How do the qualities of reading practices outlined in McKenzie and Essay

How do the qualities of reading practices outlined in McKenzie and Grafton and Jardine's texts enable imperialism How did rea - Essay Example A discussion on the various qualities of reading practices helps in a historical understanding of the ways in which humanistic-ally trained readers assimilated and responded to imperialism and political change. For example, the introduction of printed text to the Maori people in New Zealand had a crucial influence on their understanding of the Treaty of Waitangi. In other words, the reading practices of the Maori had a critical influence on the meaning of imperialism and political change in the region. This paper makes a reflective exploration of how the qualities of reading practices outlined in McKenzie and Grafton and Jardine’s texts enable imperialism. One of the major studies of the principles of bibliography, Bibliography and the Sociology of Texts by D.F. McKenzie establishes that the material form of texts remarkably determines their meanings. According to McKenzie, texts take on different forms and meanings as they are reproduced and re-read. He maintains that a reade r in the pursuit of historical meanings moves from â€Å"the most minute feature of the material form of the book to questions of authorial, literary, and social context. These all bear in turn on the ways in which texts are then re-read, re-edited, re-designed, re-printed, and re-published. If a history of readings is made possible only by a comparative history of books, it is equally true that a history of books will have no point if it fails to account for the meanings they later come to make.† (McKenzie, 1999, p. 23). The meaning gained in the beginning is completely changed in the reading of the new forms of the text which is re-read, re-edited, re-designed, re-printed, and re-published. Therefore, one’s reading practice is influenced by the material form of the book which, in turn, affects the meaning of the text. Lisa Jardine and Anthony Grafton’s seminal article â€Å"‘Studied for Action’: How Gabriel Harvey Read His Livy† is a classi c example of how reading practice can influence one’s understanding and meaning of the text. Based on an exploration of how Gabriel Harvey practiced the reading of Livy, Jardine and Grafton establish that Harvey’s interpretation of Livy is considerably changed each time he reads it with different purposes in his mind. The article maintains that the different reading practices carried out by Harvey led to different outcomes. In fact, the different reading practices can lead to different meanings of the same text and this fluctuation in the meaning can affect the overall outcome of the reading practice. â€Å"Thus critical reading, skillful annotation and active appropriation emerge as the central skills, not just of the student of history, but of the intellectual tout court. Reading always leads to action – but only proper reading in the manner of a Gabriel Harvey.† (Jardine and Grafton, 1990, p. 76). According to Jardine and Grafton, the early modern read ers used to actively reinterpret their texts rather than passively receive it. In this article, the authors provide a convincing illustration of how the ‘reading as intended to give rise to something else’ can influence the meaning of the text and, in turn, affect political changes. To them, scholarly reading has always been goal-oriented and conducted under conditions of strenuous attentiveness. Therefore, â€Å"

