Pronoun Reference

Finding the antecedent

Remember that pronouns stand in for nouns. An antecedent is the noun—or group of words acting as a noun—that a pronoun refers to. Notice the antecedents in the following example.

• Kelly lifted Mickey into the air and then set him down.

• The debt plagued John and Sandy. It ruined any chance they had for a peaceful relationship.

Neither of these examples would make a reader wonder who or what is being talked about. Him in the first example is Mickey, It and they in the second example are debt and John and Sandy.

Unclear antecedents

In the following sentences, locate the antecedents of the pronouns.

• The counselor was speaking to Dave, and he looked unhappy.

Who looked unhappy in this sentence—the counselor or Dave? In the following sentence, did the maids clean the girls or the rooms?

• After the girls left the hotel rooms, the maids cleaned them.

In the second example, your good sense tells you the maids cleaned the rooms and didn't clean the girls. But although sometimes you can count on context or good sense to help you figure out which pronoun goes with which antecedent, you shouldn't have to. And what about in the first sentence? No clue exists as to whether the counselor or Dave looked unhappy. These are examples of ambiguous pronoun references, and you should avoid them in your writing.

You can solve the problem in various ways, including changing the sentence structure or eliminating the pronoun, as in the following sentences.

• The counselor was speaking to Dave, who looked unhappy.

• After the girls left, the maids cleaned the hotel rooms.

Be sure to read your sentences carefully to make sure that you have avoided unclear pronoun references.

Indefinite antecedents

More subtle errors occur when you use a pronoun reference that is too general or indefinite or one that exists only in your mind.

• I told Uncle Richard, Aunt Gretchen, and then Father, which infuriated Gary.

Did telling all three people infuriate Gary, or was it only telling Father? Rewrite the sentence to make your meaning clear.

• First: I told Uncle Richard and Aunt Gretchen. Then I told Father, which infuriated Gary.

• OR: My telling Uncle Richard, Aunt Gretchen, and then Father infuriated Gary.

In the following sentence, no antecedent exists for them. The writer is thinking “bagels” but not specifying them. Bagel shop is not a correct antecedent for them. To solve the problem, substitute bagels for them.

• Although Mark likes working at the bagel shop, he never eats them himself.

In the next sentence, the antecedent for It is vague. Was it just the sky that filled the observer with hope and joy? A hint in rewriting: Substitute The scene for It.

• The hills were lush green, the trees in full bloom, the sky a brilliant blue. It filled me with hope and joy.

What is the exact antecedent for This in the following sentence?

• The paper was too long, too general, and too filled with pretentious language. This meant Joe had to rewrite it.

A possible rewrite might be as follows.

• The paper was too long, too general, and too filled with pretentious language. These problems meant that Joe had to rewrite it.

Don't try to remedy a vague pronoun reference by changing the pronoun, as in the following example.

• The paper was too long, too general, and too filled with pretentious language, which meant Joe had to rewrite it.

The reference for which is as indefinite as was the reference for this, and so the problem has not been solved.

The vague this and the indefinite it are so common in writing that they often go unnoticed. It can be used as an indefinite indicator occasionally: It's true, It is raining, It is a ten minute drive to the school. But don't overdo this construction. For vivid writing, nail down your pronouns with good, clear antecedents.