1. Let us now examine your Hamlet essay. Pronoun hunt

2. Pronouns On the SAT writing sections, there are more problems involving pronoun mistakes than any other grammar issue. Pronoun – a word used to replace a noun.

3. Circle all your pronouns. Personal pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them Possessive pronouns: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs Demonstrative pronouns: This, that, these, those Interrogatory pronouns: Who, whom, whose One, someone, anyone Thing, something, anything, everything

4. Eliminate all 1 st and 2 nd person pronouns. I believe that Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake is realistic because it is complex. You realize that Tea Cake and Janie have a relationship that is both complex and realistic.

5. Eliminate you Do not use the 2 nd person pronoun you. It’s vague & general. You want to be clear & specific. It’s a writer’s trap. Once you’ve used it once, you will probably get stuck into repeating it several times over the next few sentences. Suggested replacement: one, readers

6. Fix unclear pronouns Willy and Biff both have dreams for the future, but his dreams are more realistic. In the greatest country in the world, a true land of opportunity, he cannot find success. Often on the SATs Check – replace with the name to avoid any possible confusion.

7. Look for a pronoun shift When someone reads Death of a Salesman for the first time, they can easily get confused when Willy has a flashback. Often on SATs One  you or one  they = mistake. Stick with one thru your entire sentence.

8. This is unclear This causes a great deal of tension between Willy and Biff. This moment? This problem? This pen? This failure? This inability to remain grounded in the present? This football game? This unreasonable expectation? This infidelity? Avoid starting a sentence with This ________. This is often on the SATs.

9. No apostrophes! NEVER use apostrophes with possessive pronouns! Who’s = who is. Who’s there? Whose = possession. Whose pen is this? It’s = it is. It’s Bill Oliver’s pen. Its = possession. The play’s structure is dictated by its content. They’re = they are. They’re a dysfunctional family. Their = possession. Their home is in Brooklyn. Your’s = a mistake. This does not exist in English.

10. Get rid of this thing. Thing is one of my pet peeves. It’s vague. I hate all forms of this word (except nothing. I like nothing because, in the words of Macbeth, “Nothing is, but what is not.”) Eliminate thing, something, anything, everything. Replace with a noun, the more specific, precise, & concrete the better.

11. Find your quote(s) The prompt required you to use language from the play to support your position. Find the quote(s) you used. Avoid “floating quotes”! Did you provide a just enough context? Will the reader of the essay understand how this quote fits into the story? Do you need to explain to whom the speaker is talking ? Or the subject they’re talking about? Do you provide at least a sentence or two or analysis? Explain the significance of this quote. Why is it important? How does it help to illustrate your point?