Transcript Shifts in Subject and Person

Shifts in Number
and Person
NEC FACET Center
PART 1
Shifts in Person
What is “person”?
• In English grammar, the term “person”
refers to a classification system for
pronouns.
• Pronouns are common words we use to take
the place of nouns (I, you, he, she, it, we,
they, etc.)
How do we classify pronouns?
• When speaking of these pronouns, we can
divide them into groups in two ways:
• according to whether they are singular or
plural--one or more than one.
• according to whether they are first person,
second person, or third person.
Classification of Pronouns
SINGULAR PLURAL
I, me, my , we, us,
mine
our , ours
SECOND you, your , you, your ,
yours
PERSON yours
THIRD
he, she,
they,
PERSON him, her, them,
his, hers, their ,
theirs
it, its
FIRST
PERSON
Recognizing 1st
Person
• Writers or speakers who
use first person speak
directly about
themselves by using the
words I, me, my, mine.
I think I will
start a new
company. I
want something that is
all mine!
Recognizing 1st
Person We could start our
• Writers or speakers who use
first person speak directly
about them-selves by using
the words I, me, my, mine or
the plural pronouns we, us,
our, ours.
• Notice that the speaker is
still talking about himself
even though he is now
including someone else.
own company.
Then we could
have something
that is truly ours.
Recognizing 2nd
Person You could start your
• Writers or speakers who use
second person are not
speaking about themselves.
• They are writing or
speaking directly to
someone else.
own company. Then
you could have
something that is
truly yours.
Recognizing 3rd
Person
• Writers or speakers who use
third person are neither
speaking about themselves
nor directly to someone
else.
• They are writing or
speaking about someone or
something else by using
words such as he, him, she,
her, it, its.
Sandra should
start her own
business.
What is a shift in person?
A shift in person refers to a mistaken change
in person within a sentence or group of
related sentences.
Example of a Shift in Person
• When people get
angry, we sometimes
say things you would
not say when calm.
• Do you recognize the
problems?
Example of a Shift in Person
• When people get
angry, we sometimes
say things you would
not say when calm.
• people = 3rd person
• we = 1st person
• you = 2nd person
Revised Sentence
• When people get
angry, they
sometimes say things
they would not say
when calm.
• people = 3rd person
• they = 3rd person
Another Shift in Person
• On reaching the campsite, one must be upset to
discover you must walk another mile for fresh
drinking water.
• Can you spot the problem?
Another Shift in Person
• On reaching the campsite, one must be upset to
discover you must walk another mile for fresh
drinking water.
• one = 3rd person; you = 2nd person
• How can you revise it?
Revised Sentence
• On reaching the campsite, one must be upset to
discover one must walk another mile for fresh
drinking water.
• On reaching the campsite, one must be upset to
discover he or she must walk another mile for fresh
drinking water.
• On reaching the campsite, you must be upset to
discover you must walk another mile for fresh
drinking water.
Another Shift in Person
• Nick, Lisa, and I took
a close look at the
money, and you could
see that it was fake.
• How would you
correct this sentence?
Revised Sentence
• Nick, Lisa, and I took a
close look at the money,
and we could see that it
was fake.
• Change the 2nd person
you to first person plural
we. Notice that the
subject (Nick, Lisa, and I)
is first person plural.
PART 2
Shifts in Number
Pronoun Number
• You may remember from the pronoun chart that
some pronouns are singular and others plural.
One
More than one
Singular and Plural Pronouns
Singular: I, me, my,
mine, she, her, hers
(or he, him, his when
referring to a man
or a boy )
Plural: we, us, our, ours,
they, them, their, theirs
Singular:
it, its
Special Note
• Depending on whether one is writing or speaking
to an individual or a group, second person
pronouns (including you, your, yours) can be
either singular or plural.
Would you
like to use my
phone?
Choosing the Right Pronoun
• Just as you select pronouns based on the
correct “person,” you must also select them
based on “number.”
• Only two types of number exist:
• singular
• plural
What is a shift in number?
• Changing from singular to plural or from
plural to singular when referring to the
same person or thing creates a shift in
number.
How do I know if I am shifting
number?
Singular
or
plural?
• First, you must recognize
the word serving as the
“antecedent” for the
pronoun.
• Then you must match the
“number” of the pronoun
to the “number” of the
antecedent.
What is an antecedent?
• Although this rule may sound difficult, it is
actually quite simple.
• The antecedent is the word that the pronoun
refers to--in other words, the word the
pronoun is renaming.
Example
• The car looked brand new although it was
actually sixty years old.
• Pronoun: it (singular)
• Antecedent: car (singular)
Another Example
• These students attend college
during the day, and they work in
a restaurant at night.
• Pronoun?
• Antecedent?
Another Example
• These students attend
college during the day, and
they work in a restaurant at
night.