Economic development Essay Example for Free

Economic development Essay Today, education is the most important tool for the development of society. There is a direct correlation between education and development of society. The countries that realize this fact, giving the required importance for their education system, have become highly developed. Education should be promoted since it is the most important factor for the development of a country. The promotion of the education is depended on the factors like literacy rate in a country, schooling rate in the primary, secondary and higher education, proliferation of training technologies, and the quality of the education. This promotion process should be considered as a necessary condition for economic, technological and social development for a nation. In other words, the process of a successful development depends on the fact of gibing the society a conscious of change which is highly connected to education. Fist of all, education enlightens people. The educated person is the person who improves oneself. A person increases her/his level of knowledge through education, so he/she has a better understanding and analyzing of daily matters and an agenda. That person can make logical deductions based on the knowledge he gains and refuses the traditional corrupted understanding. Individual’s ability of the interpretation of knowledge through one’s intelligence and skills is supported by education; accordingly, increasing the creativity and intellectual thinking. An individual can learn about different cultures, lifestyles and history from past to present; hence education provides universal perspective to an individual. The most important differential of uneducated person is having a narrow point of view. A person should be educated in order to learn taking objective decisions and being liberated from the social pressure. Besides, educated people respect the rights of others and they have a fair understanding of the concept of equality, right to life, and right to property. The reason why developed countries show highly respect to the individual rights is that the education level of the country is being fairly high. On the other hand, the reason why there are deep inequalities between women and men or rich and poor in under-developed countries is that the education level in there is being fairly low. Besides, there is also a lack of respect to the human rights in these under-developed countries due to low education level. Secondly, education affects the development of science and technology of a country. Technological developments increase by knowledge and research which is provided by education. It is the advancement and proliferation of technology that makes countries developing by the production of knowledge, schooling of creative minds leads countries develop economically, technologically and politically. Education, advancement of technology and development are in a circle movement which produces itself. Cakmak also says that as a result of the creation of science and technology, mobility of scientific knowledge, and nurturing of individuals with creative minds, countries have experienced important economic and political changes which lead to infinitive competition among them in the fields of education, development and innovation (Cakmak O. 2008). In addition, developed countries use technology as a part of their education system. Thus, every student can follow technology and learn about the newest advancements which lead them learn better and improve their intelligence. Finally, education leads knowledge turn into money that improves the economy of a country. Educated people knowing to learn how to invest, produce, expand the business adjusts and improves the economy causing the increase of gross domestic product per capita. Education also gives more job opportunities to people in the business sector. According to OECD, the effect of education to the economic development is proved in the researches of economic growth in 1960s. The researches show that contribution of education to the economic growths is really important and this percentage differs as %7 in England, %15 in USA, %14 in Belgium, %16 in Argentina, and %25 in Canada (OECD, 2005). Some may argue that education does not affect the economic development of a country. There are lots of uneducated but successful business men. People can learn how to run a business without an education. To illustrate, â€Å"Sak? p Sabanc? , who is the founder and chairman of the Sabanc? Holding due to the reason suffering from pneumonia three successive years, had to leave the high school and start to work in BOSSA Flour Factory in 1950 with a wage of 50 TL† (NTV Haber). Considering his life, it is obvious that one can learn how to run a business without education. Hence, it is not only education but also experience that makes one successful in business. All in all, economic, social and technologic development of a country is highly related to the education level of that country. Without education, a country can not develop. The only way of individual’s enlighten and learning to use knowledge, and increase of technology is education. Thus, education should be promoted since it is the most important factor for the development of a country. Oznur Sakar.

JumpOff Creek :: essays papers

Jump Off Creek The Jump-Off Creek introduces the reader to the unforgiving Blue Mountains and the harsh pioneer lifestyle with the tale of Lydia Sanderson, a widow who moves west from Pennsylvania to take up residence in a rundown homestead. She and other characters battle nature, finances, and even each other on occasion in a fight for survival in the harsh Oregon wilderness. Although the story is vividly expressed through the use of precise detail and 1800s slang, it failed to give me a reason to care because the characters are depicted as emotionally inhibited. Gloss attempts to draw the reader into the story with Lydia's diary entry, giving a taste of the slang used in the 1800s, boosting the reader's curiosity, and showing a little of Lydia's personality and schooling through the character's writing: "6 April Bought the black hinny Mule today, $18, also the spavint gray as my money is so short and I have hope he will put on wt, his eyes are clear w a smart look in them and his feet not tender. Believe I am now outfitted, shall start out at Day Break." (1) She then moves on to describe each of the characters, and in doing so, their surroundings and how they fit in: "He was cold and wet, and the best part of the day had been used up anyway. He wiped his hands on the grass and let the pinto horse take him toward home. There was little enough comfort there. The house crouched dumb and blind on the high bench in the rain. Jack's horse stood droop-necked and dismal inside the strand of rope fence, but there wasn't any smoke coming from the damned stove (28)." As evident in the example above, Gloss is a master of description, but she is lacking in the description of her characters' emotions, as seen here: "It had been a while since Lydia had cried over anything. She was surprised when a few dry tears squeezed around the edges of her eyes. But it was the lost babies, she thought, and could not be loneliness, that made her feel this quick, keen need of Evelyn Walker's friendship (82)." It appears that Gloss attempted to show a little of Lydia's emotions, but though her point was expressed clearly, it was said far too dispassionately for the reader to care that Lydia was crying over the lost babies and loneliness.

