Pronoun Agreement and Reference in Writing

1. Chapter Twenty-Eight Pronoun Agreement and Reference

2. Pronouns • Writers often use pronouns to take the place of nouns. • If you do this, you must be certain that each pronoun agrees with the noun it refers to. • Example: • The photographs meant a great deal to him because they belonged to his grandmother. • [They takes the place of photographs, which is third person plural.]

3. Pronoun Agreement Pronouns and the words they replace must agree inperson andnumber. Error in Person: If a person wants to become a portrait photographer, you must have the proper equipment for lighting. Revised: If a person wants to become a photographer, hemust have the proper equipment for lighting.

4. Pronoun Agreement Pronouns and the words they replace must agree inperson andnumber. Error in Number: When a student videotapes a sporting event, they often miss some of the action. Revised: When a student videotapes a sporting event, heoften misses some of the action.

5. Gender-Appropriate Pronouns • To avoid sexism, use alternatives to the generic he. • -Use masculine and feminine pronouns together. Example: The person who planned this exhibit knew what he or she was doing. • -Revise the sentence by using the plural. Example: The people who planned this exhibit knew what they were doing. • -Reconstruct to eliminate the pronoun. • Example: The people who planned this exhibit did an excellent job.

6. Indefinite Pronouns An indefinite pronoun such aseverybody orsomethingis usually singular. Anyone who has developed his own film must be familiar with dark rooms. Each of the photographers bought his or her camera.

7. Pronoun Reference • If a pronoun does not refer to a specific word, it may be unclear. • Example: • Mark told Todd that heneeded to buy film. • Did Mark or Todd need to buy film?

8. Pronoun Reference • If a pronoun does not refer to a specific word, it may be unclear. • Example: • The editor told the staff members not to mail the photographs becausetheywere too important. • What does they refer too?

9. Anyone can be successful in school if theymake the right choices. Revision: Anyonecan be successful in school ifshemakes the right choices. Or Studentscan be successful in school iftheymake the right choices. Practice Review Incorrect

10. When students do not understand what they read, they should note their questions and find answers. Practice Review Correct

11. Students should realize that education supports your long termgoals. The pronoun“your”does not refer to students. Revision: Students should realize that education supportstheir long term goals. Practice Review Incorrect

12. Practice Review Libraries are important for students because they provide information. Incorrect Does THEY refer to students or libraries?

13. Students should copy the material that the instructor writes on the board, and you should review these noteswithin 24 hours. Incorrect: The subject shifts toyou when the subject was students. Revision: Students should copy the material that the instructor writes on the board, and they should review these notes within 24 hours. Practice Review Incorrect

14. Each of us must take responsibility for the quality of their own life. Incorrect: Each is singular. Revision: Each of us must take responsibility for the quality of her own life. Or… Individuals must take responsibility for the quality of theirownlives. Practice Review Incorrect

15. Practice Review When students join clubs and organizations, they increase their chances of staying in school. Correct

16. The most important thing a student can do is to organize your time. Incorrect: Students is plural. Revision: The most important thing that studentscan do is to organize their time. Practice Review Incorrect

17. Jamie dropped the heavy camera on her foot and broke it. Incorrect: Did the camera break or did her foot? Revision: The camera broke when Jamie dropped it on her foot. Practice Review Incorrect