Choose the correct pronoun in elliptical sentences.

An elliptical sentence is a sentence that leaves out implied words. For example, if I am writing about two boys, I can write “The two left school early.” The word “boys” is implied and not written.

Generally, this doesn’t cause problems. It gets tricky when using elliptical sentences making a comparison that end in pronouns. Consider these two sentences with very different meanings.

“Sue likes cake more than I.”
“Sue likes cake more than me.”

Both sentences are grammatically correct. Depending on your meaning, you will choose one or the other. Here’s how you decide.

“I” is a subject pronoun, which means that it needs a verb. The verb is not here. Given the context of the sentence, the implied action is “like cake.” “Sue likes cake more than I (like cake).” This works for other subject pronouns, too.

“Me” is an object pronoun, which means that it is the recipient of an action. The implied action here is “like.” “Sue likes cake more than (she likes) me.” This works for other object pronouns, too.

Here’s the point. When choosing the correct pronoun for this type of sentence, consider what words you are implying, and then choose a subject pronoun or object pronoun to match the implied words.

---

This is the strategy for day 294 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.

Use his and her to avoid subject-pronoun number errors.

Consider this sentence:

“Each person must write their own autobiography.”

Do you see the problem here? “Each” refers to one person, but “their” refers to more than one person.

Some writers intentionally make this common mistake to avoid the correct his (which sounds sexist) or the cumbersome his and her. Most make this mistake unconsciously. Consider this incorrect sentence:

“Any professional writer will edit their own documents.”

This has the same problem as the first example. If the subject is singular, our preference is to use his and her or its similar expressions: he and she, his and hers, him and her, etc.

While these phrases are correct, they can make sentences sound redundant. Consider this sentence.

“Each team member took his or her uniform to his or her mother to clean for him or her.”

The better option is to find the antecedent for the pronoun and make it plural. In this way, we revise the previous example as,

“The team members took their uniforms to their mothers to clean for them.”

If the antecedent of the pronoun needs to remain singular, use the correct version of his or her.

---

This is the strategy for day 23 in 300 Days of Better Writing, available at Hostile Editing in PDF, Kindle, and paperback formats.

For a sample of 300 Days of Better Writing and other books by Precise Edit, download the free ebook.