What Are Reciprocal Pronouns?
2020-10-02
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1The Sixth Sense is a famous American movie.
2The 1999 film tells the story of a young boy who has an unusual issue.
3He claims that he can see dead people.
4In the film, the boy describes his problem:
5"I see dead people....Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see..."
6Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the words that you just heard.
7We also will explain a pronoun that the boy used - the words "each other."
8This term is an example of a reciprocal pronoun.
9But first, let's start with a few definitions.
10Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun.
11Words such as I, me, or my are personal pronouns.
12The word you choose depends on how it is used in a sentence.
13For example, personal pronouns can act as the subject or object.
14They can also show possession. This is known as the possessive case.
15When using the first person, the subject pronoun is I, and the object pronoun is me.
16The possessive pronoun is my.
17Some grammar books use the term possessive adjective in place of the term possessive pronoun.
18What exactly are reciprocal pronouns?
19Reciprocal is a word that describes a relationship in which people or groups do something similar, as in this sentence:
20Mark helped Bob, and Bob helped Mark.
21In newspapers, you might read about reciprocal trade agreements.
22Consider an imaginary trade deal between two countries.
23Country A reduces taxes on goods from Country B. And in return, Country B lowers taxes on goods from Country A.
24In grammar, reciprocal pronouns are pronouns that refer to a previously named noun.
25They suggest that one person or group does something to or for another person or group.
26In exchange, that person or group does something to or for the first person or group.
27Luckily, there are only two reciprocal pronouns you need to know.
28They are "each other" and "one another."
29Consider our earlier example.
30Mark helped Bob, and Bob helped Mark.
31With a reciprocal pronoun, the sentence would become:
32Mark and Bob helped each other.
33The pronoun each other refers to two people: Mark and Bob.
34Reciprocal pronouns have two common uses.
35First, they can act as objects referring to previously named nouns, as in our example about Mark and Bob.
36Second, they can act as determiners - words that mark nouns - in the possessive case. Here is an example:
37Mark and Bob even do each other's homework!
38Now you might be wondering about the second reciprocal pronoun, "one another." How is it different from "each other?"
39In general, "each other" refers to two nouns, while "one another" refers to three or more nouns. Here is an example:
40All the players on the team help one another with their homework.
41Knowing the difference between "each other" and "one another" is important for a very strict writing test.
42But to be honest, when talking with a native English speaker, you do not need to worry too much about the difference.
43Sometimes native speakers use "each other" to refer to three or more.
44What is most important is that you understand the idea of reciprocal pronouns and how they act in a sentence.
45At the beginning of this report, you heard a few lines from the movie The Sixth Sense:
46"They don't see each other."
47You will hear native English speakers use reciprocal pronouns in many other films, television shows, and news stories.
48Listen carefully to how native speakers use them.
49A piece of advice for you. When you use "each other" in speaking, pay careful attention to the "ch" sound at the end of "each."
50It is a difficult sound for speakers of many languages.
51I'm John Russell.
1The Sixth Sense is a famous American movie. The 1999 film tells the story of a young boy who has an unusual issue. He claims that he can see dead people. 2In the film, the boy describes his problem: 3"I see dead people....Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see..." 4Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore some of the words that you just heard. We also will explain a pronoun that the boy used - the words "each other." This term is an example of a reciprocal pronoun. 5But first, let's start with a few definitions. 6Pronouns 7Pronouns are words that take the place of a noun. Words such as I, me, or my are personal pronouns. The word you choose depends on how it is used in a sentence. For example, personal pronouns can act as the subject or object. They can also show possession. This is known as the possessive case. 8When using the first person, the subject pronoun is I, and the object pronoun is me. The possessive pronoun is my. Some grammar books use the term possessive adjective in place of the term possessive pronoun. 9Reciprocal pronouns 10What exactly are reciprocal pronouns? 11Reciprocal is a word that describes a relationship in which people or groups do something similar, as in this sentence: 12Mark helped Bob, and Bob helped Mark. 13In newspapers, you might read about reciprocal trade agreements. Consider an imaginary trade deal between two countries. Country A reduces taxes on goods from Country B. And in return, Country B lowers taxes on goods from Country A. 14In grammar, reciprocal pronouns are pronouns that refer to a previously named noun. They suggest that one person or group does something to or for another person or group. In exchange, that person or group does something to or for the first person or group. 15Luckily, there are only two reciprocal pronouns you need to know. They are "each other" and "one another." 16Consider our earlier example. 17Mark helped Bob, and Bob helped Mark. 18With a reciprocal pronoun, the sentence would become: 19Mark and Bob helped each other. 20The pronoun each other refers to two people: Mark and Bob. 21Reciprocal pronouns have two common uses. First, they can act as objects referring to previously named nouns, as in our example about Mark and Bob. 22Second, they can act as determiners - words that mark nouns - in the possessive case. Here is an example: 23Mark and Bob even do each other's homework! 24Now you might be wondering about the second reciprocal pronoun, "one another." How is it different from "each other?" 25In general, "each other" refers to two nouns, while "one another" refers to three or more nouns. Here is an example: 26All the players on the team help one another with their homework. 27Knowing the difference between "each other" and "one another" is important for a very strict writing test. 28But to be honest, when talking with a native English speaker, you do not need to worry too much about the difference. Sometimes native speakers use "each other" to refer to three or more. 29What is most important is that you understand the idea of reciprocal pronouns and how they act in a sentence. 30Closing thoughts 31At the beginning of this report, you heard a few lines from the movie The Sixth Sense: 32"They don't see each other." 33You will hear native English speakers use reciprocal pronouns in many other films, television shows, and news stories. Listen carefully to how native speakers use them. 34A piece of advice for you. When you use "each other" in speaking, pay careful attention to the "ch" sound at the end of "each." It is a difficult sound for speakers of many languages. 35I'm John Russell. 36John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 37_______________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39pronoun - n. grammar: a word (such as I, he, she, you, it, we, or they) that is used instead of a noun or noun phrase 40grammar - n. the whole system of a language or of languages 41refer to - v. to have a direct connection or relationship to (someone or something) 42previously - adv. formerly; earlier or before 43strict - adj. severe; firm or uncompromising 44We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.