Antecedent
of Pronouns & Dangling Constructions
Antecedent 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.
Following
are example of antecedent and examples
of how to use in a sentence :
1.
Incorrect:
Resources such solar power and hydroelectricity
an economic benefit, as it may
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Correct: Resources
such solar power and hydroelectricity an
economic benefit, as they may reduce our
dependence on foreign oil.
Explanation: The
pronoun "it" should be plural because its antecedent is the plural subject
"resources." Only choices correcty change "it" to
"they," The correct answer is
"as they may reduce our dependence on foreign oil."
2.
Incorrect: Most men who
go to sporting events find it an enjoyable diversion.
Correct: Most men who go to sporting events find them are enjoyable
diversion.
Explanation: The sentence as written contains one small
error. "It," a singular pronoun, is used to refer to the plural
"sporting events." In order to fix this issue, the pronoun needs to
be made plural, which is done in "Most men who go to sporting events find
them are enjoyable diversion."
3.
Incorrect:
Mitchell
was one of the first members of corporate to realize that employees are most
productive when he or she feels to be part of a team.
Correct: Mitchell was one
of the first members of corporate to realize that employees are most productive
when they feel as if they are part of a team
Explanation: The pronoun refers to employees, so the pronoun should be plural rather than the singular he or she.
4.
Incorrect:
Everyone
must do their part, or the project will never be finished on time.
Correct: :
Everyone
must do his/her part, or the project will never be finished on
time.
Explanation: "Everyone" is treated as a singular noun,
therefore the proper prounoun to use
with it is "his or her."
5.
Incorrect:
Although
the basketball team used their star players, the match was
lost.
Correct: Although the basketball team used its
star players, the match was lost.
Explanation: Choose
a pronoun that properly agrees with the subject. In this case, "basketball
team" is singular, although it represents a group of people, and should be
accompanied with "its," instead of "their."
Dangling Constructions
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.
A dangling modifier is one that modifies
a word or phrase not clearly stated in the sentence; in other words, dangling
modifiers only suggest, but do not name, the thing they modify. Phrases and
clauses with dangling modifiers do not have expressed subjects. Consequently,
readers expect them to modify the following noun or noun phrase. Because they
do not do so, they are considered dangling modifiers.
Here
are some examples :
1.
Problem:
Walking down the street, the sky was a brilliant blue. (Grammatically, this
sentence implies that the sky was walking down the street, and this is clearly
not the writer's intention).
Rewrite: While I was walking down the
street, I noticed the sky was a brilliant blue.
2.
Problem:
To complete the survey properly, the form must be signed and sealed in the
provided envelope. (The form is obviously not the one completing the survey).
Rewrite: To
complete the survey properly, participants must sign and seal the form in the
provided envelope.
3.
Problem
Shocked by the gravity of the situation, something had to be done. (Here, one
could interpret that something is shocked by the gravity of the situation).
Rewrite: Shocked by the gravity of the
situation, they knew they had to do something.
4.
Problem:
Like a kid in a candy store, his eyes were bulging at the sight of all they had
to offer. (His eyes were clearly not
like a kid in a candy store, though that is how the sentence is grammatically
understood).
Rewrite: Like a
kid in a candy store, he was so thrilled that his eyes were bulging at the
sight of all they had to offer.
5. Problem:
An expert in the field, the professor's work was the focus of the conference. (The
professor and not his work is an expert in the field).
Rewrite: An
expert in the field, the professor was the keynotes speaker and his work the
focus of the conference.
Ex:
