What Are Pro-forms?
'Pro-forms' are words, phrases, or clauses that substitute for other words or phrases in a sentence. They are used to avoid repetition and make a sentence more concise and easier to understand. Remember, these pro-forms do not have a logical meaning when used alone. They depend on another part of the sentence to make sense.
Pro-forms: Types
There are different types of pro-forms in English grammar. Follow the article to get to know each of them.
Pronouns
'Pronouns' replace nouns to avoid unnecessary repetition. It is important to know that a pronoun always needs an antecedent to refer back to. Here are a few examples:
Isaac and Ross hit
(You) look at
Marco said
Pro-interrogatives
Interrogative pro-forms are used in questions and stand for the word or phrase that is being questioned. There are five main interrogative pro-forms in English:
'who' acting as a pro-interrogative
Any
We can use the word 'any' as a pro-form that stands for a word, phrase, or even clause. Usually, it refers to the quantity or amount of something. Check out the examples:
They told me to take some red fresh apples with me but unfortunately I couldn't buy
Here the word 'any' is the substitute for the phrase 'red fresh apples.'
I wanted to drink coffee but I didn't have
Here the term 'any' refers back to the word 'coffee.'
Some
'Some' is used as a pro-form that stands for a word, phrase, or clause. It usually refers back to a quantity or amount. Here are some examples:
Do you like tea? Here! Drink
Do we need maps? I think we may have
Do So
The phrase 'do so' is used as a pro-form that stands for a clause. Here are some examples:
It said I had to add the eggs and I
You told me to dedicate my life to what I love and I will
Each, Some, Either, Neither, Both, None
'Each, either, neither, none' are not necessarily pronouns but when it comes to pro-forms they are usually used as pronouns in a sentence. These words are used in the sentence to represent an antecedent. For example:
We took a bar of chocolate
Maria and Hanna are best friends, but
There were two bars of chocolate and
The Same
The phrase 'the same' can be used as a pro-form to refer back to a phrase or clause. Usually, it is used to indicate approval. Check out the examples:
She will have salad and I'll have
He loves me and I feel
Partitives
'Partitives' usually refer to a particular amount of something, whether they are definite or indefinite amounts. All kinds of partitives can be used on their own to stand for a phrase.
I love strawberry cakes. Can I have a
The doctor said I have had too much bread in the last two years, so now I am just allowed to have a
Demonstratives
'Demonstratives' can be used as pro-forms to refer to a clause, phrase, or word. But usually, they are used as a substitute for a clause. Here are the examples:
Ernest says mean things to others.
You are too kind and
Too and Either
Sometimes when we want to show that a clause applies to us as well, we use 'either' or 'too'. 'Either' is used to say a negative clause is true for someone and 'too' is used to confirm an affirmative clause.
I think he was a good person,
+'Ah, I hate this man.' -'You know, I don't like him
Pro-adverbs
Pro-adverbs are used as an alternative for an adverb phrase, a word, or even a clause. Let us take a look at the examples:
I am going to the party because my girlfriend is
My house is warm and friendly; that's why he likes it in
Review
Pro-forms are used alternatively for other words, phrases, or clauses. remember pro-forms cannot be used alone when there is not any background for the information. check out the list below to get to know different types of pro-forms.
- pronouns
- pro-interrogatives
- pro-adverbs
- pro-demonstratives
- pro-partitives
Comments
You might also like
Expletives
Expletives or placeholders are words or phrases that are used to fill out a sentence without adding essential meaning to the sense of the whole sentence.
Parts of Speech
A part of speech is any grammatical group, such as noun, verb, and adjective, into which words are classified based on their use.
Honorifics and Titles
We may not know what we are using but in everyday English, we use many words that help us be more polite. In this article, we will take a look at these titles.
Pro-verb Phrases
Pro-verb phrases are short words or expressions that replace the verb and all that comes after it.
