ERROR 5: UNCLEAR PRONOUN REFERENCE
Definition
Pronoun reference errors occur when a pronoun does not clearly refer to a specific noun (antecedent), making the sentence ambiguous or confusing. Although a pronoun may agree with a noun in number and gender, the reader must be able to identify immediately and without doubt which noun the pronoun refers to. When two or more nouns could be the antecedent, the reference is said to be ambiguous. When no antecedent appears in the sentence at all, the reference is said to be vague.
Common types of unclear pronoun reference include: ambiguous reference (the pronoun could refer to two different nouns), vague reference to a broad idea rather than a specific noun (using ‘this,’ ‘it,’ or ‘which’ to refer to an entire preceding sentence or concept), and implied reference (the antecedent is not stated but merely implied by context). The pronoun ‘it’ is especially prone to vague reference errors.
Clear pronoun reference is essential for readable, professional writing. When in doubt, replace the pronoun with the specific noun it refers to, or restructure the sentence to eliminate the ambiguity.
Rules
RULE: Every pronoun must refer clearly and unambiguously to a specific, stated noun in the sentence or in the immediately preceding sentence.
RULE: Do not use ‘this,’ ‘it,’ ‘which,’ or ‘that’ to refer vaguely to an entire idea, event, or situation. Follow these pronouns with a specific noun: ‘This problem,’ ‘This result,’ ‘This policy.’
RULE: When two nouns of the same number and gender appear in a sentence, avoid using a pronoun that could refer to either one. Restate the noun instead.
RULE: Do not use ‘they’ to refer to an implied but unnamed group of people (‘They say that coffee is good for you’).
Examples
✗ When Maria met her professor, she was very nervous. [Who was nervous — Maria or the professor?]
✓ When Maria met her professor, Maria was very nervous.
✗ John told his brother that he needed to study more. [Who needs to study — John or his brother?]
✓ John told his brother, ‘You need to study more.’ [Or: John admitted to his brother that he himself needed to study more.]
✗ They say that drinking too much coffee causes anxiety.
✓ Research suggests that drinking too much coffee causes anxiety.
✗ The committee rejected the proposal. This was a big surprise. [What does ‘this’ refer to?]
✓ The committee rejected the proposal. This rejection was a big surprise.
✗ In the article, it says that the economy will improve next year.
✓ The article states that the economy will improve next year.
✗ She handed in the report late, which frustrated her manager. [The lateness or the report itself?]
✓ She handed in the report late, and this delay frustrated her manager.
✗ My father is a doctor, but I’m not interested in it as a career.
✓ My father is a doctor, but I’m not interested in medicine as a career.
✗ Alex told Sam that his presentation was outstanding.
✓ Alex told Sam, ‘Your presentation was outstanding.’
✗ We arrived at the airport an hour late, which meant we missed our flight.
✓ We arrived at the airport an hour late, which meant we missed our flight. [Here ‘which’ refers clearly to the entire situation — this is generally acceptable.]
✗ In Japan, they have excellent public transportation.
✓ Japan has excellent public transportation.
Extended Dialogue
In this dialogue, writing coach Rachel meets with student Kevin, whose essay about international business contains several unclear pronoun references.
Rachel: Kevin, your analysis of the foreign market is sophisticated. But let’s fix some pronoun issues that could confuse your reader.
Kevin: I thought my pronoun usage was okay.
Rachel: Let me show you. You wrote: ‘When the American company partnered with the local firm, they immediately expanded.’ Who is ‘they’?
Kevin: Both of them together? The partnership?
[Note: ‘They’ is ambiguous — it could refer to the American company, the local firm, or both together. The reader cannot know which.]
Rachel: The reader can’t know that from the sentence. You need to name who expanded: ‘When the American company partnered with the local firm, the partnership immediately began to expand’ — or specify which company expanded.
Kevin: That makes sense. What about: ‘The CEO told his assistant that he would travel to Tokyo next month’?
[Note: ‘He’ could refer to either the CEO or the assistant. This is a classic ambiguous pronoun reference.]
Rachel: Who’s traveling — the CEO or the assistant?
Kevin: The CEO.
Rachel: Then write it so it’s clear: ‘The CEO told his assistant that the CEO would travel to Tokyo’ — or better: ‘The CEO informed his assistant of his upcoming trip to Tokyo.’
Kevin: Here I wrote: ‘The negotiations were difficult. This caused significant delays.’ Is ‘this’ okay?
Rachel: Not quite. What specifically caused the delays — the difficulty of the negotiations? The negotiations themselves? You should write: ‘The difficult negotiations caused significant delays’ or ‘This difficulty caused significant delays.’
Kevin: So ‘this’ needs a noun after it when it refers to something vague.
Rachel: Exactly — ‘this + noun.’ ‘This issue,’ ‘this delay,’ ‘this decision.’ On its own, ‘this’ is often too vague.
Kevin: What about: ‘In China, they often prefer face-to-face business meetings’?
[Note: ‘They’ has no stated antecedent. It refers vaguely to ‘people in China.’]
Rachel: Who is ‘they’? There’s no noun that ‘they’ refers to in the sentence. Better: ‘Chinese business culture often favors face-to-face meetings’ or ‘Many Chinese business professionals prefer face-to-face meetings.’
Kevin: I do that a lot — I say ‘they’ when I mean ‘people in general’ or ‘people in that country.’
Rachel: It’s very common in speech, but in writing, especially formal writing, you need to be specific about who ‘they’ are.
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