70 ENGUSH AND WRIINC SKuLS RIVII W

Precise Pronoun Use

Apronoun is a
Word hat Lake he
properly used ronoun will have anpleoalou), 0 .
ontecedent lsoaled
referent). This is the wodthe pronom ldentify and correct
antecedent ota pronoun wst be madede epl.es The
structure of the om lhe arnbiguous pronoun
sentence.
references.
Examples:
Edward's tather died bctore he leached his
birthday, so he never finished his cducation.twentieh
In 1980,the University Council voted to
x
BASIC
3, which made it easier for rescind
some studentsto
Provision
raduate. x INED
In the first example, it is not clear whether the
father
died before he reached the age of 20 or before :dward
AfVANC ED
reached the age of 20. Furthermore, it is not clear whose cducation rem.ined unfinirhed mnly.
In the secondexample, the antecedent of"which"is 0t clear. "Which" may reter to l'oviion o it
may refer to the University Council's vote t0 rescinl Provision 3.

WATCH FOR UNCLEAR ANTECEDENTS

The antecedent of a pronoun must be clearly ldentified by the structure of the

Sentence.

Example:
The letter is on the desk that we received yesterday.
The letter that we received yesterday is onthe desk.
Beware that the impersonal use of "it," "they,"and "you" tends to produce vague, wordy sentences.
Examples:
In the manual, it says to make three copies. x
The manual says to make three copies.
winte.
They predict We are in for aCold, wet
/
The alnanac predicts a Cold, wet winte.
 INTERMEDIATE
WRITING |
CNGLISHAND

EXERCISE 4 each sentenceor

choose NO
DIRECTIONS: In each of the following items, a word or phrase is underlined. Following
originalis
correct,
sentences are alternatives for rewriting the underlined part. If you thinkthe
CHANGE. Otherwise, choose the best alternative. Answers are on page
Raoul
the former CEO,
that financial records
67. The most frequently advanced justifications 70. After determining
aware that
for rising physicians' fees /s they pay Oimpson, was directors
falsified, the board of
million
increasing malpractice insurance premiums had been million of a$15
refused to pay $8.7 has
and invest in costly equipment. which Simpson
Severance package,
A. NO CHANGE vOwedto fight in court.
B. are they pay increasing malpractice NO CHANGE
insurance premiums and invest F. vowed to fight
package that Simpson has
C. are that physicians pay increasing G.
in court
malpractice insurance premiumsand
decision that Simpson has
that they invest H. package, a
is increasing malpractice insurance vowed to fight in court
D.
by Simpson being
premiums and investing J. package,a court fight
vowed

68. Financial statements often relegate to definitive and

footnotes expenditures such as negotiated 71. French Impressionism had a
settlemnents with terminated executives extended effect on American painting in the
decades around the beginning of the
because they are not recurring events.
twentieth century; it is clearly seen in the
F NO CHANGE works of Americans such as Edward Willis
they are not a recurring event Redfield, John Singer Sargent, and Cecilia
G.
it is not a recurring event Beaux.
H.
such settlements are not recurring A. NO CHANGE
events
B. this effect is clearly seen in the works of
Americans such as
genius, Edison's C. as is clearly seen in the works of such
69. Though an engineeringdecisions include Americans as
questionable business
that had D. clearly seen in the works of such
claiming engineering breakthroughs
slanderous Americans as
distributing
not yet happened, competitors, and,
pamphlets about his
of all, he
perhaps most embarrassingover alternating 72. The actual votes cast by incumbents can
championed direct current
could not be provide voters with a more accurate picture
current even though itdistances. of their attitudes than the speeches they
transmitted over long make while campaigning for reelection.
A.
NOCHANGE F NO CHANGE
direct current over
B he championed though direct
G the attitudes of
incumbents than the
alternating current even speeches they make
Current H the attitudes of
C. championing direct current
over incumbents than do
speeches they make the
though it
alternating current even the attitudes of
D. championing
direct current over
speeches
incumbents than do the
though direct
alternating current even
current
 72 ENGIS|AND WING KWA vI W

