answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

You rewite the sentence so that only one antecedent precedes the pronoun, or change it to eliminate the dichotomy.

Example:

Bill went with John to his father's store. (vague)

Bill went to his father's store with John.

Bill and John went to the store owned by Bill's father.

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

Vague pronouns become a problem when multiple sentences contain pronouns, or when there is pronoun confusion within a sentence.

Multiple sentences

Example of all pronouns: (Who is doing the actions in each sentence? Can you tell?)

He gave her his lunch. She thought he was nice and told her friends. One friend thought he was sweet to give her his lunch. She told her other friends.

Corrected for vague pronouns:

John gave Sally his lunch. She thought John was nice and told her friends. One friend, Cindy, thought John was sweet to give Sally his lunch. Cindy told her other friends.

An example of pronoun confusion also exists in the above example, where it says: One friend thought he was sweet to give her his lunch. She told her other friends. -- You can't tell WHO is meant by 'her' and by 'she', but when you put names in appropriate places, there is no pronoun confusion.

Single sentence

Vague pronouns can also be a problem in single sentences with more than one noun to which the pronoun could apply. You can rewite the sentence several ways.

Example:

Bill went with John to his father's store. (vague)

Bill went to his father's store with John.

Bill and John went to the store owned by Bill's father.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

A vague pronoun reference can be eliminated by rewording the sentence.

Example:

Jane and her friend Joan visited her grandmother. (Whose grandmother is it, Jane's or Joan's?)

Reworded:

Jane visited her grandmother with her friend Joan.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How do you solve vague pronouns?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Vague pronouns The car made a terrible noise as it crashed into a tree?

There are no vague (indefinite) pronouns in the sentence. There is only one pronoun in the sentence, it, which is a personal pronoun, representing the noun antecedent car.


Clarifying Vague Pronouns Mastery Test?

The "clarifying vague pronouns mastery test" likely refers to an assessment designed to evaluate a person's ability to identify and correct sentences with unclear or ambiguous pronoun references. This test can help individuals improve their writing and communication skills by ensuring pronouns clearly refer to their intended antecedents.


How can you solve for a shift?

This question is too vague. More information is needed.


What is the vague pronoun in the sentence Both girls enjoyed studying plants which was a big surprise to their teachers?

There is no vague pronoun reference in that sentence.The pronouns in the sentence are:which - a relative pronoun that introduces the relative clause;their - a possessive adjective 'their' refers back to 'girls'.


What do you need to solve chemistry problems?

Prior knowledge, pen and paper, and a calculator. Quite a vague question, but that should help...


How do you solve the solving queries?

Different queries require different methods for their solution. The question is too vague to be answered here.


How do you solve (-15) (-4)?

Different queries require different methods for their solution. The question is too vague to be answered here.


How do you write this sentence without vague pronoun reference Most online classes are asynchronous That is a problem for students who desire immediate feedback?

The pronouns in the sentence are: most, that, and who.None of these have a vague pronoun reference. The reference for each of these pronouns are:most - an indefinite pronoun that takes the place of a noun for an exact number of students.that - a demonstrative pronoun which refers to 'classes' that are asynchronous.who - a relative pronoun that introduces a relative clause that gives information about its antecedent 'students'.


What are some common used pronouns?

The most commonly used pronouns are:personal pronouns: I, you, we, he, she, it, me, us, him, her, they, them.adjective pronouns: my, your, his, her, their, its.interrogative pronouns: who, whom, what, which, whose.


What are singluar and plural objective pronouns?

The singular objective pronouns are "me," "him," "her," and "it." The plural objective pronouns are "us," "them," and "it."


Can you give me a list of object pronouns?

The object pronouns are: me, us, him, her, and them.The pronouns you and it are both subject and object pronouns.


What are pronouns that refer primarily to people called?

Pronouns that refer mostly to people are called personal pronouns. Some personal pronouns include I, me, you, him, her, she, them, he, and they.