Grammar Guide

Pronoun Reference

Definitions | Frequent Mistakes

Some Definitions:

pronoun: one of the parts of speech; a word that represents, or substitutes for, a noun.

Types of pronouns

intensive pronouns: used to add emphasis. In John himself is going, the pronoun himself is intensive.
Reciprocal pronouns: include each other and one another; they express a reciprocal, or mutual, relationship, as in They 1oved each other.
Relative Pronouns: include who, whom, whose, which, and that when these words are used to introduce relative clauses.
Interrogative pronouns: include who, whom, whose, which, and what when these words are used to introduce questions, including indirect questions. In I wonder what is happening, the pronounwhat is interrogative.
Indefinite pronouns: include someone, anyone, and one: either and each unless they are adjectives; and the relative pronouns whoever, whomever, and whichever. They are called indefinite because it cannot be definite what they represent.
Demonstrative pronouns: include this, that, these, and those. When these words are used as modifiers, as in this book, they are no longer pronouns but demonstrative adjectives.

Definitions | Frequent Mistakes

Some Frequent Mistakes with Pronoun Reference

Case:Many pronouns, unlike nouns, have different forms in the subjective case and objective case, and mistakes are frequent. The elliptical clause He sails better than her sounds wrong to most (and probably to all) of us, if the elliptical clause is filled in: He sails better than her sails.

When in doubt as to what pronoun to supply, just imagine the elliptical clause with the ellipsis filled in. A pronoun that is the subject of a verb should agree with the verb in person and number.

Pronouns in Apposition: a word is in apposition to another word when it immediately follows the other word to identify or explain it. The case of a pronoun in apposition is determined by the function of the word that it is in apposition to.

T.S. Eliot's line "Let us go then, you and I" is technically an error; you and I is in apposition to us, and, grammatically speaking (but not poetically speaking), it should be you and me.

Antecedents: an antecedent is the word or phrase that a pronoun represents. In the sentence John, who is of royal blood, demeans himself by asking his servants to dine with him, the pronouns who, himself, his, and him all have John as their antecedent.

The pronoun should agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. Often the meaning of a pronoun is unclear because there is more than one grammatically possible antecedent in the sentence; for example, in John's father says he can't go to the mall tonight, who can't go out, John or his father?

When checking for pronoun-ambiguity or -confusion, the solution is always the same: check to make sure that no misreading is possible.

The problem of the Generic 'he': Everyone should bring his book to class is grammatically correct, but politically incorrect. The use of gender-specific language can often be avoided by recasting the sentence into the plural or eliminating the pronoun: Students should bring their books to class.

Remember, however, that indefinite pronouns like everyoneand someone are singular, so using them with their avoids the problem of sexist language, but makes your sentence grammatically incorrect.

For more advice on current practices regarding gender and language consult Miller and Swift The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing and Rosalie Maggio, The Nonsexist Word Finder: A Dictionary of Gender-Free Usage.

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	Pronoun Reference Definitions \| Frequent Mistakes Some Definitions: pronoun: one of the parts of speech; a word that represents, or substitutes for, a noun. Types of pronouns intensive pronouns: used to add emphasis. In John himself is going, the pronoun himself is intensive. Reciprocal pronouns: include each other and one another; they express a reciprocal, or mutual, relationship, as in They 1oved each other. Relative Pronouns: include who, whom, whose, which, and that when these words are used to introduce relative clauses. Interrogative pronouns: include who, whom, whose, which, and what when these words are used to introduce questions, including indirect questions. In I wonder what is happening, the pronounwhat is interrogative. Indefinite pronouns: include someone, anyone, and one: either and each unless they are adjectives; and the relative pronouns whoever, whomever, and whichever. They are called indefinite because it cannot be definite what they represent. Demonstrative pronouns: include this, that, these, and those. When these words are used as modifiers, as in this book, they are no longer pronouns but demonstrative adjectives. Definitions \| Frequent Mistakes Some Frequent Mistakes with Pronoun Reference Case:Many pronouns, unlike nouns, have different forms in the subjective case and objective case, and mistakes are frequent. The elliptical clause He sails better than her sounds wrong to most (and probably to all) of us, if the elliptical clause is filled in: He sails better than her sails. When in doubt as to what pronoun to supply, just imagine the elliptical clause with the ellipsis filled in. A pronoun that is the subject of a verb should agree with the verb in person and number. Pronouns in Apposition: a word is in apposition to another word when it immediately follows the other word to identify or explain it. The case of a pronoun in apposition is determined by the function of the word that it is in apposition to. T.S. Eliot's line "Let us go then, you and I" is technically an error; you and I is in apposition to us, and, grammatically speaking (but not poetically speaking), it should be you and me. Antecedents: an antecedent is the word or phrase that a pronoun represents. In the sentence John, who is of royal blood, demeans himself by asking his servants to dine with him, the pronouns who, himself, his, and him all have John as their antecedent. The pronoun should agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. Often the meaning of a pronoun is unclear because there is more than one grammatically possible antecedent in the sentence; for example, in John's father says he can't go to the mall tonight, who can't go out, John or his father? When checking for pronoun-ambiguity or -confusion, the solution is always the same: check to make sure that no misreading is possible. The problem of the Generic 'he': Everyone should bring his book to class is grammatically correct, but politically incorrect. The use of gender-specific language can often be avoided by recasting the sentence into the plural or eliminating the pronoun: Students should bring their books to class. Remember, however, that indefinite pronouns like everyoneand someone are singular, so using them with their avoids the problem of sexist language, but makes your sentence grammatically incorrect. For more advice on current practices regarding gender and language consult Miller and Swift The Handbook of Nonsexist Writing and Rosalie Maggio, The Nonsexist Word Finder: A Dictionary of Gender-Free Usage. Callaway North 205A \| (404) 727-0886