Transcript Pronoun

Pronoun/antecedent,
Prepositions, Conjunctions,
and Interjections
Parts of Speech part 2
Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement
What do you need to understand about
pronoun-antecedent agreement errors?
What’s a pronoun?
 What’s an antecedent?
 What’s a pronoun-antecedent agreement
error?

What’s a Pronoun?
 A pronoun
is a word that takes the
place of a noun or other pronoun
 It
can take the place of a subject word
 (I,
 It
you, he, she, it, we, they)
can take the place of an object word
 (me,
you him, her it, us, them)
 It
can take the place of a possessive
word
 (my,
mine, your, yours, his, hers, its, our,
ours, their, theirs)
If you like silly videos, here are a
couple defining pronouns.
Sopronouns
Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla
Pronouns
What’s an antecedent?
 The
word that the pronoun replaces.
 Hermione
Granger threw her wand onto
the floor
 (“her”
renames “Hermione Granger”).
 When
Ron Weasley saw the wand drop,
he picked it up and handed it to her.
 (“it”
renames the “wand”)
 Then
Ron and Hermione went to their
Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
 (“their”
renames “Ron and Hermione”)
Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement:

All pronouns and their antecedents need
to agree in person and number.
Agree in Person
I
hate to proofread my paper because
proofreading is such a boring thing for you to
do.
 (disagreement
in person--first person antecedent
“I”, second person pronoun “you”)

"Why should I study literature? You don't get
anything out of it"
in number—I shouldn’t study it
because “you” don’t get anything out of it?
 (disagreement
Agree in Number

Singular antecedents get singular
pronouns


The boy tossed his hat on the table.
Plural antecedents get plural pronouns

The boys tossed their hats on the table.
You’ll generally run into
problems in two cases:
When the antecedent is an indefinite
pronoun and
 When the antecedent is a singular noun
that could refer to a man or a woman.

Indefinite Pronouns:
They’re usually singular
Another
Anybody
Anyone
Anything
Each
Either
Everybody
Everyone
Everything
Little
Much
Neither
Nobody
One
Nothing
Other
No one
Somebody
Nothing
Something
Someone
Except when they’re plural
Both
Few
Others
Several
Many
Or when they’re singular or plural, depending on context
More
All
Any
All of the gas is gone.
All of the kids are gone.
(“All” refers to “gas” in
the first sentence and
“kids” in the second)
Any of the jewelry is
yours for the taking.
Any of my cousins are
right for the part
(“Any” refers to “jewelry”
in the first sentence and
“cousins” in the second)
More of the plot is
revealed in act three.
More of our plans are
going towards breaking
him out of jail.
(“More” refers to “plot” in
the first sentence and
“plans” in the second).
Most
None
Some
Most of the cake was
gone when I got home.
But most of the cookies
were still there.
(“Most” refers to “cake”
in the first sentence and
“cookies” in the second)
None of material was
covered in the test
review.
None of the students
were happy about that.
(“None” refers to
“material in the first
sentence and “students”
in the second)
Some of the fault was the
teacher’s for being
disorganized.
Some of the students
were so angry they
complained to her boss.
(“Some” refers to “fault”
in the first sentence and
“students” in the second)
Argh!
Singular Nouns that Can Refer to a
Man or a Woman.



A person should be able to make up their own
mind about prayer in schools.
A teacher should show their students love and
compassion.
Often, a doctor will leave their patients waiting
for a ridiculously long time.
Generally, these errors
occur


because the writer
is trying to avoid
sexism.
When you don’t
know if the
antecedent is male
or female, it seems
logical to use the
pronoun “they.”
When you can, just make the
antecedent plural

A person should be able to make up their own
mind about prayer in schools (incorrect).


A teacher should show their students love and
compassion (incorrect).


People should be able to make up their own mind
about prayer in schools (correct).
Teachers should show their students love and
compassion (correct).
Often, a doctor will leave their patients waiting
for a ridiculously long time (incorrect).

Often, doctors will leave their patients waiting for a
ridiculously long time (correct).
General Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement Rules

Compound antecedents are usually plural;


If two antecedents are joined by either/or,
neither/nor, the pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closest to it;



Joey and Melissa think their kids are brilliant.
Either Michael or his friends will bring their video
games to the party.
Either his friends or Michael will bring his video
games to the party. (This sentence is correct, but
sounds illogical. Word the sentence like the first
example rather than the second).
The pronoun agrees with the antecedent, not
the object of the prepositional phrase;

Each of the dogs needs its own crate.
General Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement Rules

Collective noun can be either singular or plural,
depending on the context.



