subject verb agreement

Subject Verb Agreement

What Is Subject-Verb Agreement?

Subject-verb agreement just means using the right version of the verb to agree with the subject. For example:

If you use the term "verb conjugation," your mates will probably think you're bit of brainbox, but it just means "how verbs change to agree with their subjects."

It's really simple. If you're a native English speaker, you'll naturally ensure your verbs agree with their subjects (i.e., conjugate correctly). Here's an example:

Subject	Conjugation of the Verb To Be
I	am
You	are
He / She / It	is
We	are
You	are
They	are

That was the verb to be. Most other verbs are even easier:

Subject	Conjugation of the Verb To Play
I	play
You	play
He / She / It	plays
We	play
You	play
They	play

It is a simple concept, but, sometimes, it's difficult to know whether your subject is singular or plural. In other words, should you be using a singular verb (like is and plays) or should you be using a plural one (like are and play)? Below is a summary of the areas which cause the most problems:

Someone and Anyone Take Singular Verbs

The indefinite pronouns anyone, each, everyone, no one, nobody, and someone are singular. For example:

• No one knows what he can do till he tries. (Publilius Syrus, circa 100 BC)
• I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some. (Herbert Rappaport)
• The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive. (Robert Heinlein, 1907-1988)
• Nobody is ever met at the airport when beginning a new adventure. (Elizabeth Warnock Fernea)

That all seems pretty straightforward. However, if you have to use a possessive adjective (e.g., his, her) in the same sentence, problems start to arise. Look at this example:

• If anyone goes to a psychiatrist, he ought to have his head examined.

What if the person isn't male? The English language doesn't handle this very well. This is covered more in the Beware section on the right.

All and Some Can Take a Singular or a Plural Verb

 The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, and some are singular when they refer to something singular  but plural when they refer to something plural. For example:

• All of the bread has been stolen.
• All of the biscuits have been stolen.
• My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare. (Mike Myers)
• Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts. (Jim Morrison, 1943-1971)

Number Of Takes a Plural Verb...Most of the Time

If it helps, you can think of number as following the same rules as all and some (see above). Therefore, the term a number of will nearly always be plural because the object of the preposition of (i.e., the word that follows it) will be plural. For example:

• A number of men were strongly opposed to the changes.
• Lee, a number of cakes have been stolen from the buffet.

Beware though because number can be a singular noun referring to an arithmetical value.

• The number of women was sixty-four.
• The number of women were sixty-four.

Terms Like Half Of, the Majority Of, and a Percentage Of Can Be Singular or Plural

Expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a proportion of, and a majority of are singular when they refer to something singular but plural when they refer to something plural. For example:

• Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half the time. (E. B. White, 1899-1985)
• Half of the world knows not how the other half lives. (George Herbert, 1593-1633)
• Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. (Henry Kissinger)
• My guess is that well over 80 percent of the human race goes without having a single original thought. (H. L. Mencken, 1880-1956)

None Can Take a Singular or Plural Verb

The indefinite pronoun none can be singular or plural. However, be aware that treating none as plural might irk some of your readers as many people believe none can only be singular. For example:

• None of the team is ready.
• None of the team are ready.

Here's a tip: If your none translates best as not one of, then treat it as singular. If it translates best as not any of, then treat it as plural. If this doesn't work for your example, then try to treat it as singular. If, however, that just sounds wrong, be brave and go for plural.

Also, keep an eye out for the his/her/their issue. Look at this example:

• None of the team has polished their boots.

Try to avoid mixing singular verbs and plural possessive pronouns. As covered in the Beware section on the right, the English language doesn't cope with this very well, but as you often have the choice whether to treat none as singular or plural, you can avoid this failing. For example, write this instead:

• None of the team have polished their boots.

The Words after As Well As Are Not Part of the Subject

The words which follow terms like as well as, along with, and together with are not part of the subject. They do not compound the subject like and does. For example:

• The king along with his sons is visiting tomorrow.
• The king and his sons are visiting tomorrow.

Either and Neither Are Singular

The pronouns either and neither take singular verbs. This often causes confusion because they naturally refer to two things. For example:

• I'm not keen on beef or lamb, but either is preferable to tofu.
• Neither of the sisters is eligible to attend.

Or Does Not Conjoin

Unlike and, the conjunctions or and nor do not conjoin. For example:

• The king or his daughter is visiting tomorrow.
• The king and his daughter are visiting tomorrow.
• Neither the king nor his daughter are visiting tomorrow.
(should be is)
• It's very tasty as it is. Neither salt nor pepper is required.

