Transcript Pronoun Reference and Agreement Chapter Twenty-Nine Prepared by Professors Rita

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Pronoun Reference and Agreement
Prepared by Professors Rita
Perkins and Paul Harris
Camden County College
Chapter 29.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
• 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.
– [Photographs is the antecedent of they, which is
third person plural.]
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Pronoun Reference
• If a pronoun does not refer to a specific
word, it may be unclear.
– Example:
• Mark told Todd that he needed to
buy film.
• Did Mark or Todd need to buy film?
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
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 because
they were too important.
• What does they refer too?
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns and antecedents must
Revised:
agree in person
and number.
If a person wants to
become a photographer,
he must have the
proper equipment for
Person:
lighting.
Error in
If a person wants to become a portrait
photographer, you must have the proper
equipment for lighting.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns and antecedents must
agree in person and number.
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,
he often misses some of the action.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
• Avoid sexism
– Be consistentExamples:
in use of gender.
1. The person who planned this
– Avoid exhibit
sexist pronouns.
knew what he or she
wasuse
doing.
• To avoid sexism,
alternatives to the
2. The people who planned this
generic he.exhibit knew what they
1 -Use masculine
and
feminine pronouns
were
doing.
3. The people who planned this
together.
exhibit did an excellent job.
2 -Revise the sentence by using the plural.
3 -Reconstruct to eliminate the pronoun.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Checkpoints
1. An indefinite pronoun such as everybody
or something is usually singular.
Anyone who has developed his own film must
be familiar with dark rooms.
Each of the photographers bought his or her
camera.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Checkpoints
2. A collective noun which refers to a group
as one unit is usually singular.
The group will have its meeting this Friday.
The collection on display is in the gallery.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Checkpoints
3. Compound antecedents require a plural
pronoun.
The zoom lens and the wide-angle lens require
special situations for their use.
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• Anyone can be
successful in school if
they make the right
choices.
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
• Revision:
– Anyone can be
successful in school if
she makes the right
choices.
Or
– Students can be
successful in school if
they make the right
choices.
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• When students do not
understand what they
read, they should note
their questions and
find answers.
Correct
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• Students should
• The pronoun “your”
realize that education
does not refer to
supports your long
students.
term goals.
• Revision:
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
– Students should
realize that education
supports their long
term goals.
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
Libraries are important for
students because they
provide information.
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
Does THEY refer
to students or
libraries?
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• Students should
copy the material
that the instructor
writes on the board,
and you should
review these notes
within 24 hours.
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
• Incorrect:
– The subject shifts to you
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.
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• Each of us must take
responsibility for the
quality of their own
life.
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
• Incorrect:
– Each is singular.
• Revision:
– Each of us must take
responsibility for the
quality of her life.
Or…
– Individuals must take
responsibility for the
quality of their own
lives.
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
When students join clubs and organizations,
they increase their chances of staying in
school.
Correct
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• The most important
thing a student can
do is to organize your
time.
• Incorrect:
– Students is plural.
• Revision:
– The most important
thing that students
can do is to organize
their time.
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Chapter 29.
• Jamie dropped the
heavy camera on her
foot and broke it.
• Incorrect:
– Did the camera
break or did her
foot?
• Revision:
Incorrect
College Writing Skills/ College Writing
Skills with Readings, 5E
– The camera broke
when Jamie dropped
it on her foot.
©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.