PRONOUNS: correcting faulty references & agreements
Oh, Those Problematic Pronouns
Look at the following sentence and see if you can figure out what is wrong with it:
There are many problems in our life and in our society, and there are many movies about them.*
Now look at this one and try to find the error:
If a Sarah and Beth are caught cheating in class again, she will be given a failing grade and won’t graduate.**
*In the last part of the sentence, does “them” refer to problems or movies? The reference is vague.
** Who does “she” refer to—Sarah or Beth? The pronoun does not agree with the antecedent.
Pronoun Basics
 Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns.
 Pronouns must agree with the nouns they substitute; these nouns are called antecedents.
 Pronouns that do not refer clearly to a particular noun—often because there are 2+ nouns in the sentence—cause a
grammatical problem that can cause great confusion and misunderstanding of the intended meaning.
 Antecedents are the nous that precede (comes before) something else in a sentence. In grammar, an antecedent is a
word or phrase (noun or noun phrase) that is replaced by a substitute—a pronoun.
 Vague Reference is a term to describe when a pronoun does not clearly refer to a specific antecedent.
 Agreements are made when nouns agree with their pronoun substitutes in number, person, tense, and gender.
 Pronoun Case refers to the different types of pronouns (listed below); there are rules for choosing the correct pronoun
case in different kinds of sentences, depending on their meanings.
Personal
Possessive
Reflexive
Demonstrative
Relative
Interrogative
Reciprocal
Singular Indefinite
Plural Indefinite
Indefinite (sing.v.pl)
I, you, we, he, she, it, they, we
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, our, their, theirs
myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
this, that, these, those
who, whom, whose, that, which
who, whoever, whom, whomever, what, whatever, which, whichever
each other, one another
another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, less,
little, much, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone, something
both, few, fewer, many, others, several
all, any, more, most, none, some, such
HEY! GUESS WHAT? Basically, your grammar checker stinks and should be deleted from your word processing program
and drop-kicked into outer space to implode and vanish forever, never to fool a trusting writer again. Grammar
checkers do not correct pronoun errors very often if at all, and/or the corrections suggested are just plain wrong, so you
must, must, must use your very own eyeballs and grey matter (that squishy stuff between your ears) and edit yourself.
PESKY PRONOUN PROBLEM #1: pronoun-antecedent agreements
Because pronouns refer back to a noun or take the place of a noun, you have to use the correct pronoun so that your
reader clearly understands to which noun every pronoun refers. Pronouns should agree with antecedents in these
ways: number, person, and gender.
1) Agree in NUMBER & GENDER
If the pronoun takes the place of a singular noun, use a singular pronoun. If a pronoun refers to a plural noun, use a
plural pronoun. If the pronoun is indefinite (see list above), there is a separate set of rules that I will teach you soon that
will help you identify and choose the right pronoun to make proper agreements.
Examples:
If a student parks a car on campus, he or she has to buy a parking sticker.
If students want to park on campus, they have to buy parking stickers.
Remember: for indefinite pronouns, you have to check to see which ones are singular and which are plural
Everybody should do his or her best (not THEIR best)
Both were disappointed about their grades (not HIS or HER grades)
*HINT: Any pronoun that ends with “body,” “one,” or “thing” is singular. The others are a bit harder to remember. Use
your resources and the meanings of sentences to figure out how to choose the proper indefinite pronoun.
3) Agree in GENDER
No one in the law firm does their share of the necessary work.
Few do a very good job of scheduling his or her clients’ appointments.
“No one” is a singular indefinite pronoun, so the pronoun must also be singular.
No one in the law firm does his or her share of the necessary work.
“Few, however, is a plural indefinite pronoun, so the pronoun has to be plural too.
Few do a very good job of scheduling their clients’ appointments.
GENDER CONFUSION! Many readers find the construction “his or her” wordy and even annoying if it is repeated a lot,
so, if possible, try to use plural nouns instead. If your noun is plural, you can use “they” instead, which is easier on
readers and is fair to the two genders. (No woman likes to be referred to as “he” and guys don’t like to be called “she”
either—making it plural avoids the gender problem altogether.) It is wise to pluralize when you can to avoid using
“sexist language,” which is something that is a hot topic of debate in the English and Grammar world these days.
