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Name: Period: Those CRAZY Pronouns! Avoiding Common Usage Errors As juniors, I think it’s safe to assume you all know what a pronoun is. However, there are many rules for using pronouns of which students are unaware. You may be using them incorrectly and not even know it. In order to help you identify problems with pronouns (which will help you on the ACT as well as in your own writing), we are going to review some common pronoun problems. First, a review of the terminology: 1) A PRONOUN is a word that substitutes for a noun. 2) Every pronoun has an ANTECEDENT. The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaced. a. Example: Bob went to the store for his mother. i. Pronoun: ___________ ii. Antecedent: ___________ THE 2 GOLDEN RULES OF PRONOUN USAGE 1) A pronoun must always AGREE with its antecedent in number, gender, and case 2) A pronoun reference must always be clear, meaning your reader should know which antecedent your pronoun refers to. GOLDEN RULE 1: A PRONOUN MUST ALWAYS AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT IN NUMBER If your antecedent is plural, you must use a plural pronoun. If your antecedent is singular, you must use a singular pronoun. 1st Person Pronouns Singular Plural 2nd Person Pronouns 3rd person Pronouns GRAMMAR IS NEVER THAT SIMPLE—THE TRICKY ONES Indefinite Pronouns Collective Nouns Compound Antecedents connected by ‘and’ Compound Antecedents connect by ‘or’, ‘nor,’ ‘either…or’ or ‘neither…nor’ Examples Anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something Jury, committee, audience, crowd, class, troop, family, team, and couple Jill and John The dog and the cat The students and teacher Jill or John Neither the dog nor the cats Either the students or the teacher Singular? Plural? Used in a sentence… In class, everyone performs at ________________ own fitness level. When someone has been drinking, ___________ are likely to speed. Anybody who was absent yesterday needs to get __________________ homework. * * The committee granted ________ permission to build. The committee put _________ signatures on the document. Jill and John moved to Luray, where __________ built a cabin. * * Neither the mouse nor the rats could find ________ way through the maze. Either Bruce or Tom should receive first prize for ______ poem. GOLDEN RULE 1: A PRONOUN MUST ALWAYS AGREE WITH ITS ANTECENDENT IN GENDER Antecedents Mrs. Kremer, Lily, Katie, The Titanic, my dog Jenny Mr. Neff, Jack, Levi, Cliff, my cat Burt The dog, the cat, the students Feminine, Masculine, or Gender-Neutral Pronoun Examples GOLDEN RULE 1: A PRONOUN MUST ALWAYS AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT IN CASE Subjective Case Objective Case Possessive Case Definition Example A pronoun functioning as the subject of the sentence I went to the store. A pronoun functioning as the object of the sentence; the object receives the action of the verb (so it usually comes after the verb) A pronoun that shows ownership; takes the place of a noun with an ‘s (like John’s book, Julie’s watch, etc.) Singular Pronouns Plural Pronouns We are studying for the test. You can’t catch me; I’m the gingerbread man! John can’t tell me what to do! Please give more homework to us, Mrs. Kremer. Bryce, pass the book to her. My clock is slow. I really like her dress. Practice sentences: Decide if the following sentences are correct. If not, replace the incorrect pronoun with a correct pronoun that agrees with the case of the antecedent. 1. _______ Joel ran away from home because his stepfather and him had quarreled. 2. ________ Janice was indignant when she realized that the sales clerk was insulting her mother and she. 3. _______ The most traumatic experience for her father and I occurred long after her operation. 4. _______ The Indian cab driver game my husband and I some good tips on traveling. 5. _______ My husband and I just celebrated our third wedding anniversary. 6. _______ In Mary Gordon’s The Shadow Man, she writes about her father’s mysterious and startling past. GOLDEN RULE 2: A PRONOUN REFERENCE MUST ALWAYS BE CLEAR 1. Avoid ambiguous or remote pronoun references. a) When Gloria set the pitcher on the glass-topped table, it broke. b) Tom told James that he had won the lottery. 2. Do not use a pronoun to refer to an implied antecedent. a) After braiding Ann’s hair, Sue decorated them with ribbons. IT, THE HATED PRONOUN ‘It’ is a necessary pronoun in many instances. However, problems with the word “it” occur when the writer uses the word in an indefinite way. In the following examples, try to find the antecedent to ‘it.’ a) In the article it says that more women than men die of heart disease. b) It is clear that Wiesel’s use of rhetorical appeals is effective. c) It should not be surprising to many of you that Mrs. Kremer hates the word ‘it.’ d) Though Lewis cried for several minutes after scraping his knee, eventually it subsided. *Oh crap, I do this all the time! How do I fix this? -As a general rule, never start a sentence with the word ‘it.’ Nine times out of ten, your usage will be unclear if you begin a sentence with ‘it.’ LAST BUT NOT LEAST…THE SINGLE MOST COMMON PRONOUN ERROR IN ALL OF HIGH SCHOOL WRITING To refer to people, use ‘who,’ ‘whom,’ or ‘whose,’ not ‘which’ or ‘that’ a) When he heard about my seven children, four of which live at home, Ron smiled. b) Fans wondered how an out-of-shape old man that walked with a limp could play football. c) The students that wanted good grades all did their homework. THOSE CRAZY PRONOUNS: INDEPENDENT PRACTICE Directions: edit the following sentences to eliminate problems with pronoun-antecedent agreement. Most of the sentences can be revised in more than one way, so experiment before choosing a solution. If a sentence is correct, write ‘correct’ after it. 1. Every presidential candidate must appeal to a wide variety of ethnic and social groups if they want to win the election. 2. David lent his motorcycle to someone who allowed their friend to use it. 3. The aerobics teacher motioned for everyone to move their arms in wide, slow circles. 4. The parade committee was unanimous in its decision to allow all groups and organizations to join the festivities. 5. The applicant should be bilingual if they want to qualify for this position. 6. If a driver refuses to take a blood or breath test, he or she will have their license suspended for six months. 7. Why should anyone learn a second language? One reason is to sharpen their minds. 8. If anyone notices any suspicious activity, they should report it to the police. Directions: edit the following sentences to correct errors in pronoun reference. In some cases you will need to decide on an antecedent that the pronoun might logically refer to. 1. They say that an engineering student should have hands-on experience with dismantling and reassembling machines. 2. In Ethiopia, you don’t need much property to be considered well-off. 3. Marianne told Jenny that she was worried about her mother’s illness. 4. Our German conversation group is made up of six people, three of which I had never met before. 5. Parent involvement is high at Greenville High School. They participate in many committees that affect all aspects of school life. 6. In the report it points out that lifting the ban on Compound 1080 would prove detrimental to the bald eagle.