The document provides 18 rules for the correct usage of nouns and pronouns in business English. Some key points covered include: - Countable vs uncountable nouns - Possessive case and use of pronouns like 'mine' and 'yours' - Objective vs nominative pronouns and agreement with antecedents - Relative pronouns like 'who' and 'whom' - Gender agreement between pronouns and antecedents - Avoiding unnecessary use of nouns/pronouns

1. Business English
Correct Usage of Nouns
and Pronouns
Presented by
Group 2

2. Rule 1
Countable Nouns
Words like book, table, flower, ship etc are
countable nouns. Such nouns can be counted. These
nouns 1
have plural forms and can be used with a/an.
Examples:
1. There is a pen on the table.
2. We could see a ship in the distance.
3. I have got a problem with the car.
Ebaad

3. Rule 1 Uncountable Nouns
Words like ink, milk, gold and wisdom are
uncountable nouns. Such nouns cannot be counted.
These nouns don‟t have plural forms and cannot be used
with a/an.
1
NOTE: Following nouns are usually uncountable nouns
in English:
Advice, news, information luggage, work, scenery etc.
Examples
He gave me some advice.
He gave me an advice.
The sceneries are very good.
The scenery here is very good.
Ebaad

4. Rule 2 Possessive Case
When a noun shows ownership or
possession, authorship it is said to be possessive case or
genitive case. The use of this case can be confined to
the following:
1
Me , Mine and Your:
• It's my car.
• Here's your coat.
• Are these your tickets?
OWN:
We use own after my, your etc to say that
something belongs to us and not to any one else.
Example: Rachel has got her own calculator. She doesn't
borrow mine.
Ebaad

5. Rule 2 A Friend of mine:
We use this to show one of my friend.
Examples:
• Tom is a friend of mine. (One of my friend).
1
• Jessica came to party with a cousin of hers.(One of her
cousin)
Ebaad

6. Rule 3 •The Object of a verb or of a preposition, when
it is a Pronoun, should be in the Objective form.
Examples
1
Between you and me affairs look dark.
Between you and I affairs look dark.
Let you and me do it.
Let you and I do it.
He has given great trouble to my father and me.
He has given great trouble to my father and I.
Khawar

7. Rule 4 •A pronoun directly after than or as is usually in
the objective case unless there is a verb after it.
If a verb follows it, the nominative form is used.
Examples
1
Objective Form Nominative Form
He is taller me. He is taller than I am.
Objective Form Nominative Form
I swim better than him. I swim better than he
does.
Objective Form Nominative Form
I am as tall as her. I am as tall as
she is.
• The nominative form without a verb after it (e.g. „He is
taller than I‟) is old fashioned.
Khawar

8. Rule 5 •A pronoun must agree with its Antecedent in
person, number and gender.
Examples
1
1. All passengers must show their tickets.
2. Every man must bear his own burden.
3. Each of the girls gave her own version of the affair.
Khawar

9. Rule 6 •None is constructed in singular or plural as the
sense may require ;as, It is better to change the
form of sentence than to keep on repeating
ones
1
Examples
Question : Did you buy any mangoes?
Answer : There were no in the market.
Question : Have you brought me a letter?
Answer : There was none for you.
•When the singular equally well expresses the sense the
plural is commonly used; as,
1. None of these words are currently used .
2. None of poems are well known.
3. None but fools have believed it.
Kudeep

10. Rule 7 • “Anyone” should be used when more than two
persons or the things are spoken of.
Example:
1
She was taller than any one {not either} of her five sisters.
Kudeep

11. Rule 8 •Each, either and neither are distributive
pronouns calling attention to the individuals
forming a collection, and must accordingly be
followed by verbs in singular.
1
Examples:
1. Each of the scholars has {not have} done well.
2. Each of the men was {not were} paid twenty rupees.
3. Neither of the man was invited to the party. Neither of
the accusation is true.
4. Either of the roads leads to the railway station.
5. He asked whether either of the brothers at home
Kudeep

