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Pronoun hunt

Pronoun hunt. Let us now examine your Hamlet essay. Pronouns. On the SAT writing sections, there are more problems involving pronoun mistakes than any other grammar issue. Pronoun – a word used to replace a noun. Circle all your pronouns. Personal pronouns:

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Pronoun hunt

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  1. Pronoun hunt Let us now examine your Hamlet essay.

  2. Pronouns • On the SAT writing sections, there are more problems involving pronoun mistakes than any other grammar issue. • Pronoun – a word used to replace a noun.

  3. Circle all your pronouns. • Personal pronouns: • I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them • Possessive pronouns: • my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs • Demonstrative pronouns: • This, that, these, those • Interrogatory pronouns: • Who, whom, whose • One, someone, anyone • Thing, something, anything, everything

  4. Eliminate all 1stand 2nd person pronouns. • I believe that Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake is realistic because it is complex. • You realize that Tea Cake and Janie have a relationship that is both complex and realistic.

  5. Eliminate you • Do not use the 2nd person pronoun you. • It’s vague & general. You want to be clear & specific. • It’s a writer’s trap. Once you’ve used it once, you will probably get stuck into repeating it several times over the next few sentences. • Suggested replacement: one, readers

  6. Fix unclear pronouns • Willy and Biff both have dreams for the future, but his dreams are more realistic. In the greatest country in the world, a true land of opportunity, he cannot find success. • Often on the SATs • Check – replace with the name to avoid any possible confusion.

  7. Look for a pronoun shift • When someone reads Death of a Salesman for the first time, they can easily get confused when Willy has a flashback. • Often on SATs • One  you or one  they = mistake. Stick with one thru your entire sentence.

  8. This is unclear • This causes a great deal of tension between Willy and Biff. • This moment? This problem? This pen? This failure? This inability to remain grounded in the present? This football game? This unreasonable expectation? This infidelity? • Avoid starting a sentence with This ________. • This is often on the SATs.

  9. No apostrophes! • NEVER use apostrophes with possessive pronouns! • Who’s = who is. Who’s there? • Whose = possession. Whose pen is this? • It’s = it is. It’s Bill Oliver’s pen. • Its = possession. The play’s structure is dictated by its content. • They’re = they are. They’re a dysfunctional family. • Their = possession. Their home is in Brooklyn. • Your’s = a mistake. This does not exist in English.

  10. Get rid of this thing. • Thing is one of my pet peeves. It’s vague. I hate all forms of this word (except nothing. I like nothing because, in the words of Macbeth, “Nothing is, but what is not.”) • Eliminate thing, something, anything, everything. • Replace with a noun, the more specific, precise, & concrete the better.

  11. Find your quote(s) • The prompt required you to use language from the play to support your position. Find the quote(s) you used. • Avoid “floating quotes”! • Did you provide a just enough context? Will the reader of the essay understand how this quote fits into the story? Do you need to explain to whom the speaker is talking ? Or the subject they’re talking about? • Do you provide at least a sentence or two or analysis? Explain the significance of this quote. Why is it important? How does it help to illustrate your point?

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