EICCD - grammar - Pronouns

1. Everyone should exercise their right to vote.

2. He dropped the record on the phonograph arm and broke it.

The two sentences above illustrate two of the most common problems writers have in using pronouns. In the first one, the pronoun "their" is plural, and it refers back to the word "everyone" which is singular (notice the one). In the second sentence, the pronoun "it" does not clearly refer to any one preceding noun; we are confused about whether the record or the phonograph arm was broken. These two pronoun errors--problems of agreement and problems of confusion--will be dealt with separately.

A pronoun, as you probably already know, is a word that stands for or refers back to another noun or pronoun. The noun that a pronoun stands for should always be named sometime before the pronoun is used, and it should always be clear what noun the pronoun stands for. Obviously, if a pronoun is used to stand for a plural noun, that pronoun should also be plural. And a singular pronoun should always be used for a singular noun. Most writers would agree with the logic of this. However, unless we stop to think about it, we may sometimes have difficulty recognizing whether a noun or pronoun is singular or plural. For example, consider the following list of pronouns:

     anybody
     anyone
     everybody
     everyone
     nobody
     person
     somebody
     someone

Each of the above words is singular.

The common error is to consider the above words plural. Doing so leads to sentences like:

        A person should mind their own business.
                                 or
        Everyone should do what they can to help.

After what you've read, you can probably see that "their" and "they" are plural pronouns and should not be used with singulars. In order to correct the agreement errors, the sentences should have been written this way:

A person should mind his own business

Everyone should do what he can to help.

Some writers may choose to use "their" or "they" because they feel "his" or "he" is sexist. "He," "him," or "his" may still be used to refer to both men and women, but if you want to avoid possible sexism and still maintain pronoun agreement, you can use "he or she," "his or her," or "him or her." Of course, if "everyone" is a woman, use "she" or "her;" if "everyone" is a man, use "he" or "him." For example:

Someone left her purse in the classroom.

Someone left his necktie on the bus.

Someone left his or her notebook on the back seat.

One warning: Sentences can become awkward if they are crowded with "his or her," so use "his" or "her" by itself whenever you can and avoid using too many "his or her" constructions together.

One other kind of singular noun that is sometimes hard to recognize as singular is the collective noun. Collective nouns are words that refer to more than one person, but they are considered singular because they refer to one group of persons. Here is a list of some of the most common collective nouns:

class                group
college             jury
committee        panel
company          school
family               society
flock                 team
government     tribe

Consider how the following sentences use collective nouns:

1. The jury meets early today because it must decide on a verdict.

("it," not "they" because "it refers to a single group)

2. Society must protect its members from violence.

("its," not "their")

As mentioned before, the noun that a pronoun stands for should always be named sometime before the pronoun is used, and it should always be clear what noun the pronoun stands for. Two simple reminders can help eliminate confusing pronouns: Be sure "they" or "it" clearly stands for a noun that has been specifically named earlier. If "they" or "it" does not stand for a specific noun, use the specific noun instead of "they" or "it." For example:

Confusing: At registration, they said I should take Math 101. (Who's "they?")
Clear: At registration, an adviser said I should take Math 101.

Confusing: On the beach, it says no swimming is allowed. (What is "it?")
Clear: On the beach, a sign says no swimming is allowed.

Be sure a pronoun clearly stands for one noun, not uncertainly to two. For example:

     Confusing: The teacher met with one of his students before he went to class.
                        (Who does "he" refer to?)
     Clear: Before he went to class, the teacher met with one of his students.
     Clear: Before his student went to class, the teacher met with him.

Pronouns

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