82. Myself / yourself / themselves etc.
We use myself / yourself / himself etc. (reflexive pronouns), when the subject and object are the same.
We do not use myself etc. after feel relax / concentrate / meet:
I feel nervous. I can’t relax.
We normally use wash / shave / dress without myself etc:
He got up, washed, shaved and dressed. (not washed himself etc.)
You can also say get dressed (He got dressed)
Compare -selved and each other:
Kate and Joe stood in front of the mirror and looked at themselves. (= Kate and Joe liiked at Kate and Joe)
Kate liiked at Joe, Joe liiked at Kate. They liiked at each other.You can use one another instead of each other.
We also use myself / yourself etc. in another way.
Who repaired your bike for you?
I repaired it myself
I repaired it myself = I repaired it, not anybody else. Here. myself is used to emphasise I(= it makes it stronger)
The film itself wasn’t very good, but I loved the music.
83. A friend of mine / my own house / on my own / by myself
A friend of mine = one of my friends
My own … / your own … etc = something that is only mine / yours, not shared or borrowed:
I don’t want to share a room with anybody. I want my own room.
You can also say ‘a room of my own’, ‘a house of your own’, ‘problems of his own’ etc.
I’d like to have a room of my own
We also use own to say that we do something ourselves instead of somebody else doing it for us. For example:
Brian usually cuts his own hair. (= he cuts it himself. he doesn’t go to a barber)
On my own / by my self
On my own and by myself both mean ‘alson’
I like living on my own / by myself.
84. There… and it…
We use these… when we talk about something for the first time, to say that it exists.
It = a specific thing, place, fact, situation etc. (but see also section C):
There also means ‘to/at/in that place’
You can say there will be / there must be / there might be /there used to be etc.
Also there must have been, there should have been etc.
You can also say there os sure / bound (= sure) / likely to be… Compare there and it.
- There’s sure to be a flight to Rome tonight. (or There’s bound to be…)
- There’s a flight to Rome tonight, but it’s sure to be full. (it= the flight)
85. Some and any
In general we use some(also somebody/someone/something) in positive sentences and any (also anybody etc.) in negative sentences:
We use any in the following sentences because the meaning is negayive.
- She went out without any money. (she didn’t take any money with her)
- He refused to eat anything. (he didn’t eat anything)
- It’s a very easy exam. Hardly anybody fail. (= almost nobody fails)
We use both some and any in questions, We use some/somebody/something to talk about a person or thing that we know exists, or we think exists:
Are you waiting for somebody? (I think you are waiting for somebody)
We often use any after if:
- If anyone has any questions, I’ll be pleased to answer them.
- Let me know if you need anything.
The following sentences have the idea of if:
- I’m sorry for any trouble I’ve caused (= if I have caused any trouble)
- Anyone who wants to do the exam should tell me by Friday. (= if there is anyone)
Somebody / someone / anybody / anyone are singular words:
Someone is here to see you
But we use they / them / their after these words:
- Someone has forgotten their unbrella. (= his or her umbrella)
- If anybody wants to leave early, they can. (= he or she can)
86. No/none/any Nothing/nobody etc.
We use no + noun, No = not a or not any:
You can use no + noun at the beginning of a sentence:
No reason was given for the change of plan.
We ues none without a noun, Or we use none of…
Nothing / nobody etc. = not + anything/anybody etc.
With nothing / nobody etc., do not use a negative verb (isn’t, didn’t etc)
After nobody/no-one you can use they/them/their (see also Unit 85E)
- Nobody is perfect, are they? (= is he or she perfect)
- No-one did what I asked them to do. (= him or her)
- Nobody in the class did their homework. (= his or her homework)
87. Much, many, little, few, a lot, plenty
Much is unusual in positive sentences (especially in spoken English).
- We didn’t spend much money. ====> We spend a lot of monet. (not We spent much money)
- Do you see David much? ====> I see David a lot. (not I see David much)
We use many and a lot of in all kinds of sentences.
You can say very little and bery few
You can say only a little and only a few
88. All / all of most / most of no / none of etc.
all | some | any | most | much / many | little / few | no |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Note that we say most (not the most):
Most tourists don’t visit this part of the town. (not The most tourists)
You don’t need of after all or half. So you can say:
- All my friends live in Los Angeles. or All of my friends.
- Half this money is mine. or Hhalf of this money…
Compare:
- All flowers are beautiful. (= all flowers in general)
- All (of) the flowers in this garden are beautiful. (= a soecific group of flowers)
- Most problems have a solution. (= most problems in general)
- We were able to solve most of the problems we had. (= a specific group of problems)
You can use all of / some of / none of etc. + it / us / you / them
89. Both/both of neither/neither of either/either of
We use both/neither/either for two things. You can use these words with a noun (both books, neither book etc.).
You can also use both/neither/either alson, without a noun:
We use both of/neither of /either of + the/these/my/Tom’s… etc.
You don’t need of after both.
You can use both of / neither of / either of + us/you/them.
You must say ‘both of’ before us/you/them
Both… and…
- Both Chris and Paul were late
- I was both tired and hungry when I arrived home
Neither… nor…
- Neither Chris nor Paul came to the party
- There was an accident in the street where we live, but we neither saw nor heard anything
Either… or…
- I’m not sure where Maria’s from. She’s either Spanish or Italian.
- Either you apologise, or I’ll never speak to you again.
90. All, every and whole
All and everything
Sometimes you can use all or everything
I’ll do all I can to help. or I’ll do everything I can to help.
You can say ‘all I can’ / ‘all you need’ etc, but we do not normally use all alone.
But you can say all about:
He knows all about computers.
We also use all(not everything) to mean ‘the only thing(s)’
All I’ve eaten today is a sandwish. (= the only thing I’ve eaten today)
Every / everybody/ everyone / everything are singular words, so we use a singular verb
But we use they / them / their afyer everybody/everyone
- Every seat in the theayre was taken.
- Everybody said they enjoued themselves. (= everybody enjoyed himself or herself)
Whole and all
Whole = complete, entire. Most often we use whole with singular nouns
Did you read te whole book? (= all the book, not just a part of it)
We use the / my / her etc. before whole. Compare whole and all
Her whole life but all her life
All day / the whole day = the complete day from beginning to end.
Note that we say all day)not all the day, all week (not all the week) etc.
Compare all the time and every time
- They never go out. They are at home all the time. (= always, continuously)
- Every time I see you, you liik different. (= each time, on every occasion)
91. Each and every
Each and every are similar in meaning. Often it is possible to use each or every.
But each and every are not exactly the same.
We use each when we think of things separately, one by one | We use every when we think of things as a group, The meaning is similar to all |
Study each sentence carefully (= study the sentences one by one) |
Every sentence must have a verb. (= all sentences in general) |
Each is more usual for a small number | Every is more usual for a large number |
Each(but not every) can be used for two things. | We use every(not each) to say how often something happens |
You can use each with a noun | You can use every with a noun |
You can use each alone (without a noun) | You can’t use every alone, but you can say every one |
Or you can use each one | |
You can say each of (the… / these… / them etc) | You can say every one of… (but not ‘every of’) |
You can aksi yse each in the middle or at the end of a sentence. For example.
The students were each given a book. (= Each student was given a book)
Everyone(one word) is only for people (= everybody)
Every one (two words) is for things or people, and is similar to each one