12. Rule 9 •BE CAREFULL TO USE WHO (NOMINATIVE)
AND WHOM (OBJECTIVE)
Nominative Case:
When a noun or pronoun is used as a subject of
1
verb, it is said to be in the nominative case.
Accusative Case:
When a noun or pronoun is used as the Object of
verb, it is said to be in the objective or accusative case.
Examples:
1. John threw a stone.
2. The horse kicked the boy.
Kashif

13. Rule 10 • WHEN THE SUBJECT OF VERB IS A
RELATIVE PRONOUN CARE SHOULD BE
TAKEN TO SEE THAT THE VERB AGREES IN
NUMBER AND PERSON WITH THE
ANTECEDENT OF THE RELATIVE
1
Examples:
1. This is one of the most interesting novels that have
appeared this year.
2. This is the only one of his poems that is worth
reading.
3. He is one of the cleverest boys that have passed
through the school.
4. It was one of the best speeches that have ever been
made in the parliament.
Kashif

14. Rule 11
Unnecessary Use of Nouns and
Pronouns
Sometimes the noun or pronoun is used in a place
where they are not required.
Examples:
Zeeshan, being a student of iqra, he wants to be a business
executive.
Zeeshan, beign a student of iqra, wants to be a business
executive.
The Applicant, being a householder, he is entitled to a vote.
The Applicant, being a householder, is entitled to a vote.
Iqbal

15. Rule 12
And which, but which
No Conjunction should be placed before relative
pronoun because Relative Pronoun also works as conjunction
sometimes.
1
Conjunction
A conjunction is a word which joins together sentences
and sometimes words. Example : and, but, or etc.
• God made the country and man made the town.
• She must weep, or she will die.
• Two and two makes four.
Iqbal

16. Rule 12
Relative Pronouns (Conjunctive Pronoun)
These are the words like
who, which, that, whose, whom etc which refer to a noun.
1
• I met Ahmed who has just returned.
• I have found the pen which I lost.
• This is the boy whose exercise is done well.
Iqbal

17. Rule 12
When we have to join together two relative clauses
1
referring to the same antecedent , as:
• He had a car which was made by Japan, and which had been
with him for ten years.
Iqbal

18. Rule 13
Pronoun according to the Gender
Since a Personal Pronoun is used instead of a
Noun, it must be of the same number, gender and person as
the Noun for which it stands.
1
Examples:
Imran is a hard working boy. It always stands first.
Imran is a hard working boy. He always stands first.
The students are so fatigued. He wants to leave the class.
The students are so fatigued. They want to leave the class.
Iqbal

19. Rule 14
A Noun or Pronoun in the
Possessive Case.
Every boy and every man must love their country.
1
Every boy and man must love his country.
I never heard of him having gone home.
I never heard of his having gone home.
Imtiaz

20. Rule 15
Use of the Relative pronoun with
subject of the clause.
Rizwan is not my brother who was sitting here.
1
Rizwan, who was sitting here, is not my brother.
This is the chair whose leg was broken.
This is the chair a leg of which was broken.
Imtiaz

21. Rule 16 •The word as is used as a Relative Pronoun
after such and sometimes after the same.
•Examples:
1. He is such a man as I honour.
1
2. These mangoes are not such as I bought yesterday.
3. My trouble is the same as yours.
4. This is not the same as that.
5. [But] I played with the same bat that you did.
6. That is the same man that we saw yesterday.
•The word as is also used as a Relative Pronoun after as
followed by an adjective; as.
I collected as many specimens as I could find.
Yasir

22. Rule 17 •Pronouns of the Third Person Plural should not
be used as antecedents to who and that as
Examples:
1
1. They that are whole have no need of a physician.
2. They who are rich should be ignored.
3. Here those is to be preferred to they.
Yasir

23. Rule 18 •Avoid the use of same as a substitute for the
Personal Pronoun; as,
When you have examined these patterns please
return the same to us.
1
When you have examined these patterns please
return them to us.
Yasir