Proper pronoun use: bloggers, stop using “their” when you should be using “its”

One of the most common mistakes I see is when a pronoun does not agree with the noun for which it is being substituted. This problem frequently appears when writers use the pronoun “their” when they should be using “its.” (Bloggers make this error a lot).

Here’s a primer on proper pronoun use:

If you’re referring to a singular entity that isn’t a person, use “its,” not “their:”

• Right: Starbucks is having its worse quarter ever.
• Wrong: Starbucks is having their worse quarter ever.
• Rationale: Starbucks is a company and, hence, a singular entity. So the pronoun standing in its place must be singular (“its”), not plural (“their”).

If you’re referring to plural entities, person or not, use “their.”

• Right: The administration and Congress are confused about their priorities.
• Wrong: The administration and Congress are confused about its priorities.
• Rationale: The administration and Congress are two separate entities. Hence a plural pronoun is used.

If the noun is singular, but you are unsure about its gender, use both genders of the singular pronoun—do not use “their.”

• Right: Everyone loves his or her iPhone.
• Wrong: Everyone loves their iPhone.
• Rationale: Everyone is singular. If that concept seems strange, keep in mind that the word ends with “one.” Hence the pronoun that represents “everyone” must be singular. “Their” is always plural; it cannot be used to substitute for a singular pronoun just because you are referring to both genders.

If a noun refers to people of a specific gender, have the pronoun reflect that information. Do not use “his or her” just to be politically correct.

• Right: My boss skipped my presentation on grammar so she could eat her lunch.
• Wrong: My boss skipped my presentation on grammar so he or she could eat his or her lunch.
• Rationale: At its most basic level, the purpose of writing is to share information. So if you know your boss’s gender (and hopefully you do), use the appropriate pronoun. I’ve seen many writers use “his or her” when the gender of the person to whom they are referring should be obvious. Being politically correct is fine. but not at the expense of being right. (And if my adding an “s” after the apostrophe in “boss’s” confuses you, check out my post about the plural, possessive, and the plural possessive).

A non-native English speaker’s thoughts about English

Prajwal Sharma, who wrote about “Cleaning up your writing by avoiding these six common mistakes” as a guest writer on this site,” has a couple of good articles about English from his days writing for The Truman State Index (free registration required):

• “Americans’ command over English falls dismally short“
• “Native speakers should try teaching English abroad“

Both of Prajwal’s pieces, however, are insightful and worth reading. I usually enjoy reading non-native English speakers’ thoughts on our language. (Although I love the irony of one column saying that American’s mastery of English is dismal, yet the other piece encourages English speakers to share their knowledge with people trying to learn their language.)

Q: Which “only” is correct in the sentence “Only I only hit only him only in the eye only yesterday only.”

A: It depends.

On her blog, A Capital Idea, Nicole Stockdale, a copy editor at The Dallas Morning News, wrote about the major changes in meaning that a minor change in word placement can cause. She was citing a presentation the director of copy desks for The New York Times, Merrill Perlman, made.

Merill had the perfect example about how the placement of “only” can change the meaning of a sentence. Start with “I hit him in the eye yesterday.” Add the world only in different places and watch how the emphasis changes:

Only I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else hit him.)
I only hit him in the eye yesterday. (I also considered slapping and poking.)
I hit only him in the eye yesterday. (I could have hit plenty of others.)
I hit him only in the eye yesterday. (Not in the nose or the mouth.)
I hit him in the eye only yesterday. (Ah, what a day that was.)
I hit him in the eye yesterday only. (Had it been two days in a row, then you could be mad.)

While easy to notice in other people’s writing, word-placement mistakes are difficult to catch when reviewing something you wrote. So often we read our own writing as we meant it, not as it actually appears. Again, having the computer read back your material to you is a great way of catching these kind of mistakes.

Improve your grammar while you watch TV and eat your cereal

Grammar Girl, who I’ve written about previously, was on Good Morning Arizona a few weeks ago. Of course, the video is now on You Tube.

Mignon Fogarty came across well, but the host was annoying. It bothers me when people play up how bad their grammar is.

A lot of people have told me that they are on edge when we speak, fearful that, as a writer and editor, I am judging everything they say. Like many other people, I try to leave my work at the office. (Plus, it’s a lot harder to edit when you are listening as opposed to when you are reading.)

Guest blogger: Clean up your writing by avoiding these six common mistakes

I’ve been swamped of late, so today I turn over my blog to a guest poster, Prajwal Sharma.

Here are six grammatical errors that I see a lot. This post does not cover in-depth grammar rules involving words you may have long forgotten. It does not require your knowing the difference between an antecedent and an appositive. I am a firm believer in learning by examples, so those are all you’ll find here.

• Never say “between you and I.” It’s always “between you and me.”
• “This is her” couldn’t be more wrong. “This is she” is what it should be.
• Remember: I am one of those people who HAVE good grammar, but he is the ONLY one of those people who HAS good grammar.
• Do not hyphenate -ly compound modifiers. It’s never “scantily-clad.” It’s always “scantily clad.”
• Saying “my job lasted less than two years” is incorrect. Replace “less” with “fewer.”
• Here’s a quick primer on lie, lay, lain, lying, and laid:
  • Why don’t you lie down?
  • I lay down there yesterday.
  • I had lain down there for sometime.
  • I am lying down.
  • I will lay down the book.
  • I laid down the book.
  • I had laid down the book.
  • I was laying down the book.

Prajwal Sharma is a freelance copy editor and writer in New York City. He was the editor-in-chief of detours: An Explorer’s Guide to the Midwest, a collegiate national-award-winning travel magazine focusing on Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. He works full time as an advertising executive at The Village Voice.