Download Pronouns A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or

Pronouns
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun in a
sentence. Pronouns perform all the functions of a noun in a sentence. The noun that is being replaced is called the antecedent.
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Three Types of Personal Pronouns: 1st Person:I, me, my, mine, us, we, ourselves, etc. 2nd: you, your, yours, yourselves 3rd: he, she, it, him, her, they, them, himself, etc. example: You and I can bring them some lunch. !
--Demonstrative Pronouns: this, that, these, those. example: These are better than those. *** !
--Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs. example: The house on the corner is mine. !
--Possessive Pronouns as Adjectives: my, your, our, his, her, their, its. example: My house is on the corner. ***
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--Interrogative Pronouns: who, whom, what, which, whose. example: What are you going to do? !
--Reflexive Pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves,
yourselves, themselves. example: We can paint the kitchen ourselves. !
--Relative Pronouns: who, whom, whose, which, that. example: The man who lives next door has a beautiful garden. ***
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--Indefinite Pronouns: all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both,
each, either, enough, everybody, everyone, everything, few, fewer, less, little,
many, more, most, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, none, one, other,
others, several, some, somebody, someone, something, such. example: Everyone has left the building, but some are still waiting for a ride. !
Verbs
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A verb or verb phrase asserts something about the subject
of the sentence and express actions, events, or states of
being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of
the Simple Predicate of a sentence.
In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound
verb is highlighted:
Dracula bites his victims on the neck.
The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes.
In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.
Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that
will take place in the future.
My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the
janitor Mr. Weatherbee more vividly.
In this sentence, the verb "was" (the simple past tense of
"is") identifies a particular person and the verb "remember"
describes a mental action.
Karl Creelman bicycled around the world in 1899, but his
diaries and his bicycle were destroyed.
In this sentence, the compound verb "were destroyed" is an
action which took place in the past.
!--Linking Verbs A linking verb links its subject to a subject
complement. A subject complement either renames or describes the
subject.
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The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb
“be” [am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have
been, etc.], become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always
linking verbs.
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Then you have a list of verbs that can also be action: appear, feel,
grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn.
Sometimes these verbs are linking verbs; sometimes they are action
verbs.
!How do you tell when they are action verbs and when they are linking
verbs? If you can substitute am, is, or are and the sentence still
sounds logical, you have a linking verb on your hands. If, after the
substitution, the sentence makes no sense, you are dealing with an
action verb instead.
!Examples: Sylvia tasted the spicy squid eyeball stew.
Sylvia is the stew? I don't think so!
Tasted, therefore, is an action verb in this sentence, something Sylvia
is doing.
!The squid eyeball stew tasted good.
The stew is good? You bet. Make your own!
!I smell the delicious aroma of a mushroom and papaya pizza baking
in the oven.
I am the aroma? No way! Smell, in this sentence, is an action verb,
something I am doing.
!The mushroom and papaya pizza smells heavenly.
The pizza is heavenly? Definitely! Try a slice!
!When my dog Oreo felt the wet grass beneath his paws, he bolted
up the stairs and curled up on the couch.
Oreo is the wet grass? Of course not! Here, then, felt is an action
verb, something Oreo is doing.
!My dog Oreo feels depressed after seven straight days of rain.
Oreo is depressed? Without a doubt! Oreo hates the wet.
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This substitution will not work for appear. With appear, you have to
analyze the function of the verb.
Swooping out of the clear blue sky, the blue jay appeared on the
branch.
Appear is something a blue jay can do—especially when food is near.
The blue jay appeared happy to see the bird feeder.
Here, appeared is connecting the subject, the blue jay, to its state of
mind, happiness.
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