Everybody was enjoying their vacation in Puerto Rico.

What error is present in the sentence "Everybody was enjoying their vacation in Puerto Rico"?

The sentence 'Everybody was enjoying their vacation in Puerto Rico' contains a pronoun shift error. The pronoun 'their' is plural, while the antecedent 'everybody' is singular.

Pronoun Shift Error Explanation

Pronoun shift refers to the inconsistency in the use of pronouns within a sentence or paragraph. It occurs when the pronoun used does not agree in number or person with its antecedent. In the given sentence, 'Everybody was enjoying their vacation in Puerto Rico,' there is a pronoun shift error. The pronoun 'their' is plural, while the antecedent 'everybody' is singular. The correct pronoun to use in this case would be 'his or her' or 'their' if the speaker is referring to a group of people. Pronoun shift errors can lead to confusion and lack of clarity in writing. It is important to ensure that pronouns agree in number and person with their antecedents to maintain grammatical correctness.
← Tools for making inferences about ambiguous texts How to paraphrase information effectively →