pronouns,
pronouns: reflexive
"There are many parallels between my son and I. We both wear diapers. I don't have a problem, but I'm too lazy to go to the bathroom. It saves me time." - Will Ferrell, in In Touch Weekly
Will has incorrectly used a subjective pronoun as the object of a preposition. This particular error, which involves the preposition "between" and a first person singular pronoun, is quite common; it is important to recognize this error because it often appears in questions on standardized examinations.
In the first sentence of Will's statement, the preposition "between" has a compound object: "my son and I." To understand the nature of this error, replace the preposition with one that does not require two objects and pair …
parallelism
"I want to be loved, happy, and not settle for something less than we all deserve." - Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer has made an error in parallelism. She has listed three items that follow the infinitive "to be," but two are adjectives and one is an infinitive phrase. Similar items in a series should be structured in a similar way.
These are the things Jennifer wants:
to be loved [The word "loved" is a participle; it is a verb form that functions as an adjective. The infinitive phrase "to be loved" makes sense.]
(to be) happy [The word "happy" is an adjective. The infinitive "to be" is implied and the entire phrase "(to be) happy" makes sense.]
(to be) not (to) settle for something less …
adjectives,
adverbs,
modifier confusion
"If I hit a bad shot, people five fairways away know it because I'm yelling [his favorite curse word], but if I hit a good shot, I'm yelling too. Everybody knows the difference in the yelling. Either Sam is playing well, or he's playing bad." - Samuel L. Jackson, in People, about his behavior on the golf course
Samuel has made an error in modifier confusion: he has used an adjective to modify a verb. Only an adverb can modify a verb.
In the last sentence, the second instance of the verb "playing" is modified by the adjective "bad." This is incorrect because an adjective cannot modify a verb. To correct the error, replace the adjective with an adverb.
"Either Sam is …
The proper usage of "former" and "latter" depends upon an understanding of the definitions of these words.
former - (adjective) first-mentioned of two
latter - (adjective) last-mentioned of two
Notice that these definitions contain the words "of two." This means that "former" and "latter" can only be used in reference to two people or things. If a comparison contains more than two people or things, use "first" or "last."
first - (adjective) preceding all others in a series
last - (adjective) coming after all others in a series
Look at the proper usage of "former" and "latter" in this sentence:
Jack and Jill went up the hill; the former fell down and broke his crown while the latter came tumbling down after …
who+whom
"I went for my annual mammogram - I've been getting them yearly since I was 35 - and [the doctor] saw new calcifications. I wasn't nervous about it, so when they told me to come back in six months, I left the clinic. Three hours later, my ob-gyn, whom I've been seeing for years, called and said, 'I never recommend waiting six months for anything.' She set me up with an oncologist, and two days later I had the needle biopsy done." - Sheryl Crow, in Glamour, on her breast cancer diagnosis
Sheryl has correctly used an objective relative pronoun as the direct object of an adjective clause. Way to go, Sheryl!
In the adjective clause "whom I've been seeing for years," the subject is "I," the verb is "have been seeing," and the direct object is the objective relative pronoun "whom."
A common error is the use of the subjective relative pronoun "who" in an objective role in a sentence. If Sheryl had used the adjective clause "who I've been seeing for years," she would have made such an error.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of the error Sheryl did not make in the quote.
agreement,
nouns,
pronouns
The number of nouns and pronouns and the person of pronouns must remain consistent within a sentence. Standardized examinations will present questions that contain agreement shifts, making instant recognition of these errors essential.
All of my friends want to be a rock star.
"All of my friends" is a noun phrase that is plural. "Rock star" is a singular noun. All of my friends cannot be one rock star. The sentence has an agreement shift in number. To correct the sentence, make both nouns either singular or plural.
Each of my friends wants to be a rock star.
or
All of my friends want to be rock stars.