However, if you do use a singular noun and the context makes the gender clear, then it is permissible to use just “his” or
just “her” rather than “his or her.”
2) Agree in PERSON
“Person” refers to the first (I, me, we, our, etc.), second (you), or third (he, she, it, they, etc.) person. Try not to switch
person in a single piece of writing, especially in the same sentence. However, it may at times be appropriate to do
switch person. For example, if you are writing a research essay in the third person but want to include a personal
experience as evidence, it is appropriate to switch temporarily into first person.
Examples:
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.
I should complete my homework if I want to do well in this class.
NOT: I should complete my homework if you want to do well in this class.
Always do your best to make your Point of View (POV) in a piece of writing clear as well as consistent. In most cases,
avoid the second person (unless you are writing how to instructions or need to address readers directly). Favor first
person when explaining or providing personal experiences and to sound conversational and personal; use third person
to present generalizations and statements (truths, arguments, facts, etc.) and to achieve an objective and formal tone.
PESKY PRONOUN PROBLEM #2: vague or unclear references
A pronoun should always refer clearly and unmistakably to a particular noun (or antecedent). Do not be vague or
ambiguous with your pronoun references. Make sure it is always very, very clear what pronouns refer to.
Examples:
Although the motorcycle hit the tree, it was not damaged. (The motorcycle or the tree? It isn’t clear.)
I don’t think they should show violence on TV. (Who are “they”?)
Vacation is coming soon, which is nice. (What is “nice”?—the vacation or that it is coming soon?)
George worked in a national forest last summer. This may be his life’s work. (What word does “this” refer to?)
If you put this sheet in your notebook, you can refer to it. (What does “it” refer to, the sheet or notebook?)
Corrections:
Although the motorcycle hit the tree, the motorcycle was not damaged.
I don’t think TV shows should show violence.
I am happy that vacation is coming soon.
George worked in a national forest last summer. Working for the forest department may be his life’s work.
If you put this handout in your notebook, you can refer to the handout whenever you need to.
Three Ways to Correct Vague Pronoun References…
Error & Correction #1: Too Many Antecedents
A pronoun should only have one antecedent (the noun the pronoun refers to), and that antecedent should be clear and
unmistakable.
Example A:
Take the radio out of the car and fix it. (What is “it”?—the radio or the car?)
What is “it”—the radio or the car? The answer is unclear. Repair this mistake by substituting a noun for
a pronoun.
Corrections:
Example B:
Take the radio out of the car and fix the radio.
Take the radio out of the car and fix the car.
If the fans don’t buy all the peanuts, pack them away until the next game.
Most likely, “them” refers to peanuts not fans, since it is unlikely that the writer intends to pack away
the fans. However, since fans could be the antecedent for “them,” the reference is not entirely clear
and is therefore faulty. You can repair this error in at least two ways.
Corrections:
Example C:
If the fans don’t buy all the peanuts, pack the peanuts away until the next game.
Pack away the unsold peanuts and save them for the next game.
The supervisors told the workers that they could receive a bonus.
The pronoun reference is unclear: who will get the bonus—the supervisors or the workers? They could
refer to either.
Corrections:
The supervisors complimented the workers on receiving a bonus. (The workers get the
bonus.)
The supervisors told the workers that they themselves were expecting a bonus. (The
supervisors get the bonus.)
Error & Correction #2: Hidden Antecedents
Faulty pronoun references can happen when the pronoun’s antecedent functions as an adjective rather than a noun. In
such cases, the true antecedent is “hidden” or obscured because it has been subordinated to another noun.
Example A:
The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating it anyway.
The reader may think the dish was being eaten because dish appears to be the antecedent for the
pronoun it. Obviously, people do not eat dishes. What this writer means to say is “We were tired of
eating candy.” However, candy can’t be the antecedent for “it” because candy, situated in front of the
noun dish, is acting as an adjective. Only nouns can be antecedents. Repair this error by substituting
the appropriate noun for the pronoun it.
Corrections:
Example B:
The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating candy anyway.
