GUIDE ENGLISH GRAMMAR BOOK

22 PRONOUNS PAGE 23
This use of you is rather informal. One is more formal. It is less common than the
equivalent pronoun in some other languages, and it cannot refer to groups which
do not include the speaker.
NOT One is going to knock this building down. • (4)
NOTE
In Britain one is typical of upper-class speech, especially one instead of I.
I hope/One hopes things will improve.
b
One can be the object.
Ice-cream is full of calories. It makes one hotter, not cooler.
It also has a possessive form one's and a reflexive/emphatic form oneself.
One should look after one's health.
One should look after oneself.
NOTE For American usage, • 304(6).
3 We
We can also mean 'people in general', 'all of us', especially when we talk about
shared knowledge and behaviour.
We know that nuclear power has its dangers.
We use language to communicate.
4 They
We can use they to mean 'other people in general' and especially the relevant
authorities.
They're going to knock this building down.
They ought to ban those car phones.
They always show old films on television on holiday weekends.
We can also use they to talk about general beliefs.
They say/People say you can get good bargains in the market.
They say/Experts say the earth is getting warmer.
186 Reflexive pronouns, emphatic pronouns and
each other
1 Form
We form reflexive/emphatic pronouns with self or selves.
Singular
Plural
First person myself ourselves
Second person yourself yourselves
Third person himself/herself/itself themselves
oneself •185(2b)