123 Sam bought a suit to wear to his new job, which will begin on Monday. Emily married Sonny, who has been in love with her since first grade. Antoinette, who is a computer programmer, would be a good match for Daniel. Rule #10: Use who for people, that for things, and which for nonessential clauses that do not refer to people. Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Just as subjects (both nouns and pronouns) must agree with their verbs, pronouns must also agree with their antecedents — the words they replace. For example, consider the following sentence: Children will often believe everything their parents tell them. The word children is the antecedent and is replaced by their and them in the sentence. Because children is plural, the pronouns must also be plural. Indefinite pronouns can also be antecedents. Singular indefinite pronouns require singular pronouns: E veryone has his or her own reasons for coming. N either of the physicists could explain what she saw. Plural indefinite pronouns, on the other hand, require plural pronouns, just like they require plural verbs: both few many several B oth of them have finished their work. Only a f ew are still in their original cases. Contraction Confusion It is easy to make a mistake with pronouns and contractions because apostrophes are used to show posses- sion of nouns (Ralph’s car). With pronouns, however, possession does not require an apostrophe. If you get con- fused, think of a possessive pronoun that doesn’t get confused with contractions, such as my or our. These do not have apostrophes; other possessive pronouns should not either. Here is one way to remember to use that when referring to things: both words begin with the letters th. A Bad Habit One of the most common mistakes people make when speaking and writing is an error of pronoun-antecedent agreement. You may often say sentences such as the following: Everyone will receive their scores within two weeks. Most people make this mistake because it’s easier (shorter and faster) to say their—but it’s not correct. When the antecedent is singular, the pronouns must be singular, too: Everyone will receive his or her scores within two weeks. The students will receive their scores within two weeks. 124 Finally, those pronouns that can be either singular or plural, depending upon the noun or pronoun to which they refer, should take the pronoun that matches their referent. If the antecedent is singular, the pro- noun and verb must also be singular. If the antecedent is plural, they must be plural: all any most none some All of the chocolate is gone. It was delicious! All of the cookies are gone. They were delicious! None of the information is accurate; it’s all out of date. None of the facts are accurate; they are all out of date. Rule #11: Make sure pronouns agree in number and person with their antecedents. Pronoun Consistency Just as you need to be consistent in verb tense, you should also be consistent in your pronoun point of view. A passage that begins in the third-person plural should continue to use that third-person plural point of view. Incorrect: We have tested our hypothesis and the team believes it is correct. Correct: We have tested our hypothesis and we believe it is correct. Incorrect: If you prepare carefully, one can expect to pass the exam. Correct: If you prepare carefully, you can expect to pass the exam. If one prepares carefully, one can expect to pass the exam. Rule #12: Be consistent in pronoun point of view. Adjectives and Adverbs Adjectives and adverbs help give our sentences color; they describe things and actions. Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns and tell us which one, what kind, and how many: that book romance novel several chapters the other class steep expense multiple options Adverbs, on the other hand, describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They tell us where, when, how, and to what extent: flying south arrive early sings beautifully very talented wait here meet tomorrow fight courageously severely compromised Remember to keep modifiers as close as possible to what they modify. FEWER/LESS, NUMBER/AMOUNT As a rule, use the adjective fewer to modify plural nouns or things that can be counted. Use less for singular nouns that represent a quantity or a degree. Most nouns to which an -s can be added require the adjective fewer. Use less salt this time. Use fewer eggs this time. I had less r eason to go this time. I had fewer reasons to go this time. Rule #13: Use less (meaning a smaller amount) for singular nouns representing quantity or degree. Use fewer (meaning a smaller number) for plural nouns and countable items. GOOD/BAD, WELL/BADLY These pairs of words — good/well, bad/badly — are often confused. The key to proper usage is to understand their function in the sentence. Good and bad are adjectives; they should only be used to modify nouns and pronouns. Well and badly are adverbs; they should be used to modify verbs: I was surprised by how g ood Sebastian’s cake was. Jennelle hasn’t been f eeling well lately. Her e xperience is good, but she didn’t do well in the interview. Rule #14: Use good and bad to describe nouns and pronouns; use well and badly to describe verbs. – SENTENCE CORRECTION– 125 COMPARISONS An important function of adjectives and adverbs is comparisons. When you are comparing two things, use the comparative form (-er) of the modifier. If you are comparing more than two things, use the superlative form (-est) of the modifier. To create the comparative form, either ■ add -er to the modifier. ■ place the word more or less before the modifier. In