Point 23: Pronoun Usage

Make sure your pronouns refer back to or take the place of specific nouns. This point might seem self-evident; after all, pronouns by definition refer back to or take the place of nouns. These three steps address most pronoun problems I see:

• Avoid pronouns that can refer to multiple referents. For example, one might write, "Curly's book on Moe helps clarify what I mean here. His point is that funny things make us laugh." In the second sentence, "His" could refer to Curly or Moe, but the reader cannot tell which one.

• Conversely, avoid pronouns that refer to no specific noun. The simplest versions of problems on this front cause little confusion but will displease sticklers. For instance, in the sentence "Wordsworth's poetry gives us a sense of what he was thinking," the pronoun "he" has no referent because "Wordsworth's" is not a noun. Being picky about that problem might seem excessive, but making sure all pronouns point to nouns will ensure that you avoid much larger problems. Many of the cases in which sloppy pronouns muddy a paper significantly have to do with undefined uses of the word "this." Some writers will write a long paragraph with many ideas and then begin the next paragraph with a sentence such as, "This also applies to Coleridge." If you find yourself using "this" in an undefined way, either clarify what "this" you mean (as in, "This notion of the 'googly eyes' also applies to Coleridge") or drop "this" altogether in favor of more specific wording.

• Efforts to use gender-neutral language call attention to a number of issues related to pronoun agreement. Carolyn Jacobson's Notes on Gender-Neutral Language explains the pronoun agreement problems created by gender-neutral language and how to solve them. To see her essay, click the link and then use your "Back" button to return to the Inspection.