• Pronoun? they (plural)
• Antecedent? students
(plural)
A Final Example
• The manager was
almost run down as
shoppers hurried past
him toward the meat
department.
• Pronoun?
• Antecedent?
A Final Example
• The manager was
almost run down as
shoppers hurried past
him toward the meat
department.
• Pronoun? him
(singular)
• Antecedent? manager
(singular)
Example of a Shift in Number
• Classes have been cancelled
for today, but it will resume
tomorrow.
• Pronoun?
• Antecedent?
Example of a Shift in Number
• Classes have been cancelled
for today, but it will resume
tomorrow.
• Pronoun? it (singular)
• Antecedent? Classes (plural)
• When pronoun and antecedent
don’t match in number, you
have a “shift in number.”
Revising the Shift
• Classes have been cancelled
for today, but they will resume
tomorrow.
• Pronoun? they (plural)
• Antecedent? Classes (plural)
A Common Cause of Shifts in
Number
• Shifts in number often result when a writer
tries to avoid “gender bias.”
• “Gender bias” refers to discrimination
against either sex--male or female.
Example of Number Shift to
Avoid Gender Bias
• An employee who wishes to take time off
during the holidays should submit their request
by Friday.
• their (plural)
• employee (singular)
The Result
• Although the writer correctly included both
sexes, the result was a pronoun error.
• The writer could have avoided the error in
either of two ways:
Revision # 1
• An employee who wishes to take time off
during the holidays should submit his or her
request by Friday.
• Both pronoun and antecedent are now
singular.
Caution
• This solution works well as long as the writer
does not need to use “his or her” repeatedly.
• Such repetition would result in awkward
sentences.
his or her
Revision
#2
• Employees who wish to take time off during
the holidays should submit their requests by
Friday.
• By using a plural pronoun and plural
antecedent, writers can avoid both the
pronoun error and the potentially awkward
sentences using “his or her.”
Can you spot the shift in
number?
• Both snakes hissed, and one flicked their tongue.
The Shift in Number Revised
• Both snakes hissed, and one flicked its tongue.
Collective Nouns
• Collective nouns represent
a group and are usually
considered singular.
committee
flock
Example
• Incorrect: The jury
deliberated two weeks before
giving their verdict to the
judge.
• Correct: The jury
deliberated two weeks before
giving its verdict to the
judge.
• The jury acts as a single unit.
Another Example
• Incorrect: A family
offers their members both
physical and emotional
support.
• Correct: A family offers
its members both physical
and emotional support.
A Third Example
• Incorrect: The orchestra gave their summer
concert on the Fourth of July.
• Correct: The orchestra gave its summer concert
on the Fourth of July.
Think of an appropriate pronoun.
• The committee will soon make _____
recommendations.
• The team will play for the championship if
____ can win one more game.
• After touring Gilcrease Museum, the class
loaded into _____ school bus.
The Answers
• The committee will soon make its
recommendations.
• The team will play for the championship if it
can win one more game.
• After touring Gilcrease Museum, the class
loaded into its school bus.
Indefinite Pronouns
• When writing, you must also pay particular
attention to indefinite pronouns, such as the
following, when they serve as antecedents:
• anyone, everyone, someone, no one
• anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody
• either, neither
• each of, either of, neither of, one of, every one of,
Singular or Plural?
• Indefinite pronouns are normally considered
singular.
• Therefore, when they serve as antecedents,
the pronouns that follow them should be
singular.
Example
• Incorrect: Neither of the boys
has opened their gift yet.
• Correct: Neither of the boys
has opened his gift yet.
• In this sentence, we are looking
at the boys as individuals.
• Each boy has received his own
gift and will open it himself.
Another Example
• Incorrect: Everyone has their
own opinion.
• Correct: Everyone has his
or her own opinion.
• Again, each person is looked
at as an individual.
Think of an appropriate pronoun.
• Someone left _____ purse in the shopping
cart.
• Each of the houses has a hot tub in
_________ master bathroom.
• Everyone is entitled to ______ own opinion.
• Neither of the actors had memorized ____
lines yet.
The Answers
• Someone left her purse in the shopping
cart.
• Each of the houses has a hot tub in its
master bathroom.
• Everyone is entitled to his or her own
opinion.
• Neither of the actors had memorized his
lines yet.
REMEMBER-• Pronouns and antecedents must agree in
person and number.
Some of the Rules
• Use 1st person pronouns when writing or
speaking about yourself.
• Use 2nd person pronouns when talking or
speaking directly to another person or
group.
• Use 3rd person when talking or speaking
about another person, object, or group.
The Remaining Rules
• Use singular pronouns when the antecedent
is singular. (Remember that indefinite
pronouns and collective nouns are nearly
always singular.)
• Use plural pronouns when the antecedent is
plural.