There are a few ways to fix an ambiguous pronoun. in Secondary English Education from Duquesne University as well as a B.A. An error occurred trying to load this video. Then rewrite the sentence, making sure the entire sentence accurately describes Weegy: Depending on the incident size and complexity, various types of support facilities may be established by: Weegy: The euphoric state caused by inhalants is due to a dangerous lack of oxygen to the brain. She is making a lamp out of this cup, the handle of which is broken. Vague pronoun reference is a common obstacle that can hinder clear and precise expression. What are Indefinite Pronouns? How do you use them? When the antecedents are joined by and, the pronoun should always be plural. Got any other tips for keeping pronouns and their antecedents clear, close and connected? students have access to the best infrastructure. They are often used to make observations about human nature or recommendations about how people should behave. This article uses a Creative Commons license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. This is typically a prepositional phrase with of followed by a noun. Unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a pronoun without a clear antecedent. What does "Splitting the throttles" mean? People cut down trees, and they do not think about the consequences. The picture frame or the mantle? Although which cannot refer to people, that can. I never ride roller coasters because they make you sick.. Therefore, the quotation will need to be modified so the pronoun can be replaced with its antecedent. In which sentence are the pronoun and antecedent not in agreement? a Instead, let's change the sentence to read: When we replace one of the ambiguous pronouns with a name, the sentence becomes clear. While which provides an optional description, that introduces essential information that defines or identifies a person or a thing. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Learn to identify an ambiguous pronoun and how to write sentences clearly to avoid faulty pronoun references. When Elizabeth dropped her computer on the table. Dust what clean? In edited American texts, which is generally used only in nonrestrictive clauses, where it provides optional information not essential to meaning. 5. Its not just personal pronouns such as he, she, or it that can cause confusion. Pronoun-antecedent errors happen when a pronoun does not agree with its antecedent, which can create confusion in your writing. Compare an idea whose time has come with an idea the time of which has come.. Demonstrative pronouns thisandthat,theseandthosecan also be to blame for an unclear antecedent. Please click the checkbox on the left to verify that you are a not a bot. In this sentence, the writer has not defined who we and our refer to. Alex ate all of Alex's lunch, but Alex was still hungry. An antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaces. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 15amp 120v adaptor plug for old 6-20 250v receptacle? - Definition & Examples, What Are Comparative Adjectives? Here, the noun 'Priyanka' is third person singular number female. What are pronouns and antecedents? Recognize And Correct Vague Pronoun Teaching Resources in terms of number (singular or plural) can be tricky, as evidenced in sentences like this one:. How would you qualify such a pronoun? Pronoun-Antecedent Errors | UAGC Writing Center Adjectives are words that describe nouns, while a participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective.) - Definition & Examples, What Are Proper Adjectives? Dont use a pronoun referring to only one of the antecedents or an individual pronoun for each of them; just use a plural pronoun (i.e., a form of they). You might recognize her from her 1990 appearance on Nickelodeons Outta Here, but probably not. A pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakablenouncoming This noun is called the pronoun's antecedent. adroll_pix_id = "MI5A3AMLEVCWLMSS7QK6YA"; Indefinite pronouns are a cornerstone of daily speech, but they can be a little confusing to understand. The car hit the tree, but it was not damaged. Therefore, it is followed by the plural pronoun, The sentence may also be rephrased with the word members following the antecedent. An antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. Which acts as a pronoun by referring to the noun. With her phone in one hand and her camera in the other, Mavis snapped photos with. adroll_language = "en_US"; This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. To revise, substitute a noun for the pronoun it., The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating candy anyway.. Pronouns and their antecedents must agree in number. The following sections explain various contexts where mistakes commonly occur. Use the best grammar checker available to check for common mistakes in your text. - Definition & Examples, What Are Action Words? An ambiguous pronoun occurs when the antecedent of a pronoun within a sentence is unclear. Relative pronouns like which join and connect relative clauses to the noun phrases they describe. Coordinate Adjectives: Examples | What are Coordinate Adjectives? Take, for example, this sentence that was given earlier, in which an unclear antecedent for he was demonstrated: This sentence can be fixed by replacing he with Adams, the writers intended antecedent: President George Washington and his vice president, John Adams, had a difficult relationship, which Adams wrote about in letters to friends. You can add an antecedent, pick the correct pronoun, replace the pronoun with a noun, or rewrite the sentence. Agreement errors can cause confusion or just make your writing read poorly. Dangling Modifier Key Terms & Examples | What is a Dangling Modifier? If the pronoun reference is clear, the sentence should make sense. When a pronoun is used in a sentence, it must have a corresponding noun at the beginning before it was used. Thus, the appropriate singular pronoun that must be used to agree with it is, is the antecedent here. All the example sentences above have singular indefinite pronouns as antecedents (mentioned in bold). Emma told Nancy that she was late for work. In grammar, a pronoun is a word that substitutes for either a noun or noun phrase. d Anita swam to the surface to catch her breath. Like nouns, pronouns refer to people, things, concepts, or places. The girls didnt get to see the bands because their bus broke down.. This fundamental rule of pronoun and antecedent agreement means that a singular pronoun must replace a singular antecedent, while a plural pronoun must replace a plural antecedent. The car hit the tree, but it was not damaged. Fill in the missing pronoun or determiner in each sentence, paying close attention to the antecedent. So, to avoid repetition, the second occurrence of the noun can be replaced with a suitable pronoun as follows: Here, Jacob is the antecedent, while his is the pronoun substituting it, or the referent. - Definition & Examples, What is an Abstract Noun? Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement | Examples & Tips - Scribbr It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Revised on For example, the sentence Everyone has their own ideas about politics would once have been seen as wrong, because everyone is singular. In the above sentence, the antecedent is the collective noun committee. And the first step to verify the rule in a sentence is to identify the antecedent and then verify if the pronoun chosen agrees with it. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below. How to format a JSON string as a table using jq? The preposition of is used before which to form the possessive. In this very blog, for example, you mayve noticed that I occasionally refer to a we.. 3. For example, in the following sentence, there are two words could serve as the pronoun's antecedent. These indefinite pronouns are always considered singular antecedents: They must always be followed by singular pronouns to ensure pronoun antecedent agreement. Lets check a few more examples of unclear antecedents and how to clear things up. By removing the pronoun, the sentence is no longer ambiguous. Plural antecedents require plural pronouns, and singular antecedents require singular pronouns. While Idris perfectshis DJ skills, his stand-in helps the crew perfect a scenes lighting and blocking. Everest rises to a height of more than 29,000 feet, These are the companies the financial reports. Use the pronoun which to introduce a clause that describes something previously mentioned in the sentence. Is there a legal way for a country to gain territory from another through a referendum? In American usage, which is generally used in nonrestrictive clauses to provide optional rather than essential information. Beth Sederstrom started freelance writing in 2014 after almost a decade of teaching college students how to seek and destroy comma splices. Let's rewrite this sentence: Now we clearly understand that it was the computer that broke. If the antecedent of the pronoun is unclear, then the sentence will be unclear as well. Which also refers to animals, but when an animal is known or named, who is used instead. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you That said, purposely leaving out the antecedent is a writing tool to use only when youre completely confidentthat the reader will know who or what that pronoun refers to. Conjunctive Adverbs | Definition, Examples & Rules, Comma Splices & Fused Sentences | Examples & Differences. Because "he" could reasonably mean Brad or Pablo, the pronoun's antecedent isn't clear. To avoid this issue, rewrite the sentence in order to place the pronoun closer to the antecedent to which it refers. a The bear licked its muddy paws. By training yourself to spot unconscious biases in your use of first-person plural pronouns, you can also learn a lot about your own assumptions, helping you to be a more thoughtful, inclusive, and respectful writer. If Amber stands under the tree, she will stay cooler. Two or more antecedents linked with the coordinating conjunction and function as a plural antecedent and hence take a plural pronoun. It is not easy for a working mother to raise her child. Take a look at theseexamples of vague pronoun references: After putting the disk in the cabinet, Mabel sold it.. Want To Improve Your Content Writing Skills? Check all that apply. Pronoun Reference | Sentence Errors | The Nature of Writing Why do keywords have to be reserved words? The above example also clearly illustrates pronoun antecedent agreement where the antecedent Jacob (which is singular) agrees with the pronoun his (which is also singular). noun. Boost traffic, leads, and sales with our NEW monthly SEO blog writing service. Agreement errors can cause confusion or just make your writing read poorly. Ambiguous pronouns occur when a sentence contains two possible antecedents. Tips. By restructuring the sentence so the pronoun is unnecessary, the sentence becomes much clearer. Creative Commons license: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/pronouns.htm, Publication Manual of the APA: 7th Edition. or Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate: The above sentences have plural indefinite pronouns as antecedents (shown in bold). Some pronouns are more likely than others to result in an unclear antecedent. The first and simplest source of unclear antecedents is ambiguity due to multiple possible antecedents. Answers: 1) a 2) b. This answer has been confirmed as correct and helpful. Such unintentional exclusion is especially prone to happen when members of privileged groups write about historically marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Use commas to set off a which clause that presents an additional, optional description. Bella can no longer find the answer in the textbook. A pronoun can serve as the subject or object in a sentence, and it will usually refer back (or sometimes forward) to an antecedentthe noun that the pronoun stands in for. (Which is more formal.). Mt. Maybe Pablo said it because, as Brads loyal wingman, hes trying to impress the speaker in the sentence. Simply stated, a pronoun should refer clearly to one antecedent. Identifying and Addressing Unclear Pronouns & Antecedents, Collaboration: A Catalyst for Academic Achievement and Career Growth, Design Matters: The Visual Language That Shapes Our World, Mastering Academic Writing: The Ultimate Style Guide, Rhetoric: Exploring Its Definition and Impact on Modern Communication, The Writing Process Research on Composing, Fake News: An Undergraduate Composition Course, Fake News: an Undergraduate Composition Course. by Beth Sederstrom | Nov 2, 2021 | GrammarSpot, Writing Tips | 0 comments. