Is it possible to use the personal pronouns He or She when talking about an inanimate object? Pronouns in English - it, this.

Today we will consider such an important thing in the practical grammar of the English language as the use of personal pronouns 3rd person singular in relation to inanimate objects. So, we are interested in is it possible to use the personal pronouns He or She when speaking about an inanimate object? In English-speaking countries, usually He or She, in relation to an inanimate object, is spoken only in a joking manner.

For example, sailors use the pronoun she when referring to a ship. Recently, there has been a tendency among English-speaking motorists to talk about their car using He or She. But it looks more like a joke, or like an accent, emphasizing a special relationship to your transport. It is believed that in English to say about the car "she" or "he" is the same as in Russian to call it by name. Although, this also happens. At the same time, Americans, newborns of unknown sex and young children, as well as animals, can sometimes call it. It is worth saying that although animals are most often called it, nevertheless, he and she are still used for animals when the sex of the animal is known, and this rule is especially applicable to pets. Also in English, where the animal, according to the general rule of the neuter gender - it, there are generic divisions for individual animals - they are used to indicate the exact gender. Inanimate objects with which people have a "close relationship", such as ships, are sometimes referred to as she. Countries that are viewed as political rather than geographical entities are sometimes also used with she. This rule also applies to cities.

In general, you should not think that everything that is inanimate is it. Since in English nouns denoting all inanimate objects, concepts, as well as some living beings (animals and children) are neuter, they are all replaced by the pronoun it. Therefore, the pronoun it corresponds in Russian to pronouns of all three genders and is translated into Russian he, she, it, depending on the gender of the noun it replaces.

So, let's sum up. In relation to an inanimate object, the personal pronouns He, She are used if:

• She is used in relation to countries, especially when they are perceived as a political or cultural unity, and not a geographical concept. Last year Italy increased her exports by 10%. Italy increased its exports by 10% last year.
• The names of parts of mechanisms or moving objects are often replaced by a pronoun she. Peter took my watch and said, “She is 3 minutes slow”. Peter took my watch and said: “They are 3 minutes behind.” / Let's move this bed to the corner. Oh, she is heavy! Let's move this bed into a corner. Oh yes, it's heavy!
• Pronoun use she in relation to the ship. What a lovely ship! What's she called? What a beautiful ship! What is it called?
• Owners of cars, motorcycles, etc., pilots often talk about their aircraft and sailors about their ships. she, expressing, as a rule, a positive attitude - tenderness, care.

A pronoun names an object or attribute of an object. In English, pronouns are conjugated, as in Russian. They are divided into personal, demonstrative, possessive and reflexive pronouns.
Personal pronouns can be singular or plural. They also change by case. Example: I take - I take, love me - love me.
Singular pronouns:
I - me
He -him
She - her
It- it It - to him / her
In plural:
We - us
You - you
They - them
The pronoun "it" is used when naming an inanimate object or animal. It can also be translated as "this". For example: Who is there? It's me! Who's there? It's me!
Demonstrative pronouns in English also change for numbers.
This - these
That - those
The pronoun "this" denotes a characteristic of an object that is not far from the speaker, and "that" one that is at some distance. I don't want this apple, I want that one. I don't want this apple, I want that one.
Possessive pronouns are used when a pronoun is needed without a noun. In the singular and plural it is:
My - my
his - his
her - her
its - his/her.
our - our
your - yours
their - theirs.
Possessive pronouns have a subspecies in the form of an absolute form. Used on its own.
Whose dog is this? She is mine. Whose dog is it? It's mine.
List of absolute pronouns in singular and plural:
Mine is mine
His - his
Hers - her
Its - his/her
ours - our
yours - your
theirs - theirs
Separately, it is necessary to consider the turnovers there is, there are. They usually imply a listing of either the items themselves or their quantity.
There is a chair in the room. The chair is in the room.
There are a bottle, a cup and a table in the kitchen. The kitchen has a bottle, a mug and a table.
The pronoun "some" is used for items that can be listed. It translates as "a few, a little." When questioned and denied, it is replaced by "any". Although, it can also be used in affirmative sentences. Bring me some cakes. Bring me some cakes. Take any book. Take any book.
The pronouns some, any, no together with -body form another group of pronouns. The same rules apply to them, they just apply to people.
In affirmative sentences will be used:
Something - something
Somebody - someone, somewhere
Somewhere - somewhere.
Ask somebody, please. Ask someone.
In negative:
Anything - something, anything
Anybody - someone, somebody
Anywhere - somewhere, anywhere
Do you know anybody, who knows this secret? Do you know someone who knows this secret?
And in questions:
Nothing - nothing
Nobody - nobody
Nowhere - nowhere
There is nothing in our refrigerator. There is nothing in our refrigerator.
The pronouns "many" (many) and "few" (several) are used only for countables, and only in the plural. “Much” (a lot) and “little” (little) are used for uncountable nouns, which denote abstract concepts.
Many people prefer a good music. Many people prefer good music.
Take a few glasses and sit with us. Grab a few glasses and sit down with us.
Thank you very much. Thanks a lot.
Do you speak English? Yes, a little! You speak English? Yes, not enough!
Reflexive pronouns in English express an action that is directed towards the person who performs it.
I - myself (I)
You -yourself (you)
He- himself (he)
She-herself (she)
We- ourselves (we)
You-yourselves (you)
They - themselves (they)
Translated as yourself, yourself. He likes himself. He likes himself.