The pairings either/or and neither/nor demand a singular verb when both elements (shown in blue below) are singular, but a plural verb when one of them is plural. For example:

• Either the king or the queen is coming to present the awards.
(The elements (shown in blue) are both singular. Therefore, the verb is singular.)
• Neither cakes nor chocolate are going to give you the nutrients you need.
(Here, one of the elements (cakes) is plural. Therefore, the verb is plural.)

Let's call that the "Mathematical Rule."

You should also be aware that there is a well-followed rule called the Proximity Rule, which offers different guidance. Under the Proximity Rule, the verb is determined by the nearest element to the verb. For example:

• Neither cakes nor chocolate is going to give you the nutrients you need.
(Here, the nearest element (chocolate) is singular. Therefore, the verb is singular. Under the "Mathematical Rule," this would be wrong as cakes is plural.)

You can follow the "Mathematical Rule" or the Proximity Rule. You should adopt whatever convention those around you do. If you can't find such guidance, then pick one of the conventions and be consistent.

Here's a good tip: often, you can edit your words so you adhere to both rules. For example:

• Neither chocolate nor cakes are going to give you the nutrients you need. ("Mathematical Rule") (Proximity Rule)

Beware Modifiers Getting between the Subject and the Verb

Sometimes modifiers (shown in blue) will get between a subject and its verb, but you must not let these words interfere with the subject-verb agreement.

• A crate of sardines is more expensive than I thought.
• Simon, who is the oldest of the four brothers and who, just as he did before last year's contest, has been suffering back spasms, is expected to take the first leg.
• A container of nuts and bolts were found in the cellar.
(Container is singular. It should be was. 

Collective Nouns Can be Singular or Plural

A collective noun is a word that represents a group (e.g., board, team, jury). A collective noun can be singular or plural depending on the sense of the sentence. Look at these two examples.

• The jury is late returning to the courtroom.
(singular – considered as one unit)
• The jury are all wearing different coloured shirts.
(plural – considered as individuals)

Often, it's difficult to make a decision on whether to opt for singular or plural. A good trick is to precede your collective noun with words like members of…, forcing you to go plural. For example:

• The members of the jury are late returning to the courtroom.

The Term More Than One Is Singular!

The expression more than one takes a singular verb. For example:

• More than one person was involved in this robbery.
• More than one swallow does a summer make, doesn't it?
• All I can say is that more than one of you have promised to return after the break.

The Positive Element Governs the Verb

When a subject is made up of a positive element and a negative element, the positive one governs the verb. For example:

• The CEO not the board members makes the final decision.
(Positive element: CEO / Negative element: board members)
• The kitchen has confirmed that the fish not the prawns was responsible for the vomiting outbreak.
(Positive element: fish / Negative element: prawns)

BE CAREFUL WITH EACH

The word each is often used in a prepositional phrase (e.g., each of the cars, each of the boxes). If this preposition phrase is the subject, don't be fooled by the plural words (cars and boxes). The word each is the subject, and the verb must be singular. For example:

• Each of the guide dogs is assigned a trainer.

HIS, HER, OR THEIR? (ENGLISH DOESN'T HANDLE THIS VERY WELL)

Look at this sentence:

• Anyone who forgets his passport will be sent home.

What if the people being addressed aren't all male? You'd have to say this:

• Anyone who forgets his or her passport will be sent home.

But, that's really clumsy. So, lots of people opt for this:

• Anyone who forgets their passport will be sent home.

Now, that sounds okay, but it's actually a grammar mistake. We know that anyone is singular. Therefore, we can't use their, which is one of the possessive adjectives used for plurals.

So, what’s the answer? English doesn't handle this very well, and there is no set answer. You have to make a decision. Here are the options:

• Use his and hope your readers understand it means his and her.
(This is common in formal writing. Sometimes, documents state at the start that his means his or her.)
• Use his and her and take the failing of English on the chin.
(This is safe, but it's messy.)
• Use their and blame the English language if anyone picks you up for it.
(This is becoming increasingly acceptable. It's already acceptable in informal writing. Before long, this will be allowable in formal writing too.)

THERE'S NO SUCH WORD AS HIR…YET

The online blogging community has, with tongue in cheek, introduced the gender-neuter possessive adjective hir. This appears a lot in online forums. We're not advocates for hir, but our language is missing that part of speech.

