Pronouns

Pronouns

Exercises
Exercise -1
Exercise -2
Exercise -3
Exercise -4
Exercise -5
Exercise -6
Exercise -7

Pronouns
Pronouns are an essential part of English grammar and are used to replace nouns in sentences. They help avoid repetition and make our speech and writing more concise and fluent. Understanding and using pronouns correctly is crucial for effective communication in English, including success in the TOEFL exam.

Here are some key points to keep in mind when using pronouns:

1- Personal Pronouns:

Personal pronouns refer to specific people or things. They include:- Subject Pronouns: Used as the subject of a sentence.

For example: “I, you, he, she, it, we, they.”

2- Object Pronouns:

Used as the object of a verb or preposition. For example: “me, you, him, her, it, us, them.”
– Possessive Pronouns: Indicate ownership or possession.

For example: “mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.”

3- Demonstrative Pronouns:

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things. They include: “this, that, these, those.”

For example: “This is my book.”

4- Relative Pronouns:

Relative pronouns introduce relative clauses and connect them to the main clause. They include: “who, whom, whose, which, that.”

For example: “The woman who is standing over there is my teacher.”

5- Interrogative Pronouns:

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They include: “who, whom, whose, which, what.”

For example: “Whose pen is this?”

6- Indefinite Pronouns:

Indefinite pronouns refer to non-specific people or things. They include: “anyone, someone, everyone, nobody, something, anything.”

For example: “Someone called for you.”

7- Reflexive Pronouns:

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same. They end in “-self” (singular) or “-selves” (plural). For example: “myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.” For example: “I hurt myself.”

8- Reciprocal Pronouns:

Reciprocal pronouns indicate a mutual action or relationship between two or more people. They include: “each other, one another.”

For example: “They love each other.”

Understanding the different types of pronouns and their usage will help you construct grammatically correct sentences and convey your intended meaning. In the TOEFL exam, you may encounter questions that test your knowledge of pronouns, such as identifying the appropriate pronoun to use in a given sentence or completing sentences with the correct pronouns.

Remember to pay attention to subject-verb agreement, gender agreement, and case (subject/object) when using pronouns. By practicing and familiarizing yourself with pronoun usage, you can enhance your overall language proficiency and improve your performance in the TOEFL exam.

PRONOUNS

Exercise-1
Choose the correct pronoun.

1. Mary is heavier than (me /I).
2. It must be (her / she).
3. John and (I / me) went to the movies.
4. Is it true that (he / him) is here?
5. Who is at the door? — It is (I / me).
6. She isn’t so fast as (he / him).
7. (He / Him) and his father are both very tall.
8. It was (they / them) who told us.
9. Just between you and (I / me) Marcy’s hair is fright.
10. She went with Babs and (I / me) to a new hairdresser.
11. Babs and (I / me) looked totally fabulous with our new hairdos.
12. Who would have guessed that (his / him) teasing my hair would make such a difference?
13. The hairdresser liked my hair more than (I, me).

Answers :

1. I 2. she 3. I 4. he 5. me (me – ????? ??. be – informal, I – formal speech) 6. he 7. He
8. they 9. me 10.me 10.me 12.his 13. I/me (I did)

Pronouns

Exercise-2
Choose the word that correctly completes each sentence below.

1. Eric plays the piano as well as (I / me).
2. I hope you’ll stop in to visit Nancy and (I / me), — said Mr. Berkowitz.
3. Disabled Vietnam veterans spearheaded a drive for equal rights that has benefited all of (us / we) disabled people.
4. Tim says Tiffany is not older than (he, him).
5. (Us / We) baby-sitters can experience baby-sitter burnout after a few years of caring for children.
6. Misty’s father asked (her / she) and (I / me) to wait on the steps.
7. Mrs. Grailish chose Lloyd rather than Martha because she likes Lloyd better than (her / she).
8. (He / Him) and Kathleen are dissatisfied with the way their company evaluates employees’ performance.
9. ( Us / We) dog lovers were impressed by Jim’s willingness to carry his seventy- pound dog up and down the stairs every day.
10. Daniel said his mother sent a box of fudge to Sam and (he / him).

Answers :

1. I 2. me 3. us 4. he 5. We
6. her 7. her 8. He 9. We 10. him

Pronouns

Exercise-3
Define whether the following sentences are True (T) or False (F). Correct mistakes.

