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Misplaced adverbs
Misplaced phrases
Misplaced clauses
Misplaced adjectives
They are incorrectly separated from the
nouns they modify and almost always
distort the intended meaning.
Hidden antecedents
No antecedent at all.
Too many antecedents
A pronoun should have only one antecedent.
The antecedent should be clear and
unmistakable.
E.g. 25) Take the radio out of the car and fix
it.
Anyone who reads this sentence would not
know exactly which item to be fixed.
In the above example, faulty or vague pronoun
reference occurs because the pronoun ‘it’ has
two possible noun antecedents.
Too many antecedents
To fix the problem:
A) Substitute a noun for the pronoun and
B) Rephrase the sentence.
Absent antecedents
Loose antecedents
Ambiguous pronouns
One error is using a pronoun when the
antecedent is unclear.
E.g. 30) Akosua discussed the new
strategy with Jill. She decided to proceed
as planned. Who decided to proceed as
planned?
Parallel construction:
E.g. 64) Selasi is not only very beautiful
but also very intelligent.
Parallel construction in a series
Not parallel:
E.g. 65) The two girls enjoyed dancing,
swimming and going to the mall.