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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Grammar Lesson-Pronouns

Pronoun: Pronouns are used in place of a noun that has already been mentioned or that is already known, often to avoid repeating the noun.
Focus on the "already been mentioned" part of that...
While it is quite common for people to abuse the English language, the biggest issue I have, today anyway, is the mysterious pronoun people. There is a great song by Jem called "They". In it, she asks "Who are they? Where are they?" Did you ever wonder who they really are? Especially when patients come in with all of their "they" stories:

1.They told me it would be here.

2.She said she sent it.
3.He said it was ready.
4.They told me it was only $4.
5.They said I could go to any pharmacy.
6.She told me to come here and pick it up.
7.She said they negotiated the price down.

Again, I ask, who are "they, he, she, and it"?


Let's try:

1.My doctor said my prescription would be here.
2.The nurse at the office this morning said she sent my prescription electronically.
3.I spoke with the tech this morning and he told me my prescription was ready.
4.My insurance told me I could go to any pharmacy.
5.The doctor's office told me this medication was on your $4 list.
6.My wife just told me I was supposed to come here to pick up her prescription.
7.(I still have no idea what the last guy was talking about with a negotiated price.)

It's a little like jumping into the middle of a movie, with the characters and plot already established, and trying to figure out why he hates her and they are trying to chase after them while they are also being tracked by them for seeing it happen while she still loves him but he's now with her and it's going to happen again if someone doesn't stop them from doing something, except the TV isn't working so you can only hear the movie, and the movie keeps starting at different points all day long and the characters keep changing and you can't mute or rewind it and it doesn't end until you get in your car and it's a cliffhanger that you know will continue tomorrow like the old Saturday matinees except no one has figured out how to it's going to end. Please make it stop. 



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