Pronouns - přednáška

PRONOUNS

PRONOUNS X DETERMINERS

• The main function is to substitute nouns always precede nouns

• used in a place of a noun

• do not normally precede nouns

• It is capable to stand on its own

X she-bear, you students

one word can be used both as a determiner and a pronoun

I want this book. X I want this. – demonstrative pronoun

I want some milk. X I want some. – zastupuje slovo “milk”

Subclasses of pronouns (according to Quirk 1985: 345)

Central: a) Personal: I/me, we/us …

b) Possessive: my/mine, our/ours… → sometimes “possessive adjectives”, might be considered as determiners

c) Reflexive (+ Intensive): myself, ourselves… → zvratná zájmena

Reciprocal: each other, one another → vyjadřují vztah mezi dvěma skupinami, lidmi, podobné zvratným zájmenům – znají se

Relative: who, which, that …. → vztažná zájmena

Interrogative: what, who which, how ….

Demonstrative: this, these, that, those → ukazovací zájmena

Indefinite: all, both, some, enough, other, another, any, either, neither, no, none

PERSONAL PRONOUNS – natural gender = we can distinguish the gender only on certain nouns (chair = it) → sometimes it’s considered as a family member – car, boat = he, she…

• Their choice depends on the noun that is being replaced (pronouns (except for you) agree with the nouns they replace in number, some in gender and case).

• for general reference one (formal, rarely used nowadays) and you (informal) are used

  • description of a facilities offered by a hotel: Table tennis is on offer and ONE can also hire bicycles.

  • They do these throw away cameras. You can get a panoramic one and you can get a sort of party one with a flash.

• it - as an empty subject: It often rains here. – we don’t know what “it” means

- as a preparatory subject: It is a pleasure to talk to her. It = to talk to her (It není vynecháno, protože tu nejpodstatnější věc dáváme na konec – zde podmět to talk to her.) – we can change the order – To talk to her is a pleasure.

- as a preparatory object: I often find it difficult to get up in the morning. – “it” = to get up

Objective form where subjective form might be expected – 1. a 4. pád/předmět a podmět

• after be: It’s me/him/her. → Řekneme “It’s me”, a ne “It’s I”.

• nominative is not normally used by itself and after not: Who wants a piece of cake? – Me/not me.

• in cleft sentences (vytýkací konstrukce abychom mohli změnit slovosled) – – informal: It was me that opened the letter.

• in comparative constructions after than, as: You are slower than me.

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

possessive determiners: my, your, his, her, its…

possessive pronouns: mine´, yours, his, her – delší verze – we use it when they stand in front of the noun – It is friend of his. It is friend of mine.

It’s his own fault. Now that you’ve got your very own flat, how does it feel?

We finally bought the flat, so now it is really ours.

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

• have the effect of pointing out entities, often for the purpose of contrast or selection (deictics)

• writers must be careful to make the reference clear.