Day 14: Antecedents and pronouns must agree in number.

Most people know what pronouns are: he, she, it, we, him, her, them, they, etc. The antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. Consider these sentences.

“I gave Mary her box of treasures. It was small.”

The first pronoun is “her,” and it refers to the antecedent “Mary.” The second pronoun is “it,” and it refers to the antecedent “box.”

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This can be confusing when the antecedent has more than one thing. Consider this sentence.

“The toy under the table and the doll on the shelf should be placed immediately in their respective containers.”

This needs the plural pronoun “their” because it refers to more than one thing: the toy and the doll.

To make sure the pronoun and antecedent agree in number, ask yourself whether the antecedent includes more than one thing. If it does, the pronoun should do the same.

Day 15: Express yourself confidently.

Another way to say this is “Don’t hedge.” Phrases such as “I think that,” “I assume,” “I believe,” and “It’s possible that” tell the reader that you are not confident in what you are saying. If you are not confident in your ideas, your reader will not be confident in your authority to make whatever statement you are making.

On the other hand, if you have a good reason for your idea, state the idea with confidence. Consider this sentence:

“I think cantaloupe is good for your health.”

As a reader, I can say, “Do you think so, or do you know so? If that is only your opinion, I can ignore it.” To encourage the reader to believe you, you can write, instead,

“Cantaloupe is good for your health.”

Confident writing is stronger, more active, more believable, and more likely to get the reader response you desire.