How important personal pronouns in English? We can safely say that personal pronouns are the basis of any language, and even more so English.

If they were not there, even the most famous phrase I love you(Russian I love you) could not exist! After all, it already contains two personal pronouns: I- Me and you- you.

The pronoun is one of the most terrifying masks man has invented.

The pronoun is one of the most terrifying masks ever created by man.

English personal pronouns have a lot of similarities with Russian pronouns: they also change by gender, number, and even cases. But there are also pitfalls to keep in mind when learning personal pronouns on your own.

Today we will tell what personal pronouns are there in english, we will give examples of sentences and reveal all the secrets of their use.

Personal pronouns in English!

Comparative table of personal pronouns in the nominative and object cases, English.

As you know from the Russian language course, personal pronouns replace a noun. These can be names of people, places or objects. Mostly, personal pronouns are used instead of a noun to avoid repetition and make it easier to speak.

We usually add personal pronouns to a sentence when the noun has been mentioned before, that is, when the reader or listener knows what is being said.

For example:

Liz bought a new car two months ago. She absolutely loves it.(Russian Liz bought a car two months ago. She is crazy about it)

In the second sentence She absolutely loves it two pronouns are used: personal pronoun she replaces proper name Liz, and the personal pronoun it used instead of a noun car .

Important!

Personal pronouns in English help to avoid the constant repetition of the same noun over and over in the narrative.

The noun that is replaced is called antecedent(eng. antecedent). If you know the antecedent, you can always choose the correct personal pronoun that agrees in numbers (singular or plural), persons (first, second or third), gender (masculine, feminine, neuter) and cases (nominative, object, ).

Main grammatical features of personal pronouns in English:

English personal pronouns have singular ( I, he, it etc.) and plural ( we, they and etc.);

English personal pronouns change by gender in the 3rd person singular: husband. ( he- he), wives. ( she-she), cf. ( it-it);

• This type of pronouns changes by person: 1st person ( I, we), 2nd person ( you), 3-person ( he, she, it, they)
• Personal pronouns in English have two cases: nominative ( he, she, we, they etc.) and object ( me, them, us and etc.).

But first things first. Let's first consider, How do personal pronouns change in English? by persons, genders and numbers in various cases.

Personal Pronouns in English: Nominative

English personal pronouns in the nominative case are called Subject Pronouns. Word subject the subject is translated into Russian, and in linguistics the term subjective case(Russian subjective case).

The English subject case corresponds to the Russian nominative, which answers questions who? and what? and plays the role of the subject in the sentence.

Therefore, English personal pronouns in the nominative case perform the function of the subject.

Pronouns I, we(Russian ya, we) are the first person singular and plural and are used on behalf of the speakers.

Remember!

Pronoun I(Rus. ya) is always capitalized, regardless of the place in the sentence.

Pronoun you is the second person singular and plural and corresponds to the Russian pronouns "you", "you", "you" (polite form). This pronoun is used in relation to the interlocutor or interlocutors.

A fairly large number of English learners from scratch are trying to use an English pronoun you with a verb in the singular, but this is incorrect. Even when addressing one interlocutor, personal pronoun you always carries the characteristic of the plural.

Compare:

You are a student(Russian You are a student.)

