Pronouns : Common Errors - 5

1. (W) One should always remain loyal to his country.

(R) One should always remain loyal to one's country.

Note:- The indefinite pronoun "one" must always agree with one of its parts:

"oneself", "one's", "one", etc.

But this may some times be overdone, as in this excerpt from A Writer's note book by

Somerset Maugham:

"As one grows older one become more silent.

In one's youth one is ready to pour oneself out to the world;

one feels an intense fellowship with other people;

one wants to throw oneself in their arms and one feels that they will receive one;

one wants to open oneself to them so that they may take one;

one wants to penetrate into them;

one's life seems to overflow into the lives of others and become one with others as

the waters of rivers become one in the sea".

2. (W) I request your favour of considering me for a transfer.

(R) I request the favour of your considering me for a transfer.

Note:- Another typical error - not "your state of mind", but "the state of your

mind".

3. (W) You are fairer than me.

(R) You are fairer than I.

Note:- The complete sentence would read "you are fairer than I am".

4. (W) He is twenty years old. isn't it?

(R) He is twenty years old, isn't he?

Note:- In the second part of the sentence the object of the verb is "he" not "it".

5. (W) Kamala, having finished her paper, she left the examination hall.

(R) Kamala, having finished her paper, left the examination hall.

Note:- This is an example of a pronoun used where it is not required.

6. (W) Let you and I go together.

(R) Let you and me go together.

Note:- "Let" is a transitive verb; so it would be wrong to use the nominative after it.