73. With the wTHMg ol llucklebcy tm, it 76. lnthe t ew yews, yoilicmt chanp
llarkedl the lisLime h he ACiaH IveLlkeu paee in the orpnization of our
the:
vehacular was Uscd ina ovel. LODODy that willprolouudly affcct
htacler of or labor WniOnSds wella's
A NO CHNGE nlluencDg cons0er nd inlustrillif
Marking the rs ime that he
Aerican veLCul.| W |Nodiu NOCHANGE
novel w. uklebeuyIm oDomy that will profonnlly affect the
( The wriing ot llucklebCUYFl, hrter of ourLabor nons as well as
Ovel, Was the l i ehlhe nllueuee
eCOoDy, these hanpes will
The witing ol lucklebcY Fmn profoundly affeet the charater of our
markel the fst ime dhhe Ibor unions and infIence
American verLCul.r w.as uNelina CconoDy, andthat will profoundly
aflect he character of our labor unions
Ovel.
as well as influence

74. Although tod.ay it is eost ellective lo make

pertums with syntheticingredients, lhey 77. The delivery in large volume of certain
used to nuke the clussic Aragrances rom wellare services 0s costly because of the large
tlowers only ndl other naturalessences. lumberof public contract employees
lCCeSsary to cnsure it is timely.
NO CHANGE
the classic ragrances used to be ad: A. NO CHANGE
only rom lowers B. The delivery of a large volume of
theclassic ragranees used to be made certain welfare services are costly
by them only rom lowers because alarge number of public
the classic fragrances usedto be made contract employees that this requires.
fromtlowers only C. Thedelivery in large volume of certain
welfare services is costly because of
the large number of public contract
75. Approximately 20,000meteo's enter the employees necessary to ensure a
earth's itmosphere every day, but very lew timely delivery.
of them reach the earth's surface on the D, The delivery of certain welfare services
grounds that they are consumed by frictional in large volume is costly on acCount of
heat long belore theyreach the carth. the large numbers of public contract
A. NO CHANGE
employees that is necessary for it.
B. but very few of them reach the earth's
surface because most 78. The fictional ship on the television
but very few of them reach the earth's
comedy
Gilligan's Island was named the Minow (not
surface because they Minnow) after the head of the Federal
D. withvery few of them reachiDg the Communications CommissionNewton
earth's surtace on account of Uey Minow who, in 1961, called it a "vast
wasteland."
E. NOCHANGE
G. calling iit
|H. called television
called them
 ENGLISH AND WRITING | INTERMEDIATE "
73

dancers warm up before each

79. Ballet
performarnce by doing a series of pliés and
stretching exercises, and it reduces the
chance of injury.

A. NOCHANGE
B. exercises, reducing
C exercises; the routine reduces
D. exercises, so the routine reduces

tribes used to
g0 Itis reported that some native
Pat the livers of their slain enemies which
they believed allowed them toingest their
COurage.
E. NOCHANGE
G. enemies which they believed allowed
enemies' courage
them to ingest their believed,
would,they
H. enemies whichingest their enemies'
allow them to
courage allowed
they believed
enemies, a processcourage of their
them to ingest the
enemies

both viral
infections are made up by
81. Certain elements which makes
andbacterialthese infections difficult.
treatment of

A. NO CHANGE bacterial
by viral as wellas
composed make
B.
elementsand theyviralandbacterial
composedof both
C. elements which make bacterial
both viraland
of
composed combination makes
D. elements;this
 82" ENGLISH AND WRTING SKILLS
REVIEW

Verb Tense and Pronoun Person

You learned about principal parts of verbs, including irregular ver bo Maintain consistent
the Basic level of this book (p. 30). In this lesson, you will continue
verb tense and
buiang onwhat you already know and learn about a few more
complicated verb tenses. pronoun person.

The Perfect Tenses

Use the present perfect for an action begun in the past and
extended to the present. 3ASIC
Example: INEN M:ZT
lam glad you are here at last: I have waited an hour for you to
arrive. ADVANCED
In this case, "I waited" would be incorrect. The action
present.
"have waited" (present perfect) began in the past and extended to the
before some other past action.
Use the past perfect for an action begun and completed in the past
Example:
The foreman asked what had happened to my eye.
In this case, "happened" would be incorrect. The action "asked" and the action "had happened" (past
perfect) are used because one action (regarding the speaker's eye) is "more past" than the other
action (the foreman's asking).
Use the future perfect for an action begun at any time and completed in the future. When there are two
future actions, the action completed first is expressed in the future perfect tense.