You are students(Russian You are students)

Pronouns he, she, it(Russian he. she, it) and they(Rus. they) are representatives of the third person singular and plural.

As you probably already know, the verb in the 3rd person singular. numbers (that is, when used with personal pronouns he, she, it) has a number of features in the formation of sentences in and a number of other tenses.

Let's look at how personal pronouns are used in a sentence with examples.

Example sentences with personal pronouns in English with translation

Object case of personal pronouns in English

Object case (eng. objective case) in English performs functions similar to those that in Russian perform other cases, except for the nominative.

Therefore, there are quite a lot of options for translating personal pronouns in the objective case into Russian, as you can see in the table.

Table of personal pronouns in the nominative case:

As you can see from the table, we can draw an analogy between pronoun her(objective case of personal pronoun she) in a sentence I see her with Russian accusative I see (who, what?) her.

English personal pronouns in the object case often appear in a sentence as direct or indirect addition .

Compare:

I phoned him to congratulate him.(Rus. I called him to congratulate him), where is the pronoun him is a direct complement.

She apologized to me.(Russian She apologized to me) - where is the pronoun (to) me used with a preposition and is an indirect object

Personal pronouns with prepositions in English

An example of the use of personal pronouns as a subject, direct and indirect object in English

English personal pronouns in the subject (nominative) case play the role of the subject in the sentence.

For example:

I like your flowers.- I like your (your) flowers.

They are working in the garden.- They work in the garden.

We go to the cinema.- We're going to the cinema.

But with personal pronouns in the objective case, not everything is so simple. Let's consider the main functions in the sentence of object pronouns in English, and which Russian cases they are more similar to.

• Object pronouns in English as direct object corresponds to the accusative case in Russian (whom? what?)

Don't love me(Russian He loves me)

Do you know him?(rus. Do you know him?)

I see her everywhere(rus. I see her everywhere)

• Personal pronouns in the objective case can play the role unprepositional indirect object and have similarities with the Russian dative case, answering the question to whom? what?:

He have her the book(Russian. He gave her a book)

Mary told us to choose a dish(Russian Mary told us to choose a dish)

• Sometimes English object pronouns perform the role of the subject in short remarks, which is typical for the spoken language, which is not quite grammatically correct:

Who did it? - Not me! / Me(Russian Who did it? - He me! / I)

I am feeling tired - Me too(Rus. I'm very tired. - Me too)

• Pronoun combination with preposition to corresponds to the dative case in Russian (to whom?) and performs the function indirect (indirect) complement:

Show the book to him(Russian. Show the book to him)

I sent a letter to them(rus. I sent a letter to them)

• pronoun combination with prepositions by and with corresponds to the instrumental case in Russian (whom? what?) and is indirect addition:

This article was translated by her(Russian This article was translated by her)

I want to go with you(rus. I want to go with you / with you)

• After the words except(Russian except) and but(Russian except) you should use only object pronouns:

Nobody but him helped me(Russian. No one but him helped me.)

Everyone except me went home(Russian. Everyone except me went home.)

Personal pronouns in English: sentences with examples

Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. (rus. Only I can change my life. No one can do it instead of me).

In this section, we will talk about the generally accepted rules for using personal pronouns in English.

When to use I and me, we and us, he and him, etc.

As we already wrote, English pronouns in the nominative case ( I, you, he, she, it, we, they) play the role of the subject.

They are usually used before a verb to show who is doing the action.

For example:

Peter complained to the chef about the meal.(Rus. Peter complained to the chef about the dish.)

She wasn't very helpful so he spoke to the manager.(Rus. She didn't help much, so he turned to the manager)

In the second sentence, pronouns she and he indicate who directly performed the action (she did not help, he turned).

Pronouns in the objective case ( me, you, him, her, it, us, them) are additions. In a sentence, they are usually used after a verb or preposition.

Also, they can be used as short answers, mainly in colloquial speech.

For example:

A: Where's the knife? I can't find it(rus. Where is the knife? I can't find it)

B: It is in the drawer.(Russian He is in a box)

In the first sentence pronoun it used in the object case, and is the object being acted upon (can't find it=knife). In the second sentence, this is the same pronoun it stands in the nominative case, and is the subject (He = knife in the box)

Examples of the use of personal pronouns in English

Personal pronouns he, she, it

Personal pronouns he, she, it are representatives of the third person singular, and determine the form of the feminine, masculine and neuter.

