Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks - Pronoun Reference

Chapter Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks: Pronoun Reference In This Chapter • Define pronoun reference • Find out how unclear pronoun reference occurs • Learn how to keep pronoun reference cle

Chapter

Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks:

Pronoun Reference

In This Chapter

• Define pronoun reference

• Find out how unclear pronoun reference occurs

• Learn how to keep pronoun reference clear

So what the dickens is pronoun reference? A new low-fat, high-fiber

break-fast cereal? A nonslip floor wax? A painless hair removal system? Stop! You're all correct—pronoun reference is all this and more!

Just kidding, folks Actually, the term "pronoun reference" refers to the

fact that the meaning of a pronoun comes from its antecedent, the noun or

pronoun to which it refers In this chapter, you first learn all about clear pronoun reference—and ways in which unclear pronoun reference can occur in your writing and speech Then I teach you how to fix all your unclear pronouns By the end of this section, your pronouns will be as clear as a politician's agenda (if not clearer)

9 0 P a r t 2 : Under the Grammar Hammer

How's That Again?

Read the following passage and summarize what it says Warning: No fair scratching

your head as you try to figure the passage out

1945: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin take another meeting, this time at Yalta,

an old czarist summer resort on the Black Sea Victory over Germany and Japan

is in sight, but how are the Allied Powers to deal with it? Likewise, with them? Roosevelt miscalculates, choosing to trust him too much, listen to him—a past master of keep-your-distance diplomacy—too little Russia not only gets most of Eastern Europe, but also walks away with parts of it, too

What's wrong with this passage? The pronoun references are unclear As a result, you

don't know who's doing what to whom and where much less why Here are the

places where you were likely confused:

1945: Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin take another meeting, this time at Yalta,

an old czarist summer resort on the Black Sea Victory over Germany and Japan

is in sight, but how are the Allied Powers to deal with it? (What s the "it"—victory

or the defeated?) Likewise, with them? (Who's the "them"—the victors, the defeated,

or each other?) Roosevelt miscalculates, choosing to trust him (Whom?—Churchill

or Stalin?) too much, listen to him (Whom?—Churchill or Stalin?)—a past master

of keep-your-distance diplomacy—too little Russia not only gets most of Eastern

Europe, but also walks away with parts of it (Whats the it?—another country?), too

Carelessly placed pronouns can create unintentionally funny sentences as well as

con-fusing ones Consider the difference between what the writer thinks he or she said and what is really being said in each of these sentences:

• Antinuclear protesters released live cockroaches inside the White House

Tuesday, and these were arrested when they left and blocked the security gate

(That's what happens when you nuke a roach.)

• My mother wants to have the dog's tail operated on again, and if it doesn't heal

this time, she '11 have to be put away (Are we sending Mom or the pooch to the

happy hunting ground?)

• About a year ago, a wart appeared on my right foot, and I want it removed (Is

that before or after you take "it" out of your mouth?)

• Guilt, bitterness, and cruelty can be emotionally destructive to you and your

family You must get rid of them (Who? Guilt and bitterness, or the family?)

C h a p t e r 7 : Multiple-Vehicle Wreck: Pronoun Reference 9 1

There are three ways to prevent this kind of confusion with pronouns:

• Make a pronoun clearly refer to a single antecedent

antecedents

• Make a pronoun refer to a definite

antecedent

Let's look at each guideline in detail

( X _ J / Quoth the Maven _

Your writing will be confusing

if your pronoun reference is unclear

It Just Proves There's Someone for Everyone

To prevent unclear pronoun reference, make a pronoun clearly refer to a single antecedent

A common writing problem occurs when the same pronoun refers to more than one antecedent For example, in the last example in the preceding section, "them" can

refer to guilt, bitterness, and cruelty as well as your family

Can you hear the logic in that sentence circling the drain? Can you hear your reader screaming for mercy? Thank goodness, help is on the way Clarify the sentence by

replacing the unclear pronouns with nouns

That way, all the remaining pronouns will

clearly refer to a single antecedent Here are

two ways you could rewrite this sentence:

Guilt, bitterness, and cruelty can be

emotionally destructive to you and your

family You must get rid of these emotions

Or:

Guilt, bitterness, and cruelty can be

emotionally destructive to you and your

family You must get rid of these

destruc-tive feelings

tf^_J/ Quoth the Maven _

Make a pronoun clearly refer

to a single antecedent

Strictly Speaking

Remember that a pronoun replaces

a noun To make sure that your writing is clear, always use the

noun before you use the pronoun

The Numbers Game

There's no rule that limits the number of pronouns you can use—as long as each pro-noun clearly refers to a single antecedent For example:

9 Z P a r t 2 : Under the Grammar Hammer

• The office manager bought cheap, knock-off keyboards for his steno pool, but

they fell apart quickly because they were not suited to heavy use

The pronoun "his" refers to the office manager; the pronoun "they" refers to the

"keyboards."

