Pronouns usually refer to other words, called their antecedents because they should come before the pronoun. Learn vague pronoun reference with free interactive flashcards. Reference and possession pronoun grammatical number. It just proves theres someone for everyone a match made in writers heaven read the following passage and summarize what it says. The word pronoun means for a noun and it called a nouns deputy. Unclear pronoun reference you want to write a sentence as clean as a bone. Unclear pronoun reference, along with a mismatch between the pronoun and its referent or antecedent, the word the pronoun is intended to replace, are issues that frequently cause students trouble. A vague pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one subject or the subject that the pronoun refers to is only implied. The pronoun reference is faulty here because the pronoun it has two antecedents. Exercise on vague or unclear pronoun reference with answer. After braiding janees hair, andrea decorated them no word to which this pronoun refers with beads. Pronoun agreement and reference a pronoun must agree with the word it refers to the antecedent. Also, it must be clear which noun the pronoun is substituting for.
Better writing avoiding vague and ambiguous pronoun. A pronoun is a word used to stand for or take the place of a noun. A pronouns reference will be unclear if it is ambiguous, implied, vague or indefinite. Such errors, called faulty or vague pronoun reference, can confuse readers and obscure the intended meaning.
Vague pronoun reference sometimes faulty pronoun reference occurs, not because there are too many nouns possibly being referred to, but because there is none. Using pronouns pronouns are words that replace nouns so that you dont need to repeat the same noun several times in a text e. Even though they rarely visit aunt michelle, penelope looks forward to sandquist, amy l. The cliff dwellings at mesa verde were built by the ancestral pueblo people. Make pronouns agree in person and number with their antecedents.
A pronoun may be unclear if there is more than one noun to which the pronoun could be referring. Pronoun reference cst claremont school of theology. According to the menu, the pasta sauce is homemade. Faulty pronoun reference means the antecedent of your pronoun is not totally and immediately clear. There is no single rule for making pronoun reference clear in all cases. Singular pronouns are used with singular antecedents, and plural pronouns are used with plural antecedents. Pronouns a pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase. Unclear pronoun references tutorials, quizzes, and help. I think mike cruickshanks new profit maximiser service is going to be one of the big hits and i can say hand on heart, if you follow the instructions, and just get involved, you will make a lot of money over the coming weeks, months and years. When i travelled to new york, i realized that you needed to. Read your sentences carefully to make sure that all pronoun references are clear. The word a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent. A pronoun is a word used instead of a common noun or a proper noun.
Cliffsnotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what youre studying, cliffsnotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Eliminate a vague pronoun reference by the following methods. In these three sentences, the pronouns refer to the idea that harry was always late, but they cant logically refer back to. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Simmons decided to postpone the pronoun reference quiz so that her composition students could discuss their new 3,000word essay.
This noun is called the pronouns antecedent unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a pronoun without a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent. Or he was pleased by the way the highly ornate frame complemented the painting. Pronoun reference check every pronoun in your sentence to make sure that it has a word to which it refers. Pronoun case and perspective lesson this lesson is for students who already have a basic knowledge of pronouns. Vague pronoun reference a pronoun without a specific antecedent.
Vague pronoun reference and pronoun antecedent disagreement definition. Apr 02, 20 a pronoun must clearly refer to a subject. Vague pronoun reference and pronounantecedent disagreement definition. Avoiding vague pronoun references macmillanmcgrawhill. This noun is called the pronoun s antecedent unfortunately, it is very easy to create a sentence that uses a pronoun without a clear, unmistakable noun antecedent.
No fair scratching your head as you try to figure the passage out. If a pronoun seems to refer to more than one antecedent, either reword the sentence to make the antecedent clear or eliminate the pronoun. Jan 29, 2018 here are answers to the editing exercise. It just proves theres someone for everyonea match made in writers heaven read the following passage and summarize what it says. Apr 14, 2016 cate hoppes and maverick wagley present vague pronoun references and a guide on how to revise them. If an antecedent is singular, its pronoun must be singular, too. Avoiding vague pronoun references practice write your answers on the lines and then print this page. Exercise on vague or unclear pronoun reference in the following pairs of sentences, one sentence is correct, and the other sentence contains a vague or ambiguous pronoun reference. More subtle errors occur when you use a pronoun reference that is too general or indefinite or one that only you know. Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the nouns they are replacing. Most often a reader will try to connect the pronoun with the subject of a previous clause or sentence. An antecedent is the noun to which the pronoun refers. Jul 16, 2010 i think mike cruickshanks new profit maximiser service is going to be one of the big hits and i can say hand on heart, if you follow the instructions, and just get involved, you will make a lot of money over the coming weeks, months and years. Using pronouns correctly eliminates unnecessary noun repetition in your writing.
Forms that express reference personal reference personal pronouns subject and object pronouns subject pronouns function as subject nps the object pronoun forms can. The reader cannot be sure whether howard is very angry because. Making pronoun references clear memorial university. Write the letter v next to the sentence that has a vague pronoun reference.
