Is "it" the correct pronoun in the following?
A dog chased a cat. It barked very loudly.
I am trying to create an example for pronoun ambiguity.
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If you’re looking for another example: ‘He tied his shoes.’ might do nicely. The ‘his’ could refer to either the subject, or to some other individual. The first case could be expressed unambiguously by making the possessive form reflexive (‘his own shoes’ in this case), but the second case cannot be stated unambiguously in English using pronouns.– Austin HemmelgarnCommented Jul 5, 2021 at 1:02
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1 Answer
Yes "it" can be correctly used in the sentence:
A dog chased a cat. It barked very loudly.
However, if the sex of the dog is known, "he" or "she'" could also be used.
Note that context makes the pronoun not ambiguous for anyone who knows that dogs bark and cats do not.
answered Jul 3, 2021 at 20:55
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5Thanks! The example should be my starting point to show that syntax and semantics are not enough to resolve references and that
world knowledgeis a crucial indicator.– trobianCommented Jul 3, 2021 at 21:06 -
"Note that context makes the pronoun not ambiguous for anyone who knows that dogs bark and cats do not" - Cats can bark. Just being pedantic. :-P– VikkiCommented Jul 4, 2021 at 18:02
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@Vikki: What about the original video mentioned in the top right corner? Commented Jul 4, 2021 at 18:04