Reference of Pronouns antecedent vs. pronoun Ambiguous reference Broad reference Weak reference By Ms. Terri Yueh

Case of Pronouns The Nominative case The Objective case The Possessive case

The Nominative case I will go. No one can do as well as he (can). The persons mentioned were she and Rob. My friend and I went to town. He knows who sent the money. Who do you think called me last night? The man who James says will be our next governor in the room.

2. The objective case They invited Mary and me to the party. The chairman appointed three of us girls—Mary, Sue, and me—to the party. Whom were you talking to? Whom do you think we saw last night? He is the boy whom we meet in the party. We want him to be elected. She took him to be me. The best player was thought to be he.

3. The Possessive case Possessive adjective: My book is on the table. It’s time for your car to have its oil changed.

Ambiguous reference Andy told his uncle that his money had been stolen. When tourists first arrived in this new resort, the locals thought they were lucky people.

Broad reference Not until the last moment will a man tell his wife about his extramarital affair, and it is a leading cause of divorce. Not until the last moment will a man tell his wife about his extramarital affair; such secrecy is a leading cause of divorce. Not until the last moment will a man tell his wife about his extramarital affair; such belated confessions are a leading cause of divorce. Not until the last moment will a man tell his wife about his extramarital affair; such affairs are a leading cause of divorce.

Weak reference * My father is a chemist. This is a profession I intend to follow. When she thrust a stick into the rat hole, it ran out and bit her. Although the new regulations allow them to do it, high school graduates seldom go abroad for higher education.  High school graduates seldom go abroad for higher education, although the new regulations allow them to do so. The students did not hand in his report on time and because of it was flunked by the teacher.  The students did not hand in his report on time and was therefore flunked by the teacher.

Consistency of Pronoun Reference Remember that if you are referring to you, or we, or I, or one, try to remain consistently within the same case. One You should observe this carefully whenever you write. While one travels abroad, you should always keep your passport in a safe place.  While traveling abroad, one should always keep one’s passport in a safe place. When a teacher takes his or her students on a field trip, he or she is responsible for their safety.