THE FINAL WORD

Our advice? Go for their in informal texts and his in formal texts. Better still, reword your sentence to avoid the issue. For example

• Anyone who forgets their passport will be sent home.
• If you forget your passport, you will be sent home.

EXERCISES 

1. Psychology __________ a fun course.

a. is*

b. am

c. are

a.were

2. All of the students who took Dave's ESL Class __________ passed.

a.has

b.have*

c.was

d.were

3. The area __________ dangerous.

a.has

b.have

c.was*

d.were

4. There __________ my wife!

a.go

b.goes*

c.gone

d.going

5. Here __________ some new students.

a.are*

b.is

c.was

d.were

6. There __________ a lovely person over there.

a.are

b.is*

c.am

d.was

7. __________ you in love?

a.are*

b.is

c.were

d.was

8. Dave always __________ nice shoes.

a.wear

b.wears*

c.wearing

d.wore

9. There __________ one child in Dave's family.

a.is*

b.am

c.are

d.were

10. Benjamin __________ funny

a.is*

b.am

c.are

d.were      sources :

http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/subject_verb_agreement.htm

http://www.eslcafe.com/quiz/sva1.html

verb_as_compliment

Verbs as Complements

How to use Verbs as Complements

1) This construction is used with the verbs listed below:

VERB+

GERUND (VERB-ING)

admit	delay	miss	regret	risk
appreciate	deny	postpone	report	suggest
avoid	enjoy	practice	resent
can’t help	finish	quit	resist
consider	mind	recall	resume

The sentence construction would be as follows:

SUBJECT+

VERB+

GERUND+

COMPLEMENT+

MODIFIER

Examples:
I enjoy studying English at the CBA.
He considered traveling to Europe for the summer, but he doesn’t have enough funds.

2) This construction is used with the verbs listed below:

VERB+

INFINITIVE (TO VERB)

agree	expect	intend	prepare	try
attempt	fail	learn	pretend	want
claim	forget	mean	propose	wish
decide	have	need	refuse
demand	hesitate	offer	seem
desire	hope	plan	tend

Examples:
I decided to refuse the invitation.
He pretended to be someone else.
She forgot to bring her keys.

 3) With the following Verbs the Sentence doesn’t change meaning if you use the gerund (ing) or the infinitive

begin	continue
like	prefer
can’t stand	start
love	hate

VERB+

GERUND (VERB-ING)

  or

VERB+

INFINITIVE (TO VERB)

 4) With the following Verbs the Sentence has Different Meaning

 Stop
Remember
Forget

VERB+

GERUND (VERB-ING) – Means forever

Example:
She stopped studying Engineering when she got pregnant.  
Meaning she won’t study Engineering any more.  She stopped studying forever.
or

VERB+

INFINITIVE (TO VERB)

 Example:
She stopped to study English when I called her. 
Meaning that she will continue to study after her break.

5) Use of prepositions with the -Ing Form

VERB+

PREPOSITION+

VERB-ING

List of Prepositions that use this construction:

as a result of	from	in view of	thanks to
at	in	of	through
because of	in exchange for	on account of	with
by means of	in return for	on the strength of	without
by virtue of	in spite of	out of
for fear of	in the face of	owing to
for lack of	in the light of
for want of

 EXCEPTION:  But, except.
Example:
He hid the wallet, for fear of being stolen.

She was really famous, as a result of acting as Mary in the Jesus Christ film.
Courage in the Face of Eviction Nightmare

6) Use of Adjectives with the infinitive form

ADJECTIVES +

INFINITIVE

Construction:

VERB+

ADJECTIVE+

TO VERB

List of adjectives that use this construction: 

able	dangerous	good	ready
anxious	difficult	hard	strange
boring	eager	pleased	usual
common	easy	prepared

 Examples:
I’m pleased to meet you
It’s difficult to understand some people.
I’m prepared to take this test.
Rafael is eager to meet you.

7) Use a Pronoun before the Infinitive form 

Certain verbs require the following construction:

SUBJECT+

VERB+

PRONOUN+

TO VERB

Allow    Ask Beg

Convince  Expect Instruct

Invite   Order Permit

PersuadePrepare Promise

RemindUrge Want

The pronouns to be used are object pronouns: ME, YOU, HIM, HER, IT, US, YOU, THEM.
 Example:
He orders her to study for the test.
My mother promised me to take me to the mall.
Rahima convinced him to purchase an expensive purse.