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. When a pronoun and its antecedent are separated by other words, the pronoun reference may be unclear. The first cause is when there are multiple possible antecedents that a single pronoun could refer to; the second is when a pronoun is used in the absence of any explicit antecedent. Subject-verb agreement follows many of the same principles but is about the relationship between a verb and its subject rather than a pronoun and its antecedent. By replacing the pronoun "it" with "the cat," the writer is able to remove the ambiguity within the sentence. Here are some commonly used singular and plural pronoun forms that are useful to know before getting into the pronoun and antecedent agreement rules. Alex ate all of his lunch, but he was still hungry. Faulty Parallelism Structure & Examples | What is Faulty Parallelism? Make like Idris Elba and drop those (grammar) beats in the comments below! - Definition & Examples, When & How to Use the Subjunctive in English, What is a Possessive Adjective? Review how you've used this word every time and ensure that the word it's replacing (its antecedent) is 100 percent clear. Jessica's phone cracked when she dropped it on the ice. Have a human editor polish your writing to ensure your arguments are judged on merit, not grammar errors. - Definition & Examples, What is a Main Verb? Check it out: In this case, the antecedent is unclear because we cant be totally sure whether that he is a stand-in for Brad or a stand-in for Pablo. To review, a pronoun is a word used to take the place of a noun and should refer to one unmistakable noun preceding it. Unclear antecedents due to unstated or assumed antecedents are mostly due to writers assumptions about what their readers will think and know. For example, Some men came by; he was looking for you doesnt make sense because the singular he doesnt match the plural men. The plural they is needed instead. A pronoun should have only one antecedent (noun) that is clear and unmistakable. English Language Learners Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of other languages learning English. What does "speaking for someone else" mean? 2. For example, the sentence Jennifer is here, and she isnt happy is correct because the pronoun she is singular (Jennifer is one person), third-person (Jennifer is not the speaker and isnt being directly addressed), and feminine (Jennifer is a woman). Ask Betty : Interpreting Instructor Comments - Definition & Examples, What is a Count Noun? Anyone who reads this sentence would not know which item was to be fixed. Pronouns & Antecedents | Overview, Rules, and Examples English Composition I - QuillBot In doing so, it is much easier for the reader to grasp the information the writer provides. This helps prevent the use of the singular gendered pronouns he and she. In the realm of effective writing and communication, clarity is paramount. - Definition & Examples, What is Negative Connotation? i. Edwin told Kenny that Dr. Wilson suspected that he had cheated on the chemistry exam.. A pronoun can be considered vague if it doesn't clearly refer to a specific person or thing in the sentence (the antecedent). Personal pronouns also change their forms based on number, gender, and grammatical role in a sentence. Whose can refer not just to people but also to things. Often, writers use a pronoun without a clearly stated antecedent to achieve a certain effect. These rules also find close links to the, Rules of Pronoun Antecedent Agreement with Examples, . Lets look at some of the most common vague pronoun errors I see in student writing and how to fix them: To begin with, any pronoun that switches from the person (first, second, third) already established in a statement should be replaced by a pronoun that maintains consistent person. YES, you read that right! Which is and which are can often be omitted from relative clauses without loss of meaning. The top problem I see is errors in pronoun number. Tell Elizabeth to go to her house with Clara and get the backpack. Pronoun antecedent agreement is an important part of ensuring a grammatically accurate sentence. Example: The pronoun itdoesnothave a clear noun antecedent. In British usage, both which and that can present essential information. Such anomalies are explained by the many rules for pronoun antecedent agreement. Most style guides like the Chicago Manual of Style, the APA style manual, and the MLA style manual now widely accept the use of the singular they in formal writing. A correct, but rather clunky, version . Therefore, the pronoun following it takes the singular form its. The antecedent here is the singular noun Olivia. An ambiguous pronoun occurs when more than one possible antecedent exists. In addition, indirect quotations often lead to ambiguous pronouns, so it is often better to report conversation in the form of direct quotation. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. People cut down trees, and they do not think about the consequences. Read the sentence and think about where the vague pronoun appears. For Example. 98 examples: In writing rules we omit set notation for antecedents and sometimes we omit the Let's take a look at an example: It is ambiguous because we don't know if it was the computer or the table that broke. Here's how to play it: Click on your search key (on my Mac, that's command + F) and then type in the word "this.". To solve problems of unclear antecedents due to multiple possible antecedents, you must first be able to identify all of the pronouns in your writing. Let's rewrite the sentence: We can still use our pronoun it, but now the sentence is clear. The singular they refers to the use of the traditionally plural pronouns and determiners they, them, their, theirs, and themselves in a singular sense. ERROR #1: TOO MANY ANTECEDENTS A pronoun should have only oneantecedent (the noun it refers to). Which sentence has a pronoun that does not refer to a specific noun? These examples are from British, Australian, and Canadian writing.