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Pronouns are effective tools to connect key words, phrases, and sentences in writing. As you already know, pronouns are used to refer to nouns that are previously mentioned in a text. Using pronouns as a cohesive tool is a practical way to emphasize an important detail in a text. However, it should be used carefully to avoid vague references. In a sentence, the antecedent that the pronoun is referring to should always be clear.
The following are some pronouns that can be used as cohesive devices:
| he, she, it, they | this, that, these, those | who, whom, whose, which, where, when, why, how, that, what, whatever, whoever, wherever, etc. |
To avoid faulty or vague pronoun references, remember the following:
A pronoun should have only one antecedent and the antecedent must be clear and unmistakable.
Example:
Oral literatures have flourished in Africa for many centuries. They take a variety of forms.
In the sentence, the pronoun they refers to the phrase oral literatures.
The pronoun's antecedent should not be “invisible” or “hidden.”
Example:
The teacup looks delicate, but no one is drinking it.
In this sentence, it appears that the teacup is meant to be drunk because of the word tea. The word tea works like an adjective that modifies cup; therefore, the antecedent is not clearly established. An antecedent should always be a noun.
Sometimes writers don’t give an antecedent to a pronoun. To make the writing clear, there should always be an antecedent to a pronoun.
Example:
The elephant called the Commission, but they did not answer.
This sentence shows the absence of an antecedent for the pronoun they. They refers to persons, but Commission is not a person. Hence the pronoun in the sentence has no clear antecedent.