After the interview and the written test were completed, it was checked for incomplete answers.For example, below, “it” would be unclear, as it could refer to either the interview or the test. If there is any ambiguity, use the noun instead. When you use any type of pronoun, it’s important to ensure that the antecedent is clear and unambiguous. Examples: Pronouns and antecedents Annie was late to class again because she missed the bus.Īs they debated the point, the students became increasingly animated. Pronoun-antecedent agreement means ensuring that the pronoun you use matches its antecedent in number, person, and gender. The antecedent may also be something the person you’re speaking to said. It’s usually mentioned in the text before the pronoun, but sometimes it comes just after it in a sentence. The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun that it refers back to. Despite the name, noun phrases can just as well consist of pronouns as of nouns.įor example, the sentence “You and I saw someone else” contains two noun phrases, both headed by pronouns: “you and I” and “someone else.” Pronoun antecedents The indirect object is someone or something that receives the direct object.Įxamples: Pronouns as direct and indirect objectsGive me that!Ĭan you promise her this? NoteA noun phrase is a noun or pronoun in combination with any determiners applied to it.The direct object is something or someone that is directly acted upon by the verb.It is difficult to stay calm in stressful situations.Ī pronoun can also function as the object in a sentence-either a direct or indirect object: Examples: Pronouns as subjects I like to play chess. Like nouns, pronouns commonly serve as the subject of a sentence, followed by a verb (a word expressing an action). Because of this, they are used in sentences in similar ways to nouns. The main function of pronouns is to replace nouns. Personal pronouns (first-, second-, and third-person).The singular they might not be incorrect, but “not incorrect” is no one’s idea of an impressive credential. ![]() ![]() We stand with the English scholar Paul Brians, who says in Common Errors in English Usage: “It is wise to shun this popular pattern in formal writing.” And we admire the passion of the writer Jen Doll: “Every time I see a singular they, my inner grammatical spirit aches … The singular they is ear-hurting, eye-burning, soul-ravaging, mind-numbing syntactic folly.” You will never see the singular they in our blog posts. So do we recommend the singular they? In fact we loathe it. The irascible Tom Chivers, writing in London’s daily Telegraph: “If someone tells you that singular ‘they’ is wrong, you can firmly tell them to go to hell.”.The American Heritage Dictionary: “Writers who choose to use they with a singular antecedent should rest assured that they are in good company-even if a fair number of traditionalists still wince at the usage.”.Great writers have used it, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, Swift, Fielding, Austen, Defoe, Byron, Thackeray and Shaw.” British editor Tom Freeman: “Singular ‘they’ is over 600 years old, going back into Middle English.It is found in the works of many great writers.” From A Dictionary of Contemporary American Usage (1957) by Bergen Evans and Cornelia Evans: “The use of they in speaking of a single individual is not a modern deviation from classical English.Perhaps you will reconsider after hearing from the language scholars. Oscar Wilde: “Experience is the name everybody gives to their mistakes.” Henry Fielding: “Every Body fell a laughing, as how could they help it?” Shakespeare: “God send everyone their heart’s desire.” The King James Bible: “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”Įven despite these eminent writers’ words, we know that many of you are adamant that the plural pronoun they and its variants should never be used with singular antecedents. But Shaw was no outlier when it came to the so-called “singular they.” “It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses” was written by the celebrated playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw. ![]() But after looking long and hard at the overwhelming evidence, we cannot in good conscience say that C is incorrect. We consider ourselves traditionalists too. Most traditionalists would consider B the best sentence (despite the clunky his or her), although they would reluctantly accept A also. Those who consider themselves “old school” would likely consider C incorrect: their is plural but its antecedent, anyone, is singular. C) It’s enough to drive anyone out of their senses. B) It’s enough to drive anyone out of his or her senses. Which of the following sentences is incorrect: A) It’s enough to drive anyone out of his senses.
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