Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference by Gary Lutz

Author:Gary Lutz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Composition & Creative Writing
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2011-04-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

REFERENCES OF

PRONOUNS

With the exceptions of the first-person personal pronouns (I, me, we, us), the second-person personal pronoun (you), and the indefinite pronouns (such as anybody, everybody, none, and some), every pronoun must have an antecedent—a noun (or noun equivalent) to which the pronoun clearly, unmistakably, refers. Verbs, adjectives, and adverbs—as well as phrases functioning as verbs, adjectives, or adverbs, and dependent clauses functioning as adjectives or adverbs—cannot serve as antecedents.

PRONOUNS AND EXPLICIT ANTECEDENTS

Make sure that every pronoun has an explicit antecedent. A sentence in which a pronoun lacks a clear and explicit antecedent suffers from an error in pronoun reference.

Faulty: Breathe in through your nose, hold it for a few seconds, then breathe out through your mouth.

(Debbie Cafazzo, “Ten Steps Toward Tranquility,” Tacoma [WA] News Tribune, 20 Jan. 2004, p. D1)

The writer obviously wants it to mean your breath, but the noun breath does not appear earlier (or anywhere else) in the sentence. The verb breathe cannot serve as the antecedent of it. The only noun to which it could conceivably refer is nose, but the writer certainly does not want the reader to hold her nose for a few seconds.

Correct: Breathe in through your nose, hold your breath for a few seconds, then breathe out through your mouth.

Faulty: Times have changed, and you’d probably be foolish to hitchhike and even more foolish to pick up one, but for decades hitchhiking was how college students and members of the armed services got around.

(Dale McFeatters, “I Got Around,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4 Dec. 2003, p. B2)

The antecedent of one is submerged, and only implied, in the infinitive to hitchhike, which is functioning adverbially.

Correct: Times have changed, and you’d probably be foolish to hitch a ride and even more foolish to pick up a hitchhiker, but for decades college students and members of the armed services got around by thumbing their way.

AVOIDING AMBIGUOUS ANTECEDENTS

Make sure that the antecedent of a pronoun is not ambiguous. That is, make sure that there is only one noun to which the pronoun refers.

Ambiguous: Marcie told Lianne that she needs to lower her expectations.

Who needs to lower her expectations—Marcie or Lianne? If it’s Marcie, the first two revisions will solve the ambiguity. If it’s Lianne, the last two revisions will do the trick.

Clear: Marcie confided in Lianne that she needs to lower her expectations.

Clear: Marcie told Lianne, “I need to lower my expectations.”

Clear: Marcie recommended that Lianne lower her expectations.

Clear: Marcie told Lianne, “You need to lower your expectations.”

Here’s another example.

Ambiguous: Joey e-mailed Matt every day while he was on his honeymoon.

Who was on the honeymoon—Joey or Matt?

Clear: While Joey was on his honeymoon, he e-mailed Matt every day.

Clear: While Matt was on his honeymoon, Joey e-mailed him every day.

AVOIDING VAGUE ANTECEDENTS

Avoid using the pronouns they and it with unspecified, indefinite antecedents.

Faulty: Here at work they expect us to show initiative.

Correct: Here at work the managers expect us to show initiative.

Correct: Here at work we’re expected to show initiative.

Faulty: In the owner’s manual it emphasizes that you should have the oil changed every three thousand miles.

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