Making pronoun references clear pronouns substitute for nouns. That is, a pronoun is misused when the real noun to which it refers has not actually been mentioned. After the firstmention of a noun, a pronoun is commonly used to refer to the noun a second time. Unclear pronoun reference makes sentences confusing, vague, and difficult to.
It, this, and which are pronouns, and they need to refer back to a specific noun, not to the whole idea of a previous statement. A pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun. Here is another example of faulty pronoun reference where a pronoun is asked to refer to a whole group of words instead of a clear, single noun antecedent. A pronoun must refer to a single noun, which acts as its antecedent. A pronoun is a word used to stand for or take the place of a noun a pronoun should refer clearly to one, clear, unmistakable noun coming before the pronoun. Ambiguous reference an ambiguous reference occurs when the pronoun could refer to two. Since the legal profession is highly valued by the public, they are very well paid. Bobs hands were so cramped from typing a 2,000word essay that a the poor boy.
Cate hoppes and maverick wagley present vague pronoun references and a guide on how to revise them. Nicks hair is so long that this young man really needs to visit a barber before his interview at the bank. Last year vince played on the college lacrosse team, but this year he is too busy to play. Because of the boy s hunger, he was permitted to eat early. In one sentence, for example, the pronoun he might mean zippy the dog. Personal pronouns can be singular or plural, and can refer to someone in the first, second, or third person. To avoid a vague pronoun reference, make sure that a pronoun cannot possibly refer to more than one antecedent. In general, a pronoun should refer to a particular word in the preceding sentence. Pronoun worksheets and activities ereading worksheets. I told uncle richard, aunt gretchen, and then dad, which infuriated gary. A pronoun should refer clearly to the noun it is replacing. We explain unclear pronoun references with video tutorials and quizzes, using our many waystm approach from multiple teachers. Schmitz explained to her assistant julie that she would need a cup of coffee to finish payroll on time.
Ambiguous pronoun reference a pronoun with multiple, possible antecedents. Referential forms point to people or objects in the real world or to other forms called antecedents and include the various types of personal pronouns, the demonstratives, and a number of other referring forms. By the time my family arrived, they were very hungry. Introduction pronouns help writers to avoid repetition, but when a pronoun is vague, or unclear, readers cant tell what or whom it refers to. Here youll first learn all about clear pronoun referenceand ways in which unclear pronoun reference can occur in your writing and speech. Pronoun reference is the practice of making pronouns refer clearly to the words they replace. Pronoun reference every pronoun must have a clear reference.
If an antecedent is singular, its pronoun must besingular, too. A pronouns antecedent is theword to which the pronoun refers. The profits from the investment would be large, which i realized almost immediately. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Personal pronouns, pronounantecedent agreement, and vague or. Vague pronoun reference and pronounantecedent disagreement. A pronoun depends on a noun called the pronouns antecedent for meaning.
Partially hydrogenated oils can be especially dangerous to your health, so you should eliminate this type of fat from your diet. The pronoun it does not have a clear noun antecedent. The relative pronoun qui who, which stands for a noun representing a person or a thing which is the subject of the subordinate verb. Actually, the term pronoun reference refers to the fact that the meaning of a pronoun comes from its antecedent, the noun or pronoun to which it refers.
Improve your language arts knowledge with free questions in identify vague pronoun references and thousands of other language arts skills. A pronouns antecedent may be either a noun or another pronoun, but in either case, it must be clear what the antecedent is. Note that in most cases, more than one correct answer is possible. Choose from 147 different sets of vague pronoun reference flashcards on quizlet. Churchill, roosevelt, and stalin take another meeting. A pronoun s antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. If you use they, their, or them, make sure the noun is also plural. A pronouns antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers.
Avoiding vague and ambiguous pronoun references vocabulary antecedent the noun which a pronoun substitutes for or refers to. Her is a pronoun representing the daughter in a simple construction that causes no confusion. In these three sentences, the pronouns refer to the idea that harry was always late, but they cant logically refer back to either of the two nouns, harry or class. If the antecedent is in third person, the pronoun must be in third person. Better writing avoiding vague and ambiguous pronoun references. The rule a pronoun must refer to a single noun, which acts as its antecedent. Using pronouns the writing centre university of ottawa. So strained were bobs eyes from staring at a computer monitor all. If the noun is singular, the pronoun should be singular. Some people dont feel like the most common gender pronouns sheher, hehim represent their gender identities or expressions because of how they are typically attributed to binary conceptions of sex malefemale and gender manwoman.
Avoid most pronoun reference problems by following these rules. It says on the bathroom wall that joe will sell the answers to the pronoun reference quiz for five dollars. Transgender, genderqueer, and other gender nonconforming people. The computer started up but then it crashed because it is old not the computer started up but then the computer crashed because the computer is old. As a result, the reader cannot know for sure whether mabel sold the disk or the cabinet.