Promiscuous Pronouns…
The “pronoun” was a 4th grade vocabulary lesson that you never thought you would need to worry about…until now. He, she, it, you, us, they, them, etc. – these are pronouns. Pronouns are the number one mistake on the SAT and are also a real problem on the ACT. Since pronouns are in all the wrong places with the wrong words, I always tell students to think of pronouns as promiscuous.
Promiscuous means characterized by or involving indiscriminate mingling or association.
A pronoun must take the place of one, and only one, specific noun! If a pronoun is going with all sorts of nouns, it is a promiscuous pronoun, and this is a very bad thing. If you can’t tell what noun the pronoun is taking the place of- another bad thing. And finally, if the pronoun des not agree with the noun- yet another bad thing!
So, since being promiscuous is not a good thing, pronouns, too, are not a good thing on these exams. Therefore, always check pronouns twice in the grammar section and make sure they are correct! (Always make sure to especially double check “it”. “It” is the most promiscuous pronoun on both tests!)
Want some practice? Try this exercise:
Choose the best way to phrase the underlined portion of the sentence. If the original version is the best phrasing, choose choice A.
Laurie, Jimmy, and Tom were running home from school yesterday when he tripped and fell.
a) when he tripped and fell.
b) where it was Tom who tripped and fell.
c) when it was him who tripped and fell.
d) when Tom tripped and fell.
Answer: D. In the original sentence, who is “he” referring to? We don’t know, so “he” is promiscuous! Fix it by replacing “he” with “Tom”. Now the sentence is clear.
Figuring out what exactly to write about, how to best portray yourself, and what specific “slice-of-life” moments to include are the hardest parts of writing the college essay. Below are the four steps to brainstorming for the college essay. Follow these steps to get the creative juices flowing – you want to stand out in your essay. Be yourself, because you are who the college is looking for!
In our weekly newsletters, we provide the word of the week. Today we are giving a quiz to see if students are paying attention! Match the word to the answer choice. Having trouble? We recommend making flash cards, putting the cards in a shoebox, and putting the shoebox behind the toilet. Why? The bathroom is a great place to study!