Pronoun which refers to

Did the daughter forget to do her dishes? Was the mother a slob who thought her daughter should clean up after her? Which person does the pronoun her refer to? This faulty pronoun reference can be easily corrected:. When the daughter made a mess, the mother called her back to clean it up. Even with two pronouns, the references in this sentence are clear. Here is another example of a faulty pronoun reference. Writers who wish to adhere to formal conventions for pronoun reference may wish to make the antecedent plural so the pronoun agrees in number.

Effective teachers provide clear feedback to their students. Use a singular pronoun after such words as each, either, neither, one, no one, everyone, someone, anyone, nobody, everybody, somebody, anybody. See more on singular indefinite pronouns. Not one of the students received an A on their paper. The above is something we might say, but it is wrong in formal, grammatically correct writing because it doesn't make logical sense: 'one' is singular and 'their' is plural.

Not one of the students received an A on his or her paper. In the above example, what is correct is also awkward. Sometimes it may be best to revise the sentence so that the antecedent is in the plural so the pronoun can also be plural:. All of the students received less than A on their papers. Use a singular pronoun to refer to a collective or entity noun such as crowd or committee when the group or entity is considered as a whole.

The crowd , venting its anger, smashed the police car. Use a plural pronoun to refer to a collective or entity noun when the members are thought of singly. The committee are agreed that they must present their report to Parliament this month. Use a plural pronoun to agree with two antecedents joined by and.

The owner and the manager of the business quickly made their fortunes. To solve the problem, restate the noun: substitute bagels for them. In the next sentence, the antecedent for It is vague, leaving the reader confused. Was it only the sky that filled the observer with hope and joy?

Try substituting The scene for It. The hills were lush green, the trees in full bloom, the sky a brilliant blue. It filled me with hope and joy. The paper was too long, too general, and too filled with pretentious language. This meant Joe had to rewrite it. These problems meant that Joe had to rewrite it. The vague this and the indefinite it are common in writing. It can occasionally be used as an indefinite indicator: It's true. While Alex is the subject of the sentence, Alex is not the subject of the dependent clause that him appears in if she would let him in.

In this clause, she is the subject, so the reflexive pronoun cannot be used here. Practice In each sentence, fill in the blank with the correct pronoun. George Washington was the first president of the United States.

It is followed by the noun box of cereal , so it appears in its adjective form, rather than as mine. It is a subject case, singular, neutral third-person pronoun. I should make sure they texted me. I is a subject case, singular, first-person pronoun. They is a subject case, plural, third-person pronoun. Them is a object case, plural, third-person pronoun. Me is a object case, singular, first-person pronoun. The only person you need to please is you. You is an subject case, singular, second-person pronoun.

You is an object case, singular, second-person pronoun. Yourself would also be ok here, since the subject and object of the sentence are the same. He set the standard of only serving two terms of office. He is a subject case, singular, masculine third-person pronoun.

Do I actually have to read all of this contract? That thing is not coming anywhere near me. Those recipes are all gross. Practice In the following sentences, determine if this , that , these , or those should be used.

Lara looked at her meal in front of her. Show Answer Lara looked at her meal in front of her. The meal is right in front of Lara, and there is only one meal. This is the correct pronoun. Those is the correct pronoun. The paint samples are in immediate focus whether Ashley is holding them or looking at them online , and there are three of them.

These is the correct pronoun. You know what they say. Practice Identify the indefinite pronouns in the following sentences. Everyone should take the time to critically think about what he or she wants out of life. If I had to choose between singing in public and swimming with leeches, I would choose neither.

If nobody else enrolls in this class, it will be cancelled this semester.