Pronouns
Understanding the usage, reference, and agreement of pronouns will aid in mastering this portion of the SAT Writing section.
Pronoun Usage
Pronoun Usage
Learning the difference between pronouns that are used as subjects and pronouns that are used as objects is imperative to mastering usage. A common example found on the SATs would be sentences questioning the correct usage of linking verbs. Consider this example: It is me who delivers the pizza. While it may sound right to use the pronoun “me” in this sentence, the correct use of a pronoun is actually “I”. What makes this concept so confusing is that misuse of pronouns is rampant in spoken English.
In order to prepare for the SATs, one must become familiar with the common linking verbs, such as “was”, “were”, “is”, “are” and “am”. Mastering the use of these linking verbs will help when misuse of pronouns are present in a test question. Mapping nominative and objective differences for personal pronouns will also aid in mastering this test portion.
Pronoun use in conjunction with prepositional phrases is also a concern. For example: The president gave the award to her and I. In this example, the correct pronoun is actually “me”, because it functions as the object of a preposition. Conversely, in the following example, “The teacher gave him and I a scolding,” the correct usage is actually “him and me” because “him and I functions as indirect objects.” To the untrained ear, these sentences sound correct, but studying correct usage of objective pronouns and nominative pronouns will prevent any mistakes.
Pronoun Antecedent Agreeement
Singular indefinite pronouns carry a huge margin of error for the common student or even those of higher educational regard. These pronouns are so rampantly misused that SAT test makers pile on the questions on the topic of their use. Indefinite pronouns such as “anyone,” “someone,” “no one,” “somebody,” “anybody,” etc should serve as a red flag to indicate the question concerns proper indefinite pronoun usage. The following sentence serves as an example: “Did everybody bring their homework?” Even though this sentence may sound correct, the pronouns “his or her” are proper. Since the term “everybody” refers to a group that contains people of both genders, “his” or “her” is the most appropriate combination. This is a common trick of SAT test makers, and students should be aware.
Reference Errors
Makers of the SATs are using reference errors more and more frequently in test questions as they are the most subtle and most difficult to register as incorrect. This type of error can be broken down into three types: general, indefinite, and ambiguous. General and indefinite errors are quite similar, but ambiguous stand alone. The following example is a common type of sentence used on the SAT: Noticing the error on his cable bill, the young tenant knew that they made a mistake. In the first part of the sentence “Noticing the error on his cable bill,” the author assumes that in mentioning “cable bill” that “they” would be understood. In fact, the author does not include an antecedent, which leaves the word “they” without the accompaniment of a noun.
An inference may indicate that “they” refers to people who wrote the cable bill, so “they” could be safely replaced with “The Cable Company.” Keeping an eye out for rootless pronouns (they, this, it, that) will be a good aid in this portion of the exam.
An ambiguous pronoun is another form of a reference error. When the reader of a sentence cannot clearly match a pronoun back to an antecedent, then an ambiguous pronoun error has occurred. In this type of error, when the reader tries to trace a pronoun back to an antecedent, he or she will find it could match two different elements. For example: When the clerk turned around to talk with the customer, she told her some bad news. In this sentence, “she” could refer to either the clerk or the customer. To fix this mistake, the author must replace the pronoun “she” with a correct antecedent.
Person
Second person pronoun shifts are another common misuse of grammar to be aware of when taking the SAT test. Often, people will start a sentence in the third person, using common pronouns like “he” or “she”, and then in the latter part of the sentence switch into the second person point of view. This is incorrect. When one begins a second in the third person, the sentence must conclude in that same point of view. For example: When one runs a marathon, you have to be physically and mentally prepared. See how the sentence begins with “one” yet ends with “you”? The correct sentence would be: When one runs a marathon, one must be physically and mentally prepared. Pay attention to pronouns in the second person view because they are commonly misused.