The Modern Tragedy: Death Of A Salesman :: essays research papers

A Modern Tragedy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A form of drama in which a person of superior intelligence and character is overcome by the very obstacles he/she is struggling to remove defines a tragedy as most people know it. However, tragedy can reflect another aspect of life: the tragedies of the common people. Heroic behavior in these instances may at times be impossible. We expect, from reading the first tragedies, that only kings or nobility can be tragic heroes. Arthur Miller himself said, â€Å"I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were†¦[The same characteristics] which were enacted by royal beings†¦apply to everyone in similar emotional situations.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Death of a Salesman can be defined as a tragedy, with Willy Loman as the tragic hero. Willy Loman has a tragic flaw characteristic of all tragic heroes, however, it is not â€Å"necessarily a weakness.† Willy has a lot of dignity, and he is unwilling â€Å"to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status.† His tragic flaw leads to his demise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A tragic hero begins with a purpose, falls on hard times, but, in the end, gains a better perception. This perfectly describes Willy. Willy’s initial purpose is to maintain his dignity by pretending in front of his family and not accepting a job that he believes would lower his position. He obviously falls on hard times: he loses his job, his sons are lazy bums, Biff is a thief, he constantly relives his mistakes, and Biff resents his dad because of something that happened years ago. All of these are evidence of the hard times he is having in his life. After a confrontation with Biff, which occurred because of Linda’s insistence, Willy gains a better perception of his life. Or, at least, he thinks he does. Willy believes that, by committing suicide, he can gain dignity in the eyes of his family. By doing this, they can live off the insurance money, and he will finally have been able to provide for them.

