MAMansoor AlMatrafiSTEP Academy
Clarity & Reference · writing

Pronoun Reference

مرجع الضمائر

Avoid ambiguous pronouns and make references unmistakable.

Unit: Clarity & ReferenceCourse

Key points

Example

  • • Every pronoun should have a clear antecedent.
  • • Avoid he/she/it/they when two possible nouns could be the referent.
  • • Repeat the noun when clarity is more important than avoiding repetition.
  • • Quotation can sometimes remove ambiguity.

يجب أن يكون مرجع الضمير واضحاً. إذا كان هناك أكثر من اسم يمكن أن يعود عليه الضمير، أعد صياغة الجملة.

Examples

  • • Ambiguous: When Ahmed spoke to Khalid, he said the report was late.
  • • Clear: Ahmed told Khalid, "The report is late."
  • • Ambiguous: The company sent the supplier the contract after it was revised. → Clear: After the contract was revised, the company sent it to the supplier.

Practice

Quick check

  1. 1. Choose the clearest sentence: A. When Ali called Omar, he said the schedule changed. B. Ali called Omar because he wanted him to know it changed. C. After Ali spoke to Omar, he explained it to him. D. Ali told Omar, "The schedule has changed."