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Your, my, their, his, hers--


Aubrey
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Adjective or pronoun?

 

Both. They replace possessive nouns (pronouns), but also modify nouns (adjectives).

 

In Spanish (and French??) they're called possessive adjectives - I think because they have to act like adjectives in agreeing with the noun they modify in gender and number. In English I've seen them both as possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives. MCT recently changed his mind and is switching from calling them pronouns to adjectives (so depending what printing you get, his books can disagree with themselves).

 

Someone here said Shurley solves the problem by calling them possessive pronoun adjectives (ppa) - I like that and it's what I have my kids call them. Possessive pronouns alone would be mine, yours, hers, etc.

Edited by matroyshka
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Guest Dulcimeramy

Possessive pronouns can function as adjectives.

 

R&S English grade 5, pg. 270:

 

"Some possessive pronouns are used as adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Other possessive pronouns are used as pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs. Notice that his and its may be used either way.

 

When a possessive pronoun modifies a noun, it is used as an adjective. When it stands alone, it is used as a pronoun.

 

My book is blue. (adj.) Mine is blue. (pronoun.)

His shoes are new. (adj.) His are new. (pronoun)"

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Possessive pronouns can function as adjectives.

 

R&S English grade 5, pg. 270:

 

"Some possessive pronouns are used as adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Other possessive pronouns are used as pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs. Notice that his and its may be used either way.

 

When a possessive pronoun modifies a noun, it is used as an adjective. When it stands alone, it is used as a pronoun.

 

My book is blue. (adj.) Mine is blue. (pronoun.)

His shoes are new. (adj.) His are new. (pronoun)"

 

Well, that must be it - we only just finished up R&S Eng 4!

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MCT recently changed his mind and is switching from calling them pronouns to adjectives (so depending what printing you get, his books can disagree with themselves).

 

He's earned a black mark from my daughter for calling articles adjectives. She gets his reasoning and accepts it but has decided the, a and an are more defined by how they point out nouns then how they modify them. She also refuses to bend on being verbs which MCT calls linking verbs. :) I happily blame KISS grammar for her refusal to surrender her reasoning to one programs rules.

Edited by WishboneDawn
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Guest Cheryl in SoCal
He's earned a black mark from my daughter for calling articles adjectives. She gets his reasoning and accepts it but has decided the, a and an are more defined by how they point out nouns then how they modify them. She also refuses to bend on being verbs which MCT calls linking verbs. :) I happily blame KISS grammar for her refusal to surrender her reasoning to one programs rules.

Shurley also calls them linking verbs, and I think AG does as well. I've never seen a program that labels them as being verbs. They state that they are being verbs but label and call them linking verbs.

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He's earned a black mark from my daughter for calling articles adjectives. She gets his reasoning and accepts it but has decided the, a and an are more defined by how they point out nouns then how they modify them. She also refuses to bend on being verbs which MCT calls linking verbs. :) I happily blame KISS grammar for her refusal to surrender her reasoning to one programs rules.

 

I think article adjectives and linking verbs are pretty standard, not MCT-isms.

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He's earned a black mark from my daughter for calling articles adjectives. She gets his reasoning and accepts it but has decided the, a and an are more defined by how they point out nouns then how they modify them. She also refuses to bend on being verbs which MCT calls linking verbs. :)

 

My mom's English book (from 1940) calls them "copulative verbs." I don't suppose she would like that either. :D

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I thought they were possessive pronouns too, but my grammar is average. I agree with you about not googling grammar, I have made that sorry mistake before.

 

BTW, you are now the second person I have 'heard' using 'one' as the first person singular. You, and my 8yo daughter, Susan. She has also begun to say that things 'smart' instead of 'hurt'. I love the archaic language that comes from the classics :)

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Your, my, their, his, and her are determiners. That is, they are modifiers of a noun or noun phrase, but not adjectives -- just like articles and quantifiers.

 

Yours, mine, theirs, his and hers are possessive pronouns.

 

It's nice when somebody speaks the thoughts I'm forcing myself to stifle. Thank you Momling.:)

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BTW, you are now the second person I have 'heard' using 'one' as the first person singular. You, and my 8yo daughter, Susan. She has also begun to say that things 'smart' instead of 'hurt'. I love the archaic language that comes from the classics :)

 

One = 2nd person singular, but more formal & less offensive (if you're following it w/ SHOULD) than YOU. LOL

 

I didn't think it was archaic, though! :lol:

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I knew y'all would have opinions...:lol:

 

But really, this isn't for dc's grammar assignment. I'm using the phrase in a sentence, & I want to make sure I'm not being controversial w/ my grammar label. Because we know how divisive grammar can be! :lol:

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One = 2nd person singular, but more formal & less offensive (if you're following it w/ SHOULD) than YOU. LOL

 

I didn't think it was archaic, though! :lol:

 

That's weird. I've only ever heard it used as the third person singular - to refer to anyone, not just "you."

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It's nice when somebody speaks the thoughts I'm forcing myself to stifle. Thank you Momling.:)

 

Ironically, due to some weird board posting problem, I spoke my thoughts four times! Perhaps that makes up for your stifled ones?

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Your, my, their, his, and her are determiners. That is, they are modifiers of a noun or noun phrase, but not adjectives -- just like articles and quantifiers.

 

Po-TAY-to, Po-TA-to. ;)

 

You are defining the term "adjective" in a very narrow sense, to mean only descriptive adjectives. There are also limiting adjectives (articles, numbers, possessives, demonstratives (this, those etc.)). Just a different classification system. Depending on the type of adjective, there can be different rules as to where to place them, but they can all be seen as types of adjectives.

 

In all the other languages I have studied, these have always been defined quite clearly as limiting adjectives, never "determiners". I'd much rather teach my kids the same terminology for the same parts of speech across languages.

Edited by matroyshka
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Po-TAY-to, Po-TA-to.

 

You are defining the term "adjective" in a very narrow sense, to mean only descriptive adjectives. There are also limiting adjectives (articles, numbers, possessives, demonstratives (this, those etc.)). Just a different classification system. Depending on the type of adjective, there can be different rules as to where to place them, but they can all be seen as types of adjectives.

 

In all the other languages I have studied, these have always been defined quite clearly as limiting adjectives, never "determiners". I'd much rather teach my kids the same terminology for the same parts of speech across languages.

 

It depends on how you're studying them. If you're reading about them in a linguistics book determiners will not be called adjectives. If you're taking a typical foreign language course, then prescriptive grammar terms are bound to be used. Determiners exist and are defined/labeled as such cross-linguistically.

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It depends on how you're studying them. If you're reading about them in a linguistics book determiners will not be called adjectives. If you're taking a typical foreign language course, then prescriptive grammar terms are bound to be used. Determiners exist and are defined/labeled as such cross-linguistically.

 

While from a theoretical point of view I find myself firmly in the descriptivist camp, from a practical point of view, with the goal of learning and using modern standard languages in real-world situations, I find the prescriptivist terms more useful. :D Still just a difference in classification systems rather than right/wrong.

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That's weird. I've only ever heard it used as the third person singular - to refer to anyone, not just "you."

 

Well...right...anyone, but replacing that "general you" that can sound so...offensive sometimes. It replaces oneself pretty well, too. :lol:

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