A common pronoun reference error occurs when students write about several different people or things and then later use a pronoun like them or him, but the audience has no idea what they are referring to. However, a pronoun should always refer to a SINGLE CLEAR AND UNMistakable NOUN ANTECEDENT. Pronouns should match their predecessors in number, gender, and person. However, candy cannot be the precursor to this, as the candy that sits in front of the nominal shell act as an adjective. Only names can be precursors. Unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a clear and distinctive noun precursor-FREE pronoun. A pronoun must have only one precursor. This precursor must be clear and unambiguous. With a noun (wealth) instead of the pronoun (it), no precursor is required. 1.
As precursors, the indefinite pronouns below ALWAYS adopt a singular pronoun speaker. Look at them carefully. Note: Example #1, with the plural precursor closer to the pronoun, produces a smoother sentence than Example #2 that forces the use of the singular “her or her”. 1. Group names, which are considered individual units, adopt singular speaker pronouns. The reference of the pronoun is not clear: who receives the bonus – the superiors or the workers? They could refer to both groups. It should be clear who or what the pronoun represents. If you have a sentence in which the precursor of the pronoun is unclear, your reader will probably be confused. Let`s take the following example: It is important to map pronouns to their precursors in terms of gender and number. For example, if your pronoun is “it,” it shouldn`t refer to its predecessor, “Molly.” “Molly” is a person, so the best pronoun is “she.” 2. If two or more nominal precursors are connected by or not, choose a pronominal speaker that corresponds to the precursor closest to the VERB.
We need to replace the singular masculine subject noun John with the singular and masculine subject pronoun He. We can replace the singular, the feminine object noun woman with the singular object pronoun, feminine, her. A speaker pronoun coincides with its personal pronoun precursor. In traditional grammar, the erroneous reference to the pronoun is a collective term for a pronoun (often a personal pronoun) that does not refer clearly and unambiguously to its predecessor. In this sentence, he is the precursor of the pronoun of his own speaker. You want to be careful with your writing and make sure that you are clear and correct with your pronouns. Most of the time, when you slow down and work on a thorough editing, issues like this are discovered that can be easily fixed. A personal pronoun must also personally correspond to its predecessor. Pronouns one, everyone, everyone are third-person pronouns. They should be followed by him, his, him or her, she, his.
On the other hand, if we really refer to individuals with the group, then we look at the plural noun. In this case, we use a plural speaker pronoun. Mine is singular, to agree with the singular precursor I. You can see in the examples above that pronouns like them, and it`s important to avoid repetition. Since “everyone” is gender-neutral, the best way to improve this phrase is to avoid using a gendered pronoun (which means “he” or “she”) and simply avoid using a pronoun. The correct answer, “prepare a plan and stick to it,” achieves this goal and is therefore the best way to improve the sentence. Relative pronouns must match their predecessors in number. If the nouns to which the relative pronouns (precursors) refer are plural, then the plural form of the verb is used, and if the noun is singular, then the singular form of the verb is necessary. A pronoun must clearly refer to a clear and distinctive noun that precedes the pronoun. This name is called the precursor of pronouns.
Example #2 (singular precursor closer to the pronoun): The choice of the answer “the person who has most changed the world through his charitable actions or scientific discoveries” is correct because it is the only answer choice that correctly uses “who” and the singular pronoun “his” to correspond to the singular noun “person”. 2. The pronoun that replaces the name must match it as follows: The original text contains a pronoun matching error. The intended precursor of the pronoun “it” is supposed to be “books”, which is plural and would therefore require the plural pronoun “they” instead of the singular pronoun “it”. A word can refer to an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence. This is where most problems arise when the precursor can be male or female. To avoid gender bias, it is best to use your sentences in such sentences. For example, marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural speaker pronoun.
The following information can help you choose the right pronoun. 3. Plural group nouns meaning two or more groups adopt plural speaker pronouns. In this example, the best way to solve the pronoun reference problem is to rephrase the sentence. While the pronouns they were historically only in the plural, it is grammatically acceptable to use them as singular pronouns. They should always be used if they refer to more than one person. They can also be used as a neutral pronoun in the singular if you are referring to a person, if the gender is unknown, or if you know that the person prefers them as personal pronouns. For example, how you rewrite the sentence depends on the style guide you use. The 8th edition of the MLA and APA 7. The results support the use of the singular they.
On the other hand, the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) does not support the use of the singular in formal fonts unless the person in question prefers them. .