The jury took only two hours to reach its verdict.
(Emphasizes the singularity of the jury)
The jury took only two hours to reach their verdict.
(Emphasizes the jury as a group of individuals)
Avoid sexism


Not “A doctor should listen carefully to his patients.”
But rather (1) making the pronoun and its
antecedent plural, or (2) reword the sentence.


Doctors should listen carefully to their patients.
Doctors should listen carefully to patients.
Vague Pronoun Reference

"Mom wasn't sure if Jane had her make-up,"



it is unclear if "her" refers to Mom or Jane. Whose make up is it?
“Mom wasn’t sure if Jane had brought Mom’s make up.”
“Mom wasn’t sure if Jane had brought Jane’s make up.”
OR


"Had Jane brought her make up?" Mom wondered.
Mom thought, "Has Jane brought my make up?"
Other Resources
Pronoun reference: explains pronouns
using a student’s different learning styles:
 Pronoun-Agreement Exercise
 Pronoun-Agreement Exercise
 Pronoun-Antecedent Rules (RTF)

Prepositions

A preposition is a word that relates a noun
or a pronoun to some word in a sentence.
The paint on the canvas will dry slowly.
 He ran down the stairs.
 The dog hid under the bed.

Prepositions

A prepositional phrase is a group of words
that begins with a preposition and ends
with a noun or pronoun, which is called the
object of the phrase.
The dog hid under the bed.
 Sit beside me.
 The runners sprinted across the finish line.

Prepositional Phrases

The noun or pronoun that ends a
prepositional phrase is called the OBJECT.
He was born in a small town.
 The cat ran toward the litter box.
 The bridge is over a river.

Prepositional Phrases

The object of the phrase should be an
object pronoun and NOT a subject
pronoun. You would not use he, she, we,
or I.
Hand the box to ( me, I).
 She ran towards (he, him).
 I can’t sit beside (she, her).

Prepositional Phrases

Sometimes an object will be compound.
Remember to use an object pronoun.
Give it to Gary and (I, me.)
 I lent a book to Nick and (she, her).

Prepositions

Sometimes prepositions can be made up
of two or more words. These are called
compound prepositions.

according to
across from
on account of


aside from
because of
along with
in front of
in place of
far from
instead of
on top of
in spite of
Prepositional Phrases (1st
block)

If you are unsure about whether to use a
subject pronoun or an object pronoun, try
saying the sentence aloud with only the
pronoun following the preposition.

The subject pronoun who is NEVER the
object of a prepositional phrase.

ONLY use whom as the object.
Jobs of Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase can function as an ADJECTIVE
by describing a noun or pronoun.

The phrase will almost always come directly after the
noun or pronoun that it is describing.
The fabrics from that store are beautiful.
(from that store describes fabrics)
The man in the blue suit is staring at us.
(in the blue suit describes man)
Jobs of Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase can also function
as an ADVERB when it modifies or
describes a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb.

An ADVERB phrase tells when, where, or
how an action takes place.

It usually will go to the verb.
Adverb Prepositional Phrases
The women are weaving on looms.
(on looms goes to weaving)
That fabric looks great on you.
(on you goes to great)
They work in shops.
(in shops goes to work)
Are these adjective or adverb
phrases?
1.
Weavers around the world practice an ancient craft.
2.
Early weavers worked with long grass strands.
3.
Paintings from ancient Egypt show that weaving was developed early.
4.
Tapestries with complex patterns hang in museums.
5.
These tapestries often illustrate stories about great people.
6.
Many tapestries depict stories from the Bible.
7.
Several tapestries hang in French museums.
Conjunctions

There are 3 types of conjunctions-words that join.
Coordinating - and, but, or, so, yet, for and nor. Join
two simple sentences
Correlative (pairs) -
both/and
either/or
neither/nor
not only/ but also
Subordinating – join subordinate clauses(dependent) to
main clauses(independent).
Examples: once, provided that, rather than, since, so
that, than, though, unless
Simple Sentences
A sentence consisting of only one clause,
with a single subject and predicate;
however, it must be a complete thought.
 Examples:

•
•
The dog ate the birds.
The horse decided that he wanted to gallop
around the petting zoo.
Conjunctive Adverbs
A conjunctive adverb may be used to join
the simple sentences in a compound
sentence.
 Conjunctive Adverbs replace conjunctions
to add a little flair to your speaking and
writing.



