Is it okay to use “he” when the subject of the sentence is “his wife”? [on hold]
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This is the sentence in question:
While Dev’s wife is in India for a few weeks, he and Miranda spend almost every day together.
The subject of the sentence is "Dev's wife", and I'm pretty sure that "he" should be referring to the subject of the sentence. But the word "wife" implies that Dev's wife is female, and the only other option for what "he" could be in reference to would be Dev, a male. Is this a valid argument?
pronouns personal-pronouns
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
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put on hold as off-topic by Jason Bassford, Scott, J. Taylor, MetaEd♦ Dec 3 at 19:36
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Scott, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
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This is the sentence in question:
While Dev’s wife is in India for a few weeks, he and Miranda spend almost every day together.
The subject of the sentence is "Dev's wife", and I'm pretty sure that "he" should be referring to the subject of the sentence. But the word "wife" implies that Dev's wife is female, and the only other option for what "he" could be in reference to would be Dev, a male. Is this a valid argument?
pronouns personal-pronouns
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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put on hold as off-topic by Jason Bassford, Scott, J. Taylor, MetaEd♦ Dec 3 at 19:36
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Scott, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
2
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53
add a comment |
up vote
1
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up vote
1
down vote
favorite
This is the sentence in question:
While Dev’s wife is in India for a few weeks, he and Miranda spend almost every day together.
The subject of the sentence is "Dev's wife", and I'm pretty sure that "he" should be referring to the subject of the sentence. But the word "wife" implies that Dev's wife is female, and the only other option for what "he" could be in reference to would be Dev, a male. Is this a valid argument?
pronouns personal-pronouns
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
This is the sentence in question:
While Dev’s wife is in India for a few weeks, he and Miranda spend almost every day together.
The subject of the sentence is "Dev's wife", and I'm pretty sure that "he" should be referring to the subject of the sentence. But the word "wife" implies that Dev's wife is female, and the only other option for what "he" could be in reference to would be Dev, a male. Is this a valid argument?
pronouns personal-pronouns
pronouns personal-pronouns
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
asked Dec 2 at 18:33
swimingduck
1092
1092
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
swimingduck is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
put on hold as off-topic by Jason Bassford, Scott, J. Taylor, MetaEd♦ Dec 3 at 19:36
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Scott, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
put on hold as off-topic by Jason Bassford, Scott, J. Taylor, MetaEd♦ Dec 3 at 19:36
This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave this specific reason:
- "Please include the research you’ve done, or consider if your question suits our English Language Learners site better. Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic." – Scott, MetaEd
If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
2
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53
add a comment |
2
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53
2
2
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53
add a comment |
2 Answers
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Your sentence has two clauses. “Dev’s wife” is the subject of the first (subordinate) clause; “he and Miranda” is the subject of the second. The subjects of the two clauses do not have to be the same (consider “While my wife travelled to India, I stayed at home,” which is obviously grammatical).
There is no actual rule of grammar that says that a pronoun cannot refer back to a noun phrase used in the “genitive” construction (Dev’s). This is a misconception that unfortunately was widely publicized due to some prescriptivists arguing that a grammatical sentence from a PSAT test actually contained an “error”. See Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?
Another misconception that might be confusing you is the idea that a third-person pronoun has to refer to the most recent noun phrase. This isn't true either. Some people might choose to try to follow this rule as a way of avoiding certain kinds of confusing ambiguity, but as you point out, no ambiguity is possible in this sentence because "Dev's wife" would not be described with the pronoun "he".
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
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No, you are misunderstanding this. Dev's wife is in India. Meanwhile, he (Dev) and Miranda spend almost every day together.
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
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But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
Your sentence has two clauses. “Dev’s wife” is the subject of the first (subordinate) clause; “he and Miranda” is the subject of the second. The subjects of the two clauses do not have to be the same (consider “While my wife travelled to India, I stayed at home,” which is obviously grammatical).
There is no actual rule of grammar that says that a pronoun cannot refer back to a noun phrase used in the “genitive” construction (Dev’s). This is a misconception that unfortunately was widely publicized due to some prescriptivists arguing that a grammatical sentence from a PSAT test actually contained an “error”. See Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?