"Each" is a singular indefinite pronoun and agrees with the singular "rock star." "All" is an indefinite pronoun …
agreement,
pronouns,
pronouns: indefinite
A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun or a noun phrase. Pronouns are classified into 6 types: personal pronouns; demonstrative pronouns; indefinite pronouns; relative pronouns; interrogative pronouns; and reflexive and intensive pronouns.
Indefinite pronouns refer to unspecified people or things. These pronouns can be singular or plural; some are always singular, some are always plural, and the number of some depends on the object of the preposition associated with the pronoun.
These are singular indefinite pronouns:
- each, either, neither, one
- no one, nobody, nothing
- anyone, anybody, anything
- someone, somebody, something
- everyone, everybody, everything
A singular indefinite pronoun takes a singular verb.
- Everyone is happy.
- No one knows what to do in this situation.
When a singular indefinite pronoun serves as an antecedent in …
one of the,
relative pronouns,
subject+verb agreement,
syntax
"I'm one of those people who dresses according to my mood." - Mischa Barton, in In Touch
Mischa has made an error in subject/verb agreement. She has also used awkward syntax.
A common error in sentences that contain "one of" is the use of a plural noun paired with a singular verb. In Mischa's statement, many people are dressing so the pronoun "who" refers to the plural "people." The verb should be the plural "dress."
Rearranging the words in the quote results in awkward language, but it highlights the error:
- Of those people who dresses according to my mood, I am one.
The rearranged syntax underscores Mischa's awkward syntax. She uses the pronoun "my" to refer to the mood that dictates how people dress. …
one of the,
pronoun antecedent agreement,
relative pronouns
Lindsay is one of my friends who are coming to the party.
Lindsay is the only one of my friends who is coming to the party.
In the first sentence, many people are coming so the pronoun "who" refers to the plural "friends." The verb paired with "who" is therefore plural: "are."
In the second sentence, only one person is coming so the pronoun "who" refers to the singular "Lindsay." The verb paired with "who" is therefore singular: "is."
When you encounter a noun phrase with the structure "one of [plural noun] who," look for "only” before the phrase.
- If “only” is not present, the verb that follows should be plural.
- If “only” is present, the verb that follows should be singular.
case,
pronouns,
who+whom
"Fatherhood only changes you if you allow it to change you. I kind of avoided changing me for a while. I just know that I have somebody who, for the first time in my life, I'm in love with, and it's going to last." - Colin Farrell, in OK Magazine
Colin has made two pronoun errors. He has also used a colloquialism that is considered to be an error by the writers of standardized examinations.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
colloquial,
pronoun antecedent agreement
"I have, like, huge enclosed cages all around in the backyard everywhere, so everyone has, like, their own space." - Paris Hilton, describing her collection of animals
This quote contains a redundancy, an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement, and two instances of superfluous colloquialisms.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
Proper diction requires an understanding of words and terms in context. Understanding diction errors can make it easier to identify and avoid them.
"I shaved my head when I was 17. I sold it for $500 to a famous Broadway wigmaker. My mother and my brother were so thrilled because my hair had always been so greasy and I always wore it in my face." - Chloe Sevigny, in US Weekly
Chloe has made a confusing statement. She has used a pronoun without clearly stating its antecedent. While it is easy to infer the meaning of her statement, it is instructive to examine this quote to illustrate the importance of clearly defining antecedents when using pronouns.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
parallelism,
pronouns,
who+that
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly misused. Understanding grammar errors can make them easier to identify and avoid.
"I was not the kind of artist that had my mommy hold my hand and my daddy managing my career." - Christina Aguilera in GQ
This sentence contains two errors: an error in pronoun choice and an error in parallelism.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
adjectives,
adverbs,
modifier confusion
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are misused.
"I sing to myself and my sister looks at me weird." - Dakota Fanning in BOP
This quote contains an error in modifier form.
Dakota used an adjective to modify a verb, and only adverbs can modify verbs.
"Weird" is an adjective used, in this sentence, to describe how Dakota's sister looks at her. Since "looks" is a verb, an adverb should modify this action. Change "weird" to "weirdly."
