KINDS AND CASES OF PRONOUNS; AND VERBALS

In this week's article, we will be discussing:

• Kinds of Pronouns
• Cases of Pronouns
• Verbals

I. KINDS OF PRONOUNS

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Some examples of pronouns are I, me, mine, myself, her, him, they, we, us, and many more. The truth is, there are various kinds of pronouns which serves purpose depending on how they are used in a particular sentence.

1. Personal Pronoun

Some of the personal pronouns are I, you, she, he, it, her. Oftentimes (but not exclusively) they replace nouns that represent people. They are usually (but not always) found in the beginning of the sentence as they are the subject of the sentence.

Example:    I am studying English.

                    He always forget to bring his lunch.

2. Reflexive Pronoun

Reflexive pronouns are used to reflect back the action to the noun. They refer to another noun or pronoun in the sentence, which is usually the subject of a particular sentence. Reflexive pronouns end with -self or -selves like pronouns myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves.

Example:    I like to eat by myself.

                   The hardworking girls treat themselves with full-body massage.

3. Demonstrative Pronoun

Demonstrative pronouns are also called as "pointing pronouns". They are used to demonstrate or indicate something or someone. Pronouns this, that, these and those are all demonstrative pronouns.

Example:       Can I have some of these beautiful flowers?

            Hey, you left this on your table. (In this example, the speaker could be demonstrating a thing (book, perhaps) that he/she can hold, so we used the pronoun "this".)

4. Interrogative Pronoun

Interrogative pronouns produce information questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer. Some of the pronouns asking questions are who, what, when, where, whom, whose, which.

Example:       What  exactly are you talking about?

                       Who do you think is the prettiest in class?

5. Indefinite Pronoun

Indefinite pronouns are used for non-specific things. This is the largest group of pronouns. Some indefinite pronouns that are commonly used are any, somebody, nobody, anyone, either, none, everything, all, each, few, either, other, and many more.

Example:      Everybody seems to like her.

                      That guy is willing to do anything for her girl.

6. Relative Pronoun

Relative pronoun are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. Some of relative pronouns include: who, whom, which, whoever, whomever, whichever and that.

Example:     The girl who gave me this book is my bestfriend.

                      May I talk with whoever is in-charge with this seminar?

7. Intensive Pronoun

These pronouns looked like reflexive, but functions differently in a sentence. Intensive pronouns are used to intensify the pronoun.

Example:    I myself eat the carrot cake I baked.

                    You should teach yourself how to respect other people's opinion.

II. CASES OF PRONOUNS

Like nouns, pronouns have also cases. Case refers to the form a word take and its function in a sentence. Pronouns have 3 common cases: subjective, objective, possessive and one additional, the appositive.

                            Figure 1: http://www.towson.edu/ows/procase.htm

*Refer to Figure 1 shown above, for the cases of personal pronouns.

1. Subjective Case

A pronoun is in subjective case when it acts as the subject of the sentence.

Example:     We used to call each the best of friends, but no, everything has changed.

                      You are the best thing that has ever been mine!

Additionally, subjective complement refer to pronouns intensifying the subject.

Example:     The best professor she is talking about is him.

                     (In this example, the pronoun "him" intensifies the subject "best professor", so it is the subjective complement.)

                     Hey, the one I'm talking with is you!

                     (The pronoun "you" intensifies the subject "the one", so it is the subjective complement."

2. Objective Case

 The pronouns me, us, him, her, them and whom are some of the pronouns used as the object in any particular sentence. There are three (3) subtopics under the objective case referring to the pronouns which functions in different purposes:

a. Direct object: receives the action in the sentence.

Example:    Taylor saw the them.

                     I guess we should befriend her.

b. Indirect object: receives the action of the direct object.

Example:    The teacher gave him a failing grade.

                    (In this example, the subject is the teacher while the direct object is the "failing grade", and so, the indirect object is "him".)

c. Object of the Preposition: pronouns appearing after a preposition are called the "object of the preposition".

Example:    Are you referring to her?

                    They planned to give the present to you.

3. Possessive Case

These are the pronouns showing ownership.

Example:   The pink notebook is mine.

                          Are these all yours?

4. Appositive Case

These are the pronouns renaming or amplification of something earlier in the sentence.

Example:      Nobody in the room, even he, knew that it would happen.

                      Grandma left a very precious gift to her favorite grand daughter, me.

III. VERBALS

Verbals are words that seem to carry the idea of action or being, but do not function as a true verb. In short, these are verbs that do not function as action words in a sentence, for they are used in different purpose.

1. Gerund

These are verbs ending in -ing and functions as noun or the subject of a particular sentence.

Example:     Swimming is her favorite sport.

                     I love biking!

*Gerund as a subject

Example: Being king can be dangerous.

*Gerund as object of the verb

Example: He didn't particularly like being king.

*Gerund as a subject

Example: He wrote a book about being king.

Gerund Phrase: 

Gerund phrase always start with gerund and functions as a noun. Gerund phrase are always subjects, objects, or subject complements in  sentences and always include modifiers, and often include other objects.

Example:    Jogging in the park is what I always love to do in the morning.

                    Writing a tragedy poems is my favorite thing to do.

2. Infinitive

An infinitive is a verbal consisting of the word to plus a verb (in its simplest "stem" form) and functioning as a noun, adjective, or adverb. The term verbal indicates that an infinitive, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being.

Example:    She has many suggestions to offer. (In this example, the infinitive "to offer"                              functions as an adjective in the sentence.)

                     He called to warn her. (In this example, the infinitive "to warn" functions as an                        adverb because it modifies the word "called")

3. PARTICIPLE

Participle is a verb that ends in -ing (when it is present participle) or -ed, -d, -t, -en, -n (when it is past participle). Participle functions as adjective, modifying the moun or subject.

Example:     The dancing child entertained her parents.

                     The opened pack of cotton candy is on the kitchen counter.

Participles have another function when it is used with helping verbs such as "to be" and "to have". They are action verbs and from several verb senses.

Example:     The bloodstain had been cleaned before they arrived.
                     ("Had been" serves as the helping verb, while "cleaned" is the main verb in                         the sentence).