Faulty Pronoun Usage

1. Faulty Pronoun Usage http://www.towson.edu/ows/modulepro.htm

2. Every pronoun you write should refer clearly and unmistakably to ONE PARTICULAR noun. We call this noun the antecedent. • Look at the following example: • The pronoun "them" clearly refers to the noun disks. • Disks is the antecedent for the pronoun them.

3. Unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a pronoun WITHOUT a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent. • Look at this example: • The pronoun itdoesnot have a clear noun antecedent. • As a result, the reader cannot know for sure whether Kara sold the disk or the cabinet. The pronoun reference is faulty here because the pronoun it has two antecedents. • Such errors, called FAULTY or VAGUE PRONOUN REFERENCE, can confuse readers and obscure the intended meaning.

4. ERROR #1: TOO MANY ANTECEDENTS • A pronoun should have only one antecedent (the noun it refers to). • That antecedent must be clear and unmistakable. • Look at this sentence. • Anyone who reads this sentence would not know which item was to be fixed. • Does it refer to the radio or the car? The answer is unclear. • In the above example, faulty pronoun reference occurs because the pronoun it has two possible noun antecedents: radio and car. •     You can repair this error by substituting a noun for the pronoun. • or

5. Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference. • Most likely, them refers to peanuts since it is highly unlikely that the writer of this sentence intends to pack away the fans. • However, since fans could be the antecedent for them, the reference is not entirely clear. The pronoun reference in this sentence is faulty. • You can repair this error in at least two ways. • HOW TO REPAIR • 1. As with the first sentence, you can replace the pronoun them with a noun. • 2. You can also repair this error by rephrasing the sentence.

6. Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference. • The pronoun reference is unclear: Who will get the bonus -- the supervisors or the workers? They could refer to either group. • You can best fix this error by rephrasing the sentence. • Revision #1 (gives the bonus to the workers) •  Revision #2 (gives the bonus to the workers) • Rephrasing the sentence has made the meaning clear.

7. ERROR #2: HIDDEN ANTECEDENTS • Faulty / vague pronoun reference errors also occur when the pronoun's antecedent functions as an adjectiverather than a noun. • In such cases, the true antecedent is "hidden" or obscured from the reader because it has been subordinated to another noun. • Thus, we call this kind of faulty antecedent a hidden antecedent. • Look at this sentence. • The reader of this sentence might think that 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 cannot be the antecedent for it because candy, situated in front of the noun dish, is acting like an adjective. Only nouns can be antecedents. •     You can repair this error by substituting the appropriate noun for the pronoun it.

8. Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference. • 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. • Another way to repair this error is to remove the hidden antecedent. • Still another way to repair this error is to rephrase the sentence • (The antecedent for her is clearly Mary.)  

9. ERROR #3: NO ANTECEDENT AT ALL •  Another kind of faulty/vague pronoun reference problem occurs when writers use a pronoun without giving the pronoun any antecedent at all. •     Look at the following example. • Question: Who are "they" mentioned in the sentence? •     Answer: Since "they" has no antecedent in the sentence, the identity is unknown. • In this example, the pronoun they has NO noun antecedent to which it can refer. • We can repair this error by changing the pronoun without an antecedent into a noun. •     Example • Another way to repair this error is to create an antecedent -- one that is clear and unmistakable. •     Example

10. Below, another example shows how this error in pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun is used to stand for (refer to) a whole group of words INSTEAD OF one clear noun antecedent. • The pronoun which has no single, clear antecedent. • Instead, it refers to the entire clause -- "I did not attend the rally." • As you know, however, a pronoun must always refer to a single, clear, unmistakable NOUN ANTECEDENT. • Thus, the reference in the above example is incorrect. • We can repair this error in at least two ways. •      1. Replace the pronoun which with a noun. • Now no antecedent is needed since no pronoun is used. •      2. Rephrase the sentence to eliminate the pronoun.

11. Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference where a pronoun is asked to refer to a whole group of words instead of a clear, single noun antecedent. • The problem pronoun here is This. Its antecedent is the entire preceding sentence. • The reader cannot be sure whether Howard is very angry because: • 1.      Meg telephoned, • 2.      Meg telephoned yesterday, • OR • 3.      Meg had not attended the meeting the day before.

12. There are at least two ways to repair this error and create a clear antecedent for this : • 1.      Replace the pronoun (this) with a noun. •  In the above revisions, no antecedent is needed since no pronoun is used. • 2.      To repair the faulty pronoun reference (this) rephrase the sentence to eliminate the pronoun. OR