general, add -er to short modifiers (one or two syllables). Use more or less with modifiers of more than two syllables. cheaper less expensive smarter more intelligent To create the superlative form, either ■ add -est to the modifier. ■ place the word most or least before the modifier. Again, as a general rule, add -est to short modifiers (one or two syllables). Use more, most, less, or least with modifiers that are more than two syllables: Wanda is mor e experienced than I, but I am the most familiar with the software. Ahmed is clearly the smar test student in the class. Rule #15: In comparisons, add -er or -est to short modifiers. For longer words, use more/most or less/least before the modifier. DOUBLE COMPARISONS AND DOUBLE NEGATIVES Be sure to avoid double comparisons. Don’t use both -er/-est and more/less or most/least together. Incorrect: She has the most long est hair I have ever seen. Correct: She has the long est hair I have ever seen. Incorrect: Minsun is mor e happier now. Correct: Minsun is hap pier now. Rule #16: Do not use double comparisons. – SENTENCE CORRECTION– 126 Likewise, be sure to avoid double negatives.When a negative word such as no or not is added to a state- ment that is already negative, it results in a double negative and potential confusion. Hardly and barely are also negative words. Remember, one negative is all you need: Incorrect: He doesn’t have no idea what she’s talking about. Correct: He doesn ’t have any idea what she’s talking about. He has no idea what she’s talking about. Incorrect: I can’t hardly wait to see you. Correct: I can har d ly wait to see you. I can ’t wait to see you. Rule #17: Do not use double negatives. Idioms Every language has its share of idioms: those odd expressions that have a special meaning not consistent with the literal meanings of the words. For example, to say you are all ears certainly does not mean that you are composed entirely of ears; rather, it means that you are listening attentively. Fluency in idiomatic expressions reflects a comfort with and command of the English language, and that is why some sentence correction questions will test your knowledge of idioms. For example, you might find a sentence correction question such as the following: I have been so busy because I have ha d to pick through a slack since Winston quit. a. had to pick through a slack b. had to pick the slack c. had to pick up the slack d. slacked through the pick e. been unable to see through the slack The correct answer is c, which correctly uses the idiom pick up the slack, meaning to do someone else’s work, or fill in. All of the other versions use incorrect forms of the idiom. P REPOSITIONAL IDIOMS Prepositional idioms are the specific word/preposition combinations that English speakers use, such as take care of and according to. Unless English is your second language, most of these idioms should be part of your everyday vocabulary, but a quick review of the list below may be helpful. according to afraid of anxious about apologize to (someone) apologize for approve of ashamed of aware of (something) bored with capable of compete with – SENTENCE CORRECTION– 127 Idiom Review Many websites offer extensive lists of English language idioms. Try one of these sites for a helpful idiom review: • Wayne Magnuson English Idioms: home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/index.html • The Idiom Connection: www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6720 128 blame (someone) composed of concentrate on concerned with for (something) conscious of consist of depend on/upon complain about except for fond of from now on congratulate on frown on/upon full of glance at (something)/glance equal to grateful for in accordance with through (something — e.g., from time to time (something) insist on/upon a book) grateful to (someone) inferior to knowledge of incapable of in conflict interested in opposite of in the habit of in the near future on top of related to next to of the opinion regard to satisfied with prior to proud of responsible for take care of rely on/upon respect for suspicious of similar to sorry for with regard to thank (someone) for tired of (something) Rule #18: Use idioms correctly. Style Style refers to the manner in which something is said or done. In writing, style is largely controlled by two elements: sentence structure and word choice. Together, these two elements determine the tone, the level of formality, and the level of detail, creating the overall feel of the text — smooth or choppy, formal or informal, juvenile or sophisticated, friendly or sinister. These two elements also exert a great deal of control over the readability and clarity of the text. A sentence that is grammatically correct but that has problems with its style can still be difficult (even impossible) to understand. To keep sentences clear and effective, writers should follow these guidelines for effective style: 1. Be concise. 2. Be precise. 3. Avoid ambiguity. . www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6720 1 28 blame (someone) composed of concentrate on concerned with for (something) conscious of consist of depend on/ upon complain about except for fond of from now on congratulate on frown on/ upon. of them have finished their work. Only a f ew are still in their original cases. Contraction Confusion It is easy to make a mistake with pronouns and contractions because apostrophes are used to. in opposite of in the habit of in the near future on top of related to next to of the opinion regard to satisfied with prior to proud of responsible for take care of rely on/ upon respect for suspicious