"I sing to myself and my sister looks at me weirdly."
Note that the verb "look" can function either as an action verb, as in this sentence, or as a linking verb. A linking verb can connect a subject with an …
pronouns,
subject+verb agreement
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly misused.
"There's only two people in the world you should lie to: the police and your girlfriend." - Jack Nicholson in In Touch Weekly
This sentence contains an error in subject/verb agreement and an error in diction.
The subject in this sentence is "two people," which is plural. The verb (the contraction form of "is") is singular. Change the number of the verb to plural ("are") to correct this error in agreement.
Jack refers to two people in this quote. However, while "your girlfriend" is a person, "the police" is not a person. "The police" is a group of people. "Police" is a special kind of collective noun, …
adjectives,
dangling participles
A dangling participle is a participle or a participial phrase that does not clearly and logically modify any word or phrase in a sentence.
Reading the question carefully, it was obvious that there was a grammatical error.
When you encounter a participial phrase ("Reading the question carefully"), ask yourself, "Who is doing the action?" and then find the subject in the sentence. If the subject is doing the action, the sentence is correct. If not, you must correct the dangling participle.
In the example, the subject is "it." "It" was not reading - a person has to do the reading.
This entry continues with an explanation of how to correct dangling participles.
faulty comparisons
"She has more fun than anyone I know on this planet. She's pure passion, that girl." - Hugh Jackman, in People, about his wife Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh has made a type of faulty comparison that is commonly found in questions on standardized examinations. The comparison in the first sentence is between "she" (his wife) and "anyone I know on this planet." The literal interpretation of Hugh's statement is that his wife does not live on this planet because comparing her to a group of people excludes her from the group.
To make a logical comparison, insert "else" into Hugh's sentence:
"She has more fun than anyone else I know on this planet."
This syntax creates a comparison between Hugh's wife and anyone else …
pronouns,
pronouns: reflexive
"What luxury item would I take to a desert island? A mirror. It's true. I'd miss me." - Simon Cowell, in In Touch
Simon has used an incorrect pronoun. He chose the pronoun "me" to refer to the subject "I." When the subject and the object in a sentence are the same, a reflexive pronoun should be used. Since the subject is in the first person, the proper pronoun to use in this case is "myself."
This version of Simon's quote features a reflexive pronoun that refers to the first person subject:
"I'd miss myself."
pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and an object in a sentence or clause are the same person or thing. Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize their antecedents.
adjectives,
pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions.
case,
pronouns,
pronouns: relative,
who+whom
Relative pronouns create relationships by connecting phrases and clauses to other phrases and clauses.
adjectives,
pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns identify people or things by directing attention to them.
adjectives,
case,
pronouns
Personal pronouns designate specific people or things.
pronouns,
who+whom
The usage of the indefinite relative pronouns "whoever" and "whomever" can be confusing, especially in sentences in which one of these pronouns is part of the object of a preposition. When you are determining which pronoun to use in a sentence, remember that "whoever" is in the subjective case and "whomever" is in the objective case.
Should the pronoun in the following sentence be "whoever" or "whomever"?
He will give his extra ticket to [whoever/whomever] I choose.
This sentence contains a prepositional phrase: "to [whoever/whomever] I choose." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "[whoever/whomever] I choose."
These are the components of the noun clause:
- subject: "I"
- verb: "choose"
- direct object: "[whoever/whomever]"
Follow these steps to determine which pronoun to use:
1. Rearrange the words …
faulty comparisons
"I’ve always mixed with people older than me. I’m often told I appeal to older men more than guys my own age, and I think that’s pretty cool. Older men understand women more. They usually have better taste." - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett has made an error that is very common in informal speech and writing: she has used an objective pronoun in place of a subjective pronoun in an elliptical clause. She has also made a confusing comparison.
An ellipsis is the omission of one or more words that are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. However, the missing words must be kept in mind when determining the proper grammatical structure of the sentence.
When “as” or “than” is used …