Research Study on Gender Bias in Education

Gender Biases in Education: Math Nicole S. Tester Bryant University Abstract This research project conducted was to find out whether women were more affected by gender based expectations than men. This was done by giving both young men and young women a simple standardized math test which most likely they had all been taught and exposed to in the past. This particular test was designed to be at or below the performance level of most college students. There was two versions of the test instructions, with one version providing information about men typically outperforming women on the test, and the other version stating the opposite.These instructions were used as a form of deception to prove my hypothesis. My hypothesis was that women would be more affected by this deception than would the men. My results proved otherwise. Results showed there was little difference in the way the women and men performed on these tests on either version. The ANOVA testing showed these clear results. Do es Performance Reflect Success? Gender biases are present in the American culture. Women are put in a stereotype as the one to stay at home cleaning and cooking while men are believed to have to bring home the paychecks. How we live though is not the only area with gender biases.There are biases when it comes to sports, who can do what jobs and even education. Women are believed to be better at the education aspects having to do with words and comprehension while men are believed to be better at numbers or math. In the research world there is much controversy on whether the bias presented is true or not. Researchers have not been able to support this belief or disregard it due to the many conflicting results. A study done with the purpose of determining whether gender expectations still exist in present time, resulted in the idea that more and more genders are becoming equal in education (Jordan 2008).It was found that both sexes are more likely than ever to complete their high scho ol education and even be able to obtain higher degree. The study also showed the gender gap in scores on the National Association of Education Progress becoming more and more narrow over time. Jordan does not refute the idea of gender bias in education but supported the idea that it is diminishing. These two researchers on the other hand, Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005), have studies supporting their beliefs that gender biases in teaching are simply a myth.Both constructed research to support the idea that neither females nor males perform differently according to gender expectation or that these gender expectations are implemented at all. Fisher more, specifically, researching in math and Johnston in math and education. Chapman (2012) and Goetz (1996) though, both have studies that seem to prove otherwise. Chapman conducted a study, in Canada, which lead to the belief that gender discrepancies in teaching and education focus more positively on females. Chapman believes males are the ones taking losses in education expectancies.Goetz on the other hand, researched and came up with results which led him to believe American educators focus their attention more on males allowing them a positive advantage. After learning so much from previous research it can be accurately inferred that the gender bias in education does exist. A psychologist, Ghandi (2006) stated in his study the truth behind the bias. He used this truth to conduct a study in which he found that women not only believe the bias but are subject to it when they are told they will fail due to their gender.This particular study is what laid down the foundation for my research study. All of the above researchers knew the biased existed and all tried to support it or disprove it. This research project has one purpose; to find out not if gender biases exist but whether women are affected by these gender based expectations more than men. In many colleges and universities women are very comfortable with the ir gender; they are powerful, and successful. There are clubs devoted to women’s sexuality, success, and even fashion senses.There are awards given to women who have gotten superior grades, been offered great jobs, or are simply a success. Knowing this, what I want to learn is whether these women who are so highly praised and allowed the same success as men are still subjects to gender based expectations, more specifically in learning and education. In my study I will be deceiving the participants into thinking that only women will be successful in this study or to another group I will be saying only men will be successful. The way this will be done is by using simple high school level math tests. Before he test I will be falsely informing half of my participants (equal number of females and males) that only men will pass this test, and then I will repeat this with the other half of my participants but falsely informing them of the opposite. The fact that I will play on women ’s vulnerability will allow me to learn whether these very empowered and successful women will still be so after being told they will fail before even trying. My hypothesis is that these women will be affected by such a statistic and depending on the false statistic they get, they will fulfill it. Methods ParticipantsForty eight undergraduate volunteers (24 males and 24 females) from Bryant University took part in this study. The average age of participants was recorded at 20. 22 years (SD=1. 13). No cultural or ethnic backgrounds were recorded. With help from different psychology professors a general description was given out within psychology classes and volunteers were recruited. To these participants in particular extra credit was allotted. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and e-mail in which they were once again given a general description of the study and asked whether they would be willing to volunteer.Each participant was tested indivi dually and required approximately 15 minutes to complete study. Materials The study consisted of participants completing a standardized math test, four survey questions, and a deceptive article which can all be found in the appendix. The math test was found in an SAT math test practice site. This math test worked as the channel for the dependent variable (result on the test). The survey questions asked were simply used for collecting information. The questions did not ask sensitive information or anything that would put any participant at risk.Finally, the short article was written by myself and is completely fictional. It falsely informed the participants on information regarding SAT tests and reported false statistics on men outperforming women for half of the studies and the opposite for the other half. This was used as the deception part of the research which inconspicuously provided the participant with the independent variable (whether females or males pass this test) Procedur es Forty eight students were recruited (24 females and 24 males) from Bryant University as the participants of my study.They were all recruited through psychology classes in which Professors gave a brief overview of what my study entailed and from there proceeded to recruit. The participants recruited in such a manner were rewarded with extra credit points in their class. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and group e-mails. With each participant recruited I have a brief explanation of what the study was comprised of, what it entailed, and more specifically what each participant would have to contribute. Once I recruited all participants which were necessary I began the research itself.At the start of their participation, each participant was handed a consent for in which they were asked to read thoroughly and if they agreed to the terms and conditions they were to sign and date. In the consent form participants were informed of their ability to leave the study at any time, their entitlement to any information and debriefing, on the confidentiality of the study and many more safety factors. To show the validity of the form I signed and dated on the same page each participant did right in front of them.Each participant agreed to the consent form allowing the study to continue. Once the consent form process was finished I would hand each participant the study packet. At this point they were told that each study was to be completed alone. The packet started off with an article which was entirely false and used to deceive each participant. On it there was made up information on the performance of genders on the SAT test throughout the past years. Each participant was informed that they would not be able to continue with the packet if they did not read these instructions.Once the instructions were read each participant could continue to the next section which consisted of the survey questions. These questions were purely used to colle ct data for analysis. Once the second part was completed each participant would continue on to the math portion of this study. The math portion of the test was a high school level standardized math test previously tested by college level participants. Each participant completed the math portion and would come to me to hand it in. when each individual would approach me I made sure to let them know the true nature of the study and informed them of the deceit.It was very important that no participant left the study with the false idea of one gender outperforming the other. I made sure each participant was thoroughly debriefed and had any questions they had answered. Results The data were analyzed using an ANOVA with the alpha level set at . 