Questions tagged [antecedents]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
2 answers
104 views

How do you figure out the exact antecedent to be explained by next qualifier(phrase)?

I'm reading a book named 'the spotify play.' and then looking this sentences I wondered how people could figure out the exact antecedent explained by next qualifier(phrase) Please look this example. ...
Subin Kim's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
51 views

Pronoun Reference usage [duplicate]

Is it correct to use the pronoun reference her before introducing/specifying the name? Is it called a vague pronoun reference? Example: In her article, Jane provides a really good example of...
Nate Sr's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
59 views

'that' vs. 'which'/'who' when multiple noun phrases are involved

The sentences at issue are: "The company required a way to showcase their product line and its benefits that can not be typically highlighted in a traditional TV commercial." "He ...
Karl's user avatar
  • 23
1 vote
1 answer
70 views

When ‘that’ follows an 𝒳-of-𝒴 subject, which noun phrase does ‘that’ refer to: the first noun phrase 𝒳 or the second noun phrase 𝒴?

I’ve seen those two quite dif­fer­ent us­ages of that fol­low­ing an 𝒳-of-𝒴 prepo­si­tional phrase con­nect­ing two noun phrases 𝒳 and 𝒴 via the prepo­si­tion of, one in which it is used to re­fer ...
Akari's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
2 answers
119 views

Can two different pronouns (that, who) be used to refer to the same antecedent (a statue representing a person)?

"He is being crowned by a female figure that accompanies him and who represents Victory." The figure itself is, of course, not a human, but its representation is (or at least is ...
Adam Frick's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
129 views

Does the antecedent of ‘you’ shift in Labouchère’s poem “The Brown Man’s Burden”?

I was reading Henry Labouchère’s poem “The Brown Man’s Burden” first published in 1899. I was a little confused because at one point the antecedent for ye/you appears to switch from the white men to ...
CuriousCat's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
122 views

Is the pronoun 'it' used correctly in this sentence?

I have come across a sentence in which the pronoun 'it' occurs but seems to have no antecedent, and I think it should be omitted: A controlling idea: what the writer is going to focus on it in the ...
Ata's user avatar
  • 13
0 votes
2 answers
105 views

What does "it" represent in the following sentence?

I read the following sentence on the leading corporation in a corruption-infested country. Its path to the top was strewn with secret deals, price fixing, bribery, tax evasion and more, all of it ...
user48754's user avatar
  • 265
1 vote
1 answer
56 views

To which level can an antecedent of "which" be a phrasal noun? Can an entire clause be the antecedent? [duplicate]

I see many answers on the antecedent of "which", but not with this level of detail. In this sentence: The values of MAE and RMSE obtained for the validation phase are similar, which ...
Millemila's user avatar
  • 136
0 votes
3 answers
107 views

Can I mix up plural with singular to resolve pronoun ambiguity?

I have here a sentence with an ambiguous antecedent. Computers have larger screens than smartphones, the reason why they are still necessary. The pronoun "they" can refer back to "...
Macha's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
18 views

Should "it/this" always refer to a specific noun? [duplicate]

I have a paragraph starting with the below sentence. "it" is not referring to any specific noun. Is there any problem with that? It has been estimated that health care costs accounted for ...
mdslt's user avatar
  • 101
0 votes
2 answers
196 views

You'll know afterwards, when I get mad. [Analysis of 'when']

American sitcom That '70s Show has these lines (YouTube): Eric: So, uh, for future reference, do I have to ask you, uh, before I go out with my friends? Donna: No. Uh yes. Sometimes. Eric: So, uh, ...
JK2's user avatar
  • 6,361
2 votes
2 answers
144 views

keep it inside your body, where it belongs [antecedent of 'where']

Bolt, a Disney animation, has these lines: Bolt : What is this red liquid coming from my paw? Mittens : It's called blood, hero! Bolt : Do I need it? Mittens : Yes, so if you want to keep it ...
JK2's user avatar
  • 6,361
0 votes
0 answers
110 views

"Those" used without antecedent

Is the sentence, "Bob asked those on his team a question" correct even though "those" doesn't really have an antecedent? If it is not correct, what would be the best way to correct ...
Elem-Teach-w-Bach-n-Math-Ed's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
527 views

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking

From a speech by Steve Jobs: a. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. If the sentence is to work syntactically, dogma has to be the antecedent of ...
listeneva's user avatar
  • 1,420
0 votes
1 answer
52 views

Do we need to explicitly mention the antecedent in an attributive clause inside another one, both describing the same antecedent?

