personal pronouns
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Pronouns - personal pronouns (I, me, you etc)
Pronouns are words we use in the place of a full noun.
We have both subject and object pronouns:
We use he/him to refer to men, and she/her to refer to women. When we are not sure if
we are talking about a man or a woman we use they/them.
This is Jack. He’s my brother. I don’t think you have met him.
This is Angela. She’s my sister. Have you met her before?
Talk to a friend. Ask them to help you.
You could go to a doctor. They might help you.
Subject pronouns
Subject Object
I me
you you
he him
she her
it it
we us
you you
they them
We use subject pronouns as subject of the verb:
I like your dress.
You are late.
He is my friend
It is raining
She is on holiday
We live in England.
They come from London.
Warning
Remember: English clauses always have a subject:
His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher.
I’m waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late.
If there is no other subject we use it or there. We call this a dummy
subject.
Object pronouns
We use object pronouns:
• as the object of the verb:
Can you help me please?
I can see you.
She doesn’t like him.
I saw her in town today.
We saw them in town yesterday, but they didn’t see us.
• after prepositions:
She is waiting for me.
I’ll get it for you.
Give it to him.
Why are you looking at her?
Don’t take it from us.
I’ll speak to them.
- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-
grammar/pronouns/personal-pronouns#sthash.5MsfEhlI.dpuf
it and there
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English clauses always have a subject:
His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher.
I’m waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late.
Look at the time! Is half past two.> It’s half past two.
except for the imperative (see more)
Go away.
Play it again please.
If we have no other subject we use there or it.
there
We use there as a dummy subject with part of the verb be followed by a noun
phrase. (see Clauses, sentences and phrases):
• to introduce a new topic:
There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven.
There has been an accident. I hope no one is hurt.
• with numbers or quantities:
There was a lot of rain last night.
There must have been more than five hundred in the audience.
• to say where something is:
There used to be a playground at the end of the street.
There are fairies at the bottom of the garden.
I wonder if there will be anyone at home.
• with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and the to-infinitive:
There is nothing to do in the village.
There was plenty to read in the apartment
There was nothing to watch on television.
There is a lot of work to do
If we want to show the subject of the to-infinitive we use for:
There is nothing for the children to do in the village.
There was plenty for us to read in the apartment
There was nothing for them to watch on television.
There is a lot of work for you to do.
• with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and an -ing verb:
There is someone waiting to see you.
There were a lot of people shouting and waving.
We use a singular verb if the noun phrase is singular:
There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven.
There was a lot of rain last night.
There is someone waiting to see you.
We use a plural verb if the noun phrase is plural:
There are more than twenty people waiting to see you.
There were some biscuits in the cupboard.
There were a lot of people shouting and waving.
It
We use it to talk about:
• times and dates:
It’s nearly one o’clock.
It’s my birthday.
• weather:
It’s raining.
It’s a lovely day.
It was getting cold.
• to give an opinion about a place:
It’s very cold in here.
It will be nice when we get home.
It’s very comfortable in my new apartment.
• to give an opinion followed by to-infinitive:
It’s nice to meet you.
It will be great to go on holiday.
It was interesting to meet your brother at last.
• to give an opinion followed by an -ing verb:
It’s great living in Spain.
It’s awful driving in this heavy traffic.
It can be hard work looking after young children.
Using "it" to talk about people
We use it to talk about ourselves:
• on the telephone:
Hello. It’s George.
• when people cannot see us:
[Mary knocks on door] It’s me. It’s Mary.
We use it to talk about other people:
• when we point them out for the first time:
Look. It’s Sir Paul McCartney.
Who’s that? I think it’s John’s brother.
• when we cannot see them and we ask them for their name:
[telephone rings, we pick it up] Hello. Who is it?
[someone knocks on door. We say:] Who is it?
Task 1
- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/it-and-
there#sthash.Hs4DLTJJ.dpuf
Determiners and quantifiers
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General and specific determiners
Determiners are words which come at the beginning of the noun phrase.
They tell us whether the noun phrase is specific or general.
Determiners are either specific or general
Specific determiners:
The specific determiners are:
 the definite article: the
 possessives: my, your, his, her, its; our, their, whose
 demonstratives: this, that, these, those
 interrogatives: which
We use a specific determiner when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what
we are referring to:
Can you pass me the salt please?
Look at those lovely flowers.
Thank you very much for your letter.
Whose coat is this?
General determiners:
The general determiners are:
 a; an; any; another; other; what
When we are talking about things in general and the listener/reader does not know
exactly what we are referring to, we can use a uncount noun or a plural noun with no
determiner:
Milk is very good for you. (= uncount noun)
Health and education are very important. (= 2 uncount nouns)
Girls normally do better in school than boys. (= plural nouns with no determiner)
… or you can use a singular noun with the indefinite article a or an:
A woman was lifted to safety by a helicopter.
A man climbing nearby saw the accident.
We use the general determiner any with a singular noun or an uncount noun when we
are talking about all of those people or things:
It’s very easy. Any child can do it. (= All children can do it)
With a full licence you are allowed to drive any car.
I like beef, lamb, pork - any meat.
We use the general determiner another to talk about an additional person or thing:
Would you like another glass of wine?
The plural form of another is other:
I spoke to John, Helen and a few other friends.
Quantifiers
We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of
something: how much or how many.

