RWU - Important Conventions Lesson
Important Conventions
The Importance of Conventions
Conventions are important in writing, and some conventions are more difficult to master than others. Writing in active voice and eliminating pronoun reference errors are two skills that are necessary to have for any kinds of writing.
Active and Passive Voice
Active Voice Passive voice can be active and/or vague. Therefore, with any kind of formal writing, writers need to use active voice instead of passive voice.
With active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb—the subject acts. The object receives action.
Example: The dog bit the bone.
In this example, the dog (subject) is performing the action (biting), and the object (bone) is receiving the action (being bitten).
Example: The teacher instructs the students.
In this example, the teacher (subject) is performing the action (instructing), and the object (students) is receiving the action (being instructed).
Passive Voice
With passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb.
Example: The bone was bit by the dog.
In this example, the bone appears to be the subject. This is why passive voice is confusing because the dog is actually the subject.
Example: The students were instructed by the teacher.
In this example, the teacher is not actually doing the action. The sentence needs to be rearranged to be active.
Pronoun Reference Errors
Pronouns refer to or take the place of a noun, so if you use a pronoun, the pronoun must clearly relate to the noun in order to eliminate confusion. Pronoun reference rules are as follows:
Agree in Number
If a noun is singular, the pronoun referring to the singular noun needs to also be singular.
Example: If a student brings their cell phones to class, they will get in trouble.
"A student" is singular, but the pronoun "their" is plural. Therefore, this sentence contains a pronoun reference error.
Corrected Example: If a student brings his or her cell phone to class, he or she will get in trouble.
Agree in Person
If a noun is in the 1st person, the pronoun needs to be in the 1st person. The same rule applies for the 2nd and 3rd person.
Example: When a person goes to the store, you need to pick up the items on sale.
"A person" is 3rd person, but "you" is 2nd person. Therefore, this sentence contains a pronoun reference error.
Corrected Example: When a person goes to the store, he or she needs to pick up the items on sale.
**The words everybody, anybody, anyone, each, neither, someone, a person, etc are all singular.
singular and should be replaced by singular pronouns.
Refer to a Clear Noun
If a sentence has a pronoun, the pronoun must clearly refer to a certain noun.
Example: The billboard fell on the car, but it was not damaged.
"It" does not clearly refer to the billboard or the car. What does "it" refer to? This sentence contains a pronoun reference error.
Corrected Example: The billboard fell on the car, but the car was not damaged.
Example: I think that he saw the boy take the money.
"He" is a vague pronoun. Who does "he" refer to? This sentence contains a pronoun reference error.
Corrected Example: I think that Matt saw the boy take the money.
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