Pronoun Ambiguity

1. Pronoun Ambiguity Who exactly did you mean?

2. Pronouns • A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

3. Practice • Listen to the song “My Girl” by The Temptations while reading the song lyrics. • Circle each pronoun you come across while reading.

4. Pronouns • An antecedent is the noun or pronoun to which a pronoun refers. • To prevent confusion, the antecedent should come before the pronoun. • Mike liked to ride his bike every day. • “Mike” is the antecedent for the pronoun “his.”

5. Be careful of pronoun ambiguity (“unclear pronouns”). • Ethel told Lucy that her performance was wonderful. • Is the performance Ethel's or Lucy's? • Correct pronoun ambiguity by using a noun in place of the pronoun • Ethel told Lucy that Lucy’s performance was wonderful. • or moving the pronoun between the possible antecedents • After Lucy performed, she was called wonderful by Ethel.

6. Practice • Circle the pronoun in each sentence. Then draw a line from the prounoun to its antecedent to check for pronoun ambiguity. • 1. The boat bumped the edge of the dock, but it didn’t need many repairs. • 2. Jack does not want to play chess with his brother because he always wins. • 3. As I was taking my wallet out of my bag, I dropped it. • 4. In 1911, Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole before Robert F. Scott arrived, and he told people that he was going to sail for the Antarctic.

7. Practice • Workbook page 5