8) Use the -ing (gerung) form of a verb after the possessive form.

SUBJECT+

VERB+

POSSESSIVE FORM+

VERB-ING

Possessive form: MINE, YOURS, HIS, HERS, ITS, YOURS, OURS, THEM, MY, YOU , HIS HER, ITS, YOURS,  THEIR.
Example:
I understand her feeling.

9) Use of the verb need with different nouns (living and things) 

With living things use need and the infinitive form of the verb.

LIVING THING+

NEED+

INFINITIVE

George needs to work out more often.

THING+

NEED+

GERUND (ING)TO BE+ PAST PARTICIPLE

The blender needs to be repaired.
The blanket needs to be cleaned.

10) Use of subjunctives

SUBJECT+

VERB+

THAT+

SUBJECT+

VERB WORD +

….+

Joe prefers that she speak with him personally.

VERBS WITH THAT:

AdviceAsk Command Decree

DemandDesire Insist

MoveOrder Prefer

RecommendRequest Require

StipulateSuggest Urge

NOUNS WITH THAT:
Recommendation
Requirement
Suggestion

ADJECTIVES WITH THAT

IT+

BE+

ADJECTIVE+

THAT+

SUBJECT+

VERB WORD

AdvisedImperative Important

MandatoryNecessary Obligatory

ProposedRecommended Require

SuggestedUrgent

 EXERCISES

Choose the correct form of the verb in parentheses in the following sentences:

1. The teacher decided (accepting/to accept) the paper.
2. They appreciate (to have/having)this information.
3. His father doesn’t approve of his (going/to go)to Europe.
4. We found it very difficult (reaching/to reach) a decision.
5. Donna is interested in (to open/opening) a bar.
6. George has no intention of (to leave/leaving) the city now.
7. We are eager (to return/returning) to school in the fall.
8. You would be better off  (to buy/buying) this car.
9. She refused (to accept/accepting) the gift.
10. Mary regrets (to be/being) the one to have to tell him.

Answers :

1. to accept
2. having
3. going
4. to reach
5. opening
6. leaving
7. to return
8. buying
9. to accept
10. being

sources :
http://www.english4dummies.com/verbs-as-complements/
https://yaticancerina.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/exercises-verbs-as-complements/

PRONOUNS

Pronouns

Definition

Generally (but not always) pronouns stand for (pro + noun) or refer to a noun, an individual or individuals or thing or things (the pronoun's antecedent) whose identity is made clear earlier in the text. For instance, we are bewildered by writers who claim something like

• They say that eating beef is bad for you.

They is a pronoun referring to someone, but who are they? Cows? whom do they represent? Sloppy use of pronouns is unfair.

Not all pronouns will refer to an antecedent, however.

• Everyone here earns over a thousand dollars a day.

The word "everyone" has no antecedent.

The problem of agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent and between a pronoun and its verb is treated in another section on Pronoun-Antecedent Consistency. The quizzes on pronoun usage are also listed at the end of that section.

This section will list and briefly describe the several kinds of pronouns.

Personal Pronouns

Unlike English nouns, which usually do not change form except for the addition of an -s ending to create the plural or the apostrophe + s to create the possessive, personal pronouns (which stand for persons or things) change form according to their various uses within a sentence. Thus I is used as the subject of a sentence (I am happy.), me is used as an object in various ways (He hit me. He gave me a book. Do this for me.), and my is used as the possessive form (That's my car.) The same is true of the other personal pronouns: the singular you and he/she/it and the plural we, you, and they. These forms are called cases. An easily printable chart is available that shows the various Cases of the Personal Pronouns.

Personal pronouns can also be characterized or distinguished by person. First person refers to the speaker(s) or writer(s) ("I" for singular, "we" for plural). Second person refers to the person or people being spoken or written to ("you" for both singular and plural). Third person refers to the person or people being spoken or written about ("he," "she," and "it" for singular, "they" for plural). The person of a pronoun is also demonstrated in the chart Cases of the Personal Pronouns. As you will see there, each person can change form, reflecting its use within a sentence. Thus, "I" becomes "me" when used as an object ("She left me") and "my" when used in its possessive role (That's my car"); "they" becomes "them" in object form ("I like them") and "their" in possessive ("That's just their way").

