Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can substitute for a noun or noun phrase. For example if we were talking about someone named Timmy, we would not necessarily have to keep saying "Timmy" every time we referred to that person. Instead, we could substitute the words "he" or "him." Examples of pronoun use are listed here.

"Jim is attending the meeting tonight although he wanted to take the night off."

"Janice and Ethel like traveling to Spain because they enjoy the cultural events and museums there."

"The statue stood in the noonday sun. It was at least ten feet tall, with an inscribed brass plaque attached to its base."

In all cases, the name or noun that is replaced by a pronoun is called an antecedent. In the first example, Jim is the antecedent; in the second, Janice and Ethel are the antecedents for the pronoun "they"; and in the final example, "it" and "its" refer to the antecedent "statue."

Verbs

Verbs are words that show action or indicate a state of being. (Wikipedia, 2008) Every complete sentence, whether written or spoken, must contain a verb. They are the lifeblood of language, since they make it possible to understand the meaning and context of each thought expressed.

Dramatically different meanings can be achieved in a sentence just by changing the verb. "John ran home." conveys a much different mental picture than "John stole home." In the first sentence, we know that someone named John is running to his home. In the second, we assume that John is playing a game of baseball and has just scored a point (homerun) for his team. Verbs are used in three major ways.

Intransitive. The construction of the sentence determines whether a verb is transitive or intransitive. In sentences containing only a subject and a verb with no direct object (recipient of the verb's action), verbs are considered to be intransitive. For example, "Paul smiled." and "I laughed."

Transitive. The sentence contains a subject, verb, and direct object. For example, "I patted Frida on the head.", "Cars clogged the street." or "The United States invaded Grenada during the 1980s."

Linking. Linking verbs show a state of being that does not require action. "The subject complements are related to subject rather than the verb. It simply reports a condition or asks a question about a condition." (Wikipedia, 2008)