Pronoun Reference Rules

1.TOO MANY ANTECEDENTS

The supervisors told the workers that they would receive a bonus.
not clear who?

Correction:
1. The supervisors told the workers to expect a bonus.
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2.Hidden antecedent

The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating it

anyway.

 Candy dish – cannot be eaten

 Antecedent is hidden

Correction:

The candy dish was empty, but we were tired of eating candy
anyway.
3.No antecedent at all!
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Example 1:

The witness called the television station, but they didn’t answer.
Who is they?

Correction:
The witness called the television station, but reporters didn’t
answer.
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Example 2:

Although Mrs. Smith was wealthy, she made poor use of it.

Although Mrs. Smith was wealthy, she made poor use of wealth.