Pronouns

This is Unit Five of College Composition. Unit Four matched each verb to its true subject. This unit does the same work for pronouns, which must match the nouns they stand for. Carry one idea through this lecture. Every pronoun asks the reader to look back for its antecedent, so pronoun problems are found by drawing that line back and checking it. A worked example at the end repairs a paragraph with five pronoun errors. By the end you will be able to make pronoun reference clear. To make pronouns agree with their antecedents. To choose the correct case. And to hold one point of view across a paragraph.

Four entries on reference: what pronouns do, and the vague and ambiguous references that leave readers guessing.

Standing in for a noun.

CMP 0101 What Pronouns Do

A pronoun stands in for a noun or noun phrase, and the word it replaces is called its antecedent. Without pronouns, a sentence repeats a name over and over; with them, "When Marcy woke, she had a headache" reads smoothly. Every pronoun asks the reader to look back for its antecedent, so the antecedent must be easy to find.

One clear antecedent.

CMP 0102 Pronoun Reference

A pronoun should refer to one clear and specific antecedent. "All nine board members voted for the change. They explained their reasoning" is clear, because they can only mean the members. A possessive cannot serve as an antecedent: "In Smith's essay, she argues" should become "In her essay, Smith argues."

This and which, pointing at nothing.

CMP 0103 Vague This and Which

The pronouns this, that, which and it should not point at a whole idea without naming it. "The board voted without public meetings. This angered residents" leaves readers asking: this vote, or this lack of meetings? Add a noun after this: "This lack of discussion angered residents."

Two possible antecedents.

CMP 0104 Ambiguous Reference

Reference is ambiguous when a pronoun could point to two different antecedents. "When Lizzie hit her arm on the window, she broke it": the arm or the window? "Lizzie broke the window when she hit her arm on it" settles the question. The writer always knows the meaning; read as a stranger to catch the second possible reading.

Four entries on agreement: the rule, generic nouns and indefinite pronouns, singular they, and collective nouns.

Matching the antecedent.

CMP 0105 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, singular or plural, and should match its gender where gender is known. "My neighbors gave me the keys to their apartment": neighbors is plural, so their is plural. Generic nouns and indefinite pronouns cause most agreement problems, covered next.

Everyone, each and a doctor.

CMP 0106 Generic Nouns and Indefinite Pronouns

Generic nouns, such as a doctor or an athlete, and most indefinite pronouns, such as everyone and each, are singular in meaning. Traditionally they took he or his; writers now commonly use they, or avoid the problem: "Everyone has an opinion," or "Doctors must show they care." Their with everyone is widely accepted, but follow the guide your instructor names.

They for one person.

CMP 0107 Singular They

The pronouns they, them and their can refer to one person whose gender is unknown or unimportant, or who uses them. "Pat likes pizza. They like pineapple on it." Many style guides and publications now accept this use. If they already refers to a group nearby, rewrite to avoid confusion: make the antecedent plural or remove the pronoun.

Groups as antecedents.

CMP 0108 Collective Nouns as Antecedents

A collective noun takes a singular pronoun when the group acts as one unit, and a plural pronoun when members act individually. "The band finished its set"; "The band members loaded their instruments." Do not mix the two in one sentence: "The team lost its first game, and they were upset" shifts number.

Five entries on case: the three cases, compounds, who and whom, reflexive pronouns, and possessives without apostrophes.

A pronoun's job decides its form.

CMP 0109 Pronoun Case

Pronouns have three cases that change with their job: subjective, objective and possessive. Subjective pronouns such as I, we, he and they act as subjects; objective pronouns such as me, us, him and them act as objects; possessives such as my, our and their show ownership. Case errors hide in compounds and comparisons, covered next.

Pronouns in pairs.

CMP 0110 Case in Compounds

In a compound subject, use subjective pronouns; in a compound object, use objective pronouns. "Antonio and I share an apartment," but "Disagreements arise between Antonio and me." Drop the other person to test: "between me" sounds right. "Between you and I" is a common error; between takes an object, so it is between you and me.

Who and whom.

CMP 0111 Who and Whom

Use who when it acts as a subject and whom when it acts as an object. "She is the person who is best qualified"; "I do not know whom to ask"; "To whom should I give the tickets?" Test by answering the question: if the answer is he, use who; if it is him, use whom.

Pronouns ending in self.

CMP 0112 Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns end in self or selves and refer back to the subject of the same clause. "She taught herself to code" is correct, because herself refers to the subject, she. Do not use a reflexive pronoun as a subject or a plain object: "Send it to myself" should be "Send it to me."

Possessives without apostrophes.

CMP 0113 Its and It's, Their and They're

Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: its, their, your and whose show ownership on their own. It's means it is, they're means they are, and who's means who is; "The company raised its prices" needs no apostrophe. Test by expanding the word; if it is or they are does not fit, drop the apostrophe.

Five entries on point of view and on repairing pronoun problems, ending with a worked example. The opening idea is paid off at the last.

Who the text speaks as.

CMP 0114 Point of View

Point of view is the person a text speaks from: first person, I and we; second, you; third, he, she, it and they. Third person is customary for most academic writing, because it emphasizes the information rather than the writer. Point of view is a choice made for the whole text; unit eighteen covers when first person fits.

Slipping into you.

CMP 0115 Shifts in Person

A shift in person changes point of view without reason, often from a general noun to you. "Students must plan carefully, or you will fall behind" shifts from third person to second; "or they will fall behind" holds it. Replace the hazy you meaning any person with a definite noun such as writers or students.

Checks in order.

CMP 0116 Fixing Pronoun Problems

Most pronoun problems are fixed by finding each pronoun's antecedent and checking reference, agreement and case in turn. Circle each pronoun and draw a line back to its antecedent; if there is none, or two, replace the pronoun with the noun. Check agreement in number, deciding for a collective noun whether the group acts as one. Check case, testing compounds by dropping the other person. Check for shifts to you, and expand every it's and they're. Repeating a noun is better than an unclear pronoun.

Holding clarity across sentences.

CMP 0117 Pronouns Across a Paragraph

Pronoun clarity has to hold across a whole paragraph. Notice when a new noun enters; after that, a pronoun may point to it instead. Check sentences that begin with it, this or they, since they lean on the sentence before. If they means one person in one sentence and a group in the next, rename one. Keep a group singular or plural throughout. Then reread, replacing each pronoun with the noun you meant. When two people or groups appear, naming them again at the start of a sentence restores the reader's footing.

Five errors, one paragraph.

CMP 0118 Revising for Pronoun Clarity

A worked example, constructed for this course, pays off the opening idea. In a draft about students meeting a dean, they could mean the students or the staff, so the students are named. This points at no noun, so it becomes the complaint. The committee acts as one body, so their becomes its, and its expected, meaning it is, needs an apostrophe. You shifts the point of view, so the sentence names commuters. And between you and I becomes between you and me, since between takes objects. The tempting fix is to add more pronouns; the reliable repair is to name the noun again where the reader needs it, keeping each group's number and person the same.

Look at what you can now do. You can make each pronoun point to one clear antecedent, and replace a vague this or an ambiguous it with a noun. You can make pronouns agree with generic nouns, indefinite pronouns and collective nouns, and use singular they as many guides now accept. You can choose subjective, objective and possessive forms, who or whom, and reflexive pronouns, and you can test every it's. And you can hold one point of view and repair pronouns across a paragraph. Unit Six turns to modifiers, parallel structure and mixed constructions.