"Each" followed by pronouns

I think it really does come down to the emphasis and meaning of the sentence here. If you are emphasizing that each finger is being dealt with individually, then the it is fine. If you are focusing on the result of licking all the fingers, then them is better. Another way to handle this might be:

He kissed his/her fingers, flicking each with his tongue, leaving them all glistening.

But I don't know for sure what the exact context of the sentence is, so my approach may or may not conjure up the image you are shooting for.

Maryn said:

He kissed each finger, flicking it with his tongue, leaving it glistening.

Click to expand...

Dear Ms. Confuzzled :

Your editor is correct. This sexy guy did not kiss a finger, he kissed each finger, flicked them with his tongue, leaving them them glistening.

I think I'm having a very hot flash.

BethS said:

Why not eliminate the problem word?

He kissed her fingers, flicking them with his tongue, etc.

Click to expand...

For fingers I like this. If we are talking about something that is a pair, like...ears, yes, let's say ears, then it leaves me wondering how he's licking them both at the same time. Which, while possible in some cases (and I do not mean with ears) does not seem as sweetly sensual as the tone of the sentence suggests.

Personally, I like either, though I like the sentence with "it" more. It makes it more apparent to me that he's taking his time with each one.

... knowing nothing about the grammatical intricacies, I'd instinctively go with them.

Maryn said:

He kissed each finger, flicking it with his tongue, leaving it glistening.

The editor would like both uses of it to be changed to them. Yes? No? Reasons?

Click to expand...

IMO--

1) The second IT should be a THEM because it is referring to the group of fingers as a whole. You can see it clearly if you take out the middle section.


2) I think the problem with the first (and more confusing) IT is that you’re trying to say this:
Each always takes the form of a singular subject, as you can see in the second sentence:


So the combination of 1 and 2 has caused your confusion!

I suggest doing something like this:
It should be grammatically acceptable for your editor and eliminates the headaches
...Of course, I could be wrong

Dorky said:

I suggest doing something like this:

“He kissed every finger; with his tongue, he flicked each one and left it glistening.​

Click to expand...

... good suggestion.

In general, I think this sentence is suffering from info overload. There's just too much going on in it. If you got rid of the glistening, or postponed it for a subsequent sentence you could abridge it to:

He kissed her fingers, flicking each with his tongue.

Mine - Swoon.

But in reality -- them.

Not sure. May be more style than grammar. My approach since it's debatable would be:

He kissed her fingers, flicking each with his tongue, leaving them glistening.

Maryn said:

I'm not in agreement with an editor. It's a small thing, but before I demand my way I should, of course, be sure I'm right. And I've thought about this enough that I've managed to thoroughly confuse myself.

The original sentence, with a noun change to make it suitable for all ages:

He kissed each finger, flicking it with his tongue, leaving it glistening.

The editor would like both uses of it to be changed to them. Yes? No? Reasons?

If it matters, editor is British, I'm American. Nearly all editor's other suggestions will make the manuscript better, as she clearly knows her stuff.

Maryn, confuzzled

Click to expand...

I lean towards "it", personally. I think that the sense here is "he kissed each one in turn", with "one" being singular and thus commanding an "it". But if the sense is "all of the fingers at once", then "them" would be appropriate.