212 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

LESSON 36
ERRORS~THPRONOUNS

Pronoun errors in Written Expression involve several types of pronouns:

• Personal pronouns
(he, she, it, they, and so on)
• Reflexive pronouns
(himself, herselj; itself, themselves, and so on)
• Relative pronouns (adjective clause markers)
(who, whose, which, that, and so on)
• Demonstrative pronouns
(this, that, these, those)
For the purposes of this lesson, possessive adjectives (his house, their bicycles) are considered
personal pronouns and demonstrative adjectives (that book, those horses) are considered
demonstrative pronouns.
The greatest number of errors involve personal pronouns.

A) Errors in Pronoun/Noun Agreement

A pronoun must agree with the noun to which it refers (the pronoun's referent).
Most agreement errors with personal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and demonstrative
pronouns consist of a singular pronoun referring to a plural noun or a plural pronoun referring to a
singular noun.
Agreement errors with relative pronouns usually involve the use of who to refer to things or
which to refer to persons. (Note: The relative pronoun that can be used in certain sentences to refer
to both persons and things.)
Another error involves the use of this or these in place of that and those. (This and these are used
to refer to things that are perceived as close in time or space; that and those are used to refer to
things that are perceived as distant in time or space.)

T Sample Items
Jackrahhits have powerful rear legs that enable it to leap long distances.
-1\- H C J)

The pronoun referring to the plural noun jackrabbits must be plural.

The best way for children to learn science is to perform experiments
A B C

himself.
[)

The referent is plural (children), so the reflexive pronoun must also be plural
(themselves) to agree with it. Therefore, the best answer is (D).
 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 213

The Canadian Shield is a huge, rocky region who curves around Hudson
A B C
Bay like a giant horseshoe.
D

The referent for the pronoun who is region. To agree with the referent, the
relative pronoun which or that must be used. The pronoun lrho can refer
only to a person.
Trademarks enable a company to distinguish its products from these of
--A- If -c-,-
another company.
\)

The demonstrative these cannot be used to refer to the products of another

company. The demonstrative those should be used instead. ...

B) Errors in Pronoun Form

These errors involve personal pronouns. A subject form like he might be used in place of an object
form like him, or a possessive pronoun like hers might be used in place of a possessive adjective like
her. This type of pronoun error is usually easy to spot.

T Sample Item
Herman Melville gathered material for hi~ novels, including Mob)! Dick,
A B
during his years at sea.
C 0

The possessive form his. not the object form him. is required ...

C) Incorrect Type of Pronoun

In some sentences, the wrong type of pronoun is used. For example, a reflexive pronoun might be
used when a personal pronoun is needed, or a personal pronoun used when a relative pronoun is
required.

T Sample Items
As larvae. barnacles are free-swimming, but as adults they attach them
A 8 C

to stones, docks, and hulls of ships.

D

The reflexive pronoun is required because the subject and object are the
same entity: they attach themselves.
214 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

A barometer is a device it is used to measure atmospheric pressure.

A -n- C 0

A personal pronoun (it) cannot be used to connect an adjective clause to the rest of
the sentence. A relative pronoun (which or that) must be used instead.

D) Incorrect Inclusion of Pronouns

Some errors involve the unnecessary use of pronouns. Often, this type of error occurs when a
personal pronoun is used as a subject in a sentence that already has a noun subject. It may also
involve a personal pronoun used unnecessarily in a relative clause.
In a few items, a relative pronoun is used unnecessarily.

... Sample Items

Block Island in Long Island Sound it is surrounded by cold,

A -n- c
dangerous waters.
o

The subject of the sentence is Block Island; the personal pronoun it is an

unnecessary repetition of the subject.
Dutch elm disease, which it is caused by a fungus, can destroy a
A B C

tree within four weeks.

--0-

The relative pronoun which is the true subject of the relative clause; the
personal pronoun it is not needed.
Certain types of turtles that may live as long as 100 years.
A B C -0-

The relative pronoun that is unnecessary in this sentence because there is

only one verb (may live). A sentence that contains a relative clause must
have a verb in each clause.

Exercise 36.1

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors of pronoun agreement.

Directions: If the underlined form is correct, mark the sentence C. If the underlined form is
incorrect, mark the sentence X and write a correction for the underlined form in the blank at the end
of the sentence. The first one is done as an example.
 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 215

~ 1. Unlike other cats, the cheetah cannot fully retract their claws. its
2. One cannot see through translucent materials, but light can pass through it.
them
3. Investment banking is concerned with the sale of government bonds, and he also deals
with corporate stocks and bonds. _ _ _ _ __
4. The oldest known forms of fossils are those of microscopic plants similar to algae.