- See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/determiners-and-
quantifiers#sthash.IkZhr3a9.dpuf

basic grammar

  • 1.
    personal pronouns backnext HideTopic Pronouns -personal pronouns (I, me, you etc) Pronouns are words we use in the place of a full noun. We have both subject and object pronouns: We use he/him to refer to men, and she/her to refer to women. When we are not sure if we are talking about a man or a woman we use they/them. This is Jack. He’s my brother. I don’t think you have met him. This is Angela. She’s my sister. Have you met her before? Talk to a friend. Ask them to help you. You could go to a doctor. They might help you. Subject pronouns Subject Object I me you you he him she her it it we us you you they them
  • 2.
    We use subjectpronouns as subject of the verb: I like your dress. You are late. He is my friend It is raining She is on holiday We live in England. They come from London. Warning Remember: English clauses always have a subject: His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher. I’m waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late. If there is no other subject we use it or there. We call this a dummy subject. Object pronouns We use object pronouns: • as the object of the verb: Can you help me please? I can see you. She doesn’t like him.
  • 3.
    I saw herin town today. We saw them in town yesterday, but they didn’t see us. • after prepositions: She is waiting for me. I’ll get it for you. Give it to him. Why are you looking at her? Don’t take it from us. I’ll speak to them. - See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english- grammar/pronouns/personal-pronouns#sthash.5MsfEhlI.dpuf it and there backnext English clauses always have a subject: His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher. I’m waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late. Look at the time! Is half past two.> It’s half past two. except for the imperative (see more) Go away. Play it again please. If we have no other subject we use there or it. there
  • 4.
    We use thereas a dummy subject with part of the verb be followed by a noun phrase. (see Clauses, sentences and phrases): • to introduce a new topic: There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven. There has been an accident. I hope no one is hurt. • with numbers or quantities: There was a lot of rain last night. There must have been more than five hundred in the audience. • to say where something is: There used to be a playground at the end of the street. There are fairies at the bottom of the garden. I wonder if there will be anyone at home. • with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and the to-infinitive: There is nothing to do in the village. There was plenty to read in the apartment There was nothing to watch on television. There is a lot of work to do If we want to show the subject of the to-infinitive we use for: There is nothing for the children to do in the village. There was plenty for us to read in the apartment There was nothing for them to watch on television. There is a lot of work for you to do. • with an indefinite pronoun or expressions of quantity and an -ing verb:
  • 5.
    There is someonewaiting to see you. There were a lot of people shouting and waving. We use a singular verb if the noun phrase is singular: There is a meeting this evening. It will start at seven. There was a lot of rain last night. There is someone waiting to see you. We use a plural verb if the noun phrase is plural: There are more than twenty people waiting to see you. There were some biscuits in the cupboard. There were a lot of people shouting and waving. It We use it to talk about: • times and dates: It’s nearly one o’clock. It’s my birthday. • weather: It’s raining. It’s a lovely day. It was getting cold. • to give an opinion about a place: It’s very cold in here. It will be nice when we get home. It’s very comfortable in my new apartment.
  • 6.
    • to givean opinion followed by to-infinitive: It’s nice to meet you. It will be great to go on holiday. It was interesting to meet your brother at last. • to give an opinion followed by an -ing verb: It’s great living in Spain. It’s awful driving in this heavy traffic. It can be hard work looking after young children. Using "it" to talk about people We use it to talk about ourselves: • on the telephone: Hello. It’s George. • when people cannot see us: [Mary knocks on door] It’s me. It’s Mary. We use it to talk about other people: • when we point them out for the first time: Look. It’s Sir Paul McCartney. Who’s that? I think it’s John’s brother. • when we cannot see them and we ask them for their name:
  • 7.
    [telephone rings, wepick it up] Hello. Who is it? [someone knocks on door. We say:] Who is it? Task 1 - See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/it-and- there#sthash.Hs4DLTJJ.dpuf Determiners and quantifiers backnext General and specific determiners Determiners are words which come at the beginning of the noun phrase. They tell us whether the noun phrase is specific or general. Determiners are either specific or general Specific determiners: The specific determiners are:  the definite article: the  possessives: my, your, his, her, its; our, their, whose  demonstratives: this, that, these, those  interrogatives: which
  • 8.
    We use aspecific determiner when we believe the listener/reader knows exactly what we are referring to: Can you pass me the salt please? Look at those lovely flowers. Thank you very much for your letter. Whose coat is this? General determiners: The general determiners are:  a; an; any; another; other; what When we are talking about things in general and the listener/reader does not know exactly what we are referring to, we can use a uncount noun or a plural noun with no determiner: Milk is very good for you. (= uncount noun) Health and education are very important. (= 2 uncount nouns) Girls normally do better in school than boys. (= plural nouns with no determiner) … or you can use a singular noun with the indefinite article a or an: A woman was lifted to safety by a helicopter. A man climbing nearby saw the accident. We use the general determiner any with a singular noun or an uncount noun when we are talking about all of those people or things: It’s very easy. Any child can do it. (= All children can do it) With a full licence you are allowed to drive any car. I like beef, lamb, pork - any meat. We use the general determiner another to talk about an additional person or thing:
  • 9.
    Would you likeanother glass of wine? The plural form of another is other: I spoke to John, Helen and a few other friends. Quantifiers We use quantifiers when we want to give someone information about the number of something: how much or how many.  - See more at: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/determiners-and- quantifiers#sthash.IkZhr3a9.dpuf