Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns

Indefinite Demonstrative Pronouns :



Sometimes Demonstrative Pronouns are used indefinitely. That is that these pronouns are not used as substitutes for some Noun expressly mentioned, but for some Noun understood or implied.

(a) None but fools behave like this.
(b) All were drowned.
(c) Some are born great.
(d) They say that he is a genius.
(e) Anybody can do that.
(f) Nobody was there to bid her farewell.
(g) Few escaped unhurt.
(h) Many are called, but few are chosen.
(i) Do good to others.
(j) What is everybody's business is nobody’s business.
(k) Everyone wants to be healthy and happy.

One : We have already seen that this pronoun is often used in the sense of any person or every person.

(a) One should take care of one's health.
(b) A man (any and every man) should take care of his health.

The above two sentences convey the same meaning.

Whenever ONE is the Subject to a Verb, it must be followed by ONE…not by HE. Thus we cannot say….One must take care of his health. The correct way to say is…. One must take care of one’s health

The noun NONE (NO ONE) should be followed by a Singular Verb, when it is Subject of the sentence.

(a) None but the brave deserves the fair. (Dryden)

When several persons or things are spoken of, the Verb can be made Plural by attraction.

(a) None of my lost books were found.
(b) None but fools have ever believed in ghosts.

IT :

In such phrases as those shown below, the word IT gives emphasis to the Noun or Pronoun following.

(a) It was I who told you that.
(b) It was my uncle who died yesterday.

Sometimes the Noun, for which the word IT is used, can be understood from the context.

(a) It is raining = rain is raining or falling.
(b) It is blowing hard = the wind is blowing hard.
(c) It is fine today = the weather is fine today.
(d) It is hot = the air is hot. It is cold = the air is cold.
(e) It is still early = the hour is still early.
(f) It is two miles from here = the distance is two miles.
(g) It was autumn = the season of the year was autumn.
(h) It is useless to be here = the state of being here.
(i) It is advisable to take your mother with you = ( the action of taking your mother with you).

RELATED PAGES :

1. The Pronoun
   
2. Pronouns
   
3. Kinds of Pronouns
   
4. Personal Pronouns
   
5. Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns
   
6. Possessive Adjectives
   
7. Possessive Pronouns
   
8. Reflexive Personal Pronouns
   
9. Self-Pronouns
   
10. Emphasizing Pronouns
    
11. Uses of Reflexive Forms (Uses of Reflexive Pronouns)
    
12. Demonstrative Pronouns
    
13. Forms of Demonstrative Pronouns
    
14. Antecedent Noun
    
15. Conjunctive Pronouns
    
16. Relative Pronouns
    
17. The two uses of WHO and WHICH
    
18. Uses of The Relative Pronouns
    
19. Restrictive uses of WHO and WHICH
    
20. Continuative uses of WHO and WHICH
    
21. Omission of Relative Pronoun
22. Where to omit Relative Pronoun?
    
23. Interrogative Pronouns
    
24. Forms of Interrogatives Pronouns
    
25. Exclamatory Pronouns
    
26. Parsing Models for Nouns
    
27. Parsing Models for Adjectives
    
28. Parsing Models for Pronouns
    
29. Sentences with Pronouns
    

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