Agreeing Pronouns (pronoun-antecedent agreement)

Happy Friday!

I believe I left off the last blog stating I'd be writing about thesis statements this week, but based on some grading I've done lately, I think a discussion about pronoun-antecedent agreement is needed.

We know that pronouns are parts of speech that replace nouns in a sentence. Instead of saying:

Susan took Susan's children to school and then drove Susan's car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used Bill's tools to fix Susan's car.

you would probably write:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used his tools to fix her car.

An exception would be if the mechanic were also female:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Karen, the mechanic, used her tools to fix Susan's car.

The waterfall was majestic in its beauty.

The miniature horses were adorable as they
romped around the paddock.

So what's the key behind pronoun-antecedent agreement?

When you use a singular noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be singular.
When you use a plural noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be plural.

Simple? Well, not necessarily. I don't think the issues arise with regular nouns and pronouns. Most people won't argue that "Susan" is a singular noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be singular (i.e., "she" or "her"). Further, most people won't argue that "people" is a plural noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be plural (i.e., "they" or "them").

With me so far?

Indefinite pronouns, however, muddy the waters. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are ... well, indefinite. They refer to an undefined person(s) or thing(s). Some indefinite pronouns are singular; others are plural. When using a singular indefinite pronoun, any associated pronouns must also be singular, and plural indefinite pronouns must have associated plural pronouns.

Singular indefinite pronouns include: everyone, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, everything, nothing.

Plural indefinite pronouns include: all, many, some, few, several, both.

Examples:

Did everyone remember to bring his homework?

VERSUS

Did some of the students remember to bring their homework?

OR

Somebody forgot to call her mother.

VERSUS

A few forgot to call their mothers.

KEY: Look at the indefinite pronoun you're using. Does it have "one," "body," or "thing"? These are singular words, so you need to treat the entire indefinite pronoun as singular.

For a bit more detail, visit one of my favorite online writing resources. Come back in a couple of weeks ... I think I'll be writing on thesis statements then, but we'll see!

Keep pen to paper!

Prof. Saundra

Let's start at the very beginning ... (nouns and pronouns)

One of my very favorite musicals has a song:

Let's start at the very beginning,
a very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with ABC ...

Just as we start reading by learning our ABCs, writing begins with a complete understanding of the parts of speech. Now, many of you are beyond the basics, but sometimes it's good to be reminded.

So today, we're going to "start at the very beginning ..."

NOUNS ...

Nouns are words that represent people, places, or things.

People, like my husband
Places, like the top of the aerial tram at Palm Springs, California.
Things, like this tree

So I could write a sentence like:

My husband is above Palm Springs looking at a tree.

These are all nouns.

No problem with nouns, right?

PRONOUNS ...

Let's move on to pronouns. I think you all know that pronouns substitute for nouns in a sentence. Instead of "my husband," for example, I could write:

He is above Palm Springs looking at a tree. ["He" substitutes for "husband."]

The issues comes when we begin to talk about subjective versus objective pronouns.

Subjective pronouns function as subjects in a sentence:

I sing.
She sings.
He sings.
You sing.
They sing.
We sing.

Even when you have compound subjects, you still use the subjective form of the pronoun.

Sharon and I sing.
He and she sing.

Objective pronouns function as objects in a sentence:

Call me.
Call her.
Call him.
Call you.
Call them.
Call us.

NOTE: When we're talking about objects, we're usually referring to "objects of the verb" (I'll call you) or "objects of the preposition" (Give the present to her).

The issue comes when we have compound objects. For example, if you had the following sentence, which pronoun would you use?

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

In the first blank, would you write "he" or "him"? Most of you would rightly choose "him." The logical answer is "Would you please call him?"

In the second blank, would you write "I" or "me"?

This is where is gets confusing for some of us. We've been raised to say "Sharon and I ..." or "Susie and I ..."

So when we see a sentence like:

Would you please call _______ and _______ before you leave?

we think it should be

Would you please call him and I before you leave?

However, if you take the sentence apart, would you really say

Would you please call I before you leave?

No!!

So, the correct answer would be

Would you please call him and me before you leave?

I know some of you think that doesn't sound correct, but it is. (You can blame your moms for this because every time you said, "Mom, can me and Joey go to the park?" She'd reply, "You should say, 'May Joey and I go to the park.'")

So ... we've started at the very beginning.

Next Friday, we'll build on the foundation and talk about verbs and participles ... exciting, isn't it?!

Keep pen to paper!