AGREEMENT ERRORS
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AGREEMENT ERRORS:
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II. PRONOUN AGREEMENT
A) CONSISTENCY: be consistent throughout essay · match in terms of GENDER · Maria brought her guitar to class. · match in terms of NUMBER (singular noun with singular pronoun, plural with plural) · The drama students went to the Green Room to rehearse before their first performance. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ B) AND: · if AND joins the two nouns, the pronoun must be plural · subject can be replaced with “they” because there is no choice; both are referred to · Shakira and Shaquika practiced their dance moves. · They practiced their dance moves. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ C) EITHER/OR: · the noun antecedent nearest the pronoun will decide if the pronoun is singular or plural · here, there is a choice; both are not referred to; only the antecedent nearest the pronoun matters grammatically · Either the Piccarelli siblings or Juan should remove his car from the driveway. · Either Juan or the Piccarelli siblings should remove their car from the driveway. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ D) INDEFINITE PRONOUNS: · use singular pronouns to refer back to the indefinite pronouns “each” or “every” · Every vehicle without a parking sticker received a ticket on its windshield. · see below ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ E) VAGUE PRONOUN REFERENCE:
1) Vague Pronoun Reference: · What most grammar handbooks incorrectly term “sexist language” is more accurately labeled poor, vague, or unclear pronoun reference. · As writers, you must be as clear as you possibly can, assuming nothing. · Since you have but one chance to convey your idea, say exactly what you mean. · Each student brought his textbook to class. · If you were writing about an all-boys school, then this would be acceptable. · If, however, you mean that both males and females comprise the student body, then you must change the sentence.
1) The “his/her” split: Each student brought his/her textbook to class. 2) Make your subject plural (*): The students brought their textbooks to class. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Gender Confusion: When both (or more) nouns in a sentence are of the same gender, beware of pronoun confusion. · Betty told Alice that she was in trouble. (Who is in trouble here?!) · The field hockey coach rushed past her injured player to argue with the referee; she was hit in the face by a stray stick. (Which of the 3 was hit in the face?!) · to fix: 1) rewrite the entire sentence, changing the structure; 2) replace the pronoun with the proper noun, despite the repetitive sound of the sentence · Rewrite: …the goalie was hit in the face by a stray stick. · Rewrite: Rushing to argue with the referee, the field hockey coach ran past her injured player who was hit in the face by a stray stick. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) “That’s what they say.” and Inanimate Objects Performing Human Tasks: · “That’s what they say”--who exactly is they?! · there is no noun or pronoun in the sentence to which “they” refers · similarly, we cannot write that inanimate objects are performing tasks that humans must; for example: I got a call from the bank today; they informed me that I have overdrawn on my account. · this is incorrect because 1) the bank is a physical structure that cannot use a telephone; only in Stephen King novels do machines come to life, and 2) “they” does not have a noun to which it refers · to fix: 1) insert the appropriate human noun, and 2) match this appropriate noun with the proper pronoun “he” or “she” · Rewrite: I got a call from the bank manager (or bank president or a teller) today; she informed me that I have overdrawn on my account.
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