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[Help!] Revise this sentence correcting any vague and ambiguous pronouns? Make sure all antecedents are clear?

6. The whales seem to migrate during the night, which takes a great deal of energy.

7. If you study whales, you must have patience.

8.Sometimes the whales will not come to the surface for long periods of time, and this can be frustrating.

9. When the whales do surface, they often raise their tail flukes as they dive down again. That is a beautiful sight.

10. Many whales use their voices to communicate, which we refer to as songs.

1 Answer

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  • 4 years ago
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    6. The whales seem to migrate during the night, which takes a great deal of energy.

    > "which" is too vague because it is trying to refer to the entire previous clause.

    Suggestion:

    The whales use a great deal of energy to migrate during the night.

    ----------------------

    7. If you study whales, you must have patience.

    > This use of the word "you" is inappropriate for formal writing or speech.

    Suggestion:

    Studying whales requires patience.

    ---------------

    8.Sometimes the whales will not come to the surface for long periods of time, and this can be frustrating.

    > The word "this" does not have a proper antecedent. It is trying to refer to the entire previous clause.

    Suggestion:

    It is sometimes frustrating when the whales will not come to the surface for long periods of time.

    ---------------------

    9. When the whales do surface, they often raise their tail flukes as they dive down again. That is a beautiful sight.

    > The word "that" does not have a proper antecedent. It is trying to refer to the entire preceding sentence.

    Suggestion:

    It is a beautiful sight to see the whales surface, then raise their tail flukes as they dive down again.

    -----------------

    10. Many whales use their voices to communicate, which we refer to as songs.

    > The word "which" has no antecedent.

    Suggestion:

    To communicate, many whales use their voices to produce what we call songs.

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