10.3 Pronouns, Punctuation & Sentence Sense

10.3 Pronouns, Punctuation & Sentence Sense

Quick Answer: Finish the Grammar scan with pronouns (case, agreement, clear antecedents), punctuation (commas, apostrophes, run-ons vs. fragments), and sentence sense (dangling modifiers, parallel structure). Any clear failure makes the sentence Incorrect.

Sections 10.1–10.2 covered format and verb mechanics. Many remaining Incorrect items fail because of pronouns, punctuation, or broken sentence sense—even when the main verb agrees. These errors are common in spoken English, which is why a final scan pass matters.

Pronoun Case: I/me and who/whom

Case depends on the pronoun's job in the sentence:

Incorrect: The lieutenant asked Officer Diaz and I to rewrite the narrative. Correct: The lieutenant asked Officer Diaz and me to rewrite the narrative.

Who vs. whom: In formal edited prose, use who for subjects of clauses and whom for objects. Contemporary standard English also commonly accepts who in object position, so do not mark that usage wrong unless a published style rule requires the formal distinction. The swap test still helps when you choose the formal form: he/she suggests who; him/her suggests whom.

Incorrect: Whom filed the complaint? → subject needs Who. Correct: Who filed the complaint? Correct: To whom was the property released?

After prepositions, object case is required: between you and me, for him and her, to us.

Pronoun Agreement and Unclear Antecedents

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, and the antecedent must be obvious:

• Correct contemporary usage: Every officer must secure their radio before leaving. Singular they/their is standard English when gender is unknown or irrelevant.
• An optional plural rewrite is also clear: Officers must secure their radios before leaving.
• Incorrect unclear antecedent: When the clerk spoke to the detective, she was angry. (Who was angry?)
• Clearer Correct: When the clerk spoke to the detective, the clerk was angry.

MCOLES-style items may mark vague this/that/it/they Incorrect when no single noun is clearly referenced: The inventory was incomplete, and this delayed booking. Prefer a noun: …and this gap delayed booking or …and the incomplete inventory delayed booking.

Also watch number: The department updated their policy is often treated as Incorrect when department is a singular collective; prefer its policy unless individuals are clearly meant.

Commas in Compounds and Introductory Elements

Compound sentences: Join two independent clauses with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet):

• Correct: Units cleared the building, and the K-9 team entered next.
• Incorrect comma splice: Units cleared the building, the K-9 team entered next.
• Risky missing comma (formal): Units cleared the building and the K-9 team entered next. (many style keys want the comma before and when both sides are full clauses)

Introductory elements: Set off opening phrases/clauses with a comma:

• Correct: After the briefing, officers moved to their posts.
• Risky/Incorrect on many keys: After the briefing officers moved to their posts.

Do not insert a comma between a subject and its verb: Incorrect: The reporting officer, completed the diagram.

Apostrophes

Incorrect: The agency updated it's pursuit policy. Correct: The agency updated its pursuit policy.

Incorrect: Two detective's arrived late. (plural, not possessive) Correct: Two detectives arrived late.

Run-ons vs. Fragments

• Run-on / fused sentence: two independent clauses with no legal join → Incorrect: The light was red the driver did not stop.
• Comma splice: only a comma between clauses → Incorrect: The light was red, the driver did not stop.
• Correct fixes: period, semicolon, or comma + conjunction: The light was red, but the driver did not stop.
• Fragment: missing subject, verb, or complete thought → Incorrect: Because the witness refused to sign. / Walking toward the alley.

A subordinate clause (because…, when…, if…, although…) cannot stand alone as a sentence on this exam.

Sentence Sense: Dangling Modifiers

A modifier at the start must logically describe the subject that follows:

• Incorrect: Driving through the intersection, the stop sign was ignored. (implies the stop sign was driving)
• Correct: Driving through the intersection, the motorist ignored the stop sign.
• Incorrect: While reviewing the footage, several contradictions appeared.
• Correct: While reviewing the footage, the detective noted several contradictions.

Parallel Structure Basics

Items in a list or pair should share the same grammatical form:

• Incorrect: The trainee must write clearly, accurately, and have completeness.
• Correct: The trainee must write clearly, accurately, and completely.
• Incorrect: She likes interviewing witnesses, to draft affidavits, and reviewing video.
• Correct: She likes interviewing witnesses, drafting affidavits, and reviewing video.
• Incorrect: The order was to secure the lobby, checking IDs, and lock the side door.
• Correct: The order was to secure the lobby, check IDs, and lock the side door.

Putting the Full Scan Together

On test day, after SVA/tense checks:

1. Pronoun case and agreement / clear antecedent
2. Commas, apostrophes, run-ons, fragments
3. Danglers and parallelism

Any failure → Incorrect. All clear → Correct.

Final Worked Set

A. Between you and I, the timeline does not match the video. → Incorrect (object of between → me).
B. It's clear the vehicle lost its muffler. → Correct (It's = it is; its possessive).
C. While reviewing the footage, several contradictions appeared. → Incorrect (dangling: contradictions were not reviewing).
D. Who did you notify? → Correct in contemporary standard English. Whom did you notify? is the more formal object-case version; current MCOLES sources do not publish a style preference that makes who incorrect here.
E. The light was red, but the driver did not stop. → Correct compound sentence.

Grammar success on MCOLES is pattern recognition under time pressure. Practice naming the rule; the grammar judgment becomes more reliable.