Identifying and Correcting Vague Pronouns

This worksheet helps grade 9 students identify and correct vague pronoun references in sentences.

Grade 9 ELA GrammarGrammar and MechanicsParts of SpeechPronounsVague Pronouns

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Includes

TextMultiple ChoiceFill in the BlanksShort AnswerTrue / False

Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.A

Topics

ELAGrammarPronounsVague PronounsGrade 9

7 sections · Free to use · Printable

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Identifying and Correcting Vague Pronouns

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Read each section carefully and follow the instructions to complete the exercises. This worksheet focuses on identifying and correcting vague pronoun references.

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. For example, instead of saying “Maria went to the store, and Maria bought apples,” we can say “Maria went to the store, and she bought apples.” The pronoun “she” refers to Maria. However, sometimes pronouns can be vague, meaning it's unclear who or what they refer to. This can make sentences confusing.

Example of a vague pronoun: "When John told Mike he had won the lottery, he was very excited."

In this sentence, it's unclear whether "he" refers to John or Mike. To correct this, we need to clarify the pronoun.

Correction: "When John told Mike that Mike had won the lottery, Mike was very excited." OR "When John told Mike that he (John) had won the lottery, John was very excited."

For each sentence, identify if the pronoun is vague. If it is, choose 'Vague'. If it is clear, choose 'Clear'.

1. Sarah told Emily that she was going to the concert.

Vague

Clear

2. The dog chased the cat, and it ran up the tree.

Vague

Clear

Rewrite the following sentences to correct the vague pronoun references. Fill in the blank with the clarified pronoun or noun.

1. When the teacher spoke to the principal, she said there would be a new policy. (Who said there would be a new policy?)

When the teacher spoke to the principal, said there would be a new policy.

2. Mark told David that his car had a flat tire. (Whose car had a flat tire?)

Mark told David that car had a flat tire.

Read the paragraph below. Identify all vague pronoun references and rewrite the paragraph on the lines provided, correcting each vague pronoun.

Sarah and Jessica went to the mall. She wanted to buy a new dress, but she couldn't find her size. Then, she saw a beautiful pair of shoes, and it was on sale. They decided to get some ice cream, and it was delicious.

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

1. A vague pronoun always refers to an inanimate object.

True

False

2. Clarifying a vague pronoun often involves replacing it with a specific noun.

True

False