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as indefinite-personal, indicating people in general or a limited group of people. The difference between them
is in their reference: we refers to a group of people including the speaker, you includes only the listener(s), and
they excludes both the speaker and the listeners.
As we know, geographic limits between dialects are not easy to establish.
You never saw such a commotion up and down the house, in all your life, as when my Uncle Podger
undertook to do a job.
When you are tired they give you some pills, and in a minute you are your own self again.
They say you were in the park with her?
What do they teach you there?
§ 217. Possessive pronouns indicate possession by persons (my, mine, your, yours, their, theirs) or non-
persons (its, their, theirs). They comprise two sets of forms: the conjoint forms - my, your, his, her, our, their,
which always combine with nouns and premodify them as attributes and the absolute forms - mine, yours, his,
hers, ours, yours, theirs, which do not combine with nouns, but function as their substitutes. Thus, they may be
adjective-pronouns when used as conjoint forms and noun-pronouns when used as absolute forms. There is no
absolute form corresponding to the pronoun it.
Both conjoint and absolute forms may function with reference to persons and non-persons; pointing back
(with anaphorical force) and forward (with anticipatory force).
My friends are waiting for me.
I liked this house and its wonderful garden.
Where are the dogs? — Mine is under the table.
The coat isn't mine, it’s yours.
Hers was a wonderful room.
A peculiarity of the English language is that possessive pronouns, not the article, are used with reference to
parts of the body, personal belongings, relatives, etc.
I
raised my eyebrows.
He rose up and put his hands in his small pockets.
Where are you going to spend your leave?
I can’t see my way ahead.
§ 218. Reflexive pronouns indicate identity between the person or non-person they denote and that denoted
by the subject of the sentence. They are: myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves,
themselves, structurally derived either from the possessive pronouns (myself, yourself, ourselves, yourselves), or
from personal pronouns (himself, herself, itself, themselves); the pronoun oneself is derived from the indefinite
pronoun one.
Reflexive pronouns derived from possessive and personal pronouns have the categories of person, number,
and gender in the 3d person singular only. The generalising reflexive pronoun oneself has none of these.
Oh, I can do it myself. He felt himself grow hot to the roots of his hair.
If these are several homogeneous subjects denoting different persons including the 1st, the 1st person plural
reflexive is used: You, mother, and I must now think about ourselves. If there is no 1st person, the 2nd person
plural reflexive is used: You and mother must now think of yourselves.
If the subject is the indefinite pronoun one, the corresponding reflexive is used: One must not deceive
oneself. If the subject is expressed by any other indefinite pronoun himself or themselves is used: Has anybody
hurt himself?
The most common functions of the reflexive pronouns are those of an apposition and objects (direct,
indirect, prepositional):
Cedric himself knew nothing whatever about it. (apposition)
I
have all kinds of beautiful sentiments myself. (apposition)