When a personal pronoun is connected by a conjunction to another noun or pronoun, its case does not change. We would write "I am taking a course in Asian history"; if Talitha is also taking that course, we would write "Talitha and I are taking a course in Asian history." (Notice that Talitha gets listed before "I" does. This is one of the few ways in which English is a "polite" language.) The same is true when the object form is called for: "Professor Vendetti gave all her books to me"; if Talitha also received some books, we'd write "Professor Vendetti gave all her books to Talitha and me." For more on this, see cases of pronouns.

When a pronoun and a noun are combined (which will happen with the plural first- and second-person pronouns), choose the case of the pronoun that would be appropriate if the noun were not there.

• We students are demanding that the administration give us two hours for lunch.
• The administration has managed to put us students in a bad situation.

With the second person, we don't really have a problem because the subject form is the same as the object form, "you":

• "You students are demanding too much."
• "We expect you students to behave like adults."

Among the possessive pronoun forms, there is also what is called the nominative possessive: mine, yours, ours, theirs.

• Look at those cars. Theirs is really ugly; ours is beautiful.
• This new car is mine.
• Mine is newer than yours.

Demonstrative Pronouns

The family of demonstratives (this/that/these/those/such) can behave either as pronouns or as determiners.

As pronouns, they identify or point to nouns.

• That is incredible! (referring to something you just saw)
• I will never forget this. (referring to a recent experience)
• Such is my belief. (referring to an explanation just made)

As determiners, the demonstratives adjectivally modify a noun that follows. A sense of relative distance (in time and space) can be conveyed through the choice of these pronouns/determiners:

• These [pancakes sitting here now on my plate] are delicious.
• Those [pancakes that I had yesterday morning] were even better.
• This [book in my hand] is well written;
• that [book that I'm pointing to, over there, on the table] is trash.

A sense of emotional distance or even disdain can be conveyed with the demonstrative pronouns:

• You're going to wear these?
• This is the best you can do?

Pronouns used in this way would receive special stress in a spoken sentence.

When used as subjects, the demonstratives, in either singular or plural form, can be used to refer to objects as well as persons.

• This is my father.
• That is my book.

In other roles, however, the reference of demonstratives is non-personal. In other words, when referring to students, say, we could write "Those were loitering near the entrance during the fire drill" (as long as it is perfectly clear in context what "those" refers to). But we would not write "The principal suspended those for two days"; instead, we would have to use "those" as a determiner and write "The principal suspended those students for two days."

Relative Pronouns

The relative pronouns (who/whoever/which/that) relate groups of words to nouns or other pronouns (The student who studies hardest usually does the best.). The word who connects or relates the subject, student, to the verb within the dependent clause (studies). Choosing correctly between which and that and between who and whom leads to what are probably the most Frequently Asked Questions about English grammar. Generally, we use "which" to introduce clauses that are parenthetical in nature (i.e., that can be removed from the sentence without changing the essential meaning of the sentence). For that reason, a "which clause" is often set off with a comma or a pair of commas. "That clauses," on the other hand, are usually deemed indispensable for the meaning of a sentence and are not set off with commas. The pronoun which refers to things; who (and its forms) refers to people; that usually refers to things, but it can also refer to people in a general kind of way. For help with who/whom refer to the section on Consistency. We also recommend that you take the quizzes on the use of who and whom at the end of that section.

The expanded form of the relative pronouns — whoever, whomever, whatever — are known as indefinite relative pronouns. A couple of sample sentences should suffice to demonstrate why they are called "indefinite":

• The coach will select whomever he pleases.
• He seemed to say whatever came to mind.
• Whoever crosses this line first will win the race.

What is often an indefinite relative pronoun:

• She will tell you what you need to know.

Indefinite Pronouns

The indefinite pronouns (everybody/anybody/somebody/all/each/every/some/none/one) do not substitute for specific nouns but function themselves as nouns (Everyone is wondering if any is left.)

One of the chief difficulties we have with the indefinite pronouns lies in the fact that "everybody" feels as though it refers to more than one person, but it takes a singular verb. (Everybody is accounted for.) If you think of this word as meaning "every single body," the confusion usually disappears. The indefinite pronoun none can be either singular or plural, depending on its context. None is nearly always plural (meaning "not any") except when something else in the sentence makes us regard it as a singular (meaning "not one"), as in "None of the food is fresh." Some can be singular or plural depending on whether it refers to something countable or noncountable. Refer to the section on Pronoun Consistency for help on determining the number of the indefinite pronouns (and the number [singular/plural] of the verbs that accompany them). There is a separate section on the uses of the pronoun one.

