Pronouns

“These ones …”

Common English Blunders, Plurals, Pronouns

I heard this from a small boy the other day.

Problem:
The word “ones” is unnecessary in this phrase.

Explanation:
The boy said a sentence such as “These ones are bigger.”

The word “these” in the phrase “These ones …” is acting as a determiner.

Other examples of “these” as a determiner include:

  • “I like these chocolates.”
  • “Do you want these tickets?”
  • “He should give her these flowers.”

Also, it is possible to pluralize the singular numerical pronoun “one”, as in the following examples:

  • “I like the vanilla ones.”
  • “The ones in green are tickets for the front row.”
  • “Are the pink flowers the ones that he wants?”

However, when the word “ones” is preceded by a plural determiner (such as “these”), it is best to drop the word “ones”, thereby converting the determiner “these” into a demonstrative pronoun, as shown in the following examples:

  • “I like these.”
  • “Do you want these?”
  • “He should give her these.”

Solution:
“These …”

“… a unique opportunity for my colleagues and I …”

Hypercorrection, Pronouns

I saw this in a letter from my state senator.

Problem:
The pronoun is incorrect.

Explanation:
The complete sentence was “The good news is that the ongoing Sunset Review of the Texas Department of Insurance is providing a unique opportunity for my colleagues and I to consider the role of the private insurance market in making health care available to Texans.” in a letter from Senator Rodney Ellis.

The correct pronoun for a “for” — F-O-R — phrase is “me”, not “I”.

For example, it is correct to say or write “a unique opportunity for me”.

Therefore, it is correct to say or write “a unique opportunity for my colleagues and me”.

The senator’s use of the pronoun “I” in “for my colleagues and I” is an example of hypercorrection.

The senator used “for my colleagues and I” as a substitute for “for my colleagues and me” because he erroneously overgeneralized from the correct use of “my colleagues and I” as the subject of a sentence.

Solution:
“… a unique opportunity for my colleagues and me …”

“… and if you’re school is near by, …”

Apostrophes, Common English Blunders, Contractions, Mispronunciations, Possessives, Pronouns

My wife got this in an email message recently.

Problem:
The word “you’re” is incorrect here.

Explanation:
The complete sentence in the message was “Please contact me and if you’re school is near by, I may be able to deliver them to you.”

The word “you’re” — spelled Y-O-U-APOSTROPHE-R-E — is a contraction of “you are”.

Clearly, the message writer did not intend to say “… and if you are school is near by, …”; that would be nonsensical.

Instead, the writer was referring to the reader’s school, so he should have used the possessive pronoun “your” — spelled Y-O-U-R.

I believe that the common English blunder of confusing the contraction “you’re” with the possessive pronoun “your” is due to the fact that many American English speakers mistakenly pronounce these two words in the same way.

Solution:
“… and if your school is near by, …”