## [Pronoun reference](/hypergrammar-2/pronoun-reference) ## Avertissement Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement. [Pronouns](what-is-a-pronoun#pronoun) generally refer to other words called antecedents because they generally appear before the pronoun. A pronoun’s antecedent may be either a [noun](what-is-a-noun#noun) or another pronoun, but in either case it must be clear what the antecedent is. Consider this example: - Bridget told Ruth that *she* would take Joe to the barn dance. It is not clear whether the pronoun *she* in this [sentence](subject-and-predicate#sentence) refers to Ruth or Bridget. A pronoun must refer unmistakably to a single antecedent. If not, readers will never know with certainty who is going to the barn dance with whom. ## Single antecedent If there is more than one possible antecedent for a [personal pronoun](what-is-a-pronoun#perspron) in a sentence, make sure that the pronoun clearly refers to only one of them: - **\[WRONG\]** In the jacket Alyson had borrowed, Maria found the ring *she* had lost. The personal pronoun *she* could refer to either *Alyson* or *Maria*. - **\[WRONG\]** Jerry called Steve twelve times while *he* was in Vancouver. The pronoun *he* could refer either to *Jerry* or to *Steve*. ## Specific versus implied antecedent Make sure that a pronoun refers to a specific rather than an implicit antecedent. When an antecedent is implied instead of stated explicitly, the reader has to guess the meaning of the sentence. - **\[WRONG\]** John put a bullet in his gun and shot *it*. The pronoun *it* can refer either to the noun *gun* or to the implied [object](objects-and-complements#objects) of the verb *shot*. - **\[WRONG\]** If I told him he had a beautiful body would he hold *it* against me? The pronoun *it* can refer to the noun *body* or to the entire statement. - **\[WRONG\]** The union reached an agreement on Ruth’s fine, but *it* took time. The pronoun *it* can refer to the noun *union* or to the implied process of decision making. ## Possessives and ajectives as antecedents You should not use [adjectives](what-is-an-adjective#adjective) or nouns and pronouns in the [possessive case](noun-and-pronoun-characteristics#poscase) as antecedents because reference to them will be ambiguous: - In Ruth’s apology *she* told Jerry *she*’d loved him for years. In this case, the pronoun *she* seems to refer to the [noun phrase](the-function-of-phrases#phrsubj) *Ruth’s apology*. However, the pronoun *she* was probably meant to refer to the [possessive noun](what-is-a-noun#posnouns) *Ruth’s*. - Jerry wore that awful green shirt; *it* was his favourite colour. In this example, the pronoun *it* seems to refer to the noun *shirt*, although it was probably meant to refer to the adjective *green*. ## Misuse of pronouns referring to titles When drafting a document, do not start an opening paragraph with a pronoun referring directly to the title. Often the title appears on a separate page, and as a result the opening is confusing. Imagine, for example, a document entitled *How to Sew Green Shirts*. You should not begin the first [paragraph](writing-paragraphs#wparagrph) with a sentence such as - *This* is not as easy as it looks. The writer probably wanted the pronoun *this* to refer to the idea of sewing shirts, but since the idea is not in the body of the text itself, the reference does not make sense. ## Using *it*, *they* and *you* In conversation people often use expressions such as *It says in this book that* . . . and *In my home town they say that* . . . . These constructions are informal and allow ideas to be presented casually, without supporting evidence. For formal writing, however, these constructions are either too imprecise or too wordy. - **\[WRONG\]** In my biography *it* says that I was born in Whitehorse. It is unclear in the biography what says that the speaker was born in Whitehorse. - **\[WRONG\]** In the restaurant *they* gave me someone else’s linguine. Who gave the speaker someone else’s linguine? It would be better to rewrite these two sentences as follows: - **\[RIGHT\]** *My biography* states that I was born in Whitehorse. - **\[RIGHT\]** In the restaurant, *the server* gave me someone else’s linguine. In these revised sentences, there is no doubt about what or who is doing what. The same basic rule applies to the pronoun *you*. In informal conversation and instructional writing, English speakers often use the pronoun *you* to mean *a hypothetical person* or *people in general*. Formal writing, however, needs to be more precise, and *you* should be used only when the author would like to address the reader directly (as I am doing here). Consider this example: - **\[WRONG\]** In the fourteenth century, *you* had to struggle to survive. In this case, *you* obviously does not refer to the reader (who was not alive during the fourteenth century). The sentence can be easily edited so that it expresses the idea more precisely, - **\[RIGHT\]** In the fourteenth century, people had to struggle to survive. Or even better yet, - **\[RIGHT\]** In the fourteenth century, English peasant farmers had to struggle to survive. ## Using *it* consistently There are three common uses of the pronoun *it*: **As an idiom** *It* is snowing. **To postpone the subject** *It* is untrue that a rhinoceros can run faster than me. **As a personal pronoun** I wanted a rhinoceros for my birthday, but did not get *it*.All three uses are found in formal writing, but the pronoun *it* should not be used more than once within a single sentence to avoid awkwardness: - **\[WRONG\]** When *it* is my birthday, I hope to receive a rhinoceros, and I will walk *it* often. It would be better to eliminate the first (idiomatic) *it*: - On my birthday, I hope to receive a rhinoceros, and I will walk *it* often. ## Using *who*, *which* and *that* Writers, editors and publishers have had difficulty establishing clear guidelines for using the [relative pronouns](what-is-a-pronoun#pronoun) *who*, *which* and *that* in formal writing. However, during the last fifty years they have generally agreed that the pronoun *who* refers to people and may also refer to animals that have names: - My mother, *who* gave me a potbellied pig, must love me very much. My pig, *whom* I call Spike, wanders at will through the house. The pronoun *which* refers to animals and things: - The pig, *which* is a much maligned and misunderstood animal, is really quite affectionate. Lastly, the pronoun *that* refers to animals or things and occasionally to people when they are anonymous or part of a group: - The hamster *that* hid behind the television went missing for days. - Shaggy dogs *that* like to swim in the bathtub cause plumbing and enamelling problems for their owners. - The answer *that* everyone missed was *Etruscan*. ## Avis de droit d’auteur pour l’outil HyperGrammar 2 © Département d’anglais, Faculté des arts, Université d’Ottawa Un outil mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada ## Rechercher par thèmes connexes Vous voulez en apprendre davantage sur un thème abordé dans cette page? Cliquez sur un lien ci-dessous pour voir toutes les pages du Portail linguistique du Canada portant sur le thème choisi. Les résultats de recherche s’afficheront dans le [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator). - [Grammar and syntax](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results) - [Adjectives](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A477#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results) - [Pronouns](/fr/navigateur-navigator?search_api_fulltext=-&field_writing_tools=All&sort_by=views&f%5B0%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A476&f%5B1%5D=navigateur_navigator_english_theme%3A486#navigateur-navigator-resultats-results) ## Liens connexes - [HyperGrammar 2](/fr/hypergrammar-2/index-fra) (page d’accueil) - [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra) - [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques) - [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra) - [Communiquer avec le Portail linguistique du Canada](/fr/apropos-about-fra#a8)