Grammar Tip: The Vague Antecedent. … A vague pronoun antecedent
occurs when a pronoun refers to one or more groups of words and the reference is not clear
. In this grammar tip, let’s take a look at how to avoid vague antecedents in your writing.
What is an example of a vague pronoun?
A vague pronoun reference might include
words such as it, that, this, and which, and can leave the reader wondering what or to whom the pronoun refers
. Writers who strive for clarity in their work should be certain that each pronoun has a specific antecedent.
What is an example of an antecedent?
An antecedent is a part of a sentence that is later replaced by a pronoun. An example of an antecedent is the word “John” in the sentence: “John loves his dog.” Antecedent means a person who was born before you in your family. An example of an antecedent is
your grandmother
.
What does antecedent mean and examples?
An antecedent is
a phrase, clause, or word that is later referred back to by an earlier word, noun, or phrase
. … If the antecedent is a group, or plural, the antecedent must also be plural. For Example: The dog at the shelter is loud and energetic, but we still really like him.
What is an example of an unclear antecedent?
The folder was on the bus, but now it’s gone
. This sentence provides a classic example of an unclear antecedent because the reader can’t be certain what “it” the writer means. Is he or she referring to the folder? Or the bus? (Or, perhaps, both?)
How do you identify an antecedent?
An antecedent is the
word that a pronoun replaces or refers to
. Any time that you have a pronoun, you’ll have an antecedent, even if it’s not in the very same sentence. This makes sense; if we didn’t have an antecedent for every pronoun, we’d be left with a lot of confusion.
What is antecedent Behaviour?
What is an antecedent? In technical terms, antecedents of behavior are stimulus events, situations, or circumstances that precede an operant response (Miltenberger, 2004). In Laymen terms, an antecedent is
what was happening or what/who was present right before the behavior occurred
.
How do you identify vague pronouns?
A pronoun is vague when it’s unclear which noun the pronoun refers to. To correct a vague pronoun,
replace the pronoun with its noun antecedent
.
What is a vague statement?
If something written or spoken is vague,
it does not explain or express things clearly
.
What is the difference between a pronoun and an antecedent?
A personal pronoun takes the place of a noun. An antecedent is the word, phrase, or
clause
to which a pronoun refers.
Can I be an antecedent?
In this sentence,
I is the antecedent for the referent pronoun
, my. My is singular to agree with the singular antecedent, I. Remember this important guideline: A referent pronoun agrees with its personal pronoun antecedent.
How do you fix an antecedent?
If you do find unclear antecedents due to multiple possible antecedents, there are two easy ways to fix the problem:
(1) replace the pronoun with its antecedent
, or (2) rewrite the sentence.
What is an antecedent of a pronoun?
Antecedents are
the words that pronouns take the place of
. (The prefix ante- means “before”—we need to know the noun before we replace it with a pronoun.) Here are some examples: Jackie told us what she thought about the government. In this sentence, the pronoun she refers to the antecedent Jackie.
Can a pronoun have no antecedent?
With a noun (wealth) in the place of the pronoun (it),
no antecedent is needed
. Now the pronoun it has a clear noun antecedent: money. Here is another example of a pronoun without any antecedent. It, which appears at the very beginning of the sentence, has no noun antecedent at all.
What is the difference between antecedent and consequent?
As adjectives the difference between consequent and antecedent. is that consequent is following as a result,
inference, or natural effect
while antecedent is earlier, either in time or order.
What are antecedent factors?
Antecedent factors are
certain factors that precede and lead to involvement
; these include the person himself and the individual determinants; the object, stimuli or the product/service offering; and, the purchase situation.
