1 whom. Change the question to a statement and you’ll get this one right away: This dog is snarling at whom. The preposition at is completed by the object whom. 2 him. The preposition on needs an object, and him got the job. 3 them. Around is a preposition in this sentence, so it takes the object them. 4 him. The preposition to needs an object, so opt for him. 5 him. You can’t write to he, because he is a subject pronoun, and the preposition to can’t bear to be without an object pronoun. 6 she. This sentence makes a comparison, and comparisons often contain implied verbs. The missing word is does, as in Spike loves letters even more than she does. Once you include the missing word, the answer is clear. You need she as a subject of the verb does. 7 whoever. The preposition from needs an object, but in this tricky sentence, the entire expres- sion whoever really wants to catch his attention is the object, not just the first word. The pro- noun whoever functions as the subject of the verb wants. 8 he. This implied comparison omits the verb is. Add the missing verb and the answer leaps off the page: Jessica is as fond of meaty bones as he is. You need the subject pronoun he to match with the verb is. 9 his. Lincoln doesn’t need help with a person; he needs help with a task (editing). Whose editing is it? His. 0 their. Lincoln didn’t hate the people at the agency (except that guy with bad breath who called him “Abe”). He didn’t love their sending pronoun-lovers. The possessive pronoun shifts the focus to the action, where it should be. ! him. I snuck this one in to see if you were awake. Lori saw him. What was he doing? Reading, but the reading is a description tacked onto the main idea, which is that she saw him. A posses- sive isn’t called for in this sentence. @ her. The objection isn’t to a person (she) but to an action (insisting). # my. The point in this sentence is Lincoln’s reaction to the editing. The possessive pronoun my keeps the reader’s attention on editing, not on me. $ my. He didn’t hate me, he hated the way I said his name, which no one can ever pronounce anyway. My ensures that the reader thinks about pronouncing. % their. They haven’t backfired; the say-it-my-way-or-take-the-highway attitude is the problem. The possessive keeps you focused on demanding. ^ she. The expression inside the commas (speaking at a recent awards dinner) is just a descrip- tion. Take it out for a moment and see what’s left: she got a big laugh. The pronoun she is the one you want. & my. He does appreciate me, especially at bonus time. But in this sentence, I’m inquiring about the calling. This -ing noun should be preceded by the possessive my. * me. The me is the focus here, not an action-oriented -ing noun. Also, the noun king wasn’t cre- ated from a verb. 138 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 138 ( correct. My is a possessive pronoun and links the brother to the speaker as strongly as the handcuffs he bought for her birthday last year. ) correct. Another possessive pronoun, attached to the noun neighbors. - me. You need an object pronoun here, receiving the action expressed by the verb gave. _ correct. The you is okay (you works for both subject and object jobs). = me. I is a problem. For some reason the preposition between entices people to plop a subject pronoun where an object pronoun is needed. + His. The -ing noun taking is the real focus of the sentence, and the possessive pronoun keeps the reader’s attention on the taking, not on him. [ whoever. The preposition for may have tempted you to opt for an object pronoun, but the verb looks needs a subject, so whoever is best. The object of the preposition, by the way, is the whole expression, whoever looks. . . . { correct. The object pronoun correctly follows the preposition with. ] correct. The possessive pronoun their answers the pet-ownership question. 17 Garage Sale for You On Monday, May 5, my brother cleaned out the garage and gave our neighbors and I me a great opportunity. The merchandise, which, just between you and I me is mostly junk, will go on sale tomorrow. Him His taking the initiative to earn a few bucks will put money in everyone’s pocket as well! The gently used videotapes — a few surprises here for whomever whoever looks really carefully at the subtitles — are priced to sell! Buy some for your friends and watch with them and their pets. I recommend For Who Whom the Dog Barks. Other great items include a used refrigerator, given to Mom by me and my brother Doug and recently repaired by our dad and I me. Only a little freon leaks now. Come early to 5858 Wisteria Parkway and bring a wallet stuffed with bills, for it is me I who will have to cart away unsold merchandise. I promise a free balloon to whomever whoever buys the most, and he or her she may blow it up and pop it right on the spot! As my mom says, “Give she her a chance, and everyone will be happy.” 