1. I was surprised to learn that Betty and him were hurt in the accident.
2. I often remember when Paul and I visited Rome.
3. He moved the furniture by hisself.
4. She gave us, Margaret and I, the notes we missed in class.
5. They were sitting by themselves next to the swimming pool.
6. That project is the responsibility of Susan and she.
7. Let us keep this secret between you and me.
8. Do not forget to give the message to Bob and me.
9. The tourists asked us, my cousin and me, how to get to the museum.
10. Please be sure to notify my husband or I when the package arrives.
11. The children assembled the toy house by theirselves.
12. How often do you have the opportunity to meet a man as intelligent as him?
13. For the majority of us the issue is rather confusing.
14. Mary will never be as rich as I.
15. It is her, the one whom nobody likes.

Answers :

1. F, Betty and he
2. T
3. F, by himself
4. F, Margaret and me
5. T
6. F, Susan and her
7. T
8. T
9. T
10. F, my husband or me
11.F, by themselves
12.F, as intelligent as he
13.T
14.T
15.F, It is she

 

Pronouns

Exercise-4
Correct the object pronouns in these sentences where necessary.

1. Could you please explain this exercise to her?
2. John sat between Helen and I.
3. She goes with they to the movies.
4. He understands her better than him.
5. Between you and I, I didn’t like the food.
6. What is the matter with she?
7. He told Mary and me about the trip.
8. She gets along with him better than me.
1. T 2. me 3. them 4. T 5. me 6. her 7. T 8. T

Pronouns

Exercise-5

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive adjective or pronoun.

1. She loves ……… dog.
2. The dog wags ……… tail when it’s happy.
3. The boys are playing with ……… toy cars.
4. We have several trees in ……… garden.
5. He was very nice and I appreciated ……… calling me.
6. I have had ……… dinner.
7. Her mother is very warm and I loved ……… cooking.
8. I know Bob. He was ……… classmate at college.
9. I’ve mislaid my pencil. May I borrow ………?
10. Bob wants you to return that book of……… which you borrowed last month.
11. We had a test too, but yours was harder than ……….
12. Is this your coat? — Yes, it’s ……….
13. I was on time for my class but Jane was late for ……….
14. We’ve already had lunch. Have you had ………?
15. We’ve got our tickets. Have they got ………?
16. Joanne knows him. He’s a neighbour of……….

Answers :

1. her 2. its 3. their 4. our
5. his 6. my 7. her 8. my
9. yours 10.his 11.ours 12.mine
13.hers 14.yours 15.theirs 16.hers

Pronouns

Exercise-6
Most of the following sentences contain one mistake. Write True (T) or False (F). Correct mistakes.

1. Is this clarinet yours?
2. Mary Lee picked up my briefcase, and now I’m stuck with her’s.
3. Our neighbours’ lawns are always better kept than our’s.
4. Gene always has trouble understanding his telephone bill.
5. I wish I could find dress shoes as attractive and comfortable as your’s.
6. Lauren told me that the idea for the new advertising campaign was hers.
8. Our telephone is made of white plastic, and theirs’ is made of brass and polished wood.
9. I told the eye doctor that I was seeing lines and spots dancing across my field of vision.
9. Stuart has spent his’ life on the road, moving from city to city.
10. Because the state faces a huge deficit, programs and jobs may be cut, including ours.
11. Please tell the people in the copying department that these folders are theirs’, not mine.

Answers :

1. T
2. F,hers
3. F, ours
4. T
5. F, yours
6. T
7. F, theirs
8. T
9. F,his
10.T
11. F, theirs

Pronouns

Exercise-7
Fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronoun.

1. The little boy hurt ……… when he fell.
2. Be careful not to cut ……… with that knife.
3. She lives by ……….
4. We enjoyed ……….
5. The children decorated the room ……….
6. I blamed ……… for losing the job.
7. The cat defended ……… against the big dog.
8. They are going to paint the house by ……….

Answers :

1. himself
2. yourself
3. herself
4. ourselves
5. themselves
6. myself
7. itself
8. themselves

Pronouns

Exercise-8
Most of the following sentences contain one mistake. Write True (T) or False (F). Correct mistakes.

1. Kelly and myself like the arms and armor collection better than any other part of the museum.
2. The Ivanovs had planned to go to the wedding reception with us, but they ended up going by themself.
3. William F.Cody called himself Buffalo Bill.
4. The questionnaires are for Marshall and myself.
5. Sheila cut herself when she opened the package of brownies.
6. You advanced students can do the problems yourself and then check the answers in the back of the book.
7. Steven and Hope blame theirself for causing the fight between their parents.
8. Doing a job yourself is the only you can ensure that it gets done right.
9. Curtis changed the oil hisself.
10. Sandra and Joan washed themselves thoroughly after coming in from the garden.
11. The cat lets itself in and out through the little swinging door in the kitchen.

Answers :

1. F, Kelly and me
2. F, by themselves
3. T
4. F, Marshall and me
5. T
6. F, yourselves
7. F, blame themselves
8. T
9. F, himself
10.F. washed thoroughly
11. T

Pronouns

Exercise-9
Choose the interrogative pronoun that correctly completes each sentence below.

