There are three major pronoun reference errors. Incorrect: “The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.”. Whenever pronouns are used, it should be unmistakably clear which noun the pronoun is standing in for. Instead, it refers to the entire clause – “I did not attend my best friend’s birthday party.” Remember that a pronoun must always refer to a single, clear antecedent. Additionally, watch out for “this” and “which” pronouns. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Writers who strive for clarity in their work should be certain that each pronoun has a specific antecedent. You’re trying to “work”... Read More, October 6th, 2020 – Technology has changed the way we do business. For student help and even more tips and strategies, please visit my Student Writing Support website. endobj Quick-ish Writing Tips: Clarifying Vague Pronoun Reference, Part II, BS – Advertising & Marketing Communications, BSBA – Operations & Supply Chain Management, MS – Global Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development, MBA – Operations & Supply Chain Management, MBA – Global Fashion Merchandising Management, BS – Baking & Pastry Arts & Food Service Management, BS – Culinary Arts & Food Service Management, BS – Sports, Entertainment, Event – Management, BS – Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management, Online Form - Request Info All Programs - Quick SEO 30, Replace the pronoun with a noun: “I did not attend my best friend’s birthday party. A faulty pronoun reference will result in a muddled sentence and a confused reader. Such errors, called FAULTY or VAGUE PRONOUN REFERENCE, can confuse readers and obscure the intended meaning. SURVEY . endobj %PDF-1.5 Martha Kolln in Rhetorical Grammar also points to instances when a vague pronoun reference can cause a fuzziness, rather than clear understanding. In other words, you can't tell which word the pronoun is replacing. My actions were really unsupportive.”, Rephrase to eliminate the pronoun: “By not attending my best friend’s birthday party, I was really unsupportive of her.”. 1 0 obj (Is this OK, or does it have a vague pronoun reference?) The highlighted words represent vague pronouns because a reader cannot tell which noun the pronoun is referring to in each example. Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. 30 seconds . A pronoun is a part of speech that can replace a noun; its antecedent is the person, place, or thing to which the pronoun refers. A pronoun should have only one antecedent (noun) that is clear and unmistakable, as mentioned in the previous post. To revise, substitute a noun for the pronoun “it.”, Correct: “The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating candy anyway.”. - When there are so many antecedents in the previous text. Thomas was always unprepared for class. The fans booed and jeered at the referee because he had called it unfairly. Incorrect: “Each person should follow their dreams.” Here, “their” is a plural pronoun and “person” is a singular noun. How might you address the pronoun reference problems that occur throughout your essay? From study and motivation tips to career planning and interview techniques, we cover it all. Welcome to Career Catalyst, our blog featuring helpful continuing education and career-related articles written by our faculty and staff. Tags: Question 7 . Kellie enjoys volunteering, singing, reading, and re-discovering her home state. What this writer means to say is, “We were tired of eating candy.” However, “candy” cannot be the antecedent for “it” because “candy,” situated in front of the noun “dish,” is acting as an adjective. Now that we’ve explored that, let’s look at some of the most common vague pronoun errors I see in student writing: A pronoun should have only one antecedent (noun) that is clear and unmistakable, as mentioned in the previous post. Remember, by definition, pronouns, which take the place of a noun, cannot refer to an idea expressed in an entire sentence or statement; instead, a pronoun must refer back to a specific noun. Consider this more complex sentence, however: Did the daughter forget to do her dishes? Here is another example of a faulty pronoun reference. Separate Daniel and Alexander and then give Daniel a detention for fighting. answer choices . <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Too many antecedents. - When there are no antecedents at all in the … EMSI has indicated to us the information provided is fair and reasonable. She has also acted as an Academic Coach for students with learning and language disabilities, which she did for two years prior to relocating back to Rhode Island from Vermont. 