Now in colloquial speech, you can notice the use of several pronouns, a kind of "neutral form", if the speaker is not sure about the person's belonging to a certain gender, for example: he or she, he/she, s/he, (s)he.

For example:

The bank manager could help with your problem. He or she will probably be able to give you a loan.(Rus. A bank manager can help you. He or she will probably be able to give you a loan.)

It is necessary to remember some features of the use of the pronoun “it” in English.

personal pronoun it defines objects and is often translated as “he/she” in Russian. The English pronoun it denotes not only inanimate objects, but often even animals.

Pronoun it often used in impersonal sentences when there is no subject:

evaluates some action, for example: It is important to know this(Russian It is important to know this);

indicates space and time: It is 10 km to the airport(Russian. To the airport 10 km), It is 10 o "clock now.(Russian It is now 10 o'clock.)

• indicates weather: It is getting dark(Russian. It's getting dark)

Example sentences with pronouns he, she, it

Using it and that, it and this

Many English learners are interested in how sentences like these differ This is a pen from It is a pen, since both sentences are translated This is a pen.

Usage difference this and it often often underestimated, as many believe that there is no difference and "you will be understood anyway." But, it's not so simple...

Pronoun this

when referring to a person, thing or object that is being spoken of or that is nearby or is implied or has been recently mentioned: These are my pens(Russian These are my pens)

• when indicating something closer or currently being researched or discussed: This is iron and that is tin.(Russian This is iron, otherwise it is tin)

Pronoun it used in the following cases:

when defining an inanimate object: Took a quick look at the house and noticed it was very old(Russian. Looked at the house and noticed that it was old)

refers to a person or animal whose gender is unknown or irrelevant: I don't know who it is(Russian. I don't know who it is)

• defines a group of people or things, or an abstract entity: Beauty is everywhere and it is a source of joy.(rus. Beauty is everywhere and it is a source of admiration)

Remember!

definitive pronoun this is used in relation to a person or thing in question, which is implied or which will be discussed later, while the personal pronoun it usually refers to an inanimate thing, or is used in relation to a person, thing, idea, etc., taken in a more abstract way.

There are other special uses pronouns it and that in English.

1. Pronoun this used as a definition and comes before a noun:

This cat is black(Russian This cat is black).

Pronoun It cannot be used in this function.

2. Pronoun it used in impersonal sentences as a formal subject that is not translated:

It is dark(Russian Dark).

If in this sentence we use this, there will be no mistake, but the meaning will change, since now the sentence is not impersonal, but personal, in which this will be translated because it replaces the above noun: This is my room and that is yours. This (one) is dark and that (one) is not.(Russian. This is my room, and that one is yours. My (this room) is dark, but your (that room) is not)

3. Pronoun it can also be a substitute word for the aforementioned noun and act as a subject and as an object:

This is a cat. This cat is black = It is black(Rus. This is a cat. This cat is black. = She is black)

I will take this (book) not that (one)(rus. I buy this book, but not that one). The semantic emphasis on this particular book is this, and not on that one - that .

I will take it.(Rus. I buy / I take), the semantic emphasis on I take - will take

Choice it or this in this case, it depends on what task the speaker faces:

nessesary to use this, if you need to point to a specific object in the field of view or highlight this object against the background of other "distant" objects;

• nessesary to use it, if you need to generalize without transferring the semantic load to the addition, as if we said: "everything that you already know from the previous sentence, so I will not specify it."

4. Pronoun it used in amplifying sentences as a formal subject:

Roll call response: It's me (I)(Russian I am / Here / I am present)

Answer to the question Who's there? when knocking on the door: It's me, Tom!(rus. I / It's me, Tom)

In fact, these proposals are reinforcing: It is I who has been called over. It is I, Tom, who has knocked at your door.(Russian. It's me, the one you named. It's me, the one who knocked on the door.) In this function this cannot be used.

Also, one of the differences between the considered pronouns is that this introduces new information (rheme), and it known information (topic), therefore this is always translated it- No.

Another significant difference is that the word it used in expressions related to time and weather, as well as in some set expressions, for example:

It's five past twelve(Russian time five minutes past one)

It often rains in our region(eng. It often rains in our region)

It isn't easy to believe him again(Russian. It's not easy to believe him again)

Using the pronoun they

Pronoun they used to identify people, animals and objects in the plural.

Also, pronoun they refers to institutions, authorities, or groups of people in general.

