SYNTAX

1
SYNTAX
2
SYNTAX

• Noun/Determiner Agreement

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SYNTAX

• Noun/Determiner Agreement
• AKA Noun/Pronoun Agreement

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Pretend you said the sentence,
• Everyone should bring their own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• It seems like a clear sentence.
• Everyone should bring their own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Said aloud it is clear.
• Everyone should bring their own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• You have body language and voice tone to help
  you.
• Everyone should bring their own lunch to school
  tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• People do not expect you to fix grammar as you
  go.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Writing gives us more time to check grammar.
• Everyone should bring their own lunch to school
  tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• EveryONE singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• EveryONE singular
• their plural

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• The noun and the determiner do not agree.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• What about this?

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• What about this?
• Everyone should bring his own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular
• his singular

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular
• his singular
• HOWEVER is everyone male?

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone singular
• his singular

his is sexist
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• What about this

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone should bring his/her own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone should bring his/her own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

his/her is awkward
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Everyone should bring his/her own lunch to
  school tomorrow.

his or her is better but still unnatural
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

What is the plural of everyone?
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

Everyone singular
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

Everyone singular Plural
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

Everyone singular Plural people
all etc.
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

All students should bring their own lunch.
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Solution 1

• What about this?

All students should bring their own lunches.
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Solution 1

• Pluralize the sentence

All students should bring their own lunch.
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Solution 2

• Rewrite the sentence

Everyone should bring their lunch.
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Solution 2

• Rewrite the sentence
• (as little as possible)

Everyone should bring their lunch.
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Solution 2

• Usually just change or eliminate the determiner

Everyone should bring their lunch.
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Solution 2

• Usually just change or eliminate the determiner

Everyone should bring a lunch.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• ND/AGR

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes you can only fix a ND/AGR by
  pluralizing

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ND/AGR

• Sometimes you can only fix by pluralizing

Everyone in the contest felt that (his/their)
painting should take first prize.
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ND/AGR

• Sometimes you can only fix by pluralizing

All the contestants felt that (his/their)
painting should take first prize.
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ND/AGR

• Sometimes you can only fix by pluralizing

All the contestants felt that (his/their)
painting should take first prize.
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ND/AGR

• Sometimes you can only fix by pluralizing

All the contestants felt that (his/their)
paintings should take first prize.
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ND/AGR

• Sometimes you can only fix by pluralizing

All the contestants felt that their painting
should take first prize.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can fix pluralize or rewrite.

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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can fix pluralize or rewrite.

No progress can be made as long as everyone is
clamoring to express (his/their) opinion.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can must rewrite.

No progress can be made as long as everyone is
clamoring to express (his/their) opinion.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can must rewrite.

No progress can be made as long as everyone is
clamoring to express an opinion.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can must rewrite.

No progress can be made as long as people are
clamoring to express their opinion.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, you can must rewrite.

No progress can be made as long as everyone is
clamoring to express an opinion.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes you can pluralize or rewrite

Every student signed (his/their) name on the
petition that was sent to the dean.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes you can pluralize or rewrite

All students signed (his/their) name on the
petition that was sent to the dean.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes you can pluralize or rewrite

All students signed the petition that was sent
to the dean.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes pluralizing is impossible.

Someone left (his/their) overcoat in the bedroom.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes pluralizing is impossible.

People left (his/their) overcoat in the bedroom.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Sometimes pluralizing is impossible.

Someone left an overcoat in the bedroom.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Avoid turning sentences around.

An overcoat was left in the bedroom.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Passive voice usually will result.

An overcoat was left in the bedroom.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• If you pluralize,
• then you often
• must change
• the verb too.

Every student in the lab is expected to clean up
(his/their) mess.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• If you pluralize,
• then you often
• must change
• the verb too.

All students in the lab is expected to clean up
(his/their) mess.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• If you pluralize,
• then you often
• must change
• the verb too.

All students in the lab is expected to clean up
(his/their) mess.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• If you pluralize,
• then you often
• must change
• the verb too.

All students in the lab are expected to clean up
(his/their) mess.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• If you pluralize,
• then you often
• must change
• the verb too.

All students in the lab are expected to clean up
(his/their) mess.
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REVIEW
Everyone in the Sunday school class volunteered
an hour of (his/their) time to visit the nursing
home.
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REVIEW
All of the students in the Sunday school class
volunteered an hour of (his/their) time to visit
the nursing home.
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REDUCE WORDINESS
The Sunday school class volunteered to visit the
nursing home for an hour.
68
REVIEW
Any student who loses the key to (his/their)
locker can get another one.
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REVIEW
Students who loses the key to (his/their) locker
can get another one.
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REVIEW
Students who lose the key to (his/their) locker
can get another one.
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REVIEW
Students who lose the key to (his/their) locker
can get another one.
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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS

None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.
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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS

• Singular or plural

None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.
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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS
None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.

• Singular or plural
• SOME ALL MORE
• MOST ANY NONE

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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS
None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.

• Singular or plural
• SOME ALL MORE
• MOST ANY NONE

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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS
None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.

• Singular or plural
• SOME ALL MORE
• MOST ANY NONE

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SAM the MAN PRONOUNS
None of the students had done (his/their)
homework.

• Singular or plural
• SOME ALL MORE
• MOST ANY NONE

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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

These make either/neither disappear.
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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

Either John or Charles is likely to have
(his/their) poster accepted for publication.
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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Charles is likely to have (his/their) poster
accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Charles is likely to have (his/their) poster
accepted for publication.
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ADD THE FRONT TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Charles is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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REPLACE EITHER

• OR/NOR

Either John or Charles is likely to have
(his/their) poster accepted for publication.
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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

Either John or Mary is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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THE MAGIC WORDS

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have (his/their) poster
accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have (his/their) poster
accepted for publication.
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FIND THE SUBJECT

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have (his/their)
poster accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Mary is likely to have (his/their) poster
accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Mary is likely to have their poster accepted
for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Mary is likely to have his poster accepted
for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

Mary is likely to have her poster accepted
for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have her poster
accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have his/her poster
accepted for publication.
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GO BY THE BACK TIRE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have his or her
poster accepted for publication.
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REWRITE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have his or her
poster accepted for publication.
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REWRITE

• OR/NOR

John or Mary is likely to have a poster
accepted for publication.
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REPLACE EITHER

• OR/NOR

Either John or Mary is likely to have a poster
accepted for publication.
107
Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Try to keep the changes minimal, to avoid
  changing the meaning of the sentence.

12. Either the director or the assistant director
must give (his/their) approval for any change in
classes.
108
Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Carefully reducing wordiness often helps with
  noun-determiner agreement problems.

12. Either the director or the assistant director
must approve changes in classes.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Dont forget to check for courtesy!

13. The lab assistants or the professor puts
(his/their) stamp of approval on the students'
work.
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Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Dont forget to check for courtesy!

13. The professor or lab assistants put their
stamp of approval on the students' work.
111
Noun-Determiner Agreement

• On this one, the back tire is now the lab
  assistants.

13. The professor or lab assistants put their
stamp of approval on the students' work.
112
Noun-Determiner Agreement

• Often, the verb must be changed to plural when
  you reverse the parts of the subject for courtesy.

13. The professor or lab assistants put their
stamp of approval on the students' work.