Errors in the Use of Pronouns

代词的误用

　　人称代词使用不当

　　Improper use of personal pronouns

　　Example:

　　Wrong：阿里你别着急，咱们等你。

　　Right：阿里你别着急，我们等你。

　　“咱们”includes the hearer. But in present sentence, the group of people waiting for 阿里—the hearer certainly dose not include him. Thus 我们 rather than 咱们 should be used.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：要是我没有汽车，我给你我的。

　　Right：要是你没有汽车，我给你我的。

　　The sentence lacks correspond. The first clause “我没有汽车”does not coherence with second clause 我给你. “我”in the first clause should be replaced with “你”.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：我很喜欢我妹妹的两个儿子，我常和他一起玩儿。

　　Right：我很喜欢我妹妹的两个儿子，我常和他们一起玩儿。

　　“他”refers to the two sons. “两个儿子”is plural while “他”is singular. To remove the contradiction, we change “他”into “他们”.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：玛丽和安娜来了，你问问她。

　　Right：玛丽和安娜来了，你问问她们。

　　“她”is ambiguous since it directs at “玛丽”or “安娜”with equal possibility. 她们 should be used.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：那个领导不怕我们给自己提意见。

　　Right：那个领导不怕我们给他提意见。

　　It is unclear whether “自己”refers to “那个领导”or“我们”.The sentence will be coherent if we use “他”to indicate “那个领导”.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：我一听，我就明白了。

　　Right：我一听，就明白了。

　　In English, it is perfect to say “I got the idea as soon as I heard it”. However in the Chinese fixed pattern “一…就… ”which joins two events in quick succession, only one among the two clauses requires a subject. “我”in the second clause should be erased.

　　Example:

　　Wrong：祥子没有办法，他只好卖他自己的力气了。

　　Right：祥子没有办法，（他）只好卖力气了。

　　The sentence sounds wordy with two “他”. “他”and “他自己”in the second clause need not be present since they refer to the same person as the subject of the first clause（祥子）.