May 19, 2016 yanira.vargas. Vague reference is a common problem in sentences where “this,” “it,” “which” or other such words don’t refer back to any one specific word or phrase, but a whole situation.
Unclear pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun (often “it,” “this,” “that,” or “they”) could refer to more than one antecendent in a sentence. … To avoid unclear pronoun reference, make sure that every pronoun you use refers clearly and unmistakably to ONE particular noun, or rewrite the sentence for increased clarity.
Subsequently, How do you fix an unclear antecedent?
If you do find unclear antecedents due to multiple possible antecedents, there are two easy ways to fix the problem: (1) replace the pronoun with its antecedent, or (2) rewrite the sentence.
Also, How do you fix a unclear pronoun reference?
An antecedent is simply the word (or words) that a pronoun refers to. To avoid unclear pronoun reference, make sure that every pronoun you use refers clearly and unmistakably to ONE particular noun, or rewrite the sentence for increased clarity.
How do you correct vague pronouns?
A pronoun is vague when it’s unclear which noun the pronoun refers to. To correct a vague pronoun, replace the pronoun with its noun antecedent. Vague: As soon as Belinda saw Hannah, she waved hello.
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How do you correct a pronoun reference?
– A pronoun must agree in number with the noun it refers to. …
– A pronoun must agree in person with the noun it refers to. …
– There should be only one possible antecedent for a singular pronoun. …
– There must be an explicit antecedent. …
– A pronoun should not refer to a possessive noun. …
– “It” must be used consistently.
What is an ambiguous reference?
An ambiguous reference is the situation in which a sentence contains a pronoun that could refer to either of two nouns in the same sentence or (using our new vocabulary word) where we have a pronoun but we aren’t sure what its antecedent is.
What is an example of an ambiguous pronoun?
An ambiguous pronoun reference is one in which the antecedent is not clear. Take the following sentences for example: Ambiguous Reference: After I go to the store, I’ll drive over to pick her up.
How do you correct an ambiguous pronoun reference?
When a pronoun and its antecedent are separated by other words, the pronoun reference may be unclear. To avoid this issue, rewrite the sentence in order to place the pronoun closer to the antecedent to which it refers. Let’s take a look at an example: When Elizabeth dropped her computer on the table, it broke.
How do you fix a pronoun reference?
In the above example, faulty pronoun reference occurs because the pronoun it has two possible noun antecedents. To fix the sentence, substitute a noun for the pronoun.
What is an ambiguous pronoun reference?
An ambiguous pronoun reference is one in which the antecedent is not clear. Take the following sentences for example: Ambiguous Reference: … Unless the antecedent appeared earlier in the text, this is an ambiguous reference.
How do you fix a vague pronoun reference?
You can best fix this error by rephrasing the sentence. Rephrasing the sentence has made the meaning clear. Faulty / vague pronoun reference errors also occur when the pronoun’s antecedent functions as an adjective rather than a noun.
What does vague mean?
not clearly expressed
What is a vague pronoun error?
No antecedent at all Another kind of faulty/vague pronoun reference error occurs when a writer uses a pronoun without supplying the antecedent. Incorrect: “The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.” In this example, the pronoun “they” has no antecedent to which it can refer.
Which methods may be used to correct ambiguous pronoun references?
Repeat the antecedent, place the pronoun nearer the antecedent, rewrite the entire sentence, and insert an intensive pronoun after the ambiguous pronoun may be used to correct ambiguous pronoun references.
What is an unclear antecedent?
When a sentence does not clearly identify which noun a subsequent pronoun refers to, the error is referred to as an unclear antecedent. … In this sentence, either the person identified as he, or his brother, could be the victim of bicycle theft.
What’s a vague pronoun?
A vague pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one possible antecedent. … The pronoun she could refer to either Lisa or Kim, so the meaning of the sentence is unclear.
What does vague mean in writing?
In speech or writing, vagueness is the imprecise or unclear use of language. Contrast this term with clarity and specificity. As an adjective, the word becomes vague.
What is an example of a vague statement?
Examples of very vague terms: “Many,” (“A lot,” “Lots”) How many is many? There’s no precise cut-off. Some numbers clearly aren’t ‘many,’ some clearly are, but some numbers may or may not count as ‘many.
How do you determine the correct pronoun?
RULE: Pronouns have three cases: nominative (I, you, he, she, it, they), possessive (my, your, his, her, their), and objective (me, him, her, him, us, them). Use the nominative case when the pronoun is the subject of your sentence, and remember the rule of manners: always put the other person’s name first!Oct 5, 2007
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