27 57 37 47 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 139 Chapter 10: The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 139 } correct. The subject pronoun I pairs with the verb recommend. \ Whom. The preposition for requires the object pronoun whom. | correct. The preposition by takes the object pronoun me. ; correct. The possessive pronoun our clarifies the parent/child bond here. : me. By I? I don’t think so. You need the object pronoun me. , I. The linking verb is should be followed by a subject pronoun (I), not an object pronoun (me). < correct. The verb will have needs a subject, and who fits the bill. . whoever. The verb buys takes the subject, whoever. > correct. The verb may blow is paired with the subject pronouns he. / she. You need a subject pronoun for the verb may blow, so she does the job. ? her. The verb give needs the object her. 140 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 16_599321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11:25 PM Page 140 Chapter 11 Choosing the Best Pronoun for a Tricky Sentence In This Chapter ᮣ Matching possessive pronouns with everyone, several, and other pronouns ᮣ Referring to companies and organizations with pronouns ᮣ Pairing who, which, and that with verbs ᮣ Avoiding vague pronoun references H ave you figured out that pronouns are the most annoying part of speech in the entire universe? Pronouns are the words that stand in for nouns — words that name people, places, things, and ideas. The language can’t do without pronouns, but when it comes to error-potential, they’re a minefield just waiting to blow up your speech or writing. I cover the basics of pronoun use in Chapter 3 and more advanced topics in Chapter 10. In this chapter I hit the big time, supplying information about pronouns that your great-uncle, the one who has a collection of antique grammar books that he actually reads, doesn’t even know. If you master everything in this chapter, give yourself a gold pronoun . . . er, star. Nodding in Agreement: Pronouns and Possessives Come Head to Head Pronouns substitute for nouns, but in a sincere effort to ruin your life, they also match up with other pronouns. For example, take a look at this sentence: “When Charlie yelled at me, I smacked him and poured glue on his homework.” The pronoun his refers to the pronoun him, which stands in for the noun Charlie. This example sentence is fairly straightforward; unfortunately, not all pronoun-pronoun couples get together so easily. “Everybody is here.” Doesn’t that comment sound plural? So why do you need the singular verb is? Because everybody is a singular pronoun. So are everyone, someone, anyone, no one, somebody, anybody, nobody, everything, something, anything, nothing, each, either, and neither. Chances are your ear for good English already knows that these pronouns belong in the singular box. If you extend the logic and match another pronoun — such as a possessive — to any of the “every . . .,” “some . . .,” “any . . .,” and other similar pronouns, you may stub your toe. I often hear sentences such as “Everyone needs their lunch pass” — a grammatical felony because the singular everyone doesn’t agree with the plural their. And in the grammar world, agreement (matching up all plurals with other plurals and singulars with other singu- lars) is a Very Big Deal. To get out of the grammatical penitentiary, substitute his or her for their: “Everyone needs his or her lunch pass.” 17_599321 ch11.qxp 4/3/06 11:26 PM Page 141 Not every pronoun is singular. Both, several, few, and many are plurals and may match with their or other plural words. Scan the following example sentence and practice exercises and plop a pronoun that makes sense in each blank. Q. Neither of my aunts has a wart on _______________ nose. A. her. The singular pronoun neither must pair with another singular pronoun. True, the sen- tence refers to aunts, a plural. But the word neither tells you that you’re talking about the aunts individually, so you have to go with a singular pronoun. Because aunts are female, her is the word you want. 1. My cousins may be easily found in a crowd because both have warts on _______________ noses. 2. My cousin Amy opted for surgery; relieved that the procedure went well, everybody sent _______________ best wishes. 3. Many of the get-well cards sported miniature warts on _______________ envelopes. 4. A few even had little handwritten messages tucked into _______________ illustrations. 