Many Asians use chopsticks, but some use forks.
Many Asians use chopsticks; however, some use forks.
Conjunctive Adverbs

Conjunctive Adverbs replace conjunctions to add
a little flair to your speaking and writing.
To replace AND --- also, besides, furthermore, moreover
To replace BUT --- however, nevertheless, still
To state a result – consequently, therefore, so, thus
To state equality – equally, likewise, similarly
Conjunctive Adverbs

Look closely as to how these adverbs are
punctuated in a sentence.

Chinese cooks often stir-fry their food; therefore, they
must cut it into small pieces.

When 2 simple sentences are joined with a CA, a
semicolon always appears before the second sentence.
Conjunctive Adverbs

When the CA comes at the beginning or
end of a sentence, it is set of by a comma.
Stir frying should be done quickly; the wok must be very
hot, therefore.
Conjunctive Adverbs
When the CA appears in the middle, one
comma precedes it and one comma
follows it.
Vegetables cook more quickly than meat;
they must, therefore, be added to the wok
last.
Subordinating Conjunctions
Recognize a subordinate conjunction when you see one.
Some sentences are complex. Such sentences have two clauses, one main [or independent] and
one subordinate [or dependent].
The subordinate conjunction has two jobs. First, it provides a necessary
transition between the two ideas in the sentence. This transition will indicate a
time, place, or cause and effect relationship. Here are some examples:
 Louisa will wash the sink full of her dirty dishes once her roommate Shane
cleans his stubble and globs of shaving cream from the bathroom sink.
 We looked on top of the refrigerator, where Jenny will often hide a bag of
chocolate chip cookies.
 Because her teeth were chattering in fear, Lynda clenched her jaw muscle
while waiting for her turn to audition.
Subordinating Conjunctions
The second job of the subordinate conjunction is to reduce the
importance of one clause so that a reader understands which of
the two ideas is more important. The more important idea
belongs in the main clause, the less important in the clause
introduced by the subordinate conjunction.
Read these examples:
As Samson blew out the birthday candles atop the cake, he
burned the tip of his nose on a stubborn flame.
Burning his nose > blowing out candles.
Ronnie begins to sneeze violently whenever he opens the door to
greet a fresh spring day.
Sneezing violently > opening the door.
Independent + dependent clause
Complex sentences follow two common patterns:
Main clause + Ø + subordinate clause.
Nicky shook her head and sighed Ø as she puzzled over the
algebra problem.
Subordinate clause + , + main clause.
When the doorbell rang, Nicky slammed shut her textbook and
rose to pay for her pizza.
Complex sentence punctuation continued
Punctuation gets trickier when the subordinate clause begins with a relative
pronoun like who, which, or where. Sometimes you will need a comma, and
sometimes you won't, depending on whether the clause is essential or
nonessential.
When the information in the relative clause clarifies an otherwise general noun,
the clause is essential and will follow the same pattern that you saw above:
main clause + Ø + essential relative clause.
Nicky paid the deliveryman Ø whose rusty hatchback choked and coughed
in the driveway.
Deliveryman is a general noun. Which one are we talking about?
When a relative clause follows a specific noun, punctuation changes. The
information in the relative clause is no longer as important, and the clause
becomes nonessential. Nonessential clauses require you to use commas to
connect them.
main clause + , + nonessential relative clause.
Nicky paid Fernando , whose rusty hatchback choked and coughed in the
driveway.
WOOOOO…
Interjections

An interjection is a word or group of words that
expresses a strong feeling.

It has no other connection to any other words in
the sentence.

Aha!
Oops well
Awesome
Oh my! Oh my goodness, ouch, ha, wow, gee
whiz, hooray, whoops, what
Good grief Holy Moley Gosh


Interjection

Interjections that express STRONG
emotion are followed by a !

Overusing interjections will spoil their
effectiveness.

Wow! The Saints just won the Superbowl.