A sudden question popped up in my head just now: which of these two sentences are correct, or are they both wrong? I write books that nobody reads or even knows that they exist. I write books that ...
Someone else's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
270 views

Identifying the antecedent of an integrated(restrictive) relative clause

The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language has this (Page 1061): In [11], CGEL doesn't analyze the determiner no as part of the antecedent of the relative clause. Let's compare [11] with [11a] and ...
JK2's user avatar
  • 6,361
3 votes
0 answers
355 views

Is the relative clause always an adjunct/modifier of the antecedent?

The first two sentences mean the same thing, and so do the last two. (1) She's obviously the person to finish the job. (1') She's obviously the person who should finish the job. (2) She was the first ...
JK2's user avatar
  • 6,361
1 vote
2 answers
299 views

I've found <somewhere/some place/a place> where

a. I’ve found somewhere where they apologise to you if you bump them with your backpack on a crowded tube. (From this Guardian news article) Is it just me or is the repetition of where bothering ...
listeneva's user avatar
  • 1,420
4 votes
2 answers
627 views

Does the word "that" refer to "features" or "windows 9x"?

Microsoft built a number of features into Windows 9x that allow previous users of DOS and Windows 3.x to capitalize on their investment and that allow technicians access to DOS-based troubleshooting....
Amr Mahmoud's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
56 views

Using "it was" twice with "as if"

This sentence is from English Grammar Today by the Cambridge Dictionary: The floods were rising and it was as if it was the end of the world. My question is why should it was be there twice in ...
mahmud k pukayoor's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
112 views

What is the antecedent in this passage?

sample taken from a Toefl exam Just as painted designs on Greek pots may seem today to be purely decorative, whereas in fact they were carefully and precisely worked out so that at the time, [sic] ...
Farshad Azizi's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
75 views

Can a plural noun be followed by “due to it”? [closed]

Is it correct to say, for example “You would put your health at risk by smoking cigarettes, due to it containing toxic chemicals.”
user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
24 views

Relative pronoun "that" with "the only" in the antecedent [duplicate]

I heard "That" should be used after superlative adjectives and other determiners like all, same, any, none, nothing, only, everything little, much and no. But in this sentence Those who wish to ...
moonlightcafe's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
147 views

Relative clause after a possessive

Is this sentence grammatically correct? Not a single crease could be seen on Laxmibai's forehead, who sat erect and bright-eyed. I was told that the subject of the relative clause is Laxmibai and ...
Nikki's user avatar
  • 19
1 vote
0 answers
42 views

What is the antecedent of "The x of y, which"

What is the antecedent of "which" in the following sentence? "The door of the car, which is discontinued, broke." Is the "the door of the car" discontinued, or is "the car" discontinued?
Shaun Jackman's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
158 views

restrictive relative pronoun clause and antecedent

The Plaintiff claims that the Defendant, MICHAEL DOE, owed a duty to the Plaintiff, which duty was breached by the said Defendant, the particulars of which breach are as follows: (a) driving ...
user327644's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
2k views

Should an antecedent of "everyone" take "their" or "his" or "our" as its corresponding possessive pronoun? [duplicate]

I am still confused about how to use the word everyone. I have this sentence on a test: Everyone wants to do their part. Everyone wants to do his part. Everyone wants to do our part. ...
Lee's user avatar
  • 1
-1 votes
1 answer
93 views

Doesn't and Their [duplicate]

'Everyone who doesn't cook their food' Is it correct? If it's correct then can you explain why do we use doesn't but the possessive pronoun is Their?
Allison's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

Opposite of Extinction

Extinct is to Extant; as Extinction is to ____________? The root words, extinct & extant, are basically polar opposites. The correct answer would be a technical term that indicates the polar ...
voices's user avatar
  • 470
0 votes
0 answers
72 views

Can "they" be used without an explicit antecedent noun phrase in a sentence like this?

Can I say "His wife is named Jane, and they have two sons," or do I have to say "he has two sons" instead of "they have"? My paragraph was about the man, so is it wrong to say "they have" instead of "...
Aya B Herbawi's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
114 views

I want to lnow what is the antecedent of the pronoun “it” in the following context?

the source It’s the third time since 2015 that such a collision has been observed via an instrument called LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory), which consists of a pair of ...
Stevan Slewa's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
348 views

What is "it" in the following sentence: It is clear that Bob likes doughnuts

I am very confused. Unless I am mistaken, I know "it" has to be a noun of some sort, but I am unable to figure out what noun "it" is referring to. What is "it" in the following sentence: It is ...
JBis's user avatar
  • 208
0 votes
2 answers
833 views

Pronouns and Gender Bias // Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement [duplicate]

I understand pronouns and their antecedents must agree (a singular pronoun must have a singular antecedent, and a plural pronoun must have a plural antecedent). However, I can not find an elegant ...
Mac Hail 's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
767 views

Singular or plural when there is no plural antecedent?

