Reflexive pronouns & Possessive pronouns

GRAMMAR REVISION: PRONOUNS

PRONOUNS

reflexive & possessive

What is a pronoun?

Pronouns can replace other nouns.

If you’re telling a story about your sister Sarah, the story will sound repetitive (=wiederholend) if you repeat “Sarah” over and over again:

Sarah has always loved Mickey Mouse. Sarah announced that Sarah wants to go to Disney Land.

What is a pronoun?

You could try to mix it up and use “my sister” sometimes, but then it sounds like you’re talking about two different people.

Sarah has always loved Mickey Mouse. My sister announced that Sarah wants to go to Disney Land.

What is a pronoun?

Instead, you can use the pronouns she and her to refer to Sarah.

Sarah has always loved Mickey Mouse. She announced that she wants to go to Disney Land.

Which pronouns do we know?

• personal pronouns

• relative pronouns

• demonstrative pronouns

• indefinite pronouns

• reflexive & reciprocals pronouns

• possessive pronouns

Personal pronouns

• I

• you

• he / she / it

• we

• you

• they

Personal pronouns (objectives)

• I ---> me

• you

• he / she / it ---> him / her / it

• we ---> us

• you

• they ---> them

Multiple Choice

How many personal pronouns are there in English?

• 5

• 6

• 7

• 8

8!

Im Englischen gibt es, genau wie im Deutschen, acht Personalpronomen. Sie lauten: I, you, he, she, it, we, you und they.

Multiple Choice

Is the following statement true or false?

Das Personalpronomen ersetzt das Verb eines Satzes.

• True

• False

The statement is false!

Das Personalpronomen ersetzt das Nomen in einem Satz.

Beispiel: Tom eats ice cream. → He eats ice cream.

Fill in the Blank

Find the personal pronoun in the following sentences:

Susie loves animals. She has 2 cats and a hamster. The cats are allowed to sleep in her bed.

she

Das Personalpronomen ersetzt das Nomen eines Satzes. Du fragst danach mit Who ...? oder What ...?.

Who loves animals? – She (→ Susie) loves animals.

Multiple Choice

Is the following statement true or false?

Subjekt- und Objektpronomen stehen nie im selben Satz.

• True

• False

The statement is false!

In einem Satz können beide Formen der Pronomen vorkommen. 

Beispiel: They don't like it.

they = Subjektpronomen; it = Objektpronomen

Multiple Choice

How many object pronouns are in this sentence?

My sister really likes her new pink pullover, but I think it doesn't suit her.

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

1!

Nach dem Objekt eines Satzes fragst du mit wem/wen oder was?.

- Wen oder was mag meine Schwester? Ihren neuen pinken Pullover. Das ist aber kein Personalpronomen.

- Wem steht er nicht? Ihr.

Relative pronouns

Relative pronouns are used to connect relative clauses to independent clauses. Often, they give additional information about something mentioned in the sentence.

Relative pronouns include that, what, which, who, and whom. Traditionally, who refers to people, and which and that refer to animals or things.

Relative pronouns

The woman who called this morning didn’t leave a message.

All the dogs that got adopted today will be loved.

My car , which is nearly twenty years old, still runs well.

Whether you need commas with who, which, and that depends on whether the clause is restrictive (=einschränkend) or not.

Multiple Select

Select which statements apply to relative clauses.

• Relative clauses sind Nebensätze, die einen Hauptsatz erweitern.

• Relative clauses beschreiben eine Person, eine Sache oder ein Tier näher.

• Relative clauses werden meist mit Relativpronomen eingeleitet.

• Relative clauses ohne Relativpronomen sind nicht möglich.

Correct answer:

Relative clauses sind Nebensätze, die etwas näher beschreiben.

Im Englischen besteht – unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen – die Möglichkeit, relative clauses ohne Relativpronomen zu bilden.

Man nennt sie dann contact clauses.

Relative clauses

Wenn man mit „wen/was?“ oder „wem?“ nach dem Relativpronomen fragen kann, ist es das Objekt des Relativsatzes, und du kannst einen contact clause ohne Relativpronomen bilden.

The girl who Simon likes is his neighbour. → Wen/was mag Simon?

→ The girl Simon likes is his neighbour.

Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun, or put in a dash (-) if you don't need any relative pronoun.

The car _____ is parked in front of our house is red.

Fill in the Blank

Fill in the blanks with the correct relative pronoun, or put in a dash (-) if you don't need any relative pronoun.

The boy _____ Sandra met in school asked her out.

Demonstrative pronouns

That, this, these and those are demonstrative pronouns. They take the place of a noun or noun phrase that has already been mentioned.

Demonstrative pronouns

This is used for singular items that are nearby. 

These is used for multiple items that are nearby.

The distance can be physical or metaphorical.

What a fantastic idea! This is the best thing I’ve heard all day. 

If you think roses smell nice, try smelling these.

Demonstrative pronouns

That is used for singular items that are far away. 

Those is used for multiple items that are far away.

Again, the distance can be physical or metaphorical.

A house like that would be a nice place to live.

Those aren’t swans, they’re geese.

Multiple Select

Which of these gaps need the demonstrative pronoun this ?

• Is __ your coat on the chair over there?

• Jill brought __ cake here for all of us.

• I love __ dress I am wearing.

• Can you see __ rabbit over there?

