General reference Pronouns replace nouns, that is they replace one noun: a person, place, thing, concept. For example, them replaces students. General reference means the pronoun is being used by the writer to refer to a general idea in a preceding phrase or sentence rather than to a specific, identifiable noun.
What is the difference between general reference and a pronoun?
Pronouns replace nouns, that is they replace one noun: a person, place, thing, concept. For example, them replaces students. General reference means the pronoun is being used by the writer to refer to a general idea in a preceding phrase or sentence rather than to a specific, identifiable noun.
What is a generic pronoun?
In English grammar, a generic pronoun is a personal pronoun (such as one or they) that can refer to both masculine and feminine entities. Also called a common-gender pronoun, an epicene pronoun, and a gender-neutral pronoun .
What are the rules of pronoun reference?
Pronoun Reference Rules. Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. Whenever pronouns are used, it should be unmistakably clear which noun the pronoun is standing in for.
What is a 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 pronoun’s antecedent.
What are general pronouns?
from English Grammar Today. One, you, we and they are generic personal pronouns. We can use one, you, we and they to refer to 'people in general'.
What is a pronoun reference example?
Pronouns are words that refer to “something else” – usually a noun – earlier in the sentence or in a previous sentence. Jill watched her favorite movie. In this example, “her” refers to Jill. Pat walked his dog.
What is correct pronoun reference?
Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. Whenever pronouns are used, it should be unmistakably clear which noun the pronoun is standing in for. A faulty pronoun reference will result in a muddled sentence and a confused reader.
How do you use pronoun references?
0:006:30Pronoun Reference | Sentence Structure | The Nature of WritingYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipPronoun reference is the idea that if you have a pronoun you need to make sure that it refers backMorePronoun reference is the idea that if you have a pronoun you need to make sure that it refers back clearly to a noun that came before and we call this noun the antecedent.
What is wrong pronoun reference?
In traditional grammar, faulty pronoun reference is a catch-all term for a pronoun (often a personal pronoun) that doesn't refer clearly and unambiguously to its antecedent.
What is a vague pronoun reference?
What is a Vague Pronoun? A pronoun can be considered vague if it doesn't clearly refer to a specific person or thing in the sentence (the antecedent). Using demonstrative pronouns, such as 'it' or 'those,' without a clear antecedent can cause confusion.
Pronoun Reference
Pronouns must always refer clearly to the noun they represent (antecedent). If you understand how pronouns relate to nouns, you can avoid confusion in your writing.
Finding the antecedent
Remember that pronouns stand in for nouns. An antecedent is the noun—or group of words acting as a noun—that a pronoun refers to. Notice the antecedents in the following example.
Indefinite antecedents
More subtle errors occur when you use a pronoun reference that is too general or indefinite or one that only you know.
What is it called when a pronoun doesn't refer to its antecedent?
In traditional grammar, a construction in which a pronoun doesn't refer clearly and unambiguously to its antecedent is called faulty pronoun reference .
What is the antecedent of a pronoun?
The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent . A pronoun may point back to other items in a text ( anaphoric reference) or—less commonly—point ahead to a later part of the text ( cataphoric reference ).
Why is the plural pronoun "they" faulty?
In this sentence, the plural pronoun them is faulty because there is no plural noun for it to refer to. Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. In English grammar, reference is the relationship between ...
What is reference in English?
In English grammar, reference is the relationship between a grammatical unit (usually a pronoun) that refers to (or stands in for) another grammatical unit (usually a noun or noun phrase ). The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent .
What is an ambiguous pronoun?
" Ambiguous pronoun reference occurs when pronouns such as 'he,' 'she,' 'it,' 'they,' 'this,' and 'that' don't refer clearly to one thing.
Is "they" a pronoun?
They as a Generic Pronoun. "No singular 3rd person pronoun in English is universally accepted as appropriate for referring to a human when you don't want to specify sex. . . . The pronoun most widely used in such cases is they, in a secondary sense that is interpreted semantically as singular.".
