Matakuliah : G0794/Bahasa Inggris
Tahun
: 2007
Pronouns
Meeting 5
Contents
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Singular vs. Plural Nouns
Subject and object Pronouns
Possessive adjectives and pronouns
Pronoun reference for agreement
Using Pronouns Clearly
Because a pronoun REFERS BACK to a noun or
TAKES THE PLACE OF that noun, you have to
use the correct pronoun so that your reader
clearly understands which noun your pronoun is
referring to.
Therefore, pronouns should:
1. AGREE in NUMBER
If the pronoun takes the place of a singular noun, you have
to use a singular pronoun.
If a student parks a car on campus, he or she has to buy a parking
sticker.
(NOT: If a student parks a car on campus, they have to buy a
parking sticker.)
REMEMBER: The words EVERYBODY, ANYBODY, ANYONE, EACH,
NEITHER, NOBODY, SOMEONE, A PERSON, etc. are singular and
take singular pronouns.
Everybody ought to do his or her best. (NOT: their best)
Neither of the girls brought her umbrella. (NOT: their umbrellas)
NOTE: Many people find the construction "his or her"
wordy, so if it is possible to use a plural noun as your
antecedent so that you can use "they" as your pronoun,
it may be wise to do so. If you do use a singular noun
and the context makes the gender clear, then it is
permissible to use just "his" or "her" rather than "his or
her."
2. AGREE in PERSON
If you are writing in the "first person" ( I), don't
confuse your reader by switching to the "second
person" ( you) or "third person" (he, she, they, it,
etc.). Similarly, if you are using the "second
person," don't switch to "first" or "third."
When a person comes to class, he or she should
have his or her homework ready.
(NOT: When a person comes to class, you should
have your homework ready.)
3. REFER CLEARLY to a specific noun.
Don't be vague or ambiguous.
NOT: Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. (Is "it"
the motorcycle or the tree?)
NOT: I don't think they should show violence on TV. (Who are "they"?)
NOT: Vacation is coming soon, which is nice. (What is nice, the
vacation or the fact that it is coming soon?)
NOT: George worked in a national forest last summer. This may be his
life's work. (What word does "this" refer to?)
NOT: If you put this sheet in your notebook, you can refer to it. (What
does "it" refer to, the sheet or your notebook?)
Possessive adjectives
• My, your, his, her, its, our, and their are the
English possessive adjectives, used with nouns
to show possession or ownership.
EG. That's my folder. (My is an adjective which shows that I am the
owner of the folder.)
• My; your; his; her; its; our; & their are the
possessive adjectives in English. They are used
before a noun to show possession.
Pronoun reference
• Pronouns usually refer to other words, called their
antecedents because they (should) come before the
pronoun. A pronoun's antecedent may be either a noun
or another pronoun, but in either case, it must be clear
what the antecedent is. Consider this example:
– Micheline told Ruth that she would take Jerry to the barn dance.
• It is not clear whether the pronoun "she" in this sentence
refers to Ruth or Micheline. Unless pronouns refer
unmistakably to distinct, close, and single antecedents,
the reader will never be sure who's going to the square
dance with whom.
A pronoun should have only one possible antecedent
If there is more than one possible antecedent for a
personal pronoun in a sentence, make sure that the
pronoun refers only to one of them:
[WRONG] Jerry found a gun in the knickers which he wore.
"Which he wore" could modify "knickers" or "gun."
[WRONG] Jerry called Steve twelve times while he was in Reno.
The pronoun "he" could refer either to "Jerry" or to "Steve."
A pronoun should not refer to an implied idea
Make sure that the pronoun refers to a specific rather than to an implicit
antecedent: When you leave the antecedent implied instead of stating it
explicitly, the reader has to try to guess your sentence's meaning:
– [WRONG] John put a bullet in his gun and shot it.
The pronoun "it" can refer either to the noun "gun" or to the implied object of
the verb "shot".
– [WRONG] If I told you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?
The pronoun "it" can refer to the noun "body" or to the entire statement.
– [WRONG] The craftspersons' union reached an agreement on Ruth's penalty, but
it took time.
The pronoun "it" can refer to the noun "union" or to the implied process of
decision making.
A pronoun should not refer to adjectives or possessive nouns
• You should not use adjectives, or nouns or pronouns in the
possessive case, as antecedents. Although they may imply a noun,
reference to them will be ambiguous:
– In Ruth's apology she told Jerry she'd loved him for years.
• In this case, the pronoun "she" seems to refer to the noun phrase
"Ruth's apology,", though it was probably meant to refer to
possessive noun "Ruth's."
– Jerry wore those blasted green knickers; it was his favourite colour.
• In this example, the pronoun "it" seems to refer to the noun
"knickers," though it was probably meant to refer to the adjective
"green."
A pronoun should not refer to a title
• When you start your paper, do not write as if the title
itself were part of the body of the paper. Often, the title
will appear on a separate page, and your opening will be
confusing. Imagine, for example, a paper entitled "How
to Sew Green Knickers": you should not begin the first
paragraph with a sentence like
– This is not as easy as it looks.
• The writer probably wanted the pronoun "this" to refer to
the idea of sewing knickers, but since the idea is not in
the body of the paper itself, the reference will not make
sense.