Another misconception that might be confusing you is the idea that a third-person pronoun has to refer to the most recent noun phrase. This isn't true either. Some people might choose to try to follow this rule as a way of avoiding certain kinds of confusing ambiguity, but as you point out, no ambiguity is possible in this sentence because "Dev's wife" would not be described with the pronoun "he".
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
Your sentence has two clauses. “Dev’s wife” is the subject of the first (subordinate) clause; “he and Miranda” is the subject of the second. The subjects of the two clauses do not have to be the same (consider “While my wife travelled to India, I stayed at home,” which is obviously grammatical).
There is no actual rule of grammar that says that a pronoun cannot refer back to a noun phrase used in the “genitive” construction (Dev’s). This is a misconception that unfortunately was widely publicized due to some prescriptivists arguing that a grammatical sentence from a PSAT test actually contained an “error”. See Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?
Another misconception that might be confusing you is the idea that a third-person pronoun has to refer to the most recent noun phrase. This isn't true either. Some people might choose to try to follow this rule as a way of avoiding certain kinds of confusing ambiguity, but as you point out, no ambiguity is possible in this sentence because "Dev's wife" would not be described with the pronoun "he".
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
Your sentence has two clauses. “Dev’s wife” is the subject of the first (subordinate) clause; “he and Miranda” is the subject of the second. The subjects of the two clauses do not have to be the same (consider “While my wife travelled to India, I stayed at home,” which is obviously grammatical).
There is no actual rule of grammar that says that a pronoun cannot refer back to a noun phrase used in the “genitive” construction (Dev’s). This is a misconception that unfortunately was widely publicized due to some prescriptivists arguing that a grammatical sentence from a PSAT test actually contained an “error”. See Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?
Another misconception that might be confusing you is the idea that a third-person pronoun has to refer to the most recent noun phrase. This isn't true either. Some people might choose to try to follow this rule as a way of avoiding certain kinds of confusing ambiguity, but as you point out, no ambiguity is possible in this sentence because "Dev's wife" would not be described with the pronoun "he".
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
Your sentence has two clauses. “Dev’s wife” is the subject of the first (subordinate) clause; “he and Miranda” is the subject of the second. The subjects of the two clauses do not have to be the same (consider “While my wife travelled to India, I stayed at home,” which is obviously grammatical).
There is no actual rule of grammar that says that a pronoun cannot refer back to a noun phrase used in the “genitive” construction (Dev’s). This is a misconception that unfortunately was widely publicized due to some prescriptivists arguing that a grammatical sentence from a PSAT test actually contained an “error”. See Usage of possessive pronouns in subordinate clause or main clause?
Another misconception that might be confusing you is the idea that a third-person pronoun has to refer to the most recent noun phrase. This isn't true either. Some people might choose to try to follow this rule as a way of avoiding certain kinds of confusing ambiguity, but as you point out, no ambiguity is possible in this sentence because "Dev's wife" would not be described with the pronoun "he".
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
edited Dec 3 at 2:35
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
answered Dec 2 at 19:14
sumelic
45.4k8108210
45.4k8108210
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
No, you are misunderstanding this. Dev's wife is in India. Meanwhile, he (Dev) and Miranda spend almost every day together.
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
1
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
No, you are misunderstanding this. Dev's wife is in India. Meanwhile, he (Dev) and Miranda spend almost every day together.
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
1
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
No, you are misunderstanding this. Dev's wife is in India. Meanwhile, he (Dev) and Miranda spend almost every day together.
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
No, you are misunderstanding this. Dev's wife is in India. Meanwhile, he (Dev) and Miranda spend almost every day together.
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
answered Dec 2 at 18:39
gnasher729
1,493411
1,493411
1
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
add a comment |
1
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
1
1
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
But "Dev's wife" is the subject, so wouldn't a pronoun coming immediately afterwards be referring to the subject?
– swimingduck
Dec 2 at 18:45
1
1
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
No, I think 'he' (Dev) is the subject. You could turn the sentence round and say 'Dev spent almost every day with Miranda while his wife was in India'.
– Kate Bunting
Dec 2 at 18:48
add a comment |
2
What makes you think Dev’s wife is the subject of spend (along with Miranda)? It’s clearly the subject of is, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the subject of spend.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
Dec 2 at 18:53