A pronoun should refer clearly to the noun it is replacing. But no pronoun may refer to a whole sentence or a whole paragraph. Vague and ambiguous pronouns contribute largely to immature writing among middle and high school students. Even though they rarely visit aunt michelle, penelope looks forward to sandquist, amy l.
Clarifying vague pronoun reference, part i career catalyst welcome to career catalyst, our blog featuring helpful continuing education and careerrelated articles written by our faculty and staff. As a result, the reader cannot know for sure whether kara sold the disk or the cabinet. You must be very careful when using pronouns in order to be sure that your reader understands what your pronoun is referring to. Since the legal profession is highly valued by the public, they are very well paid. Pronouns must agree in number and gender with the nouns they are replacing. Read your sentences carefully to make sure that all pronoun references are clear. Learn vague pronoun reference with free interactive flashcards. Last year vince played on the college lacrosse team, but this year he is too busy to play. Shiftpronoun shift examplespronoun verb agreementunclear pronoun referencevague pronoun reference. To avoid a vague pronoun reference, make sure that a pronoun cannot possibly refer to more than one antecedent. I told uncle richard, aunt gretchen, and then dad, which infuriated gary. C martha hoped that she would find her keys before it got too late. A pronoun s reference will be unclear if it is ambiguous, implied, vague or indefinite. 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.
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. Whenever pronouns are used, it should be unmistakably clear which noun the pronoun is standing in for. Using pronouns correctly eliminates unnecessary noun repetition in your writing. A pronouns antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. More subtle errors occur when you use a pronoun reference that is too general or indefinite or one that only you know. Best trick for pronoun reference in english grammar. Vague pronoun reference and pronounantecedent disagreement definition. The government should not be permitted to regulate gay or lesbian marriage because it is. End slide includes an activity to practice correcting sentences containing vague pronouns. Earlier this week, i discussed how to identify and correct vague pronoun references in your writing. Unclear pronoun reference you want to write a sentence as clean as a bone.
Ambiguous reference an ambiguous reference occurs when the pronoun could refer to two. A faulty pronoun reference will result in a muddled sentence and a confused. Avoiding vague and ambiguous pronoun references vocabulary antecedent the noun which a pronoun substitutes for or refers to. You can enter your answers directly into this document.
Such errors, called faulty or vague pronoun reference, can confuse readers and obscure the intended meaning. Download the accompanying handout to keep track of your answers. If the noun is singular, the pronoun should be singular. A pronoun s antecedent is the word to which the pronoun refers. In one sentence, for example, the pronoun he might mean zippy the dog. That is, a pronoun is misused when the real noun to which it refers has not actually been mentioned. The pronoun reference is faulty here because the pronoun it has two antecedents. The administration should increase funding to academic programs. The word a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent. Pronoun reference is the practice of making pronouns refer clearly to the words they replace. What happens when you have a vague pronoun reference is the noun of representation is not clear. Too many antecedents a pronoun should have only one antecedent noun that is clear and unmistakable, as mentioned in the previous post.
Vague pronoun reference sometimes faulty pronoun reference occurs, not because there are too many nouns possibly being referred to, but because there is none. Also, it must be clear which noun the pronoun is substituting for. Worksheet for clear pronoun reference the syracuse city. D mario gave his little brother a toy that he played with constantly. Pronouns are words that stand in for a noun in a sentence. If an antecedent is singular, its pronoun must be singular, too. Clear pronoun reference a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or refers back to a noun already mentioned. How to correct vague, ambiguous, and unclear pronoun reference. Apr 14, 2016 cate hoppes and maverick wagley present vague pronoun references and a guide on how to revise them. Note that in most cases, more than one correct answer is possible. A pronouns antecedent is theword to which the pronoun refers. Pronoun reference recognize pronoun reference when you see it. Avoiding vague pronoun references macmillanmcgrawhill. Common pronoun errors with uses and examples in pdf englishan.
As a result, the reader cannot know for sure whether mabel sold the disk or the cabinet. Clarifying vague pronoun reference, part i jwu online. Whenever there is the possibility that the antecedent of a pronoun may not be immediately and absolutely clear, repeat the appropriate. 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. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. In this lesson you will learn common mistakes in english in the use of noun. A faulty pronoun reference will result in a muddled sentence and a confused reader. Vague reference free download as powerpoint presentation.
Choose from 147 different sets of vague pronoun reference flashcards on quizlet. Clarifying vague pronoun reference, part ii jwu online. Apr 02, 20 a pronoun must clearly refer to a subject. Vague pronoun reference and pronounantecedent disagreement. Just as a chameleon changes its color to coordinate with its environment, a. The packet includes a complete lesson, practice examples, 2 worksheets, and answer keys. 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. 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. This teaching module will show you three major pronoun reference errors and ways to correct them so that you can avoid pronoun reference errors in your writing.
In this article, the pronounantecedent relationship with words will be thoroughly discussed in order for you to understand how it works and how you can perfectly and effectively use it in your sentences. Welcome julie holiday results vague pronoun reference 60% run on sentence 8000 sentence fragments subjectverb. Vague pronoun reference and pronoun antecedent disagreement definition. Making pronoun references clear pronouns substitute for nouns. Unclear pronoun reference makes sentences confusing, vague, and difficult to.
Better writing avoiding vague and ambiguous pronoun references. Vague and ambiguous pronoun reference heather montgomery. This mini unit will train students to identify, eliminate, and replace these vague pronoun references. Pronoun reference cst claremont school of theology. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. You can improve your writing a lot by taking care not to use vague pronoun references.
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. Sleeping eight hours a night is vital to the health of students, yet research. Now that weve explored that, lets look at some of the most common vague pronoun errors i see in student writing. The rule a pronoun must refer to a single noun, which acts as its antecedent. Vague pronoun reference a pronoun without a specific antecedent. Better writing practice fixing ambiguous pronoun references. A vague pronoun reference is not as complicated as the words sound. Ambiguous pronoun reference a pronoun with multiple, possible antecedents. A pronouns reference will be unclear if it is ambiguous, implied, vague or indefinite. Lesson plans individual, powerpoint presentations, video files. It says on the bathroom wall that joe will sell the answers to the pronoun reference quiz for five dollars.
If you use they, their, or them, make sure the noun is also plural. Pronouns a pronoun is a word that replaces a noun or noun phrase. Making pronoun references clear memorial university. The noun which a pronoun substitutes for or refers to.
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