Which sentence is Vague pronouns
24a. When the car hit a tree, it made a terrible noise.
24b. The car made a terrible noise as it crashed into a tree.
In which one could "it" be referring to either the tree or the car?
In one of them, the reference is very clear; in the other, it's not.
Let us know what you think.
Which sentence is Vague pronouns?
25a. Air pollution normally increases along with population growth. This increasing pollution is a big problem for many cities.
25b. Air pollution normally increases along with population growth. This is a big problem for many cities.
How about 25b? "This" is used as a pronoun -- but to what does it refer? Pollution? Population growth?
In 25a, "this" is used as an adjective. This sentence has no pronouns.
The correct answer is sentence 24a. "When the car hit a tree, it made a terrible noise."
In this sentence, the pronoun "it" is considered a vague pronoun because it does not have a clear antecedent (the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to). It is unclear what "it" is referring to - it could be referring to the car, the tree, or something else entirely. This lack of clarity makes the pronoun "it" vague.
On the other hand, sentence 24b. "The car made a terrible noise as it crashed into a tree" does not contain a vague pronoun. The pronoun "it" in this sentence has a clear antecedent, which is "the car". It is clear that "it" refers to the car, creating a clear and unambiguous sentence.