Unclear Referents–or Why Does My Paper say “ref”?

 Why Does my Paper Say “Ref”?

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To ensure your writing is clear and easy to read, pronouns must clearly refer to a noun in the current or previous sentence.  The reader must know what noun the pronoun is replacing. The “ref” designation on an edited piece of writing means the referent is unclear.

 

A pronoun refers to a noun (he/she, they, them, it etc.)

An antecedent (or referent) is the noun to which the pronoun refers.

Identify the pronoun and antecedent in this sentence:

  • Many students are anxious when they have to take an exam.

The pronoun is “they.”  “The antecedent is “students.”  This sentence is clear.

 

 

In this sentence, the reference is unclear:

  • Both John and Will loved his new IPod.

The pronoun is “his” but the reader does not know if the “his” is John or Bill.  This sentence is unclear because the reader cannot tell who loves the IPod.

Another example shows confusion in sentences in which two or more nouns are possible antecedents. The following sentence is unclear:

 

  • When the president objected to Mr. Carter, he told him to mind his own business.

(Who told whom?)

 

This revision is clear:

  • When the president objected to Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter told him to mind his own business.

 

Confusion also occurs when the pronoun does not have an antecedent or the antecedent is implied. This sentence is unclear:

 

  • Students should not allow the mixture to boil; so when they do it, watch the temperature gauge.

 

The “it” in the second clause does not have an antecedent, which makes the sentence confusing. The following revision is correct:

  • Students should not allow the mixture to boil; so when conducting the experiment, watch the temperature gauge.

 

 

 

The rules to ensure clear pronoun referents are:

  • Do not use “they” when referring to unspecified persons (generalizing); “they” must refer to specific people.
  • Terms such as everyone, everybody, anybody, company, committee are singular and take singular pronouns.
  • Use “it” and “that” when referring to a specific word or phrase.
  • Pronouns must agree in number with their antecedents
    • Plural antecedents need plural pronouns
      • Incorrect:   Each person should follow their major plan.
      • Correct:     Students should follow their major plan.
      • Incorrect:   Everybody should plan for their retirement.
      • Correct:     Everybody should plan for his or her retirement.
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