Example:
When I reach Chicago tonight, my uncle will have left for Los Angeles. /

The action "will have left" is going to take place before the action "reach," although both actions will
occur in the future.

The Subjunctive Mood

to express a wish, a command, a supposition, or a condition that is
The subjunctive is usedimportant
is very in other languages, but only a few contrary to fact.
The subjunctive
are the use of "were" in place of remnants survive in English. Themost
important forms of the subjunctive
subjunctive. "was" and the use of "be" in place of "am"
the
in clauses requiring
Example:
heach
Iwish that Iwere on a tropical island lying on the
"were"is used rather than
Inthis sentence, "was" in
fact) ideathat the speaker is not lying on the beach oforder
a
to express the
subjunctive (contrary to
tropical island.
 ENGLISH AND WRITING | INTERMEDIATE" 22

Example
v
The teacher required that allreports be typed.
teacher wishes or commands thts).
In this example "be is used rather than "are" because the
eports be tvped.

Shifting Verb Tenses

action
Make sure that verb tenses properl retlect the sequence, as well as the duration, of any
desnbed in the sentence.

Examples:
Charles came to town last week andgoes to aresort where he rests for three days. x

Charles came totown last week and went to a resort where he rested for three days.
Joan camme home last week and goes to her summer cottage where she spends the last weekend of her
vacation. x

loan came home last week and went to her summer cottage where she spent the last weekend of her
vacatin.

Pronouns Must Have Proper Case

Apronoun must agree with its antecedent in case, number, and person. The pronoun's function in a sentence
determines which case should be used. You should be familiar with the following three categories of pronoun
case: nominative (or subjective), objective, and possessive.

TYPES OF PRONOUN CASE

1. Nominative (subjective)case pronouns are used as subjects of sentences.

2. Objective case pronouns are used as objects: direct objects, indirect objects, and
objects of prepositions.
3. Possessive case pronouns are used to show poSsession. Use a
possessive pronoun
preceding a gerund. Agerund is the "-ing" form of averb that is used asa noun.

The following exanples illustrate correct usage of

pronoun case:
Exarnples:
Nominative:
Ithought he would likethe gift we bought.

Objective:
The choice for the part is between Bob and me. (The object pronoun me follows the preposition
between.)
Possessive:
Do you mind my using your computer? (The possessive pronoun my precedesthe gerund using.)
 84 " ENGLISH AND WRITING SKILLS REVIEW

EXAMPLES OFPRONOUN CASE 3rd Person

2nd Person
1 Person
he, she, it
you
Nominative Singular: they
you
Case Plural: We
him, her, it
Ime
you them
Objective Singular: you
Case Plural: us

his, her, its

your
Possessive Singular: my their
your
Case Plural: Our

pronouncase:
examples of the nominative, or subjective,
Tne following are additional
Examples:
John and him were chosen. x
John and he were chosen.
chosen.
certainly would not saythat "him" was
"He" is the subject of the verb; we
He is as witty as her. x

He is as witty as she.
verb ("is") has been omitted from the end of the
"She" is the subject of the verb, even though the
witty.
sentence; we certainly would not say that "her" is

The following are additional examples of the objective pronoun case:

Examples:
They accused Tom and he of stealing, x
They accused Tom and him of stealing.

"Him" is the object of the verb "accused"; they accused "him," not "he."
The tickets were given to Bill and x
The tickets were given to Bill and me.

"Me" is the object of "to"; the ticketswere given to "me," not to"I."

Finally, personal pronouns that express ownership never require an apostrophe. Also, a pronoun that
precedes agerund ("-ing" verb form used as a noun) is usually the possessive case.
Examples:
This book is your's, not her's. x

This book is yours, not hers.

