Analyzing and Interpreting Literature / Unit 2 AIL 0133 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Pronouns Far From Their Nouns
Captions available
The idea
In a long suspended sentence, a pronoun can sit many lines from the noun it replaces, with other nouns between. Reading backward to the first noun that makes sense of the verb recovers the referent, and it is rarely the nearest one.
In practice
The nearest noun is rarely it.
Where people slip
Read back for sense, not distance.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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