Example sentences with the pronoun they

Special cases of the use of personal pronouns in English

In colloquial speech, the rules for using personal pronouns in English may not be respected. The picture says I do. Me too instead of I do. So do I.

Use of personal pronouns in informal colloquial speech

• You and me or you and I?

Sometimes there is a difficult choice between: You and me or you and I? Both options seem to sound familiar and correct. But in fact, one option is correct (and therefore standard), and the second is grammatically incorrect, but still used in informal speech.

To determine the correct option, look at which member of the sentence this combination is: subject or object:

You and I will work tomorrow

(rus. You and I will work tomorrow)

Now take away you and we get: I will work tomorrow(Russian I will work tomorrow) or Me will work tomorrow(rus. I will work tomorrow)

The second sentence is incorrect because the object pronoun me cannot be the subject. However, in informal colloquial speech, one can hear You and me will work tomorrow even though it is grammatically incorrect.

Another example:

They invited you and I

They invited you and me(rus. They invited you and me)

Now let's remove the pronoun you :

They invited I(rus. They invited me)

They invited me(rus. They invited me)

Here the second sentence is correct, because subject pronoun I cannot be an addition.

• Personal pronouns after "Than" and "As"

The correct grammatical form is the use of personal pronouns in the nominative case followed by an auxiliary verb:

You are taller than I am(Russian You are taller than me)

I earn as much money as he does

However, quite often a simple pronoun in the objective case is also used, it is just that this option is considered typical for a colloquial, informal style:

You are taller than me(Russian You are higher than me)

I earn as much money as him(rus. I make as much money as he does)

• Using personal pronouns in short answers

An object pronoun cannot be the subject of a sentence, but such usage can be found after verb to be in short answers:

Who is there? - (It is) me!(Russian. Who is there? - (It's) me)

Who gave you this? - (It was) him.(rus. Who gave you this? - (It was) him)

• Omitting the personal pronoun

Sometimes, the personal pronoun next to the auxiliary verb can be omitted in colloquial speech.

Don't know = I don't know(eng. I don't understand = I don't understand)

Just kidding = I am just kidding(Rus. I'm kidding = I'm kidding)

understand? = Do you understand?(Russian. Understood? = Do you understand?)

When are personal pronouns not used?

One of the features of personal pronouns is that they are not used after infinitive constructions if the subject and object are the same person:

This phone is easy to use (it).(Russian This phone is easy to use.)

You are easy to understand (you).(Russian. You are easy to understand.)

But, the pronoun should be used if the impersonal pronoun it begins:

It is easy to understand you.(Russian. You are easy to understand)

Video about English personal pronouns

If something was not clear to you in our article, we recommend that you watch a video about personal pronouns in English.

Video on Personal Pronouns

Instead of a conclusion:

Pronouns help to replace a person or an object, you need to be extremely careful not to confuse them, because this can confuse the listener or completely change the meaning of the sentence.

However, due to the fact that grammatically English personal pronouns very similar to Russian, their study and use does not cause serious problems.

We hope that after reading this article you will easily use personal pronouns in English!

Exercises for personal pronouns in English

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate form of the personal pronoun:

sample: Who is that woman? Why are you looking at her?

"Do you know that man?' "Yes, I work with _ .'

Where are the tickets? I can't find _ .

I can "t find my keys. Where are _ ?

We're going out. You can come with _ .

Margaret likes music. _ plays the piano.

I don't like dogs. I'm afraid of _ .

I "m talking to you. Please listen to _.

Where is Ann? I want to talk to _ .

My brother has a new job. He doesn't like _ very much.

In contact with

We present you the first article in the series "English Grammar for Beginners". In this series of materials, we decided to state all the rules briefly and in simple words, so that beginners from scratch or those who do not remember the basics of English well can independently understand the grammar, understand it and apply it in practice.

Plural in English

In English, as in Russian, all words are divided into countable and uncountable. This is important to understand when forming the plural of a word. Countable nouns denote those items that can be counted, for example: table (table), book (book), apple (apple). Uncountable nouns are abstract concepts, liquids, products, etc., that is, something that cannot be counted. For example: knowledge (knowledge), water (water), meat (meat), flour (flour). These words do not have a plural or singular.

Countable nouns can be used in singular and plural. A singular noun denotes one object, this is the form of the word that is indicated in the dictionary: apple - apple. The plural noun denotes several objects: apples - apples.