He rejoiced at him going to the party. x
He rejoiced at his going to the party.
 85
INTERMEDIATE
ENGL ISH AND WRITING |
EXERCISE 7

DIRECTIONS (Items #112-119): Each of the

underlined and lettered.
Choose the following sentences contaíns a síngle error. The error
sentence. In choosing answers, follow theunderlined portion that must be changed to produce a
one
ís
correct
570.
conventions of standard written English. Answers are on page
112. The whale had been
laying on the 116.
F
Thewoman to whom Itake my
beach for over two hours
before the
clothes for tailoring has adjusting the
rescue teams were able to begin G

G hem on this skirt perfectly

moving it back into the water.
H

117. Due to the extremely warm weather

113. After he had Jearned of her suicide, A

A B this winter, the water has not

he drunk all of the poison from the froze
C
D on the pond
Vial.
D
sufficiently.
118.
114. The newly purchased picture was Rather than declaring
applied for a loan, and bankruptcy,
F G
G
he
hanged on the back wall nearest the H
the
H bank
bay window. Loaned him the
money.
115. The opening scene of the film was a 119.
After
most ofstrthe
uggling with the problem for
A

grainy, black-and-white shot of an A

empty town square in which an

outlaw was hung
afternoon,on he finally
linged the papers
B
D
ran out of the the desk
D
ro9m. and
 E86 " ENGLISH AND WRITING SKILLS REVIEW
underlined. Following
phrase is
word or the original is
DIRECTIONS (Items #120-131): In each of the following
items, a
underlined part. Ifyou think
570.
the are on page
each sentence or sentences are alternatives for rewritingalternative. Answers
correct, choose NO CHANGE. Otherwise, choose the best achieved
Beverly Sills never
Although
in Europe or at the
123. status
120. Major power failures in the United States are superstar she was singing
rare; but when one occured, the results Metropolitan Opera, yetOpera during 20
City
included widespread economic damage. major roles at the
human
serious inconvenience for millions, and years.
life was endangered. NOCHANGE City Opera
A.
did sing major roles at the
F NO CHANGE B she
during 20 years
results included City Opera
G. when they occurred, the serious she sang major roles at the
widespread economic damage, human C
for 20 years
inconvenience for millions, and at the City
but she sang major roles
life was endangered D
result includes Opera for 20 years
H when one occurs, the serious
widespread economic damage, threat to
inconvenience for millions, and cuneiform script are
The earliest texts in the
human life 124.
about 5,000 years old, having antedated
1,500
results include alphabets by somne
when they occur, the damage, serious use of the first
widespread economic threat to
and years.
inconvenience for millions,
human life NO CHANGE
F
antedated the invention
G old, having
the use
Men's tailored clothing
sales have been H. old, antedating the invention
121. and antedate
as Consumers J. old
stagnant in recent years wardrobes,
assembled business casual
khakis and knit student of classical
replacing suits with budget Queen Elizabeth Iwas a
125. insisted that
shirts. languages, and it was her who
court.
A. NO CHANGE Greek and Latin were spoken at
business casual
B. have assembled A. NO CHANGE
wardrobes, replacing speaking
casual it was she that insisted on the
haveassembled business B
C
wardrobes and replacing of Greek and Latin at court
Greek and
had assembled business
casual C it was she who insisted that
D Latin be spoken at court
wardrobes, replacing and
D she insisted that, at court, Greek
Latin were spoken
ingested, but
Curare has little effect when
122. recover from its
few people are known to introduced Allof the students except George and she
effects when the poison is 126.
directly intothe
bloodstream. intend to order the newest edition of the
textbook.
F. NOCHANGE
known to have
G. but few people are F. NOCHANGE
effects
recovered from its G. her intends to order
are known to allow few H. she intends to order
H. but its effects
people to recover J. her intend to order
known to recover
and few people are
from its effects
 87
"
ENGLISHAND WRITING | INTERMEDIATE