Tag, You're It

How about giving it a shot? Rewrite each of the following sentences to make the pro-nouns clearly refer to their antecedents Not to panic: Remember that there's more than one way to skin a cat, make decent coffee, and fix unclear pronoun references

1 When Fred and Louie return home, he will call

2 When Dennis spoke to Keith that morning, he did not realize that he might win the lottery by the end of the day

3 When the rain started, we pulled out an umbrella and opened it It dampened our spirits for a while, but we decided to stick it out

4 If you asked Doug to describe Nick, he would say that he was sly, boring, and cheap—and then he would chuckle

5 Ask Nick about Doug, and he would say that, while he couldn't be a gossip, he was sure that he had links with the Young Republicans

6 He didn't consider him a safe driver, either

Answers

Possible responses:

1 When Fred and Louie return home, Fred will call (Or Louie could be doing

the calling just as easily.)

C h a p t e r 7 : Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks: Pronoun Reference 9 3

2 When Dennis spoke to Keith that morning, Dennis did not realize that he

might win the lottery by the end of the day (Again, Keith might just as easily have been the winner.)

3 When the rain started, we pulled out an umbrella and opened it The rain

dampened our spirits for a while, but we decided to stick it out

4 If you asked Doug to describe Nick, Doug would say that Nick was sly, boring, and cheap and—then Doug would chuckle

5 Ask Nick about Doug, and Nick would say that, while he couldn't be a gossip,

he was sure that Doug had links with the Young Republicans

6 Nick didn't consider Doug a safe driver, either

Location, Location, Location: Placement of Pronouns

Another way to avoid confusing pronoun reference is to go for the squeeze play:

Place pronouns as close to their antecedents as logically possible If too many phrases come between a pronoun and its antecedent, the pronouns may get muddied This can happen even if the intervening material is logically related to the rest of the sen-tence Here are some examples:

Confusing: The statement that the dog

catcher made and that she issued it as a

for-mal policy inflamed the city council, who

knew it would result in widespread anger

Clear: The dog catcher made a statement

and the Mayor issued a formal policy

This inflamed the City Council, which

knew this policy would result in

wide-spread anger

Confusing: Prehistoric people used many

inorganic substances difficult to find at

archaeological sites, which included clay

and rock

Clear: Prehistoric people used many inorganic

substances, including clay and rock, which

are difficult to find at archaeological sites

<f Quoth the Maven

Place pronouns close to their antecedents

Take My Word for It

When you start a new para-graph, repeat the noun from the previous paragraph rather than using a pronoun in its place Repeating the noun (usu-ally a name) can help your reader more easily follow your logic

% P a r t 2 : Under the Grammar Hammer

A Match Made in Writer's Heaven

Just as there's a pot for every lid, so there's an antecedent for every pronoun The pronoun's antecedent must be clearer than the Mississippi River, or your writing will

be as murky as the Big Muddy's depths How to achieve pronoun clarity? Make a

pro-noun refer to one specific antecedent As simple as that

Here are some guidelines to follow as you filter your writing to sift out pronoun errors

Take My Word for It

Pronouns are among the most

frequently used words in

English Among the top 1 0 0

words: he, it, his, I, they, you,

she, we, him

$

^ ^ Quoth the Maven

V / When the possessive quality

is added to a noun, that noun

becomes an adjective and is no

longer suitable to be an

ante-cedent

Not in the mood to put the

pro-noun in the possessive case?

Instead, you can revise the

sen-tence so the noun provides the

reference for the pronoun

Possession and Pronouns

Don't use a pronoun to refer to a noun's possessive form (the form that shows ownership) You can't use

a noun's possessive form as the antecedent to a pro-noun, unless the pronoun is also in the possessive case This sounds a lot trickier than it is, trust me and read these examples:

Confusing: The proctologist's discovery brought him

fame

(Because the pronoun him is not possessive, it cannot

be used to refer to the possessive proctologists.)

Clear: The proctologist became famous because of

his discovery

Confusing: Leroy 's report was superb Does he know

that?

Clear: Leroy wrote a great report Does he know

that?

It's a Lock

Be sure the pronouns it, this, that, and which refer to only one antecedent These four

sweet little pronouns are especially prone to unclear pronoun reference Here are some examples:

Confusing: Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and

years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies

in the history of the world This is interesting

C h a p t e r 7 : Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks: Pronoun Reference 9 5

(What is interesting? Karate? Bad movies? The relationship between karate and bad

movies?)

Clear: Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years

of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the

history of the world This phenomenon is interesting

Confusing: If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving a baby's

life, she will choose to save that without even considering if there are men on base

(What will she choose to save?)

Clear: If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving a baby's life, she

will choose to save the baby's life without even considering if there are men on base

Confusing: According to some sources, a rain of comets lasting hundreds of centuries

hits the earth every few million years or so Maybe that is how the dinosaurs perished

in a mass extinction 65 million years ago

Clear: According to some sources, a rain of

comets lasting hundreds of centuries hits the

earth every few million years or so Maybe

such a rain of comets killed the dinosaurs 65

million years ago

Confusing: I told my friends that I was going

to be a circus rouster which annoyed my boss

Clear: My boss was annoyed because I told my

friends that I was going to be a circus rouster

Strictly Speaking

Avoid using a pronoun to refer to the title of a document in the doc-ument's first sentence For exam-ple, if the title is "Big Bank's Role

in Mutual Funds," the first sentence cannot be "It is important and

we must stress it." What's the it?

