Identifying and Correcting Vague Pronouns

This worksheet helps sixth-grade students identify and correct vague pronoun references in sentences, improving clarity and precision in writing.

Grade 6 ELA GrammarGrammar and MechanicsParts of SpeechPronounsVague Pronouns

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Includes

TextMultiple ChoiceFill in the BlanksShort AnswerTrue / False

Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.1.B

Topics

ELAGrammarPronounsVague PronounsGrade 6

7 sections · Free to use · Printable

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Identifying and Correcting Vague Pronouns

Name:

Date:

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Read each section's instructions carefully and complete the tasks. Remember that vague pronouns make sentences unclear. Your goal is to make sure every pronoun clearly refers to a specific noun or noun phrase.

What is a Vague Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they, this, that). A vague pronoun is one that does not clearly refer to a specific noun. This can make a sentence confusing and difficult to understand. To fix a vague pronoun, you usually need to replace the pronoun with the noun it is supposed to represent.

Choose the sentence where the pronoun is used vaguely.

Sarah gave Mark his book.

When Mom talked to Aunt Carol, she was upset.

The dog wagged its tail.

They went to the park.

Rewrite each sentence, replacing the vague pronoun with a clearer noun or noun phrase. The vague pronoun is underlined.

1. John told Mike that he had won the game. (Who won the game?)

John told Mike that had won the game.

2. The teacher handed the student the book, and then she walked away. (Who walked away?)

The teacher handed the student the book, and then walked away.

3. When the cat jumped on the table, it broke the vase. (What broke the vase?)

When the cat jumped on the table, broke the vase.

Read the paragraph below. Identify two sentences that contain vague pronouns. Rewrite those sentences to make them clear, explaining why your changes improve the clarity.

Sarah and Emily went to the store. Sarah bought apples, and Emily bought oranges. When she got home, she realized she had forgotten her wallet. This made her very frustrated.

1. Vague Sentence:

Correction:

Explanation:

2. Vague Sentence:

Correction:

Explanation:

Determine if the following statements about vague pronouns are True or False.

1. A vague pronoun always refers to the closest noun in the sentence.

True

False

2. Replacing a vague pronoun with a specific noun makes a sentence clearer.

True

False