05. The main effect of gender participation was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 12, p=. 73, ? 2=. 003 and the main effect of gender test taking was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 00, p=1. 0, ? 2=. 00. However, the interaction between the gender participati on and gender test was marginally significant, ? (1,44)=2. 97, p=. 9, ? 2=. 06. Figure 1 shows a cross-over interaction in which the two variables almost perfectly interact. My hypothesis stated that women’s scores would be more affected by the test gender and the deception then would the men’s. The results of the tests did not vary according to the gender of the participant or gender of the test. My hypothesis was not supported by the above data. There was, however, a notable factor in the results and the fact that they were similar in score for both genders. Discussion No significant main effect for test gender or participant gender occurred in this study.When taking a math test right after reading a deceitful article about the tendency of males or females to outperform the opposite sex, neither gender’s score seemed to be affected. This particular result is not what I predicted in my original hypothesis. Straying away from my belief that women would underperf orm the men once they were deceived into believing they would be outperformed, the results disproved my hypothesis. This outcome is consistent with the research of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) in finding there is no significant gab in the performance of females and males in the subject of math.The results are not consistent though with those findings by Ghandi (2006) a researcher whose findings state that women do poorly on math when they are told their gender is to blame. Some factors which may have led to the inconsistency between my hypothesis and my results can be attributed to the limitation when conducting this research. Being part of such a small university, my research was very limited in the sample size it could use. Three thousand undergraduate students was a small population to choose just forty eight participants from.This also lead to what I believe was a biased sample since each and every participant was also my friend. The fact that the participants had a relatio nship with me could have caused an over performance level which would not usually happen. Some internal validity which should be looked at was the fact that many variables were simply not recorded. These factors include the race and ethnicity of the participant, whether English was their native language, if they understood the deceiving article in the start, and whether they understood every question asked in the math portion.Another internal validity factor is the way in which data was recorded. If this study were to be repeated, observation should definitely be an alternative way of recording data. There was so much happening as I observed each and every participant complete my study. Participants would get frustrated or smile the whole way through. Sometimes they would try to help each other out when I looked the other way or simply just guessed the answers since they did not want to be taking a math test.Using a standardized that does not give anything in return to these partici pants, should not have been my only source of data since it was not the best way to find results. Regardless of the limitations, new studies and research in the field of gender differences in education have resulted with outcomes very similar to mine. Although my hypothesis was not supported, the consistency it has with the studies of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) only come to show that this study will be supporting much research in the psychology world.My results will be one more way to support the idea that there is little or no difference in gender performance in math. In addition to replicating my results, future research might extend the finding by examining other subjects in the world of education. Expanding the testing to be possibly in language, critical thinking, sciences and also math may give a better understanding on whether there is a discrepancy in women’s performance when they are told they are going to fail. Future research might also want to expand their sample by moving to younger generations in school, possibly in igh school, and older generations in and out of school. By doing so the outcome may result more accurately and allow a better understanding of the prediction. In conclusion, gender performance on standardized math tests do not have a direct link to the subject or the belief that one gender will outperform the other. After testing 48 participants (24 female and 24 male), giving each the same exact standardized math test but deceiving each to think they would outperform or underperform the opposite sex, no gender seemed to truly outperform. Each gender resulted close to equal.The results did not support my hypothesis but it led the way to a new hypothesis and a completely new approach to this study. References Goetz, J. (1996). In Education Expert: Classroom Gender Bias Persists. Cornell Cronicle. Retrieved from http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/96/4. 25. 96/gender. html. Jordan, J (2008) The Myth of Gender Bias in School. Retrieved March 8, 2012. From http://www. parentdish. com/2008/05/20/the-myth-of-gender-bias-in-school/ Fisher, M (2008) Study: No gender differences in math performance. University of Wisconsin-Madison News. Retrieved from http://www. news. wisc. edu/15412Johnston, T (2005) No evidence of innate gender differences in math and science, scholars assert. Stanford University News. Retrieved from http://news. stanford. edu/news/2005/february9/math-020905. html Gandhi, U. (2006) Gender bias in math skills doesn’t add up, scientists say. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www. theglobeandmail. com/news/technology/science/article197902. ece Chapman, A. (2012) Gender bias in education. Research Room. Retrieved from http://www. edchange. org/multicultural/papers/genderbias. html Table 1 Cross over interaction [pic] Appendix Survey questions Male/ Female (circle one)Date of Birth __________ Anticipated graduation year __________ Have you ever taken a standardized test (e xample: SAT) Math questions (standardized test) http://www. majortests. com/sat/problem-solving-test01 1. Of the following, which is greater than ? ? [pic]A. 2/5 [pic]B. 4/7 [pic]C. 4/9 [pic]D. 5/11 [pic]E. 6/13 2. If an object travels at five feet per second, how many feet does it travel in one hour? [pic]A. 30 [pic]B. 300 [pic]C. 720 [pic]D. 1800 [pic]E. 18000 3. What is the average (arithmetic mean) of all the multiples of ten from 10 to 190 inclusive? [pic]A. 90 [pic]B. 95 [pic]C. 100 [pic]D. 105 pic]E. 110 4. A cubical block of metal weighs 6 pounds. How much will another cube of the same metal weigh if its sides are twice as long? [pic]A. 48 [pic]B. 32 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 18 [pic]E. 12 5. In a class of 78 students 41 are taking French, 22 are taking German and 9 students are taking both French and German. How many students are not enrolled in either course? [pic]A. 6 [pic]B. 15 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 33 [pic]E. 54 6. If f(x) = Â ¦(x? – 50)Â ¦, what is the value of f(-5) ? [pic]A. 75 [pic]B. 25 [pic]C. 0 [pic]D. -25 [pic]E. -75 7. ( v2 – v3 )? = [pic]A. 5 – 2v6 [pic]B. 5 – v6 [pic]C. 1 – 2v6 [pic]D. 1 – v2 pic]E. 1 8. 230 + 230 + 230 + 230 = [pic]A. 8120 [pic]B. 830 [pic]C. 232 [pic]D. 230 [pic]E. 226 [pic] 9. Amy has to visit towns B and C in any order. The roads connecting these towns with her home are shown on the diagram. How many different routes can she take starting from A and returning to A, going through both B and C (but not more than once through each) and not travelling any road twice on the same trip? [pic]A. 10 [pic]B. 8 [pic]C. 6 [pic]D. 4 [pic]E. 2 [pic] 10. In the figure above AD = 4, AB = 3 and CD = 9. What is the area of triangle AEC ? [pic]A. 18 [pic]B. 13. 5 [pic]C. 9 [pic]D. 4. 5 [pic]E. 3

