Ambiguous Pronouns
“Sam told Bob he was late.” → Who could “he” refer to?
What is Sam or Bob?
Singular or plural? “Everyone is here.”
What is singular?
Rewrite: “Katie told Layla she was tired.”
What is “Katie told Layla, ‘I am tired’” or “Katie told Layla that Katie was tired”?
“The dog chased the cat because it was scared.” → What is unclear?
What is whether “it” refers to the dog or the cat?
Fix the sentence: “Someone left their backpack.”
What is “Someone left his or her backpack”?
Rewrite: “The car hit the tree, but it wasn’t damaged.”
What is “The car hit the tree, but the car wasn’t damaged”?
“They told the neighbors they were too loud.” → Who could “they” refer to?
What is the speakers or the neighbors?
Which pronoun is correct? “Each of the students did ___ homework.”
What is “his or her”?
Rewrite: “Anna told Maria she should study.”
What is “Anna told Maria, ‘You should study’”?