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