedes and governs the main verb. The subject is the part of the sentence that performs an action or which is associated with the action.

For example:

* He is a really nice guy.

* "He" is the subject of the sentence, controlling the verb and the complement.

* My dog attacked the burglar.

* "My dog" is the subject, controlling the verb and the rest of the sentence.

* David plays the piano

* The subject "David" performs the action of "playing the piano".

* The police interviewed all the witnesses.

* The subject the police performs the action of interviewing all the witnesses.

VERBS

Definition: Verbs are a class of words used to show the performance of an action (do, throw, run), existence (be), possession (have), or state (know, love) of a subject. To put it simply a verb shows what something or someone does.

For example:

* Paul rides a bicycle.

* Here, the verb rides certainly denotes an action which Paul performs - the action of riding a bicycle.

* We buy some books to learn English verbs.

* In this example, the action word is "to buy". It tells us that the subject "we", that is the person who performs the action of the verb is "buying some books".

The verb tense shows the time of the action or state. Aspect shows whether the action or state is completed or not. Voice is used to show relationships between the action and the people affected by it. Mood shows the attitude of the speaker about the verb, whether it is a declaration or an order. Verbs can be affected by person and number to show agreement with the subject.

COMPLEMENT

A complement is the part of a Sentence that comes after the Verb and is needed to make the sentence complete. The following are the most important types of complement used in English:

a.  SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

Eg: He's a surveyor. (The Subject is completed by the complement to the verb. This is a Copula Verb.

b.  OBJECT COMPLEMENT

Eg: She sent him the fax. (The sentence is completed by telling us what she sent to him.)

c.   ADJECTIVAL COMPLEMENT

Eg: They'll be happy. (The sentence is completed by the Adjective; this could be extended further, they'll be happy to see us, etc..)

d.  PREPOSITIONAL COMPLEMENT

Eg: They talked about what needed doing. (The sentence is completed by the Phrase linked to the verb by the Preposition.)

MODIFIER

tells the time, place or manner of the action. Very often it's a prepositional phrase. Prepotional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun.

Note : A modifier of time usually comes last if more than one modifier is present.

Example of prepositional phrases :

In the morning, at university, on the table

A modifier can also be an adverb or an adverbial phrase :

Last night, hurriedly, next year, outdoors, yesterday

Example : John bought a book at the bookstore

(modifier place)

Jill was swimming in the pool yesterday

(modifier of place)(modifier of time)

Note :

The modifier normally follows the complement, but not always. However, the modifier, especially when it's a prepositional phrase, usually can't separate the verb and the complement.

Example : She drove the car on the street

(verb) (complement)

Ref: http://www.zianet.com/jkline/unittwo.htm