The Biography of Irene Parlby

The Biography of Irene Parlby Born in England to a well-off family, Irene Parlby never planned to be a politician. She immigrated to Alberta and with her husband became a homesteader. Her efforts to help improve the lives of rural Alberta women and children led her into the United Farm Women of Alberta, where she became president. From there she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and became the first woman cabinet minister in Alberta. Irene Parlby was also one of the Famous Five Alberta women who fought and won the political and legal battle in the Persons Case to have women recognized as persons under the BNA Act. Birth: January 9, 1868, in London, EnglandDeath: July 12, 1965, in Red Deer, AlbertaProfessions: Womens rights activist, Alberta MLA, and cabinet ministerPolitical Affiliation: United Farmers of AlbertaRiding (Electoral District): Lacombe Causes of Irene Parlby For most of her career, Irene Parlby worked to improve the rights and welfare of rural women and children, including improving their health and education. The Career of Irene Parlby Irene Parlby was president of the United Farm Women of Alberta from 1916 to 1919.She was a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta and helped form policies for the faculty of extension, which provided educational materials for rural communities.Irene Parlby was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1921.In 1921 Irene Parlby was appointed Minister without portfolio, the first woman to become a cabinet minister in Alberta. She was the second woman to become a provincial cabinet minister in Canada.As a cabinet minister, Irene Parlby established traveling medical clinics and was a proponent of distance education.Irene Parlby introduced the Minimum Wage for Women Act in 1925.Irene Parlby was one of the Famous Five in the Persons Case which established the status of women as persons under the BNA Act in 1929.She was Canadian delegate to the League of Nations in 1930.Irene Parlby retired from the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 1935.In 1935 Irene P arlby became the first woman to be awarded an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Alberta.