How the plural of nouns is formed:

Usually the plural of nouns is formed by adding the ending -s to the word: book - books (book - books). However, there are several spelling peculiarities:

• If the word ends in -o, -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, then add the ending -es: hero - heroes (hero - heroes), bus - buses (bus - buses).

  Exceptions: photo - photos (photo - photographs), video - videos (video recording - video recordings), radio - radios (radio - several radios), rhino - rhinos (rhinoceros - rhinos), piano - pianos (piano - several pianos), hippo - hippos (behemoth - hippos).

• If the word ends in -f, -fe, then change the ending to -ves: knife - knives (knife - knives), leaf - leaves (leaf - leaves), wife - wives (wife - wives).

  Exceptions: roof - roofs (roof - roofs), giraffe - giraffes (giraffe - giraffes), cliff - cliffs (cliff - cliffs).

• If the word ends in -y, which is preceded by a consonant, then we change -y to -ies: body - bodies (body - bodies).
• If the word ends in -y, which is preceded by a vowel, then add the ending -s: boy - boys (boy - boys).

In English there is exception words, which form the plural not according to the rules. You just need to learn such words by heart, fortunately, there are not very many of them.

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned the material.

English Plural Noun Test

Articles in English

There are two types of article in English: definite and indefinite. They are not translated into Russian. In the overwhelming majority of cases, one of these articles must be placed before a noun in the singular.

The indefinite article a/an is used only with singular countable nouns: a girl (girl), a pen (pen). If the word begins with a consonant, we write the article a (a girl), and if the word begins with a vowel, we write the article an (an apple).

The indefinite article a/an is used in the following cases:

• We call any, some kind of indefinite object, and we have only one, so we use the article a, which comes from the word one (one):

  It is a book. - This is a book.

• We first mention the subject in a speech:

  I see a shop. - I see (some, one of the many) store.

• We talk about a person’s profession or indicate his belonging to a certain group:

  He is a teacher. - He is a teacher.
  She is a student. - She's a student.

We put the definite article the when we are talking about a specific subject familiar to us. This article can appear before a noun in the singular or plural.

The definite article the is used in the following cases:

• We have already mentioned the subject earlier in our speech:

  I see a shop. The shop is big. - I see a store. (This) Store is big.

  It is believed that the definite article comes from the word that (that), therefore it is intended to point to some specific object familiar to the interlocutors.

• We are talking about an object that in this context is one of a kind, it cannot be confused with something else:

  Honey, I'm washing the car. - Honey, I'm washing the car. (the family has one car, so we are talking about a specific subject)
  look at the girl in the red dress. - Look at the girl in the red dress. (we point to a specific girl in a specific dress)

• We are talking about a one-of-a-kind object, there is no other like it: the sun, the moon, the world, the President of France, etc.:

  The earth is our home. - Earth is our home.

verb to be

There is always a verb in an English sentence. And if in Russian we can say “I am a doctor”, “Mary is beautiful”, “We are in the hospital”, then in English this is unacceptable: in all these cases, the subject must be followed by the verb to be. Therefore, you can remember a simple rule: if there are no ordinary verbs in the sentence, then the verb to be is needed.

The verb to be has three forms:

• Am is added to the pronoun I when we talk about ourselves:

  I am beautiful. - I am beautiful.

• Is put after the pronouns he, she, it:

  She is beautiful. - She's beautiful.

• Are is used after you, we, they:

  You are beautiful. - You are handsome.

The verb to be in English is most often used in the following cases:

• We inform you by whom is a person (name, profession, etc.):

  I am a doctor. - I am doctor.

• We inform you what a person or object possesses a quality:

  Mary is beautiful. - Mary is beautiful.

• We inform you where there is a person or object:

  We are at the hospital. - We're in the hospital.

Sentences with the verb to be in the present tense are constructed as follows:

We think you are now ready to take the test and test your knowledge.

Test for the use of the verb to be

Present Continuous Tense - present continuous tense

Present Continuous Tense most often shows that the action is happening at the moment.

Every English sentence has a subject and a predicate. In Present Continuous, the predicate consists of the auxiliary verb to be in the required form (am, is, are) and the main verb without the particle to, to which we add the ending -ing (playing, reading).

She is playing tennis now. - She is now plays to tennis.
I am reading a novel at the moment. - I am currently I read novel.

