Which description explains the cause of vague pronoun references? (1 point)
© The antecedent of a pronoun is not clear.
O A pronoun is repeated in a sentence.
O A pronoun replaces an antecedent.
• The pronouns do not agree in number.
• The pronouns do not agree in number.
The cause of vague pronoun references is when the antecedent of a pronoun is not clear.
The correct answer is: The antecedent of a pronoun is not clear.
To arrive at this answer, we can break down the question and the options:
1. The cause of vague pronoun references: We are looking for the reason behind vague pronoun references.
2. The antecedent of a pronoun is not clear: An antecedent refers to the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun replaces. When the antecedent is not clear or specific, it can lead to a vague pronoun reference. For example, if I say, "John gave Paul the book, and he loved it," the pronoun "he" is unclear because it's not clear whether it refers to John or Paul.
On the other hand, let's analyze the other options and see why they are incorrect:
- A pronoun is repeated in a sentence: While repeating a pronoun in a sentence can clarify the reference, it does not explain the cause of vague pronoun references.
- A pronoun replaces an antecedent: This statement is true, but it does not specifically explain why pronoun references can be vague.
- The pronouns do not agree in number: Pronoun-antecedent agreement is a grammatical concept that ensures pronouns agree with their antecedents in terms of singular or plural form. While this can be a cause of grammatical errors, it doesn't directly address the issue of vague pronoun references.
Therefore, out of the given options, the correct description that explains the cause of vague pronoun references is: The antecedent of a pronoun is not clear.