Pronoun Agreement
(Pronoun Shift)

Points of View

First Person - I, me, my, we, us, our

Second Person - you, your, yours

Third Person - he, him, his, she, her, hers, it, its, they, them, their, theirs, one

Third Person Nouns - Singular: Bill, dog, person, shopper, museum, friend, movie
                                  Plural: people, shoppers, buyers, athletes, women, theatres


It is bad usage to shift among first, second, and third person unless a specific meaning requires you to do so.  When such a change in viewpoint has been made unnecessarily, it is called an error in pronoun shift.

Examples:

Incorrect - Pronoun Shift Errors

When you decide to take advantage of a "super sale" for a product, the line-up at the store entrance is usually quite long.  As a result, hopeful shoppers can become rather rude and aggressive.  People frequently end up in shouting or pushing matches.  I try to get around this crowd problem by getting to the location very early. This will allow you to be among the first buyers to enter the building and get the "great deal" of your choice without the unpleasantness.

There are shifts from the second-person pronoun, you, to a third-person noun, shoppers, to the first-person pronoun, I, and, then, back to the second-person pronoun, you.

Correct

When people decide to take advantage of a "super sale" for a product, the line-up at the store entrance is usually quite long.  As a result, hopeful shoppers can become rather rude and aggressive.  People frequently end up in shouting or pushing matches.  Shoppers can get around this crowd problem by getting to the location very early.  This will allow them to be among the first buyers to enter the building and get the "great deal" of their choice without the unpleasantness.

Incorrect - Pronoun Shift Errors

  1. When club members are paying dues, you should remember to pay on time.

  2. Everybody can get tickets two weeks before the show, unless you want to stand in line on opening night.

  3. A strict teacher is sometimes accused of disliking their students.

  4. One can't depend too much on luck, can you?

Correct

  1. When club members are paying dues, they should remember to pay on time.

  2. You can get tickets two weeks before the show, unless you want to stand in line on opening night.

  3. A strict teacher is sometimes accused of disliking his or her students.
                                                OR
    Strict teachers are sometimes accused of disliking their students.

  4. You can't depend too much on luck, can you?

Exercises:

Correct any pronoun shifts in the following sentences.

  1. If one wants to be successful at work, you should always be on time and act responsibly.

  2. Most people can learn to swim; you just have to take it a step at a time.

  3. Mark wants to know where you can go to get help with study skills.

  4. We asked the instructor if you could take advanced courses to earn some extra credits.

  5. When they tried to enter the building, they were told you needed passes to go to the third floor.

  6. People who sign up for the Army reserves discover that you must go through weeks of challenging basic training.

  7. One should know by now that you can't expect lucrative returns on low-risk investments.

  8. Sue's car broke down during her last trip, so you should make sure there is money for emergency repairs for her next holiday excursion.

  9. This year, I looked for work early in the season; this should increase our chances of finding a good job.

  10. Athletes must be very disciplined; otherwise, you could find yourself cut from the program.

Answers:

  1. If you want to be successful at work, you should always be on time and act responsibly.

  2. Most people can learn to swim; they just have to take it a step at a time.

  3. Mark wants to know where he can go to get help with study skills.

  4. We asked the instructor if we could take advanced courses to earn some extra credits.

  5. When they tried to enter the building, they were told they needed passes to go to the third floor.

  6. People who sign up for the Army reserves discover that they must go through weeks of challenging basic training.

  7. You should know by now that you can't expect lucrative returns on low-risk investments.

  8. Sue's car broke down during her last trip, so she should make sure there is money for emergency repairs for her next holiday excursion.

  9. This year, I looked for work early in the season; this should increase my chances of finding a good job.

  10. Athletes must be very disciplined; otherwise, they could find themselves cut from the program.

                                                                  Return to Pronouns