Correct answer:

This verwendest du, wenn etwas nah beim Sprecher ist. Dies wird deutlich durch Wörter wie here oder durch den Textzusammenhang.

Over there zeigt an, dass sich etwas weiter weg befindet. Hier verwendest du also that.

Multiple Select

Which of the following signal words fit in the gap? Choose the correct answers.

Didn't you buy that sweater ___________?

• over there

• over here

• there

• here

Correct answer:

In dem Satz wurde that verwendet, weshalb nur Signalwörter in Frage kommen, die eine gewisse räumliche oder zeitliche Distanz anzeigen.

Indefinite pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are used when you need to refer to a person or thing that doesn’t need to be specifically identified.

Some common indefinite pronouns are one, other, none, some, anybody, everybody, and no one.

Indefinite pronouns

Everybody was late to work because of the traffic jam.

It matters more to some than others.

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.

When indefinite pronouns function as subjects of a sentence or clause, they usually take singular verbs.

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Use a reflexive pronoun when both the subject and object of a verb refer to the same person or thing.

Henry accidentally cut himself with the scissors.

They booked themselves a hotel room.

I taught myself a new language.

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns can also be used to add emphasis (=Betonung).

I didn't need help, I built this house myself.

Did you yourself see Loretta spill the coffee? Or did you just hear about it?

Multiple Select

Choose the correct option.

Reflexivpronomen beziehen sich ...

• ... auf das Subjekt im Satz.

• ... auf Zeit- oder Ortsangaben.

• ... auf das Objekt im Satz.

Correct answer:

Reflexivpronomen beziehen sich auf das Subjekt.

I solved the task myself.

Fill in the Blank

Type in the correct reflexive pronoun for 'he' !

Fill in the Blank

Type in the correct reflexive pronoun for 'we' !

Multiple Select

You're the teacher now! Mark the wrong reflexive pronouns.

• yourselfs

• myself

• theirselves

• herselves

• youself

Multiple Choice

Take a look at the following statement and decide if it is true or false.

Mit Reflexivpronomen kann man auch ein Subjekt ersetzen, zum Beispiel: Herself got a job.

• True

• False

The statement is false!

Reflexivpronomen bezeichnen zwar dieselbe Person oder Sache wie das Subjekt, sie können es aber nicht ersetzen.

Der Satz muss deshalb so heißen: She got herself a job.

Reciprocal pronouns

We use reciprocal pronouns when each of two or more subjects is acting in the same way towards the other.

Alfred is talking to Batman, and Batman is talking to Alfred.

→ They are talking to each other.

Reciprocal pronouns

Reciprocal pronouns and plural reflexive pronouns (ourselves, yourselves, themselves) have different meanings!

John and Fred talk to each other.

   = John talks to Fred and Fred talks to John.

John and Fred talk to themselves.

   = John talks to himself and Fred talks to himself. →Selbstgespräche

Multiple Choice

Read the statement and decide if it is true or false.

Wenn man im Deutschen "sich gegenseitig" oder "einander" in den Satz einsetzen kann, wird im Englischen das Reflexivpronomen verwendet.

• True

• False

The statement is false!

Gegenseitigkeit wird im Englischen mit each other ausgedrückt. Deshalb heißt es richtig:

Wenn man im Deutschen "sich gegenseitig" oder "einander" in den Satz einsetzen kann, wird im Englischen das Pronomen each other verwendet.

Nick und Jen zeichnen sich (gegenseitig). - Nick and Jen are drawing each other. 

Multiple Choice

Reflexive pronoun or "each other"? Select the correct option.

Many children go to the bus stop by ...

• Reflexivpronomen

• each other

• both possible

Correct answer:

Die Handlung ist reflexiv: Viele Kinder gehen selbst zur Bushaltestelle, also ohne die Hilfe von anderen.

Deshalb muss man hier ein Reflexivpronomen verwenden: Many children go to the bus stop by themselves.

Possessive pronouns

We use pronouns to refer to possession (=Besitz) and ‘belonging’.

Use possessive determiners before a noun:

my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their

Use possessive pronouns in place of a noun:

mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs

Possessive determiners & pronouns

Is that your scarf? It looks exactly like mine. 

That’s not their car. Theirs is black.

It was his fault not hers!

Multiple Choice

Is the following statement true or false? Choose the correct answer.

Personalpronomen und Possessivbegleiter ersetzen immer Nomen.

• True

• False

The statement is false!

Nur Personalpronomen (sowohl in der Subjekt- als auch in der Objektform) ersetzen immer ein Nomen. 

Beispiel: Susi loves Strolch. → She loves him.

Possessivbegleiter zeigen dagegen an, wem etwas gehört. Sie kommen immer in Verbindung mit einem Nomen vor.

Beispiel: This dog is my dog.

Multiple Choice

Choose the right possessive pronoun/determiner.

Do they keep ___ books in a desk?

• they

• them

• their

• they're

Multiple Choice

Choose the right possessive pronoun/determiner.

The teacher asked the kids if the jacket belongs to ___ .

• theys

• them

• theirs

• their

Multiple Choice

Choose the right possessive pronoun/determiner.

"Give that back! That's ___!"

• mine

• my

• me

• I

Multiple Select

Choose the correct answer. (More than one can be correct.)

She is a friend of ...

• me

• mine

• his

• him