5. Gene Krupa had one of the few big bands who was centered around a drummer.

6. Emeralds get its beautiful green color from titanium and chromium impurities in the
stone. _ _ _ _ __
7. The viola is larger and heavier than the violin, and she has a darker, somewhat nasal
tone. _ _ _ _ __
8. The Ringling Brothers were five brothers which built a small group of performers into
the world's largest circus. _ _ _ _ __
9. Storms on the planet Saturn may be larger than the planet Earth itself. _ _ _ _ __
10. The molecules of a liquid are held together tighter than that of a gas. _ _ _ _ __
11. Ducks make nests out of leaves and its own feathers. _ _ _ _ __
12. The clipper ship Flying Cloud was one of the fastest ships of their kind. _ _ _ _ __
13. There are thousands of kinds of bacteria, many of whom are beneficial. _ _ _ _ __
14. When babies reach the age of one, her growth begins to slow down. _ _ _ _ __
15. The arrangement of keys on the keyboard of a personal computer is almost the same as
those on a standard typewriter. _ _ _ _ __

Exercise 36.2

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors involving incorrect types and forms of pronouns.
Directions: If the underlined form is correct, mark the sentence C. If the underlined form is
incorrect, mark the sentence X and write a correction for the underlined form in the blank at the end
of the sentence. The first one is done as an example.
-----X---- 1. Artist Margaret LengTan combined dance and piano playing in hers performances.
her

2. Over the years, the intensive breeding of domestic rabbits has given their softer, finer fur
than wild rabbits. _ _ _ _ __
3. New England poet EdwinA. Robinson moved to New York City in 1896 and devoted
himself to his writing. _ _ _ _ __
4. Yellow journalism was a form of news reporting it emphasized the spectacular aspects of
the news. _ _ _ _ __
5. There are between 100 and 400 billion stars in ours galaxy, the MilkyWay.

6. The atoms of a crystal always arrange them into a specific array, called a lattice.

___ 7. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were basically tap dancers, but their both added some ballet
movements to their dance steps. _ _ _ _ __
216 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression

8. The Pritzken Prize is given every year to architects their work benefits humanity and the
environment.
___ 9. Charleston, South Carolina, has preserved to a remarkable degree it historic houses and
famous gardens. _ _ _ _ __
10. Ice fishermen sometimes build small, movahle huts to protect them from the cold winds.

Exercise 36.3

Focus: Identifying errors involving the incorrect inclusion of pronouns.

Directions: If the sentence contains a pronoun that is incorrectly included. mark that sentence X
and underline the pronoun. If the sentence does not contain an incorrect pronoun inclusion. mark
that sentence C. The first one is done as an example.
~ 1. The first great public library in the United States it was founded in Boston in the 1830's.
2. Floods which cause billions of dollars worth of property damage in the United States
annually.
3. As a class, percussion instruments such as drums that arc the simplest in construction of
any musical instruments.
4. Richard G. Hatcher of Gary, Indiana, he was one of the first black mayors of a sizahle
American city.
5. Active stocks are stocks which are frequently bought and sold.
6. There are many species of plants and animals that they are peculiar to Hawaii.
7. Pipettes are glass tubes, open at both ends, which chemists use them to transfer small
volumes of liquid.
8. When molten basalt cools, it forms six-sided columns.
9. Elizabeth Peabody, founder of the first American kindergarten, she helped gain
acceptance of that institution as a regular part of public education.
___ 10. Today meteorologists obtain the information which they use to make weather
predictions chiefly from satellites.
11. Cells often obtain water through which the process of osmosis.
12. The lighting of large outdoor arenas it first became feasible in the 1930's.

Exercise 36.4

Focus: Identifying and correcting errors involving pronouns. (Note: One or two items in this
exercise do not focus on pronoun errors. These are marked in the answer key with an asterisk.)
Directions: Decide which of the four underlined words or phrases-(A), (13), (C), or (D)-would
not be considered correct, and write the letter of the expression in the blank. Then, in the line at the
end of the sentence, write a correction for the underlined phrase. The tlrst one is done as an
example.
 Section 2 • Guide to Structure and Written Expression 217

------L- 1. A caricature is a picture in which the subject's distinctive features they are deliberately
A B C

exaggerated. are
o

2. A beaver uses its strong front teeth to cut down trees and peel off its bark.
A B C 0

___ 3. Ants are blind to red light, so it is possible to observe themselves in an artificial nest
-:A B
without disturbing their activities. ______
C 0

4. An auger is a tool which a carpenter uses it to bore holes in wood. _ _ _ _ __

-A- --B- C 0

5. The glaciers in Olympia National Park are unusually because they are found at altitudes
A -B-

lower than those at which glaciers are usually found. _ _ _ _ __

-c- --0-

___ 6. In his novels, Sinclair Lewis drew critical portraits of Americans who thought of them
A -B- -----c: -0-

as model citizens. _ _ _ _ __

___ 7. Jaguars which resemble leopards, but they are larger and are marked with rosettes
A --B- C
rather than spots. _ _ _ _ __
o

8. Most bacteria have strong cell walls much like that of plants. _ _ _ _ __
~ -B- """""C"" ] )

___ 9. Bees collect pollen, which furnishes protein for its diet. _ _ _ _ __
--A- --B- C D

10. A small business often limits their operations to a single neighborhood or a group of
-A- -B- C

neighboring communities. _ _ _ _ __
o

11. Louisa May Alcott, she is best known for her books for children, served as a nurse
---:A B C
during the Civil War. _ _ _ _ __
o

12. The principles used in air-conditioning are basically the same as those used by the
A B C
human body to cool himself. ______
o