by R. S. Karunaratne

Personal pronouns as subjects and objects

Pronouns are used in place of nouns. When we use a pronoun we do not have to repeat the noun.

Our new house is big and spacious. It has six bedrooms.

The vehicles driven on the new Highway belong to rich people. They are expensive.

Personal pronouns must agree with the noun in number. Singular pronouns are used for singular nouns and plural pronouns are used for plural nouns.

The clerk called me to his table. He then gave me a printed form.

The students who came late had to stand outside the class. They came from distant places.

Sharon visits her parents for the New Year. She lives far away from home.

Ben and Dick were admitted to a college in the city. They are twins.

A personal pronoun used as the subject of a sentence must be in the subjective form. A personal pronoun used as the object of a sentence must be in the objective form.

Subjective form

We searched for the missing boy everywhere.
He went to the principal’s office to bring the new text books.
She read the heap of notes thoroughly before answering the tutorial.
They came forward to receive the new entrants to the university.
We asked for a few firecrackers but they gave us a boxful!

Objective form

The police were ordered to produce him in court. Mother gave her everything she asked for. We don’t know them. A voluntary organisation gave us dry rations. Did they give you all the money?

[Activity ]

Fill in the blanks with suitable personal pronouns. Check your answers with the key.

1. Jeya opened his bag to take out his identity card but ............. was not there.
2. The children put up a tent in the jungle. ................ found that ................. was too small for ...................
3. The teacher was annoyed with ................. because .............. had not done............. homework.
4. Father gave me Rs. 100 when .......... repaired ............. bicycle.
5. Pandula came from Australia to see ..............friends and relatives in Sri Lanka.
6. ............. ran after the trishaw but .............. sped off.
7. The teacher asked ............... to write a letter to ............... parents.
8. .............. are performing at the Town Hall tonight.
9. Don’t disturb .................. She is meditating.
10. The baby started crying. Mother came and carried .............. away.

Key :

1. Jeya opened his bag to take out his identity card but it was not there.
2. The children put up a tent in the jungle. They found that it was too small for them.
3. The teacher was annoyed with us because we had not done our homework.
4. Father gave me Rs 100 when I repaired his bicycle.
5. Pandula came from Australia to see his friends and relatives in Sri Lanka.
6. He / She / We ran after the trishaw but it sped off.
7. The teacher asked me to write a letter to my parents.
8. They / We are performing at the Town Hall tonight.
9. Don’t disturb her. She is meditating.
10. The baby started crying. Mother came and carried it away.

Know your idioms

The beauty of an idiom is that you can use it as an exclamation, as an aspersion, as a pun or as a means to warn somebody off. Idioms also allow you to not only speak well but also write effectively. Here is a quiz on idioms. Tick off the correct meaning and check your answers with the key.

1. You shouldn’t miss the party, all the world and his wife will be there.

(a) a large number of important people
(b) many newly-married couples
(c) dignitaries and their wives

2. Mark is a bit of an oddball. He never socialises with anyone.

(a) a person who lives alone
(b) a person who is insane
(c) a person who is different from others
3. Director: I’ve decided to give you a raise and a promotion.

Receptionist: And how!

(a) another way of protesting
(b) another way of saying ‘yes’ firmly
(c) another way of disagreeing

4. The retired soldier is as bold as brass.

(a) very brave and daring person
(b) very timid person
(c) very honest person

5. The writer used to get up at odd hours to complete his novel.

(a) time which is ideal for a specific activity
(b) time which is not generally used for a specific activity
(c) time which is auspicious for a specific activity

6. I quit my job and found my place in the sun as a writer.

(a) place which is neither favourable nor unfavourable
(b) place which is completely unfavourable
(c) a place which is completely favourable

7. You love to talk big and write about things people can’t understand. You are nothing more than a bag of wind.

(a) a person who looks more than what he really is
(b) a person who is genuine
(c) a person who is stubborn

8. There is a battle of nerves between the newly-married couple.

(a) understanding
(b) distrust
(c) mental conflict

9. The husband is tight-lipped about the circumstances that led to his wife’s suicide.

(a) willing to talk
(b) refusing to discuss it
(c) remains silent

10. Asking for a loan from the boss is like trying to beard the lion in his den.

(a) approaching somebody who could be a benevolent person
(b) approaching somebody who could be an understanding person
(c) approaching somebody who could be a dangerous person

Key:

1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (b) 4. (a) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (a) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10. (c)