Identifying Errors in Grammatical Structure and Logical Relationships Involving Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs

Pronouns

Pronouns are used in place of nouns. For example, in the sentence below, the pronoun "he" takes the place of the noun, "Peter."

After Peter had supper, he went to bed.

Singular nouns must be replaced by singular pronouns while plural nouns must be replaced by plural pronouns. For example, consider the sentence below.

When the team won the game, (it, they) paraded around the field.

The noun "team" is singular and should be followed by the singular pronoun, "it."

As a different example, consider the sentence below.

When the players won the game, (it, they) paraded around the field.

The noun "players" is plural and should be followed by the plural pronoun, "they."

Another situation that frequently creates errors is the possibility of a pronoun being used without making it's reference (the noun it replaces) clear. The pronouns "this" and "that" are frequently involved in such misuses as is shown by the example below.

Music during dinner is relaxing. That is what I need.

The meaning of the sentences above is unclear because "That" may refer to "music during dinner" or "relaxing."

1) For the sentences below, what causes the unclear pronoun reference? Click here when you are finished.

Good company executives practice high ethical standards. This makes stockholders more secure.

Other situations that often create unclear pronoun references involve the pronouns "they" and "you" with indefinite antecedents. For example, study the sentence below.

On TV last night, they predicted a stock market crash.

The sentence above is unclear because the pronoun "they" has no clear antecedent. The sentence could be corrected by stating a specific TV program or specific individuals.

2) For the sentence below, what causes the unclear pronoun reference? Click here when you are finished.

For athletic contests, you need to stay in good shape.

Some unclear pronoun references occur when there is a choice of nouns that could be considered the antecedent. For example, study the sentence below.

After Jack and Jim climbed the hill, he was breathing hard.

The sentence above is unclear because the pronoun "he" might refer to either Jack or Jim. The sentence might be intended to mean:

Jack was breathing hard after he and Jim climbed the hill.

3) For the sentence below, what causes the unclear pronoun reference? Click here when you are finished.

For Martha and Mary to cook dinner, she needed an oven.