5. Because Amy is pleased with the result of her surgery, someone else in her family is going to get _______________ nose done also. 6. “Doesn’t everyone need more warts on _______________ nose?” reasoned Amy. 7. Anybody who disagreed with Amy kept quiet, knowing that _______________ opinion wouldn’t be accepted anyway. 8. Each of the implanted warts has _______________ own unique shape. 9. Several of Amy’s new warts model _______________ appearance on a facial feature of a famous movie star. 10. Although someone said that _______________ didn’t like the new warts, the crowd reac- tion was generally positive. 11. Neither of the surgeons who worked on Amy’s nose has opted for a similar procedure on _______________ own schnozz. 12. I assume that nothing I say will change your mind about the nose-wart question; _______________ will “go in one ear and out the other,” as my mother used to say. 13. Aftercare is quite extensive; not one of the warts will continue to look good unless Amy gives _______________ a lot of attention. 14. Both Amy and her sister Emily look forward to having _______________ portraits painted, warts and all. 15. Many will ask _______________ own doctors for cosmetic surgery after this event. 16. A few will opt for _______________ own version of “wart enhancement.” 17. Not everyone will want the same type of wart on _______________ nose. 142 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 17_599321 ch11.qxp 4/3/06 11:26 PM Page 142 18. In fact, neither of Elizabeth’s daughters will ask for warts on _______________ nose, choos- ing a tasteful cheek placement instead. 19. A few cheek warts have already appeared in the tabloids because many stars want some- thing dramatic for _______________ publicity photos. 20. Each of the warts chosen by Elizabeth’s daughters has little white spots on _______________. Working for the Man: Pronouns for Companies and Organizations American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), Sears Roebuck & Co., the United Nations, and a ton of other businesses or community groups are waiting for the chance to mess up your pronoun choices. How? They cleverly create names that sound plural, and unsurprisingly, many people pair them up with plural pronouns. However, a moment of logical thinking tells you that each is one business and must therefore be referred to by a singular pronoun. Here’s what I mean: Wrong: Saks Fifth Avenue has put their designer lingerie on sale. Why it is wrong: I was there last week and the lingerie was full price. Also, the pronoun their is plural, but Saks, despite the letter s at the end of the name, is sin- gular because it’s one company. Right: Saks sometimes puts its designer lingerie on sale. Why it is right: Now the singular possessive pronoun (its) matches the singular store name (Saks). In the following example and set of practice exercises, choose the correct pronoun for each sentence. Just to keep you alert, I mixed in a couple of sentences in which the pronoun doesn’t refer to a singular company or organization. The same principle applies: Singular matches with singular, and plural matches with plural. Q. Carrie patronizes Meyer and Frank because (she/they) likes (its/their) shoe department, which has a good supply of her favorite size-13 stiletto heels. A. she, its. The first pronoun refers to Carrie, so she, a singular, matches nicely. Carrie is not only singular, but also unique when it comes to shoe size. The second refers to the store, which is singular also and thus merits the singular its. 21. Carrie, who is not noted for logical thinking, believes that the United Countries Association should sell cookies to feed (its/their) “starving” staffers, even if the staffers have been stuffing (itself/himself or herself/themselves) for years. 22. The World Health Maintenance Association (WHMA) answered Carrie’s letter with a sug- gestion of (its/their) own. 23. “Please work locally to overcome starvation,” read the reply. “The WHMA will take care of (its/their) own staff.” 24. Carrie, depressed by her failure to launch a cookie drive, immediately visited Mrs. Moo’s Cookie World to sample (its/their) merchandise. 143 Chapter 11: Choosing the Best Pronoun for a Tricky Sentence 17_599321 ch11.qxp 4/3/06 11:26 PM Page 143 . and everyone will be happy.” 27 57 37 47 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 139 Chapter 10: The Case of It (And Other Pronouns) 16_599 321 ch10.qxp 4/3/06 11 :25 PM Page 139 } correct. The. same type of wart on _______________ nose. 1 42 Part III: The Pickier Points of Correct Verb and Pronoun Use 17_599 321 ch11.qxp 4/3/06 11 :26 PM Page 1 42 18. In fact, neither of Elizabeth’s daughters. (itself/himself or herself/themselves) for years. 22 . The World Health Maintenance Association (WHMA) answered Carrie’s letter with a sug- gestion of (its/their) own. 23 . “Please work locally to overcome