APA style and citations for dummies - Joe Giampalmi 2021

Designating replacements: pronouns
Creating a foundation: the principal parts of speech, structure, and usage
Earning applause: APA writing for the academic audience

No part of speech experiences a greater identity crisis than pronouns, which are frequently misused with the nouns they represent, such as people, places, and events. Pronouns belong to a large family, with relatives identified as personal, relative, indefinite, intensive, interrogative, possessive, and demonstrative. Pronouns, like nouns, insist on being agreeable — one of the few pronoun properties you need to master. Table 6-2 defines these different pronouns. I break down what you need to know about pronouns in the following sections.

TABLE 6-2: Types of Pronouns

Staying in agreement

Pronouns are highly compatible with nouns, so they agree with their antecedent (the noun or pronoun they replace) in person, number, gender, and case:

The father of a daughter plays a major role in her development as a confident woman.

The pronoun her agrees with the antecedent daughter in person (third), number (singular), gender (female), and case (objective) — just as I learned in the college fight song.

Here are other pronoun properties you need to know:

· Person: English has three persons (first, second, and third).

· First person refers to pronouns such as I, me, we, and us.

· Second person refers to the pronoun you.

· Third person refers to pronouns such as he, she, it, they, and them.

· Number: Number refers to pronouns representing one noun or pronoun person or object (singular), or two or more people or objects (plural).

· Singular pronouns include I and me.

· Plural pronouns include we, they, and them.

· The pronoun you can be either singular or plural.

· Gender: Gender identifies pronouns as male (he), female (she), or non-binary (they, ze, ve, per, and hir).

· Case: Case refers to pronouns used as subjects (I, he, she, they, it) or objects (me, her, them, us).

· Subject pronouns: She and I volunteered to tutor freshmen.

· Object pronouns: Educational materials were given to her and me.

APA recommends gender-neutral pronouns (which frequently include phrasing that avoids use of he and she):

· After the study participant completed the forms, they were administered the survey.

· The experiment showed that college seniors experience separation anxiety in their senior year.

Eyeing APA person preferences

When using pronouns in research, follow these APA guidelines:

· Describe your research and your personal analysis in the first person (I) if you’re the sole author:

I conclude that the results of the study corroborate the findings of Osterman (2019).

· Use we if you’re co-authoring. If you reference a co-author, use the person’s name:

We validated our results with previous studies in the field. Jackson (2021) and I completed disclosure statements.

· Avoid referencing yourself as we, and using third-person references such as the researcher or the author.

· Avoid editorial we references to people in general. Replace we with a specific noun.

We advise incoming freshmen to participate in campus activities.

Campus counselors advise incoming freshmen to participate in campus activities.

Using the singular “they”

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Seventh Edition endorses the use of the pronoun they (inclusive of all people) as plural, in addition to its singular use. Plural they has also been endorsed by advocacy groups, publishers, and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. APA recommends the use of the plural they (and its forms) as singular for a person who uses they as their identified pronoun:

· The researcher performed their study following accepted practices.

· A participant must apply for their approval by June 14.