127. The paintings of

Gustav Klimt are prevent him
different fromthose of the painters he 130. The Opposing team tried to
inspired who were more interested ketting to the end zone, but failed.
exploring the unconsciousthan bim.in F. NO CHANGE prevent
to
A. NO CHANGE team, trying t butfailed.
The oppposing end zone, preventhis
B. fronm those of the painters he inspired him getting tothe tried to failed.
being more interested in the exploration H. The opposing teamendzone,prevent
but his
the
from getting to triedto
of the unconscious than he team
The opposing endzone. but failed.
C. from those of the painters he inspired getting to the
who were more interested in exploring
in the thetent.
the unconscious than his goinggto camp out
D. from those of the painters he inspired 131. Us boys are wee have
to set up
backyard, but first
who were more interested in exploring
the unconscious than he A. NO CHANGE in the
are going to camp out
B. We boys
backyard outinthe
128. The men and women of the jury filed slowly C. Us boys, we're
going to camp
with
out of the courtroom, each occupied backyard backyard
their own thoughts. boys, camping out in the
D. Us

F. NO CHANGE
or her own
G. each occupied with his
thoughts thoughts
occupying their own own
H. each or her
occupying each ofhis
thoughts
cheerleaders
the other as
129. Sally scoffed at they weren't astalented
because she felt
her.
NO CHANGE talented as
A. weren'tas
she. feeling they
B. as sho
her as talented asche
weren't
she felt they weren'tas talented
C. they
she feels
D.
is
 88 " ENGLISH AND WRITING SKILLS
REVIEW

Conventions of Usage
Ensuring Agreement
As you know, a subject must always agree with its Ensure subject-verb
verb.
agreement and
Example:
pronoun-antecedent
The professor were travelingin Europe when she received notice of agreement in more
her promotion. x
complex sentences.
The professor was traveling in Europe when she received notice of her
promotion. v

In the example, it's easy to see that the singular subject,

"professor," requires a singular verb, "was traveling."
BAV
However,in complex sentences, problems of subject
verb agreement can be more difficult to spot.
NDIZ
Examples: DVANCED
Star performers in the movies or on television usually earns substantial income from royalties. x

One school of thought maintains that the federal deficit, not exorbitant corporate profits or excessively
high wages, cause most of the inflationwe are now experiencing. x
A
recent survey shows that a household in which both the wife and the husband are pursuing careers
stand a better chance of surviving intact than one in which only the husband works. *

In each of these three sentences, the subject and verb do not agree: "performers...earns,"
"deficit...cause," and "household...stand." However, the errors may not be immediately evident
because of the intervening material. In the first sentence, the subject is separated from the verb by
prepositional phrases. In the second sentence, the subject and the verb are separated by a
parenthetical expression. In the third sentence, a clause intervenes between the subject and the
verb.

rhonlausibility of the incorrect verb choice, and therefore the chance that the error will go
ctrengthened when there is a word or phrase near the verb that might be mistaken for the unnoticed, is
losieion .earns," "profits and subiect:
badbeen the subject, then there wages...cause,"
and "careers...stand." If the first word of each
would have been no failure of of these pairs
agreement.
ENSURE SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Watch for problems of
the subject subject-verb
and the verb agreement, especially in complex
are separated by sentences where
intervening material.
Just as a subject must
alwaysagree with its verb, so a
(referent) in both number and person. pronoun must always agree with its
antecedent
 INTERMEDIATE . 89
ENGLISH ANDWRITING |

Examples:
and missed the hus. x
wanted to attend the ficld trip, but they were late
ihe student graduate school,
college cducation, aperson should be allowed to apply to
Ater three years of
a profession. x
because bv that time you are ready to ch00se
correct it is t0
example, "they" refers to "student," which is singular. The best way to
In the ìrst a
example, "you" refers to "person." But "you" is
replace "thev" with "he" or "she." In the second third-person pronoun. The sentence is corrected by
SeCOnd-person pronoun and "person" requires a
error of shifting subject.
changing "you are" to "one is." This last error is called the

PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT

referent, but that

When analyzing sentences, make sure thata pronoun not only has a
the pronoun and its antecedent agree in both number and person.

EXERCISE 8

DIRECTIONS (tems #132-147);In each ofthe following items, aword or phrase is underlined. Following
each sentence or sentences are alternatives for rewriting the underlined part. If you think the original is
correct, choose NO CHANGE. Otherwise, choose the best alternative. Answers are on page570.

