Possessives Nouns

POSSESSIVES NOUNS

We use a noun with ’s with a singular noun to show possession:

We are having a party at John’s house.
Michael drove his friend’s car.

We use s’ with a plural noun ending in -s:

This is my parents’ house.
Those are ladies’ shoes.

But we use ’s with other plural nouns:

These are men’s shoes.
Children’s clothes are very expensive.

We can use a possessive instead of a noun phrase to avoid repeating words:

Is that John’s car?		No, it’s Mary’s [car].	>	No, it’s Mary’s.
Whose coat is this?		It’s my wife’s [coat].	>	It’s my wife’s.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/possessives/possessives-nouns#sthash.SwNnGJi7.dpuf

Reflexive Pronouns

Uses of Reflexive Pronouns:

1- With verbs like 
blame (culpar, echar la culpa a), cut (cortar), enjoy (disfrutar), help (ayudar), hurt (hacerse daño), introduce (presentarse),  prepare (preparar), teach (enseñar)...

2- To make a emphasis in the subject

3- By+ Reflexive pronoun = Alone

4- Some Expressions: 

• Behave yourselves! (¡Compórtate bien!)
• Help yourself. (Sírvete tú mismo.)
• Make yourself at home. (Siéntete como en tu propia casa.)
• Source:http://www.curso-ingles.com/gramatica-inglesa/pronombres-reflexivos.php

Myself	yo mismo, a mí	I saw it  myself.
Yourself	tú mismo (a ti), usted mismo (a usted)	Don't burn yourself!
Himself	él mismo, a sí mismo	He hurt himself.
Herself	ella misma, a sí misma	She did it herself.
Itself	él mismo, a sí mismo	The cat scratched itself.
Ourselves	nosotros mismos	We made it ourselves.
Yourselves	vosotros mismos, ustedes mismos	Did you paint the house yourselves?
Themselves	ellos mismos	They were speaking to themselves.

Having you near me - Air Suppy

IF YOU BELIEVE - BLUES SARACENO

20 years of Friends

Who and Whom

Who and whom

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Who and whom in formal English

English learners are sometimes confused when using who and whom. Who and whom are pronouns used in questions or in relative clause
In formal English who is used to replace a subject, while whom is used to replace an object.

Who

Who is a subjective pronoun.
Examples:
Leila is the teacher. -- (Leila is the subject of the sentence.)
→ Who is the teacher?
→ Leila, who is the English teacher, will give a talk about human rights.
The senators supported the president. --(The senators is the subject of the sentence.)
→ Who supported the president?
→ The senators who supported the president are happy with the new bill.

Whom

Whom is used to replace an object.
Examples:
You have met Alan. -- (Alan is the object of the sentence.)
→ Whom have you met?
→ This is Alan, whom I believe you have already met.
Nancy can ask her husband for help . -- (her husband is the object of the sentence.)
→ Whom can she ask for help?
→ Her husband whom she can ask for help is on a trip.

Who and whom in informal English

While in traditional grammar who is used as a subjective pronoun and whom as an objective pronoun, as it is explained above, in informal English, the normal practice is to use who in both cases (as subjective and objective pronouns), thus replacing whom in the contexts where the latter was traditionally used.
Examples:

• Whom did you offer the book to? (Formal English)
• Who did you offer the book to? (Informal English)

Source:http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-who-whom.php#.VB8QUit5P8k

Advanced Articles

A(AN) can be used like the word "per".

Examples:

• Apples currently cost $1.30 a pound.
• Cheetahs can run 60 miles an hour.
• You want $150 a person for the tour?

Use THE with nouns modified by ranking or ordering expressions such as "the first", "the second", "the third", "the next", "the last", "the previous", "the following", "the penultimate", etc.

Examples:

• This is the fifth day of our conference.
• I'll pay the next time we have dinner.
• Don't forget the following rule.

nglish speakers often use THE plus a singular noun when they talk about or make generalizations about certain topics, including:

• musical instruments (the piano, the guitar, the flute)
• plants (the coconut palm, the saguaro, the baobab)
• animals (the leopard, the elephant, the lowland gorilla)
• inventions (the steam engine, the plane, the light bulb)
• currencies (the dollar, the euro, the yen)
• body parts (the head, the eye, the ear)

Generally, articles are not used with the names of illnesses or diseases.

Examples:

• Dr. Smith visits schools and universities to educate students on AIDS.
• Oncologists are doctors who specialize in treating cancer.
• There are several medications that can be used to treat malaria.

HOWEVER: There are some illnesses which require THE.

• the measles
• the flu
• the mumps
• the bubonic plague

MOREOVER: There are a few health conditions or illnesses which can be used with both A(AN) as well as THE and follow general article use. This category includes most aches, pains, growths, and attacks.

• a cold
• a heart attack
• a stroke
• a wart / tumor / growth / etc.
• a sore throat / sore back/ sore foot / etc.
• a headache / toothache / backache / etc.

THE can be combined with certain adjectives to refer to a group of people such as "the blind", "the elderly", "the rich", "the French", "the Sioux", etc.

