Example:

• Dr. Morganstern finished his rounds.

Frequent misuse of plural pronouns occurs with two types of singular antecedents: indefinite pronouns and generic nouns.

不定代词

不定代词是指非特定人或事物。

他们包括: any, either, everything, no one, each, anybody, everybody, neither, someone, anyone, everyone, none, something

例:

• In class everyone performs at his or her level of ability.

通用名词

通用名词代表典型的成员或团体的任何成员，例如普通学生或任何律师。

Example:

• Every student must pull all-nighters regularly if he or she wants to excel.

To correct a mistakenly plural pronoun referring to a singular general noun, you can do one of the three things mentioned above.

使用通用名词的建议

除非含义明显复数，否则将集体名词视为单数。 集体名词包括如下词: jury, committee, crowd, family, audience, couple, troop, team, class.

通常该组作为一个单元，因此名词应该被认为是单数; 但是，如果该组的成员作为个人运作，则该名词应被视为复数。

• Example: The O.J. Simpson jury has reached its decision.
• Compare: The Illini crowd clapped their hands.

由“and”连接的复合前提应视为复数。

Example:

• Jack and Jill climbed up a hill and fetched their pail of water.

When compound antecedents are connected by "or" or "nor" (or by "either...or" or "neither...nor"), make the pronoun agree with the nearer antecedent.

Examples:

• Either Desi or Lucy should be fired from her job.
• Neither the engineering student nor the biology majors could remember their schedules.

纠正代名词不一致问题

要纠正一个错误的复数代词，指的是一个单数的不定代词或一般名词，你可以做以下三件事之一：

用复数代词替换 he or she or [his or her.]

Example:

• When someone has been drinking, he or she is probably acting dumb.

Make the antecedent plural.

Example:

• When frat boys have been drinking, they are probably acting dumb.

重写句子，以便不存在不一致问题。

Example:

• A frat boy who has been drinking is probably acting dumb.

everyone [´evriwʌn]   pron.=everybody 每人   (初中英语单词)

pronoun [´prəunaun]   n.代词   (初中英语单词)

audience [´ɔ:diəns]   n.听众；观众；接见   (初中英语单词)

compound [kəm´paund]   n.&a.混合(的) v.合成   (初中英语单词)

acting [´æktiŋ]   a.代理的 n.演戏   (初中英语单词)

singular [´siŋgjulə]   a.单一的；非凡的   (高中英语单词)

regularly [´regjuləli]   ad.有规律地；经常地   (高中英语单词)

engineering [,endʒi´niəriŋ]   n.工程技术；工程学   (高中英语单词)

mistakenly [mis´teikənli]   ad.错误地   (英语四级单词)

biology [bai´ɔlədʒi]   n.生物学，生态学   (英语四级单词)

misuse [,mis´ju:z]   vt.误用，滥用   (英语六级单词)