132. My brother, along with several of his friends, 135. After he was seriously injured in an accident,
were notinschool on Monday because he one of the athlete's greatest ambitions were
and his friends allcontracted a case of poison to helpother athletes with similar injuries
ivy during a weekend camping trip. overcome their pain and bitterness and
rebuild their lives.
F. NO CHANGE
G. was not being in A NO CHANGE
H. were not from B. were helping to
was n0t in C. being to help
D. was to help
133. The outbreak of an epidemic posea grave
threat to the societies of Third World 136. One of the judge's most important character
countries where sanitation is poor and traits are his courage in the face of the
healthcare is limited.
unpopularity of his positions.
A. NO CHANGE F NO CHANGE
B. pose grave threats G. is his courage
C. poses agrave threat H. are his
D. posing a grave threat courages
J. being his courage

134. The goal of academic classes /s knowledge

and understanding, not simply the
memorization and regurgitation of facts.
F. NO CHANGE
G. is to know
H. are for knowledge
J. are to know
 90 ENGLISH AND WRITINGSKILLS REVIEW

the last
company's actual earnings or reported
142. The bclow that
137. On April15, 1947, twenty-seven-year-old quarteris substantially
statement that
includedthe
Jackie Robinson from Cairo, Georgia, hailed pro forna sales
as ahero by many voung African American
on the
special categor ofrestricted
cost of a footnotes.
obscure
boys, were the first African American to play only in
in Major League Basebal. NOCHANGE
F. substantially
quarter is
NO CHANGE during the last
helow that substantial but
B was becoming the first quarter are
C was the first H. for the last
below that
D. first were are substantially
for the last quarter
below those
Louisiana, were
138. Towns such as New Orleans,
Katrina, but the the
hit hard by Hurricane rebuild their stores offer customers
resilient citizens soon
began to 143. Most department exchange your
homes andtheir lives. option that you may days.
purchases within ten
NO CHANGE
F. NOCHANGE
was hit hard A
G to exchange your
H. hardly was hit B
of exchanging your
hardly were hit C
D. of exchanging
crisp, the snow has
139. The air has never felt so moon in the that at some time in
never looked so white,
and the
144. Many physicists think
down with a brilliant glow. not only discover
night sky shine the next century we will also
life in other galaxies but will
A NO CHANGE Communicate with them.
B. sky shining
C. skies shine F. NO CHANGE
life in other
D. sky shines G. we will discover not onlycommunicate
galaxies, but be able to
with his with those
A quíck look at the young intern forehead life in other
we will not only discover
140.
pursed lips, and sweaty H.
wide eyes,
reveal that he is actually quite
nervous about galaxies, but also be able to
communicate with it
hisfirst day on the job.
able to discover
that not only willwe be
F. NO CHANGE life in other galaxies but be able to
to reveal communicate to them as well
G.
H. are revealing
reveals
145. Allof the students except Kyle and she paus
on reading the new book.
141. When we went on asailing expedition,
water
provisions for the day's outing on the A. NO CHANGE
chest and a large
was a picnic lunch inan ice B. her plans on reading
container with drinking water. C. her plans to read
D. her plan to read
A. NÌ CHANGE
B were
C being
D. was being
 ENGUSH AND WRITING | INTERMEDIATE " 91

146.
Fluoride helps protect a child's teeth while 147. T"he power of Benton's best pintings come
the teeth grow, but it is uuharmful to thcir Irom one's ability to transorm seemingly
bodies. mundane subjects into something rand.
F. NO CHANGE
A. NO CHANGE
and it is unharmtultotheir
H. bodies
and it is not harmul to his or the ability by him
and it is not harmful to the her body his ability
bodies D one ability

DIRECTIONS (Items #148-151): Each of the following sentences

underlined and lettered. Choose the one underlined contains a single error. The error is
portlon
sentence. Inchoosing answers, follow the conventions of that must be changed toproduCe a
standard written English. Answers arecorrect
on page 570,
148. A recent study indicates that the 150. During the war, there were mny
average person ignores most people in the Polish countryside that
commercial advertising and does not shcltercd those who had cscaped
buy products because of them. from concentralion cnps.

151. Giyen the evidence of the existence of

149. Charles Dickens wrote about the
a complicated system of
horrifying conditions in the English
B
communication usedby whales, it is
boarding schools when he visited
necessary to acknowledye its
(
the schools on one of their trips to
intellipence.
Yorkshire.