Clear Pronoun References: Fixing Vague and Confusing Pronouns (Grade 6 and 7 English)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Pronouns like he, she, it and they take the place of nouns. But if a reader cannot tell which noun a pronoun means, the sentence gets confusing. Today we will fix vague pronouns.

The noun a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent. In the sentence, Maya lost her pencil, so she borrowed one, the pronoun she refers to Maya. Maya is the antecedent. That reference is clear.

Problems happen when a pronoun could point to two nouns. Jordan told Eli that he won the contest. Who won? Jordan or Eli? The pronoun he is ambiguous.

Fix it by naming the person. Jordan told Eli, I won the contest. Or, Jordan told Eli that Eli won the contest. Now the reader knows exactly who won.

Another problem is a pronoun with no clear antecedent at all. At the museum, they said photos are not allowed. Who are they? Replace the vague pronoun with a specific noun, like the guides.

Watch out for it and this used for a whole idea. I forgot my lunch and missed the bus, and it ruined my day. Which part? Try, those mistakes ruined my day.

Now it's your turn. Fix this sentence. When the cat chased the mouse, it was frightened. Pause and try. The pronoun it is unclear. One fix is, the mouse was frightened when the cat chased it.

Great job! Remember, every pronoun needs one clear antecedent. If a pronoun could mean two things, or nothing at all, name the noun instead. Practice clear pronoun references in the English Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!