There are other indefinite pronouns, words that double as Determiners:

enough, few, fewer, less, little, many, much, several, more, most, all, both, every, each, any, either, neither, none, some

• Few will be chosen; fewer will finish.
• Little is expected.

See the section on Pronoun Consistency for help in determining the number (singular/plural) characteristics of these pronouns.

Intensive Pronouns

The intensive pronouns (such as myself, yourself, herself, ourselves, themselves) consist of a personal pronoun plus self or selves and emphasize a noun. (I myself don't know the answer.) It is possible (but rather unusual) for an intensive pronoun to precede the noun it refers to. (Myself, I don't believe a word he says.)

Reflexive Pronouns

The reflexive pronouns (which have the same forms as the intensive pronouns) indicate that the sentence subject also receives the action of the verb. (Students who cheat on this quiz are only hurting themselves. You paid yourself a million dollars? She encouraged herself to do well.) What this means is that whenever there is a reflexive pronoun in a sentence there must be a person to whom that pronoun can "reflect." In other words, the sentence "Please hand that book to myself" would be incorrect because there is no "I" in that sentence for the "myself" to reflect to (and we would use "me" instead of "myself"). A sentence such as "I gave that book to myself for Christmas" might be silly, but it would be correct.

When pronouns are combined, the reflexive will take either the first person

• Juanita, Carlos, and I have deceived ourselves into believing in my uncle.

or, when there is no first person, the second person:

• You and Carlos have deceived yourselves.

The indefinite pronoun (see above) one has its own reflexive form ("One must have faith in oneself."), but the other indefinite pronouns use either himself or themselves as reflexives. (There is an entire page on the pronoun one.) It is probably better to pluralize and avoid the clumsy himself or herself construction.

• No one here can blame himself or herself.
• The people here cannot blame themselves.

Interrogative Pronouns

The interrogative pronouns (who/which/what) introduce questions. (What is that? Who will help me? Which do you prefer?) Which is generally used with more specific reference than what. If we're taking a quiz and I ask "Which questions give you the most trouble?", I am referring to specific questions on that quiz. If I ask "What questions give you most trouble"? I could be asking what kind of questions on that quiz (or what kind of question, generically, in general) gives you trouble. The interrogative pronouns also act as Determiners: It doesn't matter which beer you buy. He doesn't know whose car he hit. In this determiner role, they are sometimes called interrogative adjectives.

Like the relative pronouns, the interrogative pronouns introduce noun clauses, and like the relative pronouns, the interrogative pronouns play a subject role in the clauses they introduce:

• We know who is guilty of this crime.
• I already told the detective what I know about it.

Reciprocal Pronouns

The reciprocal pronouns are each other and one another. They are convenient forms for combining ideas. If Bob gave Alicia a book for Christmas and Alicia gave Bob a book for Christmas, we can say that they gave each other books (or that they gave books to each other).

• My mother and I give each other a hard time.

If more than two people are involved (let's say a whole book club), we would say that they gave one another books. This rule (if it is one) should be applied circumspectly. It's quite possible for the exchange of books within this book club, for example, to be between individuals, making "each other" just as appropriate as "one another."

Reciprocal pronouns can also take possessive forms:

• They borrowed each other's ideas.
• The scientists in this lab often use one another's equipment.  

 EXERCISES

1.                    IS RUNNING (KEVIN)

ANSWER : HE

2.                     IS GREEN ( THE BLACKBOARD)

ANSWER : IT

3.                     ARE WATCHING TV

ANSWER : WE

4. MY GRANDPARENTS LIVE IN CALIFORNIA.                     OFTEN COME AND GIVE A GIFT FOR US(GRANDPARENTS)

ANSWER : THEY

5. ROBERT MADE THIS T-SHIRT                     

ANSWER : HIMSELF

6. EMMA, DID YOU YAKE THE PHOTO BY                     

ANSWER : HERSELF

7. TIM AND GARY, IF YOU WANT MORE MILK, HELP                       

ANSWER : YOURSELVES

8. WE OFTEN VISIT OUR AUNT IN NORWICH                 IS IN EAST ANGLIA 

ANSWER : WHICH

9. THE CAR,                     DRIVER IS A YOUNG MAN, IS FROM IRELAND

ANSWER : WHOSE

10. MR. RICHARDS,                    IS A TAXI DRIVER, LIVES ON THE CORNER

ANSWER : WHO

sources :

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns1.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/pronomen.htm