Pronouns and Verbs

Perspective (Pronouns) First Person: the person speaking

Singular: I, me,/ my, mine,/ myself Plural: we, us,/ our, ours,/ ourselves

Second Person: the person being spoken to Singular: you,/ your, yours,/ yourself Plural: you,/ your, yours,/ yourselves

Third Person: the person being discussed Singular: he, him, she, her, it,/ his, her, hers,

its,/ himself, herself, itself Plural: they, them,/ their, theirs,/ themselves

Indefinite Pronouns

In expository writing, avoid using indefinite pronouns because they are too ambiguous and vague.

Indefinite pronoun: refers to persons, places or ideas in a more general way than nouns. ie. Anything, everything, thing, it, someone,

some, something, somebody, nobody, no one, everybody, everyone, one, any, etc…

Using Pronouns Correctly

Pronoun: a word that takes the place of a noun.

Antecedent: the noun to which the pronoun is referring to.

In expository writing, do not use a pronoun without an antecedent. i.e.. Though Georgia O’Keefe was born in

Wisconsin, she grew to love the landscape of the American Southwest. (ID the antecedent)

Using Pronouns Correctly Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: all

pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number, gender, and person. Number: agree with plural or singular ant. Gender: agree with masculine or feminine ant. ie. Emily Dickinson wrote her poems on scrap

paper. (singular feminine pronoun) Person: agree with 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person ant.

The lost generation wrote about their loss of innocence because of the World Wars.

Clear Pronoun Reference Clearly state the antecedent of the

pronoun. Make sure that a pronoun does not refer to more than one antecedent. Don’t use the pronoun this, that, which, it, any,

or one without a clearly stated antecedent. ie. Dickens loved public speaking, and that

greatly boosted his popularity. (What boosted his popularity? His speeches did, but the word speeches is not specifically mentioned.)

Dickens loved public speaking, and his speeches greatly boosted his popularity.

Clear Pronoun Reference

If a pronoun seems to refer to more than one antecedent, either reword the sentence to make the antecedent clear or eliminate the pronoun. ie. After the tickets slipped between the reports,

they were lost. (Tickets or reports?) The tickets were lost when they slipped

between the reports. (clear antecedent) When the tickets slipped between the reports,

the tickets were lost. (no pronoun)

Verb Tenses (Present Tense)

Verb Tense: forms that help to show time. In expository writing, use only present

tense verbs. Present Tense: expresses a constant,

repeated, or habitual action or condition. It can also express a general truth. The present-tense form of a verb is the same as

the base form of the verb, except for the 3rd person singular, which adds –s or –es.

Present Tense Examples

Hemingway writes in a simplistic and rich style. (always; a habitual action)

Shakespeare explores the use of language in his works. (not just in one play but in every play; a repeated action)

Bilbo Baggins is an unusual hero. (a general truth).

Verb Tenses (Past Tense)

Never use past tense in expository writing because literature is ongoing.

Past Tense: expresses an action or a condition that was started and completed in the past.

Nearly all regular and irregular verbs (except be) have just one past-tense form, such as climbed or ran. The verb be has two: was and were

Verb Tenses (Future Tense) Future Tense: expresses an action or a condition

that will occur in the future. Form future tense by using the auxiliary verb shall

or will with the base form. Also, by using going to or about to with the present tense of the verb be and the base form of the verb. Pip will achieve great expectations. When shall I study? Pip is going to achieve great expectations. Pip is about to achieve great expectations.

Consistency of Tenses

Don’t shift, or change, tenses when two or more events occur at the same time. The soloist stopped suddenly and coughs

loudly. (correct this) Keep a statement about a general truth in

the present tense if other verbs are in the past tense. We remembered that Shakespeare is a master

of characterization.

Voice of Verbs (Active Voice)

In expository writing, always use active voice.

With active voice the action comes alive. An action verb is in active voice when

the subject performs the action. ie. The brown bear caught a salmon. ie. Shakespeare wrote these sonnets.

Voice of Verbs (Passive Voice)

An action verb is in passive voice when its action is performed on the subject.

Do not use passive voice- it is boring. Form the passive voice by using the

auxiliary verb be with the past participle of the verb. A salmon was caught by the brown bear. These sonnets were wrote by Shakespeare.

Subject- Verb Agreement A verb must agree with its subject in

number. Number refers to whether the word is

singular or plural. A Singular subject indicates one (with most

regular verbs, add –s or –es to form the sing.) ie. The author writes.

Plural subjects indicate more than one and require plural verbs. ie. The authors write.

Agreement with Compound Subjects

A compound subject that is joined by and or both is plural unless its parts belong to one unit or they both refer to the same person or thing. ie. The lion and the tiger are roaring. (plural) ie. Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite type

of sandwich. (singular because it is one unit). ie. His best friend and companion is George.

(singular because it is one person).

Agreement with Compound Subjects

With compound subjects joined by or or nor (or either…or or neither…nor), the verb agrees with the subject closer to it.