Avoid Pronoun-Antecedent Dysphoria

Avoid Pronoun-Antecedent Dysphoria
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 by Cindy Sproles

It’s a problem.

What is?

It.

That’s what I’m asking. What’s a problem?

Feel like you’re stuck in a conversation maze as convoluted as Abbot and Costello’s classic comedy routine “Who’s on First”?

Many readers feel similar confusion if writers are careless with pronoun usage, especially a versatile pronoun such as it. I call the malaise Pronoun-Antecedent Dysphoria (PAD) because readers may be unable to pinpoint why they feel disoriented or dissatisfied.

Consider this sentence: Emma regretted her decision as soon as she walked into her friend’s apartment. An argument with her father had started it.

To what does it refer? What had started with the father-daughter argument?

Second problem: To whom does her refer in the second sentence—Emma or her friend?

Any pronoun can be a carrier of PAD, regardless of number (singular or plural) or person (first, second, or third). And gender pronouns (he, she, him, her) can muddle a sentence’s meaning as easily as the gender-neutral ones (it, they, them, their).

The Purpose of Pronouns

To understand why faulty pronoun usage creates chaos in a sentence, let’s review a pronoun’s job description. By definition, a pronoun is a substitute. It takes the place of a noun so we don’t have to repeat the names of people or things. A pronoun—that, which, who, these—may also be used when the name of a person or thing is unknown.

Pronouns must refer to a specific noun—known as the antecedent. The two words work together best when they’re near each other. Consider this pair of sentences: Pronouns help writers avoid such tedium by replacing nouns. They are indispensable. Wait. Does they refer to writers, pronouns, or nouns? If readers have to reread the sentence to figure out what the pronoun refers to, revise the sentence.

The antecedent for they in the sentence above needs clarification: Writers avoid such tedium by replacing nouns with pronouns. They are indispensable. Now they is next to its antecedent, pronouns. A better option is to omit the pronoun: Writers avoid such tedium by using the indispensable pronoun to replace a noun.

The Absent Antecedent

A second type of structure error occurs when a writer omits a necessary antecedent: Jan took a nap while they drove to her in-laws’ home. A reader has no idea what the antecedent for they is. I hope Jan does. Otherwise, we may need to call the police and report a kidnapping. Or maybe Jan’s at home, and other people are driving to her in-laws’ home. We don’t know.

Solution: Identify who is in the car and omit the pronoun: On the way to her in-laws’ home, Jan took a nap while Jim drove.

PAD Remedies

Keep pronouns close to their antecedents. If intervening nouns could cause confusion, revise the sentence.

Eliminate pronouns whenever possible.

To locate potential PAD carriers, print out a page of your work in progress (WIP). For every pronoun you’ve used, write the antecedent above it. If you can’t find the antecedent, rewrite the sentence. Also make sure the pronoun and its antecedent agree in number, person, and gender.

Confusing an audience in a comedy routine is entertaining. But rattling a reader with faulty pronoun usage is neither funny nor effective. Pay attention to your pronouns. Don’t allow them to transmit PAD to your readers.