lesson 2——Pronoun reference.ppt

1、SAT GrammarPronoun reference,-by Melissa,What is pronoun?,A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun. A pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun coming before the pronoun. This noun is called the pronouns antecedent. Unfortunately, it is very easy to cre

2、ate a sentence that uses a pronoun WITHOUT a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent.,Pronouns： Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, they, me, you, him, her, them Possesive pronouns: my, his, her, their, mine, his, hers, theirs Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those Self-reflexive pronouns: mys

3、elf, himself, herself, themselves Interrogative pronouns: who, what, which Indefinite pronouns: some, any, many, both Relative pronouns: which, who, that Reciprocal pronouns: each other, one another Conjunctive pronouns: who, whom, whose, what, which, whatever, whichever, whoever, whomever,VAGUE PRO

4、NOUN REFERENCE,The pronoun does not have a clear noun antecedent. As a result, the reader cannot know for sure which noun the pronoun refers to. The pronoun reference is faulty because the pronoun has two antecedents. e.g.： Jefferson and his son went to play football after he returned home. Tom came

5、 across Jerry after he ate a mouse. Note: The pronoun “he” is a vague pronoun reference.,David, Jason and Isaac were hiking when, stumbling over a rock, he fell down a steep embankment when, stumbling over a rock, he fell down a steep embankment and then he fell down a steep embankment after he stum

6、bled over a rock when Isaac fell down a steep embankment after stumbling over a rock when Isaac fell down a steep embankment, since he stumbled over a rock and, since he stumbled over a rock, he fell down a steep embankment,C,Five types of pronoun error,1: Too many antecedents A pronoun should have

7、only one antecedent. That antecedent should be clear and unmistakable. eg.：Take the radio out of the car and fix it. Anyone who reads this sentence would not know which item was to be fixed. Does it refer to the radio or the car? The answer is unclear. In the above example, faulty pronoun reference

8、occurs because the pronoun it has two possible noun antecedents.,2. Hidden Antecedents Faulty pronoun reference errors also occur when the pronouns antecedent functions as an adjective rather than a noun. In such cases, the true antecedent is hidden or obscured from the reader because it has been su

9、bordinated to another noun.,Eg.: The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating it anyway. The reader of this sentence might think that the dish was being eaten because dish appears to be the antecedent for the pronoun it. Obviously, people do not eat dishes. What this writer means to say is,

10、 We were tired of eating candy. However, candy cannot be the antecedent for it because candy, situated in front of the noun dish, is acting like an adjective. Only nouns can be antecedents.,3. NO Antecedent Another kind of faulty pronoun reference problem occurs when writers use a pronoun without gi

11、ving the pronoun any antecedent at all. eg.: I called the police office, but they didnt answer. In this example, the pronoun they has no antecedent to which it can refer.,4. False pronoun form：subject or object,eg.: It is him who successfully finished the task.,5. False pronoun reference：singular or

12、 plural Another kind of faulty pronoun reference problem occurs when writers use a pronoun without considering the antecedent is singular or plural. Eg.：I recognized one of the girls, but I could not remember their name.,Faulty Pronoun Reference - Exercise,1. Until it can be replaced by a faster, mo

13、re efficient and more A B economical means of transportation, trucks will carry most of C the freight within and through metropolitan areas. No error. D E,A。it cannot refer to trucks,2. Neither Ms. Perez nor Ms. Tanaka believes that watching as A B much television as her son Sam does will lead to an

14、ything C D productive. No error. E,C,3. Home of the worlds largest chocolate-manufacturing plant, A Hershey, Pennsylvania, was originally known as Derry Church, but B its name was changed in 1906 to honor one of their most famous C D residents. No error E,D,4. Apparently impressed with our plans, th

15、e foundation awarded A Carlos and I a grant to establish a network of community centers B C throughout the city. No error. D E,B,5. The report Alexander is discussing, a report prepared jointly by A he and the committee, does not take into account the B C socioeconomic status of those interviewed. N

16、o error. D E,B,6. Interested in studying insects and their effects on agriculture, A Larissa and Tariq plan to become an entomologist and then return B C to help the farmers in their small town. No error. D E,C,7. Joining a grassroots movement against inhumane working conditions, some consumers in t

17、he United States have stopped A buying products from countries in which workers B C are essentially a slave laborer. No error. D E,D,8. Horse psychology, a science that investigates the reasons for the A behavior of horses, help trainers both motivate their charges B C and prevent problems. No error

18、. D E,B,9. To introduce itself to a wider audience, the little-known band sold its CDs cheaply to enthusiastic fans, who in turn shared the music with friends. sold its CDs cheaply sold their CDs cheaply sells its CDs at a low price prices their CDs low for to sell will sell its CDs at a cheap price,A,10. The origins of the Teapot