Pronoun Agreement and
Case
One and You
• Used to talk about people in general terms
• If you want to do well on the ACT…
• If one wants to do well on the ACT…
• Don’t use them interchangeably. Stick with one or the other.
ACT Question
• If you want to avoid insect invasions, you should avoid leaving crumbs
lying on the floor. You should also avoid leaving dirty dishes in the
sink since ants and mice are attracted to leftovers. Finally, one should
make sure that cracks in the floor and walls are sealed because pests
can often enter homes by wriggling through tiny spaces.
• A- No change
• B- we
• C- they
• D- you
Singular and Plural
• Singular
•
She he, her, his
• Plural
• They, their
ACT Style Question
• Mae Jemison became the first African-American woman to travel into
space wen she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour
on September 12, 1992. After one’s medical education and a brief
general practice, Jemison served in the Peace Corps for two years.
• A. No change
• B. her
• C. their
• D. your
Male/Female Confusion
• When it is unclear whether a singular noun refers to a male or a
female, the phrase “he or she” or “his or her” should be used.
• Incorrect- When an artist works with oil paints, they should allow at
least a week for paintings to dry.
• Correct- he or she should allow
Continued
• Incorrect- An artist who works with oil paints should allow at least a
week for their paintings to dry.
• Correct- his or her paintings
Pronouns for Things
• For singular nouns
• It, its, this, that
• For plural nouns
• They, them, their, those, these
DISTRACTION Options
• The cacao bean is the dried and fully fermented fatty bean of the
cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). Their the source of cocoa butter and
solids, including chocolate, as well as an ingredient in many
Mesoamerican dishes such as mole and tejate.
• A- No change
• B- It is
• C- One is
• D- They’re
Missing or Ambiguous Antecedent
• Pronouns must refer back to a specific noun (antecedent).
• Sometimes a pronoun will refer to a missing or unclear noun.
• Fix it- Clear up the confusion by naming the specific noun
ACT Style
• Daniel Liebeskind and Ken Nakamura are among the most celebrated
architects in the world. He is known for creating simulated “cities” in
which he seeks to simultaneously express the physical and virtual
worlds.
• A. No change
• B. Their
• C. Nakamura is
• D. He would be
Long sometimes right
• Some sources claim that Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes was the first
person to bring the tomato to Europe in 1521. Others say that Christopher
Columbus, a Genoese working for the Spanish monarchy, took it back as
early as 1493. Regardless of which version is true, reports from the time
period all agree that they were intensely suspicious when they first
encountered the small yellow fruit.
•
•
•
•
A. No change
B. one was
C. members of the Spanish court were
D. we were
Pronoun Case
• Case refers to whether a pronoun is the subject or object of a sentence
• He kicked it to her.
•
•
• 1ST Person
• 2nd Person
• 3rd Person
He= Sub
it= DO
Subject Pronouns
Singular
Plural
I
We
You
You
She/He/It/One
They
her=IO
Subject Pronoun Examples
• Hernan Cortes was…He was
• Members of the Spanish Court were…They were
• Jane and I could…We could
Object pronouns
•
• 1st Person
• 2nd Person
• 3rd Person
Singular
Me
You
Her, Him, It, One
Plural
Us
You
Them
Object pronoun examples
• Members of the Spanish Court greeted Hernan Cortes with surprise
• greeted him
• Architect Ken Nakamura is known for designing simulated “cities.”
• …for designing them.
• Later on that day, Jane’s dog sat with Jane and me in the garden.
• …sat with us
Practice
• Correct- Ann went to the museum with Bob.
• Correct- She went to the museum with Bob.
• Correct- Ann went to the museum with him.
• Incorrect- Her went to the museum with Bob.
• Incorrect- She went to the museum with he.
• Incorrect- Her went to the museum with he.
Continued practice with subject pronouns
• Correct- Ann and Rosita went to the museum with Bob.
• Incorrect- Her and Rosita went to the museum with Bob.
• Correct- She and Rosita went to the museum with Bob.
Continued Practice with Object Pronouns
• Incorrect- Ann went to the museum with he and Rosita.
• Cross Out- Ann went to the museum with he.
• Correct- Ann went to the museum with him.
• Correct- Ann went to the museum with him and Rosita.
ACT Style
• At the exhibit, Mark and I stood staring at the sculpture of a crow.
Mark asked if he could touch it, and slowly, the artist picked the piece
up and handed it to him and I.
• A. No change
• B. us
• C. we
• D. them