Antecedents
of Pronouns
A pronoun antecedent is a word that
comes before a pronoun to which the pronoun refers. Antecedent is the
grammatical term used to refer to the noun that a pronoun replaces. When a
pronoun is used in a sentence, it must have a corresponding noun at the
beginning before it was used. This particular noun which is referred by the
pronoun that comes later is known as the antecedent of that pronoun. And there
should be a clear indication of that noun to which the pronoun would be
referring to.
An
antecedent comes before a pronoun. A pronoun and its antecedent must agree in
gender and number. For example, if the antecedent is singular and female, the
pronoun must refer to a single female. If the antecedent is plural, then the
pronoun must be plural as well.
It is
important to make sure that your pronouns have clear antecedents. Sometimes the
references are vague and the reader cannot figure out to whom a pronoun is
referring.
Examples of Antecedents:
Examples of Pronouns and
Antecedents:
1.
Jennifer
= she or her
2.
Bob
and Chris = they or them
3.
Kevin
= he or him
Examples of Pronouns and
Antecedents in a Sentence:
1.
Marcus put his book on the table.
2.
Mr.
and Mrs. Samuels
are painting their house.
3.
Do
you know if Marie invited Leslie to her party?
4.
Lois,
Mark, and I
would like for you to come with us.
Examples of Sentences with Unclear
Pronoun-Antecedent References:
1.
Jeff
handed his father his glove. (Does the glove belong to Jeff or his father?)
2.
The
soldiers taught the farmers how to use their weapons. (Do the weapons
belong to the soldiers or the farmers?)
3.
Karen
left Josie's book on her desk. (Whose desk-Karen's or Josie's?)
Dangling Construction
A dangling
construction is a group of words that the writer intends to be a modifier for a
noun or phrase but the noun or phrase is not actually in the sentence.
Instead, the modifier erroneously describes a noun or phrase that is in
the sentence -- sometimes with humorous results. Here are some examples.
o
After
eating, the waiter gave us the bill. (The sentence grammar says the waiter did
the eating but that's not what the writer really means.)
o
While
running, my shoe lost its heel. (I couldn’t slow that shoe down!)
o
To
avoid extinction, researchers hope to breed in captivity.
o
After
taking a three-month bicycle trip through Montana, my dog was happy to see me.
o
After
reading the book, the movie is going to be great.
o
Wrapped
in wax paper, the picnickers couldn't see if the sandwiches were tuna or egg
salad.
o
Rolling
down the hill, Larry saw an avalance of rocks approaching.
o
After
placing bets, the horses headed to the starting gate.
Similar to dangling modifiers are misplaced modifiers.
o
I
saw penguins on a trip to the zoo. (I hope the penguins enjoyed their visit!)
o
Jake
shot an elephant in his pajamas. (Jake never did explain how the elephant got
into his PJ’s).
o
Mike
caught the fly ball running backwards.
o
I
found a lottery ticket walking home.
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