The Useful & Graceful Pronoun

Unless someone figures out a way to travel into the past, it is probably impossible to know exactly how and why pronouns came to be a part of our language; but they certainly do play a useful role when it comes to writing. Compare, for instance, the following two passages, one (1) using pronouns and the other (2) written as if no such things as pronouns exist:

(1)The seagull flew to its favorite perch on the bay front and claimed ownership with a loud cry. It glared at all the other birds gathered nearby. It was determined to hold its place as it waited for some shrimp boats to arrive.

(2)The seagull flew to the seagull’s favorite perch on the bay front and claimed ownership with a loud cry. The seagull glared at all the other birds gathered nearby. The seagull was determined to hold the seagull’s place as the seagull waited for some shrimp boats to arrive.

The first version is easier to read than the second, and the second version sounds strangely stilted, lacking grace. Pronouns are useful!

A grammatical point to add here is that when using pronouns to refer to animals, birds, insects, snakes, fish, any creatures other than human, if the gender is not known, using the pronoun it is correct. If someone is talking about Princess Daisy May la Belle, however, the pronoun she is probably the right choice, provided the people who named their dog Princess Daisy May La Belle were sticking to traditional masculine and feminine forms for names.

When Daisy May La Belle saw the glaring seagull perched near the bay front, she barked madly at it until her master corrected her.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!