It and They

Ever heard, "It said on television that " or "In the office they say "? Such expres-sions are sloppy, imprecise, and confusing Who are these mysterious "it"s and "they"s?

Eliminate this error by using the pronouns it and they carefully

Give it a shot Repair the following sloppy statements by straightening out the sloppy useof"it"sand"they"s

1 It said on the radio that it's going to rain tomorrow

2 In a book they say that animal testing is a bad idea; the animals all get nervous and give the wrong answers

9 6 P a r t 2 : Under the Grammar Hammer

3 It said that a Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean a mother

4 In a company they say that a committee is a group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary

5 The book says that applying computer technology is simply finding the right wrench to pound in the correct screw

Answers

1 The radio announcer said that it's going to rain tomorrow

2 The author said that animal testing is a bad idea; the animals all get nervous and give the wrong answers (Better yet, give the author's name.)

3 A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean a mother

4 Employees say that a committee is a group of the unwilling, picked from the unfit, to do the unnecessary

5 The author says that applying computer technology is simply finding the right wrench to pound in the correct screw (Better yet, give the author's name.)

It Mania

It has become a fast-food word, more commonplace than burgers, fries, and a shake

Advice for life: Don't eat too much junk food, wear your galoshes when it rains, and

don't overuse it

The word it has three uses:

• As a personal pronoun Chris wants to see how long he can stay in the clothes

dryer, but it is broken

• As an expletive It is fun to eat raw cookie dough and feel sorry for yourself

when you're home alone on Saturday night

• As an idiomatic expression for weather, time, or distance It is cloudy today

It is noon It is quite a distance to the home

C h a p t e r 7 : Multiple-Vehicle Wrecks: Pronoun Reference 9 7

The unclear "it" problem arises when these uses are combined in one sentence, like this one:

Confusing: Because our electric knife was overheating, it came as no surprise that it

broke just as it was time to carve the bird

Clear: It came as no surprise that the electric knife broke just as it was time to carve

the bird

Confusing: It will be a successful project if the

computer doesn't overload its memory

Clear: The project will succeed if the

com-puter doesn't overload its memory

Confusing: It is clear that it is not fulfilling its

duties

Clear: Clearly, the board of directors is not

fulfilling its duties

Danger, Will Robinson

Avoid using an unnec-essary pronoun to repeat the sub-ject Here's a no-no: "The shorter woman, who nodded at me, she knew me." The sentence should

be written: "The shorter woman, who nodded at me, knew me."

Who's on First?

Another confusing issue concerns the pronouns who, which, and that Here, the rule is

a snap:

1 Who refers to people or animals (only animals with names or special talents, like

Socks the First Cat or Rex the Wonder Pooch) Here's an example or three:

• The student, who was a dope, said, "Professor Zigler, I don't believe I

deserve this F you've given me."

• The professor, who was a sensible man, said, "I agree, but unfortunately it

is the lowest grade the university will allow me to give."

• Lassie, who was known for his

intelligence and courage, was actu-ally played by a series of collies

That and which refer to things, groups,

and unnamed animals The choice

between which and that depends on

whether the clause introduced by the

pronoun is restrictive or nonrestrictive

Use that or which for restrictive clauses

and which with nonrestrictive clauses

Here are some examples:

You Could Look It Up

A restrictive clause is essential to a sentence; a

nonre-strictive clause adds extra

mean-ing, is set off by commas, and can be removed from the sen-tence See Chapter 1 2 for a more detailed description of clauses

9 8 P a r t Z : Under the Grammar Hammer

Strictly Speaking

Like my thighs, the distinction

between that and which is

becoming less firm Some writers

still reserve that for restrictive

clauses and which for

nonrestric-tive clauses Others don't

• Once, at a social gathering, Gladstone said

to Disraeli, "I predict, sir, that you will die

either by hanging or by some vile disease." (restrictive clause)

• Disraeli replied, "That all depends, sir, upon

whether I embrace your principles or your mistress." (restrictive clause)

• Sacred cows, which are holy, make the best

hamburger, (nonrestrictive clause)

Give it a shot Fill in the blanks with who, which, or that

1 The car hit me rolled into a ditch and so did I

2 My car, came from Rent-a-Wreck, had relatively little damage

3 The concept intrigued the Securities and Exchange Commission involved insider trading

4 The report I wrote recommended the concept

5 The woman came to visit me in jail was my former boss

h^_Jy Quoth the Maven _

A clause introduced by that

will almost inevitably be

restric-tive Do not use a comma

around restrictive clauses, as in

this example: "The menu that the

waiter handed me made my

mouth water."

Answers

1 The car that hit me rolled into a ditch and so

did I

2 My car, which came from Rent-a-Wreck, had

rela-tively little damage

3 The concept that intrigued the Securities and

Exchange Commission involved insider trading

4 The report that I wrote recommended the concept

5 The woman who came to visit me in jail was my

former boss

The Least You Need to Know

• Make a pronoun clearly refer to a single antecedent

• Place pronouns close to their antecedents

• Make a pronoun refer to a definite antecedent