PSAT Glitch

[P2052 at AOL.COM]

Here's how the following grammar/style books address the issue of possessive
noun antecedents:

1) Faigley, Lester.  The Penguin Handbook. NY: Longman, 2003.
640:  Implied antecedents
"Pronouns should refer to specifically named antecedents.  Pronouns cannot
refer to an implied noun."
INCORRECT:  Because Susan had enjoyed reading Don Delillo's novel, she went
to his book signing at the local bookstore.
CORRECT: Because Susan had enjoyed reading Don Delillo's novel, she went to
the author's book signing at the local bookstore.

2) DiYanni, Robert and Pat C. HoyII.  The Scribner Handbook For Writers. 3rd
ed.  Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
402:  Avoiding pronouns with adjectives and possessives as antecedents
"Pronouns cannot refer to adjectives and possessives as antecedents.  Since a
pronoun can only stand in for a noun, only nouns can function as the
antecedents of pronouns."
       CONFUSING:  Throughout Walt Whitman's work, he celebrates the American

                        land and its people. [There is no noun antecedent to
which he
                        can refer.]
       REVISED:  Throughout his work, Walt Whitman. . . .
       REVISED:  Walt Whitman's work consistently celebrates the American. .
. .

3) Hult, Christine A., and Thomas N. Huckin. The New Century Handbook.
Needham, MA:  Allyn & Bacon, 1999.
578:  Avoiding use of implied antecedents
"Pronouns should refer back to specific antecedents, not implied ones."  [NO
EXAMPLE OF POSSESSIVE NOUN]

4) Gorrell, Donna.  A Writer's Handbook From A to Z.  Needham Heights, MA:
Allyn & Bacon, 1994.
52:  "CAUTION:  The antecedent of a pronoun must be a noun or another pronoun
, not an adjective, a possessive case noun, a clause, or a phrase."
   FAULTY:  In Nabokov's novel Lolita, he tells the story of a middle-aged
man's
                infatuation with a twelve-year-old girl.  [The possessive
noun, Nabakov's
                cannot function as the antecedent of he.]
   REVISED:  In his novel Lolita, Nabokov tells the story of a middle-aged. .
. . .

5) Fowler, H. Ramsey and Jane E. Aaron.  The Little Brown Handbook. 5th ed.
NY:  HarperCollins, 1992.
295:  Implied nouns are not clear antecedents.
"A noun may be implied in a modifier, a possessive, another noun, or some
other word or phrase. . . .     But a pronoun cannot refer clearly to such an
implied noun; it must refer to a specific, stated antecedent."
       Confusing   In the speaker's advice she was not concret enough.  [She
refers to
                        speaker, implied by the possessive speaker's.]
       Clear     In her advice, the speaker was not concrete enough.
       Better    The speaker's advice was not concrete enough.

6) Baker, Sheridan.  The Complete Stylist and Handbook. 3rd ed.  NY:
HarperCollins, 1984.
370:  Keep Your Antecedents Specific, Unambiguous, and Close at Hand
Ambiguous:  . . .
     Faulty:  He aimed at the tiger's eye, but it ran away.
       Revised:  He aimed at the tiger's eye, but the tiger ran away.

 7) Reinking, James A., Jane E. Hart, and Andrew W. Hart.  Improving College
Writing:  A Book of Exercises.   NY: St. Martin's, 1981.
157:  Hidden Antecedents
"An antecedent is hidden if it is serving as an adjective rather than as a
noun.  . . .
       When I removed the table's finish, it proved to be oak. (It ought to
refer to table,
       which in this sentence appears as the adjective table's.)"

8) Conlin, David A., and George R. Herman. Modern Grammar and Composition 2.
NY: Litton, 1967.
141:  POSITION OF SUBORDINATORS
"For clearer communication, place a subordinator as close to its antecedent
as possible."
       What is the girl's name who sang America at Friday's assembly?
       What is the name of the girl who sang America at Friday's assembly?

9) Stegner, Wallace E., Edwin H. Sauer, and Clarence W. Hach. Modern
Composition 5.  NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1964.
450:  [Rule] 5.   "Avoid using a pronoun to refer to a word in the possessive
case."
    Unclear:  I visited with Mary's mother while she was being examined by
the doctor.
    Clear:  While Mary was being examined by the doctor, I visited with her
mother.

Other grammar/style books which I examined either just alluded to or
completely ignored the matter.
                                 P-A-T