This post is part of our special series “100 Tips To Solve ‘Spot The Error’ English Questions“
How to use PRONOUNS
- Pronoun should be in the nominative case if it is used as a compliment of the verb “to be”.
For example
Incorrect – If I were him, I would not do it.
Correct – If I were he, I would not do it.
- Pronoun should be in the objective case, when it is used as the object of a verb or of a preposition.
For example
Incorrect – The Christmas gifts are for you and I.
Correct – The Christmas gifts are for you and me.
- Emphatic Pronouns cannot stand alone as Subjects.
For example
Incorrect – Myself do my homework.
Correct – I myself so my homework.
- If indefinite pronoun “one” is used, then it should be used throughout.
For example
Incorrect – One must be happy with his own belongings.
Correct – One must be happy with one’s own belongings.
- “Neither or either” should be used for two nouns while “any, no one, none” should be used for more than two nouns.
For example
Incorrect – Neither of the students completed his homework.
Correct – None of the students completed his homework.
- “Each other” is used for two nouns, while “one another” is used for more than two nouns.
For example
Incorrect – Brother and sister loved one other.
Correct – Brother and sister loved each other.
- A Noun or Pronoun governing a Gerund should be put in the possessive case.
For example
Incorrect- Please excuse me being late.
Correct- Please excuse my being late.
- A Pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person, number and gender.
For example
Incorrect- Each of these boys has done their homework.
Correct- Each of these boys has done his homework.
- When “and” is used to join two or more singular nouns, then the pronouns used for them should be plural.
For example
Incorrect – Ramesh and Mahesh have done his part of task.
Correct – Ramesh and Mahesh have done their part of task.
- When “and” is used to join two or more singular nouns but of them refer to same person, then the pronouns used for them should be singular.
For example
Incorrect – The trustee and the Principal, who is same person, does their work efficiently.
Correct – The trustee and the Principal, who is the same person, does his work efficiently.
- When two or more singular nouns joined by ‘or’ or ‘nor’, ‘either or’, ‘neither nor’, the pronoun used for them should be in the singular.
For example
Incorrect – Neither Ramesh nor Mahesh have done their part of task.
Correct – Neither Ramesh nor Mahesh has done his part of task.
- When two or more singular Pronouns of different persons come together, the Pronoun of second person singular (you) comes first, the pronoun of the first person singular (I) comes last and the pronoun of the third person singular (he) comes in between.
For example
Incorrect – I, you and he are great team.
Correct – You, he and I are great team.
- When two or more plural Pro-nouns of different persons come together first person plural (we) comes first, then second person plural (you) and last of all third person plural (they).
For example
Incorrect – You, they and we are great team.
Correct – We, you and they are great team.
- Relative pronoun “who” is subjective case, whereas “whom” is objective case.
For example
Incorrect – The trustee whom is principal is very strict.
Correct – The trustee who is principal is very strict.
- Word “that” should be used with adjective of superlative degree. Words such as “who” or “which” should not be used.
For example
Incorrect – All which shines is not Sun.
Correct – All that shines is not Sun.
- Pronoun must be in objective case if used after the word “let”.
For example
Incorrect – Please let I go home.
Correct – Please let me go home.
To view all the posts in this series, go to — “100 Tips To Solve ‘Spot The Error’ English Questions“
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