1. (Who, Whom) argues that certain kinds of objects now in European and American museums should be returned to the countries from which they originally came?
2. (Whoever, Whomever) spilled the grape juice on the kitchen floor should clean it up immediately.
3. The shiny covering of a spacesuit reflects heat away from an astronaut, for (who, whom) intense heat could otherwise be very dangerous.
4. The note taped to the front door began, “To (whoever, whomever) it may concern.”
5. A person (who, whom) has made insurance claims is likely to face an increase in his or her insurance rates.
6. From (who, whom) did you get that impression?
7. As far as I’m concerned, you can go to the races with (whoever, whomever) you choose.
8. The people (who, whom) live near the airport have complained for years about the noise and air pollution caused by jets.
9. (Whoever, Whomever) wants these old magazines can have them.
10.To (who, whom) did you wish to send these roses, sir?

Answers :

1. Who
2. Whoever
3. whom
4. whomever
5. who
6. whom
7. whomever
8. who
9. Whoever
10. whom

Pronouns

Exercise-10
Correct the relative pronouns where necessary.

1. The artist whom exhibition we saw last week is a concert pianist also.
2. The gold that you saw was mined from the sea.
3. It was your school counsellor whom called you.
4. The devastation which the tornado had brought about was unbelievable.
5. Some scientists believe that the Americans were populated by groups of Siberian
hunters which crossed the Bering strait.
6. The professor which you spoke to yesterday is not here today.
7. The condors whom live in California are becoming extinct.
8. The student whose paper you have red is sitting there.

Answers :

1. whose
2. Т
3. who
4. Т
5. who
6. who
7. which
8. Т

Pronouns

Exercise-11
Most of the following sentences contain a mistake. Write True (T) or False (F). Correct mistakes.

1. If blast furnaces are allowed to cool, it can crack.
2. Are teenagers less healthy today than their parents were as teenagers?
3. A small amount of water in an outboard motor’s ignition system can prevent them from starting.
4. Many people dislike the Susan B. Anthony dollar because it seems too much like a quarter.
5. The tail portion of the plane gives them stability.
6. In some African countries the ways a woman’s hair is braided tells whether or not she is married.
7. Tinted car windows reduce sun glare but it can decrease visibility at night.
8. Before World War I most Americans did not brush their teeth.
9. Air conditioners are useful to allergy sufferers because it can remove pollen from the air.
10. If you put mulch around your trees, you don’t need to mow as close to them.
11. A horse’s fetlock is on the back of their leg, above the hoof.

Answers :

1. F, they can crack
2. T
3. F, prevent it
4. T
5. F, gives it stability
6. Т
7. F, but they can decrease
8. T
9. F, because they can
10.Т
11. F, on the back of its leg

Exercise-12

Find one mistake in each of the following sentences. Some may need pronouns, some have the wrong pronouns, and some have extra pronouns.

1. My mother she is always late picking me up.
2. Little children often need help with his homework.
3. Each of the students brought their own pencil.
4. The XZY company is famous for their strict hiring policies.
5. Dogs get nutrients into systems from good dog food.
6. Computers they are always malfunctioning.
7. There are many different styles, and it is all beautiful.
8. The longest day of the year around here it is June 21.
9. She made a delicious meal but didn’t enjoy.
10. Marlee Matlin won their only Academy Award for ‘Children of a Lesser God’.

Answers :

1. My mother is always
2. their homework
3. his / her own pencil
4. for its
5. their systems
6. Computers are always
7. and they are all beautiful
8. around here is June 21.
9. but didn’t enjoy it
10. won her only Academy Award

Exercise-13
Choose the word that correctly completes each sentence below.

1. The choir gives (its, their) concert on the third Sunday in May.
2. The Fire Company held (its, their) election of the officers last week.
3. Either Jo or Martha gives (her, their) oral report today.
4. The commission planning the redevelopment of the waterfront present (its, their) proposal to the major next week.
5. Either the cat or its kittens left (its, their) toy mouse in the middle of the living room.
6. A group of park workers use (its, their) own cars to patrol the park at night.
7. The U.S. Army Band presents (its, their) free concert on the lawn of the Whitman Stafford farmhouse Friday at 7:30 p.m.
8. Neither Rebecca nor Kit will tell us how much (she, they) weighs.
9. The jazz dance group has (its, their) rehearsal every Thursday.
10. The afternoon kindergarten class meets (its, their) new teacher for the first time today.
11. Either Ozzie or Brad left (his, their) gym bag in the locker room.9. is

Answers :

1. its 2. its 3. her 4. its
5. their 6. their 7. its 8. she
9. its 10. its 11.his