Mark called Mary’s house all day, but she never answered the phone.
Obviously, she refers to Mary since a house would not be able to answer a phone. However, “Mary’s”
modifies “house”—“Mary’s” is a hidden antecedent and, thus, is not clear. To repair this error, we can
change the pronoun she to a noun or remove the hidden antecedent.
Corrections:
Mark called Mary’s house all day, but Mary never answered the phone.
Mark called Mary all day, but she never answered the phone.
Mary never answered the phone, although Mark called her house all day.
Error & Correction #3: No Antecedent At All
A final kind of pronoun reference error occurs when writers use a pronoun without giving any antecedent at all.
Example A:
The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.
Who are “they”? Since “they” has no antecedent to which it can refer, the identity is unknown—“they”
has no antecedent to which it refers. Repair this error by changing the pronoun without an antecedent
into a noun or by creating an antecedent—one that is clear.
Corrections:
Example B:
The witness called the television station, but the reporters didn’t answer.
The witness called the television reporters, but they didn’t answer.
Although Ms. Smith was wealthy, she made poor use of it.
In this example, the pronoun “it” has no antecedent to which it can refer. The reader knows that Ms.
Smith is “wealthy,” but “it” cannot refer to “wealthy” because “wealthy” is not a noun. Correct this
error by replacing the pronoun with a noun or by rephrasing the sentence so that the noun (antecedent)
comes first.
Corrections:
Although Ms. Smith was wealthy, she made poor use of her money.
Although Ms. Smith had a lot of money, she made poor use of it.
Example C:
It says in the paper that the law was passed.
“It,” which appears at the very beginning of the sentence, has not noun (antecedent) at all. Additionally,
the construction “It says in the paper…” is unnecessarily wordy. Repair this error by writing a more
direct version of “It says in the paper…” or by rephrasing the problematic part of the sentence.
Corrections:
Example D:
The paper says that the law was passed.
According to the paper, the law was passed.
I did not attend the rally, which was very unpatriotic.
Sometimes, a faulty pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun is used to stand in for (refer to)
a whole group of words instead of one clear noun (antecedent). In the sentence above, “which” has no
single, clear antecedent; instead it refers to the entire clause “I did not attend the rally…” A pronoun
must always refer to a single, clear, unmistakable noun (antecedent); thus, the reference in the sentence
above is incorrect. Repair the error by replacing the pronoun “which” with a noun or by rephrasing the
sentence to eliminate the pronoun.
Corrections:
Example E:
I did not attend the rally. My actions were very unpatriotic.
By not attending the rally, I was unpatriotic.
Because I did not attend the rally, I was very unpatriotic.
My not attending the rally was very unpatriotic.
Not attending the rally was very unpatriotic of me.
Megan phoned Howard yesterday to explain why she had not attended the meeting the day before.
This made Howard very angry.
“This” is a problem here because its antecedent is the entire preceding sentence. The reader cannot be
sure whether Howard is angry because Megan phoned, Megan phoned yesterday, or Megan had not
attended the meeting the day before. Repair this error by creating a clear antecedent for “this” or by
rephrasing the sentence to eliminate the pronoun.
Corrections:
NOTE:
Megan phoned Howard yesterday to explain why she had not attended the meeting the
day before. Megan’s absence made Howard very angry.
Megan phoned Howard yesterday to explain why she had not attended the meeting the
day before. Megan’s phone call made Howard very angry.
Because Megan phoned Howard yesterday to explain why she had not attended the
meeting the day before, Howard became very angry.
Megan’s phone call yesterday to explain why she had not attended the meeting the day
before made Howard very angry.
Watch out whenever you use the pronouns “this” and “which”—they are often used incorrectly and
create faulty pronoun references.
Works Cited
“Self-Teaching Unit: Faulty Pronoun Reference.” Online Writing Support. Towson University. 2000. Web. 4 Jul. 2010.<http://www.towson.edu/ows/modulepro.htm>.
“Using Pronouns Clearly.” OWL at Purdue. Purdue University. 2010. Web. 4 Jul. 2010. <http://owl.english.purdue/edu/owl/resource/595/01/>.