waste: the use of resources on things that do not need it
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word: definition
Q1: What does 'it' refer to?
Q2: What is the antecedent of the clause 'that do not need it'? Resources or things?
The pronoun "it" is not correct here. Since the antecedent is "resources," the pronoun should be "them."
I don't really agree with "Writeacher" (cool name, though).
The pronoun "it" refers back to "use", which is singular, and therefore "it" (singular) is appropriate in this case. More completely, "it" refers to "use of resources".
Antecedent for "that do not need it" refers to "things". The "things" are what "do not need the use of resources".
I disagree, obviously!
Why or why not is this case the same as other prepositional phrases where the object of the preposition is expressed as a plural item?
For example, "The bag of apples was given to someone who did not need it" is correct. It is the "bag" which forms the antecedent basis for the pronoun, therefore "it" is correct. The "bag" cannot be a "them".
Q1: In the sentence "the use of resources on things that do not need it," the pronoun 'it' refers to resources.
Q2: The antecedent of the clause 'that do not need it' is resources. The sentence is saying that the use of resources is wasteful when they are used on things that do not require them.