Mridul Mehta has very keen interest in the government exams and know a lot about the exam patterns, question difficulties etc.

10+ Years Experience in the Government Exams

<h3>Welcome back, dedicated learners! In the previous sections, we explored the concept of pronouns and their various types. Now, it&#39;s time to delve into the grammar rules that govern the usage of pronouns. These rules are crucial for competitive examinations and will greatly assist you in your language proficiency. Let&#39;s dive right into it!</h3>

<h3>In this section, we&#39;ll discuss the key grammar rules that dictate the usage of pronouns. These rules will serve as a solid foundation for answering pronoun-related questions in exams. Let&#39;s go through each rule one by one:</h3>

<h3>Rule 1. Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence. </h3>

<h3>Example: ___ did the job. </h3>

<h3>I, he, she, we, they, who, whoever, etc., all qualify and are, therefore, subject pronouns.</h3>

<h3>Rule 2. Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject.They will follow verbs, such as is, are, was, were, am, will be, had been, etc. </h3>

<h3>Examples: </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>This is her speaking. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 3. This rule surprises even language watchers: when ‘who’ refers to a personal pronoun (I, you, he, she, we, they), it takes the verb that agrees with that pronoun. </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: It is I who am sorry. (I am) </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: It is I who is sorry. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: It is you who are mistaken. (you are)</h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: It is you who’s mistaken.</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 4. In addition to subject pronouns, there are also object pronouns, known more specifically as direct object, indirect object, and object of a preposition. Object pronouns include me, him, herself, us, them and themselves. </h3>

<h3>Examples:</h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Jean saw him. (Him is the direct object of the verb saw.) </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Give her the book. (The direct object of ‘give’ is ‘book’, and ‘her’ is the indirect object. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Indirect objects always have an implied to or for in front of them: Give [to] her the book. Do [for] me a favour.)</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 5. The pronouns who, that, and which become singular or plural depending on the subject. If the subject is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb. </h3>

<h3>Example: He is the only one of those men who is always on time. </h3>

<h3>The word who refers to one. Therefore, use the singular verb is.</h3>

<h3>Rule 6. Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs. </h3>

<h3>NOTE: This rule is frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither, followed by of. Those three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows. </h3>

<h3>Examples: </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Each of the girls sings well.</h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Either of us is capable of doing the job.</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Exception: When each follows a noun or pronoun in certain sentences: </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: The women each gave her approval. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: The women each gave their approval. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: The words are and there each ends with a silent vowel. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: The words are and there each end with a silent vowel. </h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>These examples do not contradict Rule 6, because each is not the subject, but rather an adjunct describing the true subject.</h3>

<h3>Rule 7. To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words ‘than’ or ‘as’, mentally complete the sentence.</h3>

<h3>Examples: </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Troy is as smart as she/her. (If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say Troy is as smart as she is. Therefore, she is the correct answer.) </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Zoe is taller than I/me. (Mentally completing the sentence, we have Zoe is taller than I am.)</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 8. The possessive pronouns yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, and whose never need apostrophes. Avoid mistakes like her’s and your’s.</h3>

<h3>Rule 9. The only time ‘it’s’ has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. The only time ‘who’s’ has an apostrophe is when it means ‘who is’ or ‘who has’. There is no apostrophe in ‘oneself’. Avoid ‘one’s self,’ a common error. </h3>

<h3>Examples:</h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>It’s been a cold morning. </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>The thermometer reached its highest reading.</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 10. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called reflexive pronouns. There are nine reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. Reflexive pronouns are used when both the subject and the object of a verb are the same person or thing.</h3>

<h3>Example:</h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Joe helped himself. </h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>If the object of a preposition refers to a previous noun or pronoun, use a reflexive pronoun.</h3>

<h3>Rule 11. The use of they and their with singular pronouns is frowned upon by many traditionalists. To be consistent, it is a good practice to try to avoid they and its variants (e.g., them, their, themselves) with previously singular nouns or pronouns. </h3>

<h3>Not consistent: Someone has to do it, and they have to do it well. </h3>

<h3>The problem is that ‘someone’ is singular, but ‘they’ is plural. If we change ‘they’ to ‘he’ or ‘she’, we get a rather clumsy sentence, even if it is technically correct. </h3>

<h3>Technically correct: Someone has to do it, and he or she has to do it well. Replacing an inconsistent sentence with a poorly written one is a bad bargain. The better option is to rewrite. </h3>

<h3>Rewritten: Someone has to do it, and has to do it well. </h3>

<h3>Rule 12. When a pronoun is linked with a noun by ‘and’, mentally remove the and + noun phrase to avoid trouble. </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: Her and her friend came over. </h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>(If we remove ‘and her friend’, we’re left with the ungrammatical Her came over.) </h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: She and her friend came over.</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>Rule 13. If two people possess the same item, and one of the joint owners is written as a pronoun, use the possessive form for both.</h3>

<ul>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: Maribel and my home </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Incorrect: Mine and Maribel’s home </h3>
	</li>
	<li style="list-style-type:disc">
	<h3>Correct: Maribel’s and my home </h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h3>To reinforce your understanding of these rules, it&#39;s crucial to practice as many questions as possible. Our next blog will carry some crucial practice questions to brush up your knowledge base. As we know, regular practice will help you internalize the concepts and apply them effectively during exams, we also have mock tests lined up for you on our website.</h3>

Mastering Pronouns: Essential Rules for Government Exam Success

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