Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid with Personal Pronouns - DailyWritingTips |
Posted: 23 Mar 2015 09:39 PM PDT Among the oldest words in English are the personal pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. Two of the personal pronouns, you and it, have only one form that is used as either subject or object:
Five of the personal pronouns have two forms each: a subject form (I, he, she, we, they) and an object form (me, him, her, us, them). The most common errors occur when subject and object forms are reversed. Two additional errors that seem to be increasing are 1.) replacing a personal pronoun with a pronoun ending in -self and 2.) using a personal pronoun in a context that calls for a possessive adjective. Mistake #1: Object form used in place of subject formIncorrect: In the next several weeks, my colleagues and me will be discussing the appropriate way to do that. (Jay Inslee, Congressional Record) Correct : In the next several weeks, my colleagues and I will be discussing the appropriate way to do that. The subject forms I, he, she, we, and they are used as the subject of a verb. Here are models of correct usage:
Mistake #2: Subject form used in place of object form following a prepositionIncorrect: She made each child feel special by taking pictures and spending quality one on one time with they and the dog. (A testimonial written by a person who has an M.A. degree) Correct : She made children feel special by taking pictures and spending quality one on one time with them and the dog. When the object of a preposition is a pronoun, the object form is required. Reminder: Prepositions include such words as with, to, in, on, under, and between. Here are two examples of correct usage:
In the sample sentence, a social worker made children feel special by spending time "with them." Misake #3 Subject form used in place of object form following a transitive verbIncorrect: Rodgers then followed she and her daughter out of the grocery store. (New York Daily News) Correct : Rodgers then followed her and her daughter out of the grocery store. When the direct object of a transitive verb is a pronoun, the object form is required. Here is an example of correct usage:
The transitive verb followed requires the object form her. Mistake #4 Subject form used in place of the corresponding possessive adjectiveIncorrect: Susan announces she and her husband's plans to divorce in front of Atticus's family. (Downtown Abbey site) Correct : Susan announces her and her husband's plans to divorce in front of Atticus's family. Note: The personal pronouns have corresponding possessive forms. The possessive adjective forms are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. They stand in front of the noun that is "possessed." For example:
She is a subject form and cannot be used as a possessive adjective. Susan announces plans for the impending divorce. They are "her husband's plans." They are "her plans" as well. Mistake #5 Reflexive pronoun used in place of personal pronounIncorrect: Both my wife and myself felt so much happier after watching this movie. Correct : Both my wife and I felt so much happier after watching this movie. Pronouns that end in -self or -selves are called "reflexive pronouns" or "emphatic pronouns." Here are examples of their correct use:
There may be occasions when the emphatic form is wanted for a rhetorical flourish, but in ordinary speech, replacing a personal pronoun with one ending in -self or -selves is nonstandard usage to be avoided. |
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