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Writing Improvement Tutorials
Courtesy of Rick Bailey, A.D.
English Instructor

Depending on your subject matter, one pronoun will be more appropriate than another.  If you write about yourself, you will probably use the first person “I/me/my” throughout.  If you write about a social issue or problem, you may choose “it” to refer to the problem—racism, for example—and “they” to refer to people affected by the problem.  It's difficult to avoid some shifting from one pronoun to another, but be aware of these shifts and try to avoid confusing inconsistency.

Examples:

• Inconsistent

I had a great experience in high school band class.  I learned to play an instrument and went to competitions with the band.  We had a great at these competitions, and throughout the year, the director was great.  He always pushed you to do your best.

"I" is first person singular.  The shift to "you" and "your" is conversational but inconsistent.  For formal writing, try to minimize your use of "you" altogether.

• Revised

I had a great experience in high school band class.  I learned to play an instrument and went to competitions with the band.  We had a great at these competitions, and throughout the year, the director was great.  He always pushed us to do our best.

The use of "us," first person plural, is more consistent than "you," the second person plural.

• Inconsistent

The kids in my sophomore class in high school all took part in a “city beautiful” program.  We were assigned to groups and took responsibility for keeping a section of the city clean.  This is a good program. It taught you to take pride in where you live.  Once you finished, you sort of wanted to show off your city.

• Revised

The kids in my sophomore class in high school all took part in a “city beautiful” program.  We were assigned to groups and took responsibility for keeping a section of the city clean.  This is a good program. It taught us to take pride in where we live.  Once we finished, we sort of wanted to show off our city.

Directions:  Read the sentences below and underline pronouns.  Revise the sentences so pronoun use is consistent.

Question One:

Question Two:

A person doesn't always have to be happy all the time.  There are many different emotions we go through.

Question Three:

The number one important thing an employer looks for is trust because you don't want an employee to cheat you when the employer turns his/her back.

Question Four:

I took the test and depending on where you score will give you the opportunity to go further.

Question Five:

Collecting rocks was easier than collecting seashells because you could find them everywhere.  I'd make use of the rocks I found.   I'd paint them, decorate them, or decorate with them.  But mostly I collected them and kept them in my room.

Question Six:

I also learned to help an infant before you lose their life.

Question Seven:

With a cat, I set out her food and she's happy.  You don't have to walk them every day or let them outside to use the bathroom.

Question Eight:

Being sick is dreadful to me because you feel horrible and just wish it would go away.

Question Nine:

The cellular phone has had a big impact on my life.  You can reach anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Question Ten:

I tried to drive and use my cell phone a couple of times.  I was so distracted it was horrifying.  I became unaware of my surroundings to such a great degree.  It was like driving in a dream and nothing around you is real.

Back to Pronoun Exercise page

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