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Opposition Expression
Expressing Opposition
Here are some ways to show opposition when the result is the opposite of what you might expect:
1. ADVERB CLAUSES
even though
although
though
--Even though it was hot, we wore our coats.
2. CONJUNCTIONS
but ... anyway
but ... still
yet ... still
--It was cold, but we still went swimming.
3. PREPOSITIONS
despite
in spite of
--They went skiing despite the warm temperatures.
Here are words that show direct opposition:
1. ADVERB CLAUSES
whereas
while
--Paul is tall, whereas Richard is short.
--While Sue is industrious, Marie is lazy.
2. CONJUNCTION
but
--The travel agent is tired, but she is still working.
3. TRANSITIONS
however
on the other hand
--Carole is beautiful, however, she doesn't dress very well.
Whereas and while are used to show direct opposition; it does not make any difference which idea comes first and which second; the same rule applies for but / however / on the other hand.

Possessive Adjectives
Here are the possessive adjectives in English:
1st person, singular -- my
3rd person, singular -- his, her, its
1st person, plural -- our
2nd person, sing./pl. -- your
3rd person, plural -- their
In English, the gender and number of the possessor determines the form of the possessive adjective:
--I have a credit card. It's my credit card.
--She has some money. It's her money.
NOTE: Often the subject of the verb is not the person who owns the noun. Be careful about this. You must know the gender and number of the owner to be able to use possessive adjectives correctly:
--Are you buying his ticket or her ticket?
--I'm buying his ticket.

Possessive Pronouns
Here are the possessive pronouns in English:
1st person, singular -- mine
3rd person, singular -- his, hers, its
1st person, plural -- ours
2nd person, sing./pl. -- yours
3rd person, plural -- theirs
In English, the gender and number of the possessor determines the form of the possessive pronoun:
--I have a bicycle. It's mine.
--They have some bread. It's theirs.
NOTE: Often the subject of the verb is not the person who owns the noun. Be careful about this. You must know the gender and number of the owner to be able to use possessive pronouns correctly:
--Are you driving his car or hers?
--We're driving hers.
Possession
Possessives
To indicate possession in English, you will use either the preposition of or the -'s form. The latter is used much more frequently in informal English.
--This is the office of the attorney.
-->This is the attorney's office.
--Here is the desk of Mr. Young.
-->Here is Mr. Young's desk.
--I know the family of Mrs. Jones.
-->I know Mrs. Jones's family.
Note the change in word order when the -'s form is used. The owner is listed first, followed by the thing owned.


Negatives
The word not is used with do to make a verb negative, as in I don't have any money (don't = do not). No is used as an adjective in front of a noun, as in I have no money. Both of these examples are acceptable ways of expressing the idea that you do not have something.
Note these contracted negative forms with do:
I don't
you don't
he, she doesn't
they don't
we don't
Here are some affirmative words and their negative forms in English:
AFFIRMATIVES
someone, anybody
something, anything
still
ever
either... or
NEGATIVES
no one, nobody
nothing
no longer
never
neither... nor

Avoid using more than one negative in a clause:
--I don't have any money.
NOT: I don't have no money.
--They don't see anybody.
NOT: They don't see nobody.
--I didn't do anything.
NOT: I didn't do nothing.
Pronouns
Object Pronouns
Remember, a pronoun is used in place of a noun. Subject pronouns come in front of verbs, and object pronouns follow them:

me us
you you
him, her, it them
EXAMPLES:
--We see our friends.
-->We see them. (them takes the place of our friends)
--Call the waiter.
-->Call him. (i.e., the waiter)
--They like coffee.
-->They like it. (i.e., coffee)
Placement of Object Pronouns
When there is a sentence with more than one object pronoun, the rule is as follows:
1. PLACE THE DIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN DIRECTLY AFTER THE VERB
2. ANY INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN WILL COME LAST.
EXAMPLES:
--The lawyer gives you the envelope.
-->He gives it to you.
--They will send me some letters.
-->They'll send them to me.
--He's explaining the will to us.
-->He's explaining it to us.
Note that when you use a direct object pronoun, it comes earlier in the sentence than its noun equivalent:
--I give you a visa.
--> I give it to you.
The example below points to a problem with object word order in English. When a noun is the direct object, it normally comes last in the sentence (I wrote them a check.). When a pronoun is the direct object, the indirect object moves to the end of the sentence, and is preceded by to:
--She's leaving you her estate.
-->She's leaving it to you.

Reflexive Pronouns
The following are reflexive pronouns:

myself ourselves
yourself yourselves
himself, herself, itself themselves
A reflexive pronoun usually refers to the subject of a sentence:
--We looked at ourselves in the mirror.
(We and ourselves are the same persons.)
Sometimes reflexive pronouns are used for emphasis:
--I washed my clothes myself.
Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns
To differentiate between things in English, use either:
this
that
these
those
Any of these demonstratives can be used with a noun or by itself. This (singular) and these (plural) refer to something or someone close at hand. That (singular) and those (plural) refer to something or someone a bit farther away.
EXAMPLES:
--Do you want this box or that box?
--I'd like some of that popcorn.
--Do you want these or those?
--This apartment is nicer than that one.