I’m out for dead presidents to represent me.

Grammar: Possessive Pronouns

Whose world is this?
The world is yours. The world is yours.
It’s mine. It’s mine. It’s mine.

Mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are possessive pronouns. They are very similar to possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their), but they are not used with a following noun.

• This is my jacket. The jacket is mine.
• I cannot find your phone. I found my phone, but I cannot find yours.
• Can he borrow your car? His is broken.
• He does not have his keys. Does she have hers?
• They ordered dinner after us, but they got their food first. Why haven’t we gotten ours yet?
• Your children are noisy, but their children are worse! At least you don’t have theirs.

Grammar Tips:

• Do not use articles with mine, yours, etc.
  • Do you have your keys. I can’t find the mine.
  • This is not my jacket. This jacket is a yours.
• We do not normally use its as a possessive pronoun.
  • I ate my lunch, and the dog ate its lunch, too.
  • I ate my lunch, and the dog its, too.

Writing Task

What does Nas mean when he says, “The world is yours” ? Do you think this is positive or negative? Is the world ours to share? Please write your ideas in the comments below! 

The post Learn English Grammar: Possessive Pronouns with Nas appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.

Woop-woop. That’s the sound of the police
Woop-woop. That’s the sound of the beast

-KRS-One “Sound of da Police”

beast (noun) – a large and wild animal

Demonstrative Pronouns 

Demonstrative pronouns represent things. There are four demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those.

This and that are singular pronouns. They represent singular nouns.

• This is a book. Only one book.
  
• That is a rapper. Only one rapper. 
• That’s = That is
  • That’s the sound of the police.
  • That’s the sound of the beast.

These and those are plural pronouns. They represent plural nouns.

• These are books. Many books. 
• Those are rappers. They are the Wu-Tang Clan. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, RZA, GZA…. Many rappers. 

This and these represent things that are near and very close. That and those represent things that are far away.

Vocabulary

“Sound of da Police” is a protest song against discrimination and violence against the African American community. KRS-One directs his criticism to the NYPD, the New York Police Department.

• officer (countable noun) – a member of the police; a police officer. Most police officers wear blue or black uniforms.
• justice (uncountable noun) – fairness; equal treatment. Justice is an ideal in society, but many people do not have justice. 
• laws (plural noun) – the rules of a country or government. You must follow the laws and not break them.
• criminal (countable noun) – a person who has committed a crime and broken the law. Criminals are looked down on by society.
• peace (uncountable noun) – freedom from war and violence. Some people think that peace is impossible to attain.
• equality (uncountable noun) – social groups having the same rights and fair treatment. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for equality for all men. 
• arrest (verb) – If the police arrest you, they take you away to ask about a crime. The high number of arrests for African Americans  suggests inequality.
• deal with (phrasal verb) – to take action in order to solve a problem; to tolerate something obnoxious and uncomfortable. A lot of people have to deal with racism and discrimination. 

Discuss and Write

Do the police discriminate in your country? Have you ever experienced inequality or discrimination? Do you think 100% equality for all men and women is possible? Please write your comments below.

The post Level 1 Lesson 6: This, That, These, Those appeared first on ESL Hip Hop.