Vague Pronoun Reference

Back to the topic of vague pronoun reference, a topic that is near and dear to my temper… er… heart.

Vague pronoun reference may also be caused by either a hidden or non-existent antecedent.  Randy called Eben’s phone but he didn’t answer.  The he definitively refers to Eben but the only two nouns are Randy and the phone, which has no capability of answering by itself.  (I wish my phone would do that!)

The solutions are the same as when too many antecedents are used: either substitute a noun for the pronoun or rework the sentence. Randy called Eben’s phone but Eben didn’t answer or Randy called Eben but no one answered the telephone.  These grammatical mistakes are fairly easy to fix and anyone who wants to write well should take the time to do so!

Fur Seal on Paulet Island