English Language Arts
Grade 7
15 min
Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person
Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person
What you'll learn
- Identify at least three instances of inappropriate pronoun shifts in a provided paragraph with 80% accuracy.
- Explain the difference between first, second, and third person pronouns, providing at least two examples of each.
- Correctly revise five sentences containing pronoun number or person shifts, ensuring subject-pronoun agreement in each revision.
- Apply the rules of pronoun agreement to write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) about a chosen topic, demonstrating consistent pronoun use with no errors.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify pronouns and their antecedents in sentences.
Distinguish between singular and plural pronoun numbers.
Differentiate between first, second, and third person pronouns.
Recognize inappropriate shifts in pronoun number within sentences.
Identify inappropriate shifts in pronoun person within sentences.
Revise sentences to correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number.
Revise sentences to correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun person.
Have you ever read a sentence that just felt 'off,' even if you couldn't quite explain why? 🤔 Sometimes, it's because the pronouns are playing hide-and-seek with their partners!
In this lesson, you'll learn how to spot and fix those tricky pronoun shifts in number and person. Mastering this...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
PronounA word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.Instead of saying 'Sarah went to the store, and Sarah bought apples,' you can say 'Sarah went to the store, and she bought apples.' ('she' is the pronoun).
AntecedentThe noun or pronoun that a pronoun refers to or replaces.In 'When Maria finished her homework, she went outside,' 'Maria' is the antecedent for the pronoun 'she'.
Pronoun NumberRefers to whether a pronoun is singular (referring to one) or plural (referring to more than one).Singular: I, he, she, it. Plural: we, they.
Pronoun PersonRefers to the perspective from which a pronoun is speaking: first person (the speaker), second person (the one being spoken to), or third person (the one...
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Key Rules & Conventions
Maintain Consistent Pronoun Number
A pronoun must agree in number (singular or plural) with its antecedent throughout a sentence or paragraph.
If your antecedent is singular, all pronouns referring to it must be singular. If your antecedent is plural, all pronouns referring to it must be plural. Avoid switching between singular and plural forms for the same antecedent.
Maintain Consistent Pronoun Person
Once you establish a pronoun's person (first, second, or third), you should maintain that person throughout the sentence or paragraph unless there's a clear reason to change perspectives.
Do not shift from 'you' (second person) to 'one' or 'they' (third person) when referring to the same general subject. Similarly, don't shift from...
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Challenging
A student is asked to revise this sentence: 'A hiker should always tell someone their route before you leave.' Two possible revisions are offered:
Revision 1: A hiker should always tell someone his or her route before he or she leaves.
Revision 2: Hikers should always tell someone their route before they leave.
Which statement accurately evaluates these revisions?
A.Only Revision 1 is correct because it fixes the number and person shifts.
B.Only Revision 2 is correct because 'their' is now acceptable for singular use.
C.Both revisions are grammatically correct and effectively fix the original shifts.
D.Neither revision is correct; the original sentence was fine.
Challenging
Analyze the following passage: 'When one first learns to code, you often feel overwhelmed. The key is to start small. A new programmer should focus on a single project until they are comfortable with the basics.' What is the fundamental grammatical rule being violated throughout this passage?
A.pronoun must always come after its antecedent.
B.pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender.
C.pronoun must maintain consistent person and number with its established antecedent.
D.pronoun should always be in the subjective case.
Challenging
Which sentence revision most effectively corrects the pronoun shift in 'No one in the class remembered to bring their textbook' by restructuring the sentence?
A.No one in the class remembered to bring his or her textbook.
B.In the class, no one remembered to bring their textbook.
C.All the students in the class forgot to bring their textbooks.
D.Their textbook was forgotten by no one in the class.
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Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person is a Grade 7 English Language Arts lesson on ExcelOS.
What will I learn in Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person?
You'll be able to: Identify at least three instances of inappropriate pronoun shifts in a provided paragraph with 80% accuracy; Explain the difference between first, second, and third person pronouns, providing at least two examples of each….
Is "Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person" free to practice?
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How many practice questions are included with Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person?
This lesson includes 25 practice questions across multiple difficulty levels, each with instant feedback and explanations.