The verb to be in this tense is an auxiliary verb, that is, it is a word that comes before the main verb (playing, reading) and helps to form tense. You will meet auxiliary verbs in other tenses, this kind of verbs include to be (am, is, are), do/does, have/has, will.

Pay attention to the following words-indicators of time Present Continuous: now (now), at the moment (at the moment), today (today), tonight (tonight), these days (these days), nowadays (these days), at present (currently), still (still).

Affirmative sentences in Present Continuous tense are formed as follows:

Usually at this time, you just need to add the ending -ing to the main verb: walk - walking (walk), look - looking (look). But some verbs change like this:

• If the verb ends in -e, we remove -e and add -ing: write - writing (write), dance - dancing (dance).

  Exception: see - seeing (see).

• If the verb ends in -ie, we change -ie to -y and add -ing: lie - lying (to lie), die - dying (to die).
• If the verb ends in a stressed syllable with a short vowel that stands between two consonants, the final consonant is doubled when -ing is added: begin - beginning (begin), swim - swimming (swim).

In negative sentences in the Present Continuous, you just need to insert the particle not between to be and the main verb.

She isn't cooking at the moment. - She is currently doesn't cook.
You are not listening to me now. - You don't listen me now.

In interrogative sentences in Present Continuous, you need to put the verb to be in the first place, and after it put the subject and the main verb.

Is she cooking at the moment? - She is trains Currently?
Are you listening to me now? - You got me now listening?

And now we offer to take a test on the use of Present Continuous time.

Test for the use of Present Continuous

We have presented you the first 5 basic topics of the English language. Now your task is to thoroughly understand them and work them out as productively as possible with the help of exercises. In order not to immediately load you with a large amount of grammar, we will release the next article in this series in a few weeks. Subscribe to our newsletter, then you will definitely not miss important information. We wish you success in learning English!

To make your speech in a foreign language expressive, correct and varied, as well as to learn to understand what other people say (write), you need to know English pronouns. A table (and more than one) will be presented in this article with the necessary explanations to facilitate the assimilation of grammatical material.

What is a pronoun and what is it for?

This part of speech is used in any language to avoid tautology, to enliven dry statements, and also to make them more logical. Pronouns in English are called Pronouns, which translates as "instead of nouns."

This service component acts as a substitute for those parts of speech that have already been mentioned in oral or written text. Nouns and adjectives can be replaced, a little less often - adverbs and numerals. Pronouns help us to maintain the logic and clarity of the presentation of thoughts, but at the same time not to repeat ourselves, naming the same people, objects, phenomena, signs, etc. again.

What are the pronouns in English

English pronouns, like Russian ones, change in person, gender, and number. In addition, they must be consistent with the part of speech that they replace. For example, agreement on the basis of gender: girl (girl) - she (she). In the same way, coordination is carried out in the number: boys (boys) - they (they).

Now let's take a closer look at what each variety is and how this service part of speech manages to simplify English.

Personal Pronouns

They have their name because they replace nouns - animate and inanimate. There are seven in total.

• I - I;
• you - you (you);
• he - he;
• she - she;
• it - it;
• we - we;
• they - they.

Pay attention to the following features:

1. You is used in both the singular and the plural. It is translated accordingly: “you”, “you” (appeal to one person) or “you” (appeal to a group of people).

2. It denotes not only inanimate objects, but also animals.

The above personal pronouns are given in the nominative case. But what if you need to say: “you”, “me”, “about us”, etc.? What is transmitted in Russian by other cases (dative, genitive, prepositional, etc.), in English is called in one word - the subjective case. Such pronouns replace words that are not subject in the sentence. The correspondence table is shown below.

Start practicing using the subjective case when you thoroughly understand and learn the forms of the nominative. Otherwise, you just run the risk of getting confused. In general, remembering pronouns is quite simple, and the more often you study a foreign language, the more confident you will become to speak.

Possessive Pronouns

This group is the second most frequently used. But do not rush to get scared when you see new English pronouns. The table below shows the correspondence between personal and possessive types.

As you can see, the basis of almost all pronouns is the same, and the differences are most often only in one letter.

It is recommended to learn and work out in the exercises first personal pronouns, then possessive ones, and then practice in mixed tests, where you need to choose the option that is suitable in meaning and grammar: you or your, etc. So you will firmly learn everything and will never confuse these two superficially similar groups.

