Pronouns Gone Wrong Errors in reference Errors in

Pronouns Gone Wrong • Errors in reference • Errors in agreement • Errors on point of view

Review: What is a Pronoun? • A word that takes the place of a noun • Examples: he, she, it, they, them, her, I, you, we • Imagine a world without pronouns… ▫ Carrie’s daughter made Carrie mad when Carrie’s daughter snuck Carrie’s money out of Carrie’s purse and used Carrie’s money to buy candy. ▫ Better: You made me mad when you snuck my money out of my purse and used it to buy candy.

Errors in Reference • Pronouns can lead to confusion if the reader can’t tell which word the pronoun is referring to. ▫ Example: Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. ▫ Does this mean that the motorcycle wasn’t damaged or that the tree wasn’t damaged? • Pronouns can also lead to confusion if there is no antecedent in the sentence. • Example: If you like it then you better put a ring on it. • If you like what? Put a ring on what?

How do you fix reference errors? • You may need to omit the pronoun and use a noun instead. • Error: Did you fix it yet? • Better: Did you fix the dishwasher yet? • You may need to rephrase the whole sentence • Error: Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. • Better: The motorcycle was not damaged when it hit the tree.

Practice fixing errors in reference • David accidentally hit the door with his knee and broke it. • David accidentally broke the door when he hit it with his knee. • The managers told the workers that they would get annual bonuses. • The managers promised the workers annual bonuses. • They never gave us any homework at that school. • The teachers at that school never gave us any homework. • Ethel told Lucy that her pie was wonderful. • Ethel told Lucy that Lucy’s pie was wonderful.

Errors in Agreement A pronoun must agree in number with the antecedent that it replaces. If the antecedent is plural, then the pronoun must be plural too. Example: The girls liked their new dog. If the antecedent is singular, then the pronoun should be too. Example: The girl liked her new dog. ERROR: If a student doesn’t attend all of their classes, their grades will suffer.

Errors in Agreement Tricky Situation #1: • Agreement errors often occur with indefinite pronouns such as anyone, nobody, or someone. These are supposed to be singular. ▫ Joe Biden: “Anyone can make it if they try. ” Trick Situation #2: • Agreement errors often occur when the writer doesn’t know how to handle gender. ▫ Sarah Palin: “Personally, I would counsel the person to choose life despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in. ”

Fixing Agreement Errors • If a student doesn’t attend all of their classes, their grades will suffer. Corrections: • If students don’t attend all of their classes, their grades will suffer. • Joe Biden: “Anyone can make it if they try. ” • With sufficient effort, anyone can make it. • Sarah Palin: “Personally, I would counsel the person to choose life despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in. ” • Personally, I would counsel the person to choose life, despite horrific circumstances this person would find herself in.

Practice fixing agreement errors 1. A father should never hit their child. 1. A father should never hit his child. 2. Nobody should die just because they can’t afford life insurance. 2. People should not die just because they can’t afford life insurance. 3. All of the items in the store have price tags on it. 3. All of the items in the store have price tags on them 4. A boss who treats their workers badly will not succeed. 4. A boss who treats his or her workers badly will not succeed.

Errors in Point of View Personal pronouns can be classified by their point of view: singular plural 1 st person I, me We, us 2 nd person you You 3 rd person He, she, her, him They, them When you use these pronouns in a sentence, be consistent by using the same point of view.

Fixing errors in point of view • I like my sociology class, because it really makes you think. • Correction: I like my sociology class, because it really makes me think. • Anyone can make it if you try. • Correction: You can make it if you try.

Practice fixing point of view errors • The spread of many illnesses, such as the flu and common cold, could be reduced if people just washed your hands. • The spread of many illnesses, such as the flu and common cold, could be reduced if people just washed their hands. • Our street was so slippery after the ice storm that you could barely take a step without falling down. • Our street was so slippery after the ice storm that we could barely take a step without falling down.