Why I Don’t Like Pronouns
This is why I try to avoid pronouns. Last panel. Whose nose???
Pronouns typically need a noun they refer to, called the antecedent. The topic of the conversation is some famous classmate, but the closest noun is “another kid.” So did the kid shove the hot dog up his own nose, or up the nose of the kid who ate the ketchup? Which one is the antecedent?
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Another Example of why Pronouns are Bad
Deciding on the antecedent can be tricky:
Don’t say “which one.” Say “which movie?”
Harrumpf!
Another Pronoun Joke
I recommend avoiding pronouns because a pronoun’s need for an antecedent can lead to ambiguity when the closest noun isn’t the antecedent.
Ambiguity is bad, but it’s the basis for this punchline.
Get the point?
Pronouns are Often Not Good to Use
The problem is that pronouns need another word to give them meaning, and that word (the antecedent) can be hard to discern. Here’s an example. What does “it” refer to?
One of Tesla’s biggest critics is funding a Super Bowl ad against it
from The Washington Post
The rule is that pronouns should refer to the closest noun. The ad is against the Super Bowl???
If you have to think to figure out what a sentence means, the sentence is written poorly.
Are You Still Human after You’re Dead?
We don’t refer to people with the pronoun “it.” “It” is strictly for inanimate objects. So what do you think they should use for the pronoun in these sentences?
When the 5,300-year-old mummy of Ötzi the Iceman was found 30 years ago, researchers found 61 tattoos on it.
That’s the summary of the article in the newsletter The Conversation.
Here’s a sentence in the article:
Ötzi the Iceman remained hidden to the world for millennia until two German tourists discovered it 30 years ago in a glacier in the Italian Alps.
https://theconversation.com/what-otzi-the-prehistoric-iceman-can-teach-us-about-the-use-of-tattoos-in-ceremonial-healing-or-religious-rites-168058
Since this pronoun occurs twice, we have a deliberate choice here, not a goof.
Let’s add to the confusion. this sentence also appears in that article:
Ötzi also sported tattoos on his chest.
So. Would you ever refer to a deceased relative with “it”? What do you think about this editorial decision in the article?
Here’s a picture of his/its statue:
