谈到代名词的误用，特别是代名词的数和所指引的主语的数不符，使得后头谓语动词的数也跟着出差错，真是差之毫厘，失之千里，不可不察。

这里要指出一些方向，以避免因代名词的错误而使句子的意思模糊不清。

怎样避免代名词的错误呢?

㈠不要用同个代名词指引两个性别一样的名词，如：

① Mr Li told Mr Lin that he was wrong.

这里的he既可指林先生，也可指李先生，含糊不清。应该改为②或③：

② Mr Li said to Mr Lin, "I am wrong."

③ Mr Li said to Mr Lin, "You are wrong."

㈡避免把代名词和它所指引的名词隔开太远，如：

④ The man leaned over the bench for hours working on the plan. It was too low to be comfortable.

这里的代词it离开名词the bench太远，结果关系不清楚，因为在位置上，它更适合指引the plan.在这种情况下，只好避开it，而用名词，即the bench.

㈢避免滥用指示代词"this，that"或关系代词"who，which，that"泛指上文的内容。例如：

⑤ Tom's brother is an accountant, and this is the profession everyone envies.

这里的this指"accountant"。“会计师”是一种专业人士，和后头的“专业”(profession)并不相称，因此要把this改为 accountancy(会计工作)，才合句子的意思。

⑥ The profit from the business was large, which I realised sometime later.

这里的"which I realised sometime later"是句形容词分句，应该出现在先行词后面，不应该脱离出来而独立。如果要用它来修饰全句话，更不合逻辑，应该改为⑦或⑧：

⑦ I realised sometime later that the profit from the business was large.(主句 + 名词分句)

⑧ The profit from the business was large. I realised this (matter) sometime later.(单句 + 单句)

㈣避免用代名词"they, you, it"影射脑子里的事物，如：

⑨ In Singapore, it relies heavily on tourism as a source of national revenue.

这里的 it 指向什么呢?如果是心目中的“政府”或“旅游促进局”，那就要明言，不要用不清不楚的it：

⑩ In Singapore, the government…

11. In Singapore, the Tourist Promotion Board…

12. In less industrialised countries, they do not know the problems of urban development.

这里的代名词they是不是指the people(人民)?如果是就用吧。In less industrialised countries, the people…过后，要再提这主语时，才用they：...the people…They are only interested in their daily life.

其实，在这种主语不详的情况下，被动语态是最好的选择：

13. In less industrialised countries, the problems of urban development are not known "Though the standard of living is raised, the costs of living are also increasing."

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