I am not sure if the singular or plural forms should be used in the following. Some people go for the plural, but it doesn't seem to have a plural antecedent. Each month, the school holds a party. ...
Apollyon's user avatar
  • 1,881
3 votes
2 answers
708 views

How can the relative pronoun 'which' have an adjectival phrase as its antecedent? Exactly what may act as antecedent for 'which'?

American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was quoted as saying: As “bad” as he was feeling for producers of both films, Kimmel admitted he was also “trying really hard not to laugh.” It was only after ...
JK2's user avatar
  • 6,361
1 vote
3 answers
270 views

"one of the cables that runs" or "one of the cables that run"?

Recently at work I was writing the following, and I have not been able to get a firm answer on which version is the most grammatically correct. The sentence is: We would like to use one of the ...
Erudition303's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
96 views

Are these two 'that's relative pronouns? If then, what is the antecedent of each of them?

Was there some move that is beyond what was being presented to me that maybe a Churchill could have seen, or an Eisenhower might have figured out? - Barack Obama
Roo's user avatar
  • 25
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

"There is a picture of myself on the wall." Can a reflexive pronoun be used without an antecedent like this?

I need an answer for a question that has been bugging me for a while. So, I understand that reflexive pronouns needs to have a subject to refer to, or to be the reflection of. Then lately I've come ...
Fay's user avatar
  • 49
4 votes
4 answers
292 views

.. or .. which ... - does the which apply to both options?

Hi I'm not sure of the exact meaning of this sentence: You may not engage in private practice or be connected with any outside business which would interfere with the performance of official duties. ...
KevInSol's user avatar
  • 141
0 votes
1 answer
127 views

Deciding the antecedent in a sentence, resulting in the correct verb form

The sentence is: "Since they were first invented, we have advanced, and designed stylish glasses for people whose vision need to be corrected." I've been told that the verb needs to be "need" and ...
felongtw's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
206 views

Is there a rule to determine to which word is a pronoun related? [duplicate]

In the following sentence: Dogs hate cats as they are naughty. does the pronoun "they" refer to dogs or cats? In other words, who is naughty here?
MSX's user avatar
  • 111
0 votes
4 answers
454 views

noun-pronoun agreement

Like the planets, the stars are in motion, some of them at tremendous speeds, but they... Just based on the above, how can we tell which noun the pronoun they refers to: planets or stars? Is there ...
raja's user avatar
  • 9
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

You can't put a flower in an a**hole and call it a vase

I am not trying to be funny (other than the fact that the joke is, in and of itself, funny). I'm asking someone to parse this for me. Seems to me it should be something like, "You can't put a flower ...
Mark Flint's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

What does this "it" refer to?

Furthermore, Gilbert’s vibrant description of Naples’s pizza makes it sound unique and delicious. Does the "it" in the sentence above refer to the description or the pizza? Would it be better to ...
Grammar183's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
210 views

Antecedent of "it" in "dropped the amulet into the bag and hooked it"

Sentence is: Jim dropped the amulet back into the bag and hooked it through his belt. Isn't there confusion here on the subject? It feels like 'hooked it' is still related to the amulet when it's ...
Andrew Lowe's user avatar
12 votes
5 answers
1k views

Can a pronoun and its referent have different plurality?

My question is as the title says: Is it allowed for a pronoun and its referent to have different plurality? A specific example I am considering is a sentence like this: I love this cookie so much ...
Sangchul Lee's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
369 views

Pronoun-antecedent agreement question

I was reading this article about jokes on 30 Rock. A sentence seemed strange to me, and I had to reread a few times. They are talking about a writer, Robert Carlock, writing jokes for a character, Dr. ...
chiliNUT's user avatar
  • 827
2 votes
2 answers
5k views

Personal pronoun before noun?

Before Sarah can board the bus, she needs to get some coins for the fare. Before she can board the bus, Sarah needs to get some coins for the fare. My questions are: Between the above two sentences,...
Hello's user avatar
  • 39
-4 votes
1 answer
498 views

Writing a sentence being less ambiguous [closed]

I have following paragraph with two corrections. A- In the 1980s the largest single provider of day care for children was the federal government, which offered B- The federal government was the ...
Muhammad Umar's user avatar