Examples:

• He is elderly. Adjective
• The organization helps the elderly. Elderly people

REMEMBER: This is especially important in situations where nationalities or ethnic groups and their languages might be confused. In such situations, THE is used to specify that we are talking about the nationality or ethnic group rather than the language.

Examples:

• I like French. Language
• I like the French. The French people

HOWEVER: When generalizing about nationalities or ethnic groups that end in "-ans", such as "Americans", "Mexicans", and "Hawaiians", THEis not usually used.

Examples:

• Americans watch a lot of TV.
• Germans drink a lot of beer.

Use THE with the names of:

• oceans
• seas
• coasts
• rivers
• swamps
• archipelagos
• collections of lakes (such as the Great Lakes)
• mountain chains
• deserts
• references on the globe (such as the Equator, the North Pole)
• geographic regions (such as the Northwest, the Middle East)
• bridges (except Tower Bridge)
• pagodas
• hotels
• theaters
• museums
• institutes
• skyscrapers
• the Sun, the Moon
• extraordinary works of art or architecture (such as the Mona Lisa, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal)

More examples and exercise are on: http://www.englishpage.com/articles/advanced-articles.htm

It's or Its?

These two words are very often confused. A typical mistake is when somebody uses “its” instead of “it’s”, although the opposite often happens, too. Actually, it’s not very difficult to remember which is correct in a given situation:

you can only use it’s if it is the short form of it is or it has (been). Here are some examples:

When you go abroad, it’s a good idea to take a guidebook with you.

(… it is a good idea…)

Don’t worry, it’s been like this for a long time.

(… it has been like this…)

Are you telling me that it’s my fault?

(… it is my fault?)

The box was hidden in an attic during the war and it’s been there until today.

(… it has been there…)

Its is a possessive word, just like my or your; it means that something owns something or something belongs to it. Examples:

The car was badly damaged but its driver escaped unhurt.

The dog went back to its house.

The house and its garden are a popular tourist attraction.

Source:http://englishtips.com/2009/03/01/its-or-its/

It's Time

You and They

YOU AND THEY

We use you to talk about people in general including the speaker and the hearer:

You can buy this book anywhere > This book is on sale everywhere.
You can’t park here > Parking is not allowed here.
They don’t let you smoke in here > No smoking here

We use they or them to talk about people in general:

They serve good food here.
Ask them for a cheaper ticket.

… especially about the government and the authorities:

They don’t let you smoke in here.
They are going to increase taxes.
They are building a new motorway.
They say it’s going to rain tomorrow.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/you-and-they#sthash.TGF15GOv.dpuf

Indefinite Pronouns

The Indefinite Pronouns

somebody	someone	something
anybody	anyone	anything
nobody	no one	nothing
everybody	everyone	everything

We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are. We use pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and pronouns ending in -thing for things:

Everybody enjoyed the concert.

I opened the door but there was no one at home.

It was a very clear day. We could see everything.

We use a singular verb after an indefinite pronoun:

Everybody loves Sally.

Everything was ready for the party.

When we refer back to an indefinite pronoun we normally use a plural pronoun:

Everybody enjoyed the concert. They stood up and clapped.

I will tell somebody that dinner is ready. They have been waiting a long time.

We can add -'s to an indefinite pronoun to make a possessive.

They were staying in somebody’s house.

Is this anybody’s coat?

We use indefinite pronouns with no- as the subject in negative clauses (not pronouns with any.)

Anybody didn’t come >> Nobody came.

We do not use another negative in a clause with nobody, no one or nothing:

Nobody came.

Nothing happened.

We use else after indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things in addition to the ones we already mentioned.

All the family came, but no one else.

If Michael can’t come we’ll ask somebody else.

So that's eggs, peas and chips. Do you want anything else?

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/english-grammar/pronouns/indefinite-pronouns#sthash.IKKEv7q4.dpuf

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns

English doesn’t really have reflexive verbs the way that many other languages do. However, when the same person is the subject and object of the verb we usually use a reflexive pronoun.

• I cut myself shaving this morning.

The subject – I – is also the object of the sentence – so we use the reflexive pronoun, myself.

• Why don’t you buy yourself a new car? This one’s really unreliable.
• He looked at himself in the mirror.
• She taught herself Italian using a book.
• The washing machine switches itself off when it’s finished.
• We kept ourselves warm around the fire.
• Tell me all about yourselves.
• Hedgehogs protect themselves from predators by rolling into a ball.

‘Enjoy’ is often used with a reflexive pronoun.

• Did you enjoy yourself at the party?
• From their postcard it sounds as if they’re really enjoying themselves.

‘By yourself’ means ‘alone’

• He lives by himself in a cottage by the sea.
• I’m rather anti-social. I love being by myself.

Reflexive pronouns can also be used with nouns to mean ‘Me (or you/him/her etc) and nobody else’

• Did you do this homework yourself or did you get help?
• Did you talk to the manageress herself or just to one of her assistants?

There is an important difference between reflexive pronouns and reciprocal pronouns

• They looked at themselves in the mirror. This is reflexive.
• They looked at each other lovingly. This is reciprocal. He looked at her and she looked at him.

Source: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/reflexive-pronouns#sthash.A8d18Skt.dpuf