How does a vague pronoun reference cause confusion for the reader or listener?
A. It makes the reader or listener guess which antecedent is being referred to.
B. It makes them guess which pronouns are being used.
C. It makes them have to consult a dictionary to figure out the pronoun reference.
D. It makes the reader or listener not want to finish reading or listening.
A. It makes the reader or listener guess which antecedent is being referred to.
A. It makes the reader or listener guess which antecedent is being referred to.
The correct answer is A. It makes the reader or listener guess which antecedent is being referred to.
A vague pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun is used without a clear antecedent, which is the word or phrase that the pronoun is replacing. This lack of clarity creates confusion because the reader or listener is left guessing which antecedent the pronoun is intended to refer to.
For example, consider the sentence: "John asked Peter if he could borrow his pen." The pronouns "he" and "his" are vague because it is unclear whether they refer to John or Peter. This ambiguity can lead to confusion and make it difficult to understand the intended meaning of the sentence.
To avoid confusion caused by vague pronoun references, it is important to clearly establish the antecedent before using a pronoun. This can be done by using specific nouns or by repeating the noun instead of using a pronoun.
Option B, C, and D are not correct because a vague pronoun reference does not specifically involve guessing which pronouns are being used, consulting a dictionary for pronoun reference, or causing the reader or listener to lose interest.