Pronouns, Adjectives and Adverbs Notes for Competitive Exams

Pronouns, adjectives and adverbs are small words that appear in almost every sentence, and so they are the source of many errors in the English section of SSC, banking, railways, defence and other competitive examinations. The questions come in error spotting, sentence improvement, fill in the blanks and cloze tests. The rules are not many, but they must be learned with examples. This note explains the main rules of pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, the pairs of words that are often confused, solved examples and practice questions, in simple language that any student can follow.

Part 1: Pronouns

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun, to avoid repetition. The noun that a pronoun stands for is called its antecedent. The main kinds are in the following table.

Important Rules of Pronouns

1. Agreement: The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, gender and person. Each of the boys has done his work (not "their"), and Every student must bring his or her book.
2. Case: After a preposition, use the object form: between you and me (not "between you and I"); Let him and me go. After "than" and "as", use the form that is natural if the verb is added: He is taller than I (am).
3. Order of persons: In a good sense, use the order second, third and first: You, he and I will go. In a bad sense (blame or guilt), use first, second and third: I, you and he are responsible. In Standard sentences: "My friend and I", not "Me and my friend".
4. Reflexive pronouns cannot be used as the subject: Myself will go is wrong; say I myself will go or I will go myself.
5. Who and whom: Use who for the subject and whom for the object. The man who came here is my uncle. The man whom I met is a doctor.
6. Relative pronoun "that" is used after superlatives, "all", "only", "same", "any" and "none": This is the best book that I have read. All that glitters is not gold.
7. Indefinite pronouns such as everyone, everybody, nobody and each take a singular verb: Everyone is present. With "one", use "one's" and not "his": One should do one's duty.
8. Either, neither refer to two persons and take a singular verb: Neither of the two answers is correct. For more than two, use "none" or "any".

Part 2: Adjectives

An adjective describes a noun or a pronoun. The main kinds are the adjectives of quality (good, tall), quantity (some, much, little), number (one, many, few), demonstrative (this, that), possessive (my, his) and interrogative (which, whose). When several adjectives come together before a noun, they follow a normal order: opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material and purpose, as in a beautiful small old round brown Indian wooden table.

Commonly Confused Adjectives

Part 3: Adverbs

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. It tells how, when, where, how often or to what degree. The kinds are the adverbs of manner (slowly), time (now), place (here), frequency (always) and degree (very).

Rules for Adverbs

1. Position of frequency adverbs: They go before the main verb but after the verb "to be": He always comes on time. She is never late.
2. "Enough" comes after an adjective or an adverb but before a noun: He is tall enough. We have enough time.
3. Hardly, scarcely and barely have a negative meaning, so do not use "not" with them: He could hardly walk (not "could not hardly").
4. Hard and hardly; late and lately: "Hard" means with much effort (He works hard), whereas "hardly" means almost not (He hardly works). "Late" means after the time, and "lately" means recently.
5. Too and very: "Very" shows a high degree; "too" shows an excess, with a negative result: The tea is very hot, and The tea is too hot to drink.
6. Correlatives: Use No sooner ... than and Hardly ... when: No sooner did he reach than it rained.
7. Adjective or adverb: After verbs of the senses and linking verbs (look, feel, taste, smell, seem, become), use an adjective: The food tastes good. After action verbs, use an adverb: She sings well.

Solved Examples: Spot the Error

1. "Me and my friend went to the market." The correct form is My friend and I went to the market.
2. "Everyone must do their duty." Better usage: Everyone must do his or her duty.
3. "This is the most beautiful which I have seen." The correct form is that I have seen, as "that" is used after a superlative.
4. "He has less friends than I." The correct form is fewer friends.
5. "She can't hardly lift the box." The correct form is She can hardly lift the box.
6. "Between you and I, the plan is weak." The correct form is Between you and me.

Tips for the Exam

• In error spotting, check the pronoun first: look at its antecedent and ask if the number and the case are right.
• For the pairs of confusing words, learn one example sentence for each pair.
• Read the sentence silently after putting the option; the right form often "sounds correct" if you have practised enough.
• Do not use a double negative with hardly, scarcely and barely.

Common Error Patterns to Remember

Examiners repeat a few patterns. The first is the wrong order of pronouns ("me and him"). The second is the wrong case after a preposition ("with he"). The third is the wrong use of "less" for countable things. The fourth is the double negative with "hardly". The fifth is the wrong use of the comparative with "elder" followed by "than". When you see such a sentence in the exam, think of the pattern first, and the answer will come in a few seconds. Keep a notebook with the wrong sentence on the left and the corrected sentence on the right, and revise it every week.

Practice Questions With Answers

• Q1. Choose the correct word: "He is the (elder / older) of the two brothers." Answer: elder.
• Q2. Correct the sentence: "Each of the girls have done their work." Answer: Each of the girls has done her work.
• Q3. Fill in the blank: "There is ___ water in the jug." (few / little) Answer: little.
• Q4. Correct: "She is too intelligent." (when a positive sense is meant) Answer: She is very intelligent.
• Q5. Choose: "The man ___ I met is a lawyer." (who / whom) Answer: whom.

Revise the basics with our notes on parts of speech and tenses and subject-verb agreement and error spotting.

Quick Revision

• Pronoun agrees with its antecedent; use "between you and me"; reflexive pronouns are never the subject.
• Fewer (countable) and less (uncountable); elder (family) and older (age); little and a little differ in meaning.
• Hardly, scarcely and barely are negative; "enough" comes after the adjective.
• Use "that" after superlatives; use adjectives after linking verbs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition.

What is an antecedent?

The antecedent is the noun to which a pronoun refers.

Is it between you and I or between you and me?

The correct form is between you and me, because a preposition is followed by the object form.

Can a reflexive pronoun be used as the subject?

No. A reflexive pronoun like myself cannot be the subject of a sentence.

What is the difference between who and whom?

Who is used for the subject of a verb, and whom is used for the object.

When should I use that as a relative pronoun?

Use that after superlatives and words like all, only, same, any and none.

What is the difference between fewer and less?

Fewer is used with countable nouns, and less is used with uncountable nouns.

What is the difference between elder and older?

Elder is used for family members and is not followed by than, while older is used for age and can be followed by than.

What is the difference between little and a little?

Little means almost none, while a little means some.

Where does the word enough come in a sentence?

Enough comes after an adjective or an adverb, but before a noun.

Can I use not with hardly?

No. Hardly, scarcely and barely already have a negative meaning, so a double negative is wrong.

What is the difference between hard and hardly?

Hard means with much effort, while hardly means almost not.