Pronoun Reference Exercise 3: Identify and fix the underlined pronoun errors in each sentence.

Task Overview:

The task is to identify and fix pronoun reference errors in the given sentences. Pronoun reference errors occur when a pronoun (e.g., "he," "she," "they") does not clearly refer to a specific noun or when the pronoun's antecedent is ambiguous.

Solution:

#### 1.
Original Sentence:
"In the last seconds of the game, Leroy passed the basketball to Marc, and then he tripped over an untied shoelace and broke his arm."

Error:
The pronoun "he" is ambiguous. It is unclear whether "he" refers to Leroy or Marc.

Correction:
To clarify the pronoun reference, we can replace "he" with the correct noun.

Revised Sentence:
"In the last seconds of the game, Leroy passed the basketball to Marc, and then Marc tripped over an untied shoelace and broke his arm."

---

#### 2.
Original Sentence:
"The computer geek’s biggest dream was to hack his way into the Defense Department’s mainframe. Was he ever surprised when the FBI burst into his apartment?"

Error:
The pronoun "he" is used without a clear antecedent. While it is implied that "he" refers to "the computer geek," it is still ambiguous.

Correction:
We can make the pronoun reference explicit by replacing "he" with "the computer geek."

Revised Sentence:
"The computer geek’s biggest dream was to hack his way into the Defense Department’s mainframe. Was the computer geek ever surprised when the FBI burst into his apartment?"

---

#### 3.
Original Sentence:
"While terrifying, hungry space aliens were holding the class hostage, Mr. Parker announced that the research essays were due early—on Friday, not Monday. This really distressed the poor students."

Error:
The pronoun "This" is vague. It is unclear what "This" refers to—the announcement about the early deadline or something else.

Correction:
We can specify what "This" refers to by rewriting the sentence for clarity.

Revised Sentence:
"While terrifying, hungry space aliens were holding the class hostage, Mr. Parker announced that the research essays were due early—on Friday, not Monday. The announcement really distressed the poor students."

---

#### 4.
Original Sentence:
"Lori surprised everyone when, at age nineteen, she saved enough money to make a down payment on her own home. And they say that young people don’t understand financial responsibility!"

Error:
The pronoun "they" is vague. It is unclear who "they" refers to.

Correction:
We can replace "they" with a more specific noun or phrase to clarify the reference.

Revised Sentence:
"Lori surprised everyone when, at age nineteen, she saved enough money to make a down payment on her own home. And some people say that young people don’t understand financial responsibility!"

---

#### 5.
Original Sentence:
"It says in the syllabus that Prof. Duncan won’t tolerate tardiness, but we were not surprised to see Will peeking through the classroom window, hoping that he could enter late once again."

Error:
The pronoun "he" is ambiguous. It is unclear whether "he" refers to Prof. Duncan or Will.

Correction:
To clarify, we can replace "he" with the correct noun.

Revised Sentence:
"It says in the syllabus that Prof. Duncan won’t tolerate tardiness, but we were not surprised to see Will peeking through the classroom window, hoping that Will could enter late once again."

---

#### 6.
Original Sentence:
"Jenny found a hungry, lost kitten in the mall parking lot. She brought it home to live with her twenty-three other cats. Cat food and litter get expensive if you have such a kind heart!"

Error:
The pronoun "you" is vague. It is unclear who "you" refers to—it could be Jenny or the reader.

Correction:
To clarify, we can replace "you" with "someone like Jenny" or another appropriate pronoun.

Revised Sentence:
"Jenny found a hungry, lost kitten in the mall parking lot. She brought it home to live with her twenty-three other cats. Cat food and litter get expensive if someone like Jenny has such a kind heart!"

---

Final Answers:

1. Marc tripped over an untied shoelace and broke his arm.
2. Was the computer geek ever surprised when the FBI burst into his apartment?
3. The announcement really distressed the poor students.
4. And some people say that young people don’t understand financial responsibility!
5. hoping that Will could enter late once again.
6. Cat food and litter get expensive if someone like Jenny has such a kind heart!

Final Answer:

\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
1. & \text{ Marc tripped over an untied shoelace and broke his arm.} \\
2. & \text{ Was the computer geek ever surprised when the FBI burst into his apartment?} \\
3. & \text{ The announcement really distressed the poor students.} \\
4. & \text{ And some people say that young people don’t understand financial responsibility!} \\
5. & \text{ hoping that Will could enter late once again.} \\
6. & \text{ Cat food and litter get expensive if someone like Jenny has such a kind heart!} \\
\end{aligned}
}