ANTECEDENTS
OF PRONOUNS
Antecedent is
the grammatical term used to refer to the noun that a pronoun replaces. An
antecedent comes before a pronoun. A pronoun and its antecedent must agree in
gender and number. For example, if the antecedent is singular and female, the
pronoun must refer to a single female. If the antecedent is plural, then the
pronoun must be plural as well.
It is important
to make sure that your pronouns have clear antecedents. Sometimes the
references are vague and the reader cannot figure out to whom a pronoun is
referring.
Examples
of Antecedents:
Examples
of Pronouns and Antecedents:
1. Jennifer = she or her
2. Bob and Chris = they or them
3. Kevin = he or him
Examples
of Pronouns and Antecedents in a Sentence:
1. Marcus put his book on the table.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Samuels are painting their
house.
3. Do you know if Marie invited Leslie to
her party?
4. Lois, Mark, and I would like for you to
come with us.
Examples
of Sentences with Unclear Pronoun-Antecedent References:
1. Jeff handed his father his glove. (Does
the glove belong to Jeff or his father?)
2. The soldiers taught the farmers how to
use their weapons. (Do the weapons belong to the soldiers or the farmers?)
3. Karen left Josie's book on her desk.
(Whose desk-Karen's or Josie's?)
DANGLING
CONSTRUCTIONS
A dangling
construction is a group of words that the writer intends to be a modifier for a
noun or phrase but the noun or phrase is not actually in the sentence. Instead, the modifier erroneously describes a
noun or phrase that is in the sentence -- sometimes with humorous results.
Here
are some examples.
1.
After eating, the waiter gave us the bill. (The sentence grammar says
the waiter did the eating but that's not what the writer really means.)
2.
While running, my shoe lost its heel. (I couldn’t slow that shoe down!)
3.
To avoid extinction, researchers hope to breed in captivity.
4.
After taking a three-month bicycle trip through Montana, my dog was
happy to see me.
5.
After reading the book, the movie is going to be great.
6.
Wrapped in wax paper, the picnickers couldn't see if the sandwiches were
tuna or egg salad.
7.
Rolling down the hill, Larry saw an avalance of rocks approaching.
8.
After placing bets, the horses headed to the starting gate.
Similar
to dangling modifiers are misplaced modifiers.
1.
I saw penguins on a trip to the zoo. (I hope the penguins enjoyed their
visit!)
2.
Jake shot an elephant in his pajamas. (Jake never did explain how the
elephant got into his PJ’s).
3.
Mike caught the fly ball running backwards.
4.
I found a lottery ticket walking home.
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