9 Powerful Writing Apps for Any Type of Writing Project, The 5 Best Writing Tools All Writers Need, 5 Clever Ways to Say “Nice to Meet You” in Writing. 3 0 obj You have been successfully subscribed to the Grammarly blog. To repair this error, the writer could change the pronoun “they” to a noun. Separate Daniel and Alexander and then give him a detention for fighting. endobj Now that we’ve explored that, let’s look at some of the most common vague pronoun errors I see in student writing: 1. Only nouns can be antecedents. x���r���]3��^pk4�Ȳ�:3���?$y�H�BB* JQ���s����5-r�v�R ��sٳ�>�\��,������e]��b��|����j�����]q�!����.�����M���UU]�/.��o�����A��2ƽЋ�;ɸ�.NO>}�NO^_����ccA(���� �q�Ǽ�!�^*Ó%���c��70�7�_������ϣOk�ʺ.V�ͣ���Q�����rtU�o������?=yP�qz����X��z��F�{.�#���J� �}l> ����,J���b�r� ?��)��|��4(_?����3�'#�oi�CfY�#�o�%`Xt�(�I�2P��qB� q�)��rd�}�@�ʓ(3�. Which “he” is the writer referring to—Edwin, Kenny, or Dr. Wilson? OK. vague pronoun reference. A physical space or storefront is no longer a... Read More, October 6th, 2020 – When multi-million dollar decisions are made in the corporate world, it is no longer viable to rely on... Read More, October 6th, 2020 – From higher education to the corporate world, instructional design represents an exciting area of... Read More, October 1st, 2020 – Data has become one of the premier business tools of the 21st century—in part because of the fact that... Read More. When the daughter made a mess, the mother called her back to clean it up. Faulty pronoun reference errors also occur when the pronoun’s antecedent functions as an adjective rather than as a noun. Improve your language arts knowledge with free questions in "Identify vague pronoun references" and thousands of other language arts skills. We do not make any representations or warranties, nor do we accept liability or responsibility, as to the accuracy or use of the information. Here's How to Know the Difference Between Miss, Mrs., and Ms. The pronoun reference is faulty here because the pronoun it has two antecedents. Earlier this week, I discussed how to identify and correct vague pronoun references in your writing. <>>> A pronoun is like an actor’s double on a movie set: it is a simplified version of the noun it is standing in for. Error #1: TOO MANY ANTECEDENTS answer choices . Usually, the vague pronoun comes in the shape of words such as it, which, that, this, etc that leaves the reader wondering which noun is being talked about. The word “which” has no single, clear antecedent. Plural antecedents require plural pronouns, and singular antecedents require singular pronouns. Correct: “Each person should follow his or her dream.” OR “All people should follow their dreams.”, RELATED CONTENT: Clarifying Vague Pronoun Reference, Part I ». In this example, the pronoun “they” has no antecedent to which it can refer. Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. This made his teacher increasingly mad. Q. The mother called the daughter back to clean up her mess. We can repair the above error in two ways: The top problem I see is errors in pronoun number. Which person does the pronoun her refer to? <> There are three main reasons as to why vague pronouns are formed in the text. This faulty pronoun reference can be easily corrected: Even with two pronouns, the references in this sentence are clear. Additional links may also be provided, including those relating to employment opportunities. A native Rhode Islander, she received her Master’s in Rhetoric and Composition Studies from the University of Rhode Island. You are responsible for performing due diligence, such as ensuring the listings are for actual jobs and that your private and personal information are protected, when using or relying on information from any site. Incorrect: “I did not attend my best friend’s birthday party, which was really unsupportive of me.”. To learn more about the Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education and how one of our degree programs can help further your career, complete the “Request Info” form on this page or call 855-JWU-1881 or email [email protected]. Quick-ish Writing Tips: Clarifying Vague Pronoun Reference, Part I, 6 Reasons Hospitality Pros Should Pursue a Career in Private Clubs, October 8th, 2020 – Picture this: You have a paper due on Sunday along with two other assignments.

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