Pronouns : Common Errors - 3

1. (W) The audience showed great enthusiasm for the scheme, and everybody seemed determined to do his best to make it a success.

(R) The audience showed great enthusiasm for the scheme, and everybody seemed determined to do their best to make it a success.

2. (W) I have picked a basket of plums, but none is fully ripe.

(R) I have picked a basket of plums, but none are fully ripe.

Note:- Sometimes, "everybody", "everyone", "none" are used to convey a strongly plural idea.
"Everybody" is equivalent to "all the people" and "none" to "not any".
In these cases plural words referring to the distributive pronouns are allowable.( Pink and Thomas)

3. (W) It was only Mr. Giri who stayed away.

(R) It was only Mr. Giri that stayed away.

Note:- We should not use "who" as a relative pronoun if the antecedent is used with "all", "any", "only", "it is", or "a superlative". Custom here prefers "that".

(W) He was the best doctor who ever lived.

(R) He was the best doctor that ever lived.

Note:- Same explanation as it is given above.

4. (W) He was so afraid that his knees knocked one another.

(R) He was so afraid that his knees knocked each other.

5. (W) He and his four brothers love each other very much.

(R) He and his four brothers love one another very much.

Note:- "Each other" and "either" are used of two things; "one another" and "any" of more than two.