美国入学考试,英语复习资料.doc

Overview: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Pronouns and the words they refer totheir antecedentsmust agree in number. That is, both must be singular or both must be plural.Usually, pronoun agreement is not a problem, as these sentences show:Singular: Mr. Parker dropped his pager.Plural: Marianne and Marvin gave their opinions.Indefinite PronounsPronoun agreement may become a problem with indefinite pronouns, which do not refer to a specific person or thing. Indefinite pronouns that are always singular give writers the most trouble.Not: One of the contestants did their dance routine.(How many students did the dance routine? Only one, so use a singular pronoun. )Correct: One of the contestants did her dance routine.Correct: One of the contestants did his dance routine.Not: Somebody left the lights on in their car.(How many people left the lights on? One person, so use a singular pronoun. )Correct: Somebody left the lights on in her car.Correct: Somebody left the lights on in his car.Here is a list of indefinite pronouns that are always singular.Singular Indefinite Pronounsanothereverybodyneitheroneanybodyeveryonenobodyotheranyoneeverythingnonesomebodyanythinglittleno onesomeoneeachmuchnothingsomethingeitherHint: A few indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their meaning in the sentence. These pronouns are any, all, more, most, and some.Singular: Most of the senior class had its orientation today.Plural: Most of the seniors had their orientation today.In the first sentence, class is considered a single body, so the singular pronoun its is used. In the second sentence, the seniors are individuals, so the plural pronoun their is used.Agreement Between Pronouns and Compound AntecedentsWhen compound antecedents are joined by or or nor, make the pronoun agree with the part of the compound that is closest to it.Singular: Neither the salespeople nor the manager aired her ideas at the meeting.The part of the compound antecedent closest to the verb is receptionist, which is singular. Therefore, the pronoun must be singular- her.Plural: Either the manager or the salespeople must give their opinion of the matter.This time, the part of the compound antecedent closest to the pronoun is salespeople, which is plural. Therefore, the pronoun must be plural- their.Words Separating Pronouns and AntecedentsWhen words come between the pronoun and its antecedent, be careful in checking for agreement. Often the words constitute prepositional phrases. A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and functions as a unit. Cross out the prepositional phrases to more easily find the pronouns antecedent.Here is an example:Prepositional phrase: The stores on that block sell their merchandise at good prices.When you cross out the prepositional phrases, you can tell that the plural antecedent, stores, and the plural pronoun, their, agree.Avoiding Sexism, or Gender Bias, in WritingSuppose you dont know whether the singular antecedent for a pronoun is male or female. Which pronoun should you use? You have a choice: (1) You can write he or she or his or her; (2) you can make the pronoun and the antecedent both plural; or (3) you can rewrite the sentence to avoid the problem altogether. Historically, he has been used to mean he or she when the gender of the antecedent is not known. However, this usage is now widely seen as a reflection of sexism (or gender bias) in writing and is best avoided.Method 1: Use he or sheNot: If anyone has questions, they should ask us.Not: If anyone has questions, he should ask us.Correct: If anyone has questions, he or she should ask us.Method 2: Make Pronoun and Antecedent Both PluralNot: Everyone forgot to bring their spending money.Not: Everyone forgot to bring his spending money.Correct: All the travelers forgot to bring their spending money.Method 3: RewriteNot: If any customer needs help, they should talk to the manager.Not: If any customer needs help, he should talk to the manager.Correct: Any customer who needs help should talk to the manager.Sexism in writing can also occur in ways other than with indefinite pronouns. We often assume that doctors, lawyers, and bank presidents are men and that nurses, teachers, and secretaries are women. But that is not accurate.Not: Each policeman is assigned his own locker.(This sentence implies that every member of the police force is male.)Correct: Each police officer is assigned his or her own locker.Not: The chairman should run all department meetings.(Because both men and women can head departments, boards, and committees, a more appropriate term is chairperson or chair.)Correct: The chair should run all department meetings.No