Test Yourself

Pronoun Reference

[Harbrace 6a - 6b] 

Review

See Introduction to Pronoun Reference below 

Practice Exercises

• Completing Sentences with Correct Pronoun Reference, Part I
• Using Pronouns: Pronoun Reference, Part II

Introduction

Pronouns are used to avoid needless repetition of nouns. The noun that a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent, from the Latin "to come before." If identifying the noun presents difficulties for the reader, it is considered to be ambiguous. If the pronoun can refer to more than one noun, the sentence must be rewritten to clarify meaning: 

• AMBIGUOUS: 
  Mary told Sarah that she needs to lose fifteen pounds before summer. 
  (Who needs to lose the weight?) 

  REVISED:
  Mary told Sarah, "You need to lose fifteen pounds before summer." 

• AMBIGUOUS:
  The writer finally had a manuscript accepted by the publisher, which encouraged him to continue his craft. 

  REVISED:
  Having his manuscript accepted by the publisher encouraged him to continue his craft. 

The pronoun must also be consistent in number and person with the noun it refers to. Plural nouns need plural pronouns, and singular nouns need singular pronouns: 

EXAMPLES: 

The people in the play left the theatre feeling that their work had been worthwhile. 

The little boy playing in the sandbox called his friend to come and play with him. 

The teacher forgot to bring her briefcase to the meeting of her club.