NOUN PHRASE, NOUN CLAUSE & KINDS OF PRONOUNS
NOUN PHRASE
Phrase is a group of words that won’t have a subject and
verb of its own, though they communicate a concept.
We enjoy playing cricket
(phrase)
Early to bed is good. (phrase)
He ran with great speed (phrase)
He is a man of great wealth (phrase)
A noun phrase is a group of words that does
the work of a noun.
We enjoy it - We
enjoy playing cricket. Here, playing
cricket does the work of a noun. As it is
a phrase and does the work of a noun, it is said to be a noun phrase.
e.g. To win a prize is her aim (Noun
phrase-infinitive phrase)
Did
you enjoy reading this book? (Noun phrase –
Gerund phrase or participle phrase.)
They tried to contact him.
How to find help is the question.
He promised to help me.
Thinking good thoughts leads good actions.
NOUN CLAUSE
A noun clause is a group of words that
contains a subject and a predicate (verb +) of its own, and does the work of a
noun.
He expects to get the first prized (what? – prize -> noun ->
noun phrase)
He expects that he will get the first prize. (Noun clause-with
subject and predicate)
I fear my failure. (Noun phrase)
I fear that I will fail (Noun clause)
Pay careful attention to his words. (Noun phrase)
Pay careful attention to what he is going to say. (Noun clause)
No one knows about him. (Noun phrase)
No one knows who he is. (Noun clause)
He begged for his life. (Noun phrase)
He begged that his life might be spared (Noun Clause)
Promise to come again. (Noun phrase)
Promise that you will come again. (Noun Clause)
I don’t understand how to solve this problem (Noun phrase)
I don’t understand how I can solve the problem. (Noun Clause)
PRONOUNS AND KINDS OF
PRONOUNS
There are nine kinds of pronouns. As we saw the (1) personal pronoun earlier, let’s deal with the remaining 8 pronouns.
2. Reflexive pronouns
When – Self is added
to my, your, him, her and it and –selves to our, your, them, we get compound personal
pronoun. As they reflect the action of
the verb back upon the subject itself, they are called reflexive pronouns.
I enjoyed myself.
He hurt himself
Behave yourself
She killed herself
They patted themselves on the back.
3. Emphatic pronouns
When the reflexive
pronouns are used to emphasize to someone or something they are called emphatic
pronouns.
I myself will take you there
It was given by the president himself.
You yourself are to blame.
They themselves admitted it.
4. Demonstrative pronouns
This, that, these,
those, such are Demonstrative pronouns.
They point out the persons or things for which they stand.
This is my best friend, I got there
These are the oranges, I bought.
Those are the books to be packed.
That is your bed.
Both phones are good, but this is better than that.
He is the landlord and as such he has the right to collect the
rent.
(But if we say, this
phone is better than that phone, this and that will become demonstrative
adjectives.)
5. Indefinite
pronoun
One, some, few, many,
all, some, something, somebody, everybody, anybody, nobody, nothing and none
are called indefinite pronouns when they don’t refer any person or thing in
particular.
One should be careful how one selects one’s friends
None of his friends were there to congratulate him.
Nobody came to meet her.
Nothing is to be done here.
Something is better than nothing.
All were invited to the party
Many were killed in the accident.
6.
Interrogative pronouns
Who, whom, whose,
what and which are called interrogative pronouns as they are used for asking
questions.
Who are you?
Whom does she want to see?
By whom was this done?
Whose book is this?
What do you want?
Which is the road to the hospital?
Ø
Who, whom and whose
used with persons
Who wrote that book?
Whose is this bag?
Whom did you invite?
Ø
‘What’ - is used only
for things
What did you say?
What is this?
Ø
‘Which’ – is used for
both ‘persons’ and ‘things’
Which is your room?
Which is your friend?
Ø
Who are you? (I am John)
What are you? (I am an advocate)
7. Relative pronouns
Who, which, that and
what are called as Relative pronouns. By
acting both as a Conjunction and a pronoun, they relate or refer to the nouns
that come before them.
I saw a man. He was deaf and dumb.
I saw a man who was deaf and dumb.
This is the book. You forgot to take.
This is the book that you had forgotten to
take.
I met an old man there, whom my father had known.
This is the car which belongs to my brother.
Take down what I dictate.
8. Distributive pronouns
Each, either and neither are called
distributive pronouns as they refer to persons or things taken as one at a
time. So, they are followed by singular
verbs. Among these either and neither
are used only when two persons or things are considered.
Each of them should be given a chair.
Either of these girls may be selected.
Neither of them has the needed qualifications.
Ø
When more than two persons or things are considered
any, no one, none are used.
I don’t like any of these books.
No one was ready to take him.
None of them will be selected.
9. Reciprocal
Pronouns
Each
other and one another are called reciprocal pronouns as they express a mutual
relationship. They are considered as
compound pronouns.
They gripped each other’s hand.
They are always ready to go to one another’s help.
‘Each other’ is used when two persons or
things are taken into consideration where as ‘one another’ is used when more
than two are considered.
The two brothers loved each other.
We should all love one another.
The three sisters quarrelled with one another.
The couple seemed to love each other very much.
Malayalam
-------Thulasidharan V
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