What is generic pronoun?
Updated August 05, 2019. In English grammar, a generic pronoun is a personal pronoun (such as one or they) that can refer to both masculine and feminine entities. Also called a common-gender pronoun, an epicene pronoun, and a gender-neutral pronoun . In recent years, because English does not have a singular equivalent ...
Does the 2011 NIV change the pronouns?
"The 2011 translation of the New International Version Bible, or NIV, does not change pronouns referring to God, who remains 'He' and 'the Father.' But it does aim to avoid using 'he' or 'him' as the default reference to an unspecified person. . . .
Is a fossil gender neutral?
"There is an interesting historical twist to this story. Around 1000 years ago, at the time of so-called Old English, the masculine pronoun was hē and the feminine pronoun was hēo. The form she didn't make an appearance until sometime during the 12th century.
How to avoid pronoun reference problems?
Avoid most pronoun reference problems by following these rules: Make pronouns agree in person and number with their antecedents. Make pronouns gender-neutral when possible. Make pronouns refer unambiguously to their intended referents. Make sure the pronoun referent actually appears nearby.
Is "hung jury" a plural noun?
Sometimes a pronoun refers to a compound subject.
Does the referent appear before or after the pronoun?
The referent must appear prior to the pronoun that refers to it. It may appear in a nearby sentence if the reference is clear enough. Below, Mr. Piluso is the referent for all the he's and him's, while Mai is the referent for the she's and her's: Mr. Piluso arrived late to class.
Do pronouns match?
Pronouns must match the person and number of the words they replace. ( Pronouns must, in addition, match case. Case refers to whether a pronoun is a subject [ I know this!] or object [Tell me more.] in a sentence.
Is a pronoun a possessive word?
A pronoun may not usually refer to a possessive word. In the following example, therefore, the referent is missing: In the staff's opinion, the contract offers them distinct advantages. The intended referent of them is staff; however, staff's, as a possessive, is ineligible.
What is a pronoun in a sentence?
A pronoun is a word such as I, you, he, she, it, they, who that takes the place of a noun.If we are talking about Brenda, we don't always have to use the noun, Brenda, we can use a pronoun to replace the word: she or her. We do this after we have used the noun, so we know exactly who or what the pronoun is referring to.
What is the meaning of "pronouns replace nouns"?
Pronouns replace nouns, that is they replace one noun: a person, place, thing, concept. For example, them replaces students. General reference means the pronoun is being used by the writer to refer to a general idea in a preceding phrase or sentence rather than to a specific, identifiable noun.
What does "close by" mean in pronouns?
Every pronoun should refer to a specific antecedent that has been mentioned and is close by. If the antecedent is missing or too far away from the pronoun, it can be difficult for the reader to understand what noun the pronoun refers to.
Why are pronoun references so bad?
Pronoun reference errors can also be problems for beginning writers because it’s so easy to get in a hurry when you write and forget that you need to think about how clear your writing will be for your audience.
Why do writers use "they" as a pronoun?
Then, later, the writer may use they as a pronoun to replace student because the writer means students in general. This often occurs when people try to avoid that structure and use cumbersome word choices such as he/she, he or she, or (wo)men as ther is no gender-neutral singular pronoun in the English language.
Examples and Observations
- Remember that pronouns stand in for nouns. An antecedentis the noun—or group of words acting as a noun—that a pronoun refers to. Notice the antecedents in the following example. 1. Kelly lifted Mickey into the air and then set himdown. 2. The debt plagued John and Sandy. It ruined any chance theyhad for a peaceful relationship. Neither of these exa...
Origin of "He" as A Generic Pronoun
A Gender-Neutral Fossil
The Singular They
The Generic "They" in A New Translation of The Bible
- "'He' started to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using 'they' as a singular pronoun. In 1850 an Act of Parliament gave official sanction to the recently invented concept of the generic 'he.' . . . [T]he new law said, 'words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females.'" (R. Barker and …