Doyle Online Writing Lab

Ambiguous pronouns

To be understood, a pronoun must refer clearly to a single nearby antecedent.

Bad Example:

In 1911, Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in just thirty-five days before Robert F. Scott arrived. He [who? Amundsen or Scott?] had told people that he was going to sail for the Antarctic. (Troyka 168)

Corrected Example:

In 1911, Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in just thirty-five days before Robert F. Scott arrived. Amundsen had told people that he was going to sail for the Antarctic. (Troyka 168)


Sample Sentences to Try to Fix On Your Own:

1. John & Mark agreed to go to Disneyland, but when the day came he said no way.

2. Phoinix manipulates Achilleus by focusing on his respect for loyalty and his desire for recognition of his godliness.

3. As he begins to speak with Achilleus, Phoinix reminds him of his position as a father figure and the one that helped the younger man establish the younger man in the city of Achia.

Bibliography:

Toyka, Lynn. Concise Handbook. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992.