Demonstrative Pronouns

We continue to study pronouns in English and now we are moving on to the variety that helps to navigate in space, show a certain object, direction and place. They do not change according to persons and genders, but they have forms of the singular and Further in the table you will see demonstrative English pronouns with translation.

For example, if a picture hangs on the wall in the distance, then they say about it: That is a picture. And if there are pencils nearby on the table, this can be indicated as follows: These are pencils.

There is another function for this group of service parts of speech. They can replace individual words or even entire expressions. This is done to avoid repetition. For example: Air quality in the village is better than that in the city - The air quality in the village is better than (air quality) in the city.

Relative Pronouns

This variety can often be found in complex sentences to connect the main and subordinate parts. Such an English pronoun with translation and understanding of foreign speech can create difficulties. Therefore, it is necessary to understand this issue well. The following relative pronouns exist:

• that - what, which (used to refer to both animate and inanimate objects);
• which - which (only to designate objects or phenomena);
• who - who, who (indicates people only);
• whom - to whom, who, whom (not found in colloquial language, used only in official speech as a speech cliché).

Interrogative Pronouns

As you might guess, this type is used in interrogative sentences. If you are already familiar with the topic “Special Questions”, then you know these English pronouns well. All of them are notable for the fact that they begin with the letter combination wh:

• what? - what? which? which the?
• which? - which? which one (of the two)?
• who? - who?
• whom? - to whom? whom?
• whose? - whose?

Sometimes the suffix -ever can be added to them, and then combinations of whatever (any, anything), whoever (any, anyone), etc. are obtained.

Pay special attention to the following features.

Who is used in the singular and assumes the verb form is, as well as the ending -s in the present simple tense.

Who is there? Who likes this film?

The exception is when the plural personal pronoun is used (you, we, they), if the answer involves naming several people, objects, phenomena, etc.

Who of you live in this house? - We do. (Which of you lives in this house? - We.)

(Indefinite Pronouns)

Often there are situations when the information is not entirely clear, or the speaker is not sure of its veracity. For such cases, there is a special group of service words. Below you can see all indefinite English pronouns with translation.

Please note that all the pronouns listed in the table are singular (even if translated into Russian they refer to many objects or people).

The plural of indefinite pronouns is represented by the following words:

• any - any;
• both - both;
• several - several;
• others - others, others;
• many - few;
• few - few.

Reflexive Pronouns

Used to refer to actions that are performed on oneself. These English pronouns are related to the varieties you already know - personal and possessive. Only in this case, the particle -self (in the singular) or -selves (in the plural) is added.

• (I) I - myself;
• (you) you - yourself;
• (he) he - himself;
• (she) she - herself;
• (it) it - itself (about animals and inanimate objects);
• (we) we - ourselves;
• (you) you - yourselves;
• (they) they - themselves.

How to translate This is best understood with examples.

Sometimes it can be translated as "yourself", "yourself", etc.

“Why?”, she asked herself - “Why?” she asked herself.

We arranged a great holiday for ourselves - We arranged a great holiday for ourselves.

In some cases, you can translate such pronouns with reflexive particles -s and -sya.

A cat washed itself - The cat washed itself.

Where are you hiding yourself? - Where are you hiding?

In cases where the fact that the action was performed by someone on their own is emphasized, reflexive pronouns can be translated with the words “himself”, “herself”, etc.

He has built this house himself - He built this house himself.

Reciprocal pronouns (Reciprocal Pronouns)

This variety includes only two representatives: each other and one another. They are synonyms.

Such pronouns are used in cases where two objects perform the same action directed at each other.

We love each other - We love each other.

They hugged and kissed one another - They hugged and kissed.

On Christmas day the friends gave each other presents - On Christmas day, friends gave each other gifts.

In cases where it is necessary to designate a group of people performing the same action in relation to each other, it is necessary to use the form one another. For example:

We are a united family and always help one another. We are a friendly family and always help each other.

People of different generations have difficulties in understanding one another - People of different generations have difficulty understanding each other.

This is what the pronoun system looks like in English. There is nothing complicated in it, since some groups of functional words are formed from others: reflexive and possessive - from personal, mutual - from indefinite, etc.

Having studied and understood the theory, start practicing in various types of exercises. The more often you do this, the sooner you will achieve a noticeable result: you will start using English pronouns in your speech without hesitation.