FOUR COMMON PRONOUN ERRORS CASE ERRORS AGREEMENT ERRORS REFERENCE ERRORS SHIFTS

THE RULE: Do not shift your "point of view" as you write.  (This particular type of pronoun error is covered indirectly in our text as a type of reference error, pp. 327-328.)

Explanation:
This rule is based on the three points of view that the personal pronouns convey.

• 1st person point of view = the writer or speaker.  Every time a writer uses the words I, me, my, or mine in a sentence, these words refer to the writer himself or herself. (Remember: "I, the writer, am number 1!")
• 2nd person point of view = the reader or audience.  Every time a writer uses the words you or your in a sentence, these words refer to the person who is reading the written material. (Remember: "You, the reader, are number 2!")
• 3rd person point of view = a third party.  Every time a writer uses any other designations—a person, everyone, an individual, people, individuals, someone, a student, he, him, his, she, her, it, they, them, their, etc.—these words refer to a person or to people who are being written about, whether named or unnamed. (Remember: "They, the people I'm writing about, are number 3!")

Proofreading Tip: Watch Out for YOU!
Search for every you or your in your essay.  You can use your computer's "find" function (under the EDIT menu) to look for these pronouns.  When you find one, replace it with a more appropriate pronoun or with a specific noun:

Error:  When a student is placed on probation, you may file an appeal with the dean.
Discussion:  As this sentence reads now, it sounds as if the reader (you) should file an appeal when some other student goes on probation.  Why would the reader do that?  This sentence starts by talking about some unknown student but then shifts to talking about the reader, as if the reader were a student.
Correction:  (Replace you with an appropriate 3rd-person pronoun.)  When a student is placed on probation, he or she may file an appeal with the dean.

Answers to Exercises
Click HERE to check your answers for the exercises on using apostrophes.