7 Other Types of Pronouns

7 Other Types of Pronouns 7 Other Types of Pronouns 7 Other Types of Pronouns By Mark Nichol Think of a pronoun. Chances are, you will come up with a personal pronoun, such as he, she, it, them, they, us, and the like. But note that I modified pronoun with the adjective personal, which implies that there are other types of pronouns. As a matter of fact, eight classes of pronouns exist. Here’s an outline: 1. Demonstrative Pronouns This class of pronouns direct the reader’s attention to an implied noun: â€Å"I’m not going to eat this.† â€Å"That was quite an experience!† â€Å"What are these?† â€Å"I’ve never seen those before.† â€Å"Such is my understanding of the situation.† These sentences closely resemble the type in which the same words appear as adjectives for example, â€Å"I’m not going to eat this food† but in such case, they have a different identity: When they modify nouns, these words are called determiners. 2. Indefinite Pronouns Not to be confused with indefinite relative pronouns, described below, these are pronouns that act as nouns: â€Å"All were present at the meeting.† â€Å"Each was guilty in his or her own way.† â€Å"One has to keep up appearances.† â€Å"Good fortune comes to some.† â€Å"None of them showed up.† â€Å"Is anybody interested?† â€Å"Somebody is going to pay for this.† â€Å"Have you sent invitations to everybody?† There are many more indefinite pronouns than these: any, fewer, several, most, and other related words; these also function as determiners (adjectives): â€Å"I recognized several people at the party.† 3. Intensive Pronouns Intensive pronouns are simply personal pronouns with -self or -selves attached, such as in the following sentences: â€Å"I myself don’t have an opinion.† â€Å"She would have said so herself, but he beat her to it.† Intensive pronouns, like the otherwise identical-looking reflexive pronouns (below), are not essential to the sentence; omit the highlighted word in each of these examples, and the sentences still make sense without the intensive pronoun. 4. Interrogative Pronouns These pronouns introduce interrogative sentences: â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"What is the meaning of life?† â€Å"Which way should I go?† Like some other types of pronouns, these can serve as determiners (sometimes called, in this role, interrogative adjectives). Sentences in which interrogative pronouns appear don’t always end with question marks: â€Å"I know who you are.† â€Å"She told you what the meaning of life is.† â€Å"They know which way to go.† 5. Reciprocal Pronouns These pronouns combine ideas, hence the name: â€Å"Have you met each other before?† â€Å"We shared our thoughts with one another.† The distinction in use is whether you refer to two people (â€Å"each other†) or to more than two (â€Å"one another†). 6. Reflexive Pronouns These pronouns have the same form as intensive pronouns but differ in that they refer reflexively to the antecedent (a corresponding noun the pronoun refers to): â€Å"I bought myself a new car.† (Myself is reflexive of I.) â€Å"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? (Yourself is reflexive of you.) They are also essential to the sentence; if you omitted the highlighted word in each of these examples, the sentences would be incomplete. The erroneous use of reflexive pronouns in sentences such as â€Å"Jane and myself were there when it happened† (instead of â€Å"Jane and I were there when it happened†) is called an untriggered reflexive, because there was no antecedent to trigger the pronoun. (â€Å"Jane and I† itself is the subject. This subject is the antecedent of we in â€Å"Jane and I were there when it happened, but we didn’t see anything,† but there’s no need for a reflexive pronoun in that sentence.) 7. Relative Pronouns These are the type of pronouns that, as the name implies, relate words to other pronouns or to nouns: â€Å"Who were you talking to?† â€Å"I’ll find out which one is correct.† â€Å"The vase that was on the table is missing.† A subgroup of relative pronouns, the indefinite relative pronouns, lack an antecedent: â€Å"What were you saying?† â€Å"Whoever said that is asking for trouble.† â€Å"I’ll do whatever I please.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?